A review by lunababybat
Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom

adventurous dark funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Another wonderful entry from Brom. His other work, Slewfoot, is one of my new favorite books. And I genuinely enjoyed this romp, although it did fall short in my opinion. I enjoyed how fun Krampus was, how Brom worked exposition into his character, the adventure of this particular Yule season. I also like how neither Krampus nor Santa are really the evil beings they believe each other to be. Getting that perspective as a thrift party is interesting, as both believe they are doing what is right, but their own perceptions make them want to fight the other. They're both wrong and right at the same time, although obviously the book is designed to favor Krampus, although we all know he's also unreliable. But, I didn't like how so much of the plot revolved around miscommunication and brashness. A lot of the events that unfolded in this story occurred generally due to idiocy, impatience, or some refusal to talk something out. And every time something got too dicey, a dues ex machina would come into play to keep the important characters from getting killed.

Well, except Krampus himself I guess, but even the end makes it clear that he isn't really dead.

I love a good choatic story, I love modern takes on Pagan beliefs, but I do think I was spoiled on how Brilliant Brom can be from his other book I've read. I feel the driving force of the story and its events could have been more streamlined. And I really would love to see a sequel to figure out what happened to all the remaining characters.