A review by sams84
The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales by Kate Mosse

5.0

This is a beautiful collection of tales that are haunting in every sense of the word, some are utterly bone chilling while others are heart wrenching and drenched in sadness, all written with Mosse's excemptional style and flair for character. Each story has an unique feel with its own characters and purpose. Mosse also includes a short explanation as to the inspiration for the story and how it come about (I admit I glossed over these sections as I find such information tends to reduce the impact of the story itself). The title story was one of my favourites as the reality of who the narrator is and how they came to be in their current situation creeps up on you slowly then suddenly hits you full in the face with an almighty thud. 'The Ship of the Dead' was another that has stuck in my mind and is particularly haunting given the villagers response to such a sad yet necessary task. I was also rather taken with 'Why the Yew Tree Lives So Long' as it reminded me of the local folk stories I heard in my area growing up and am still fond of today.