A review by bibliomich
The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures by Sarah Clegg

dark informative fast-paced

3.0

This was an interesting, if relatively unmemorable, account of the creation and evolution of "Christmas creatures" (e.g. the Krampus, Belsnickel, etc.) and traditions. While I found the audiobook to be an overall enjoyable listen, I also felt that Clegg was either doing too much or not quite enough throughout the book. There are some personal anecdotes that serve set the scene, but they're not enough to make me feel like I know Clegg as a person or writer. There is historical context, but I wanted a bit more. The book hopped from topic to topic while staying at a fairly superficial level. This book could have been stronger if Clegg had perhaps narrowed down the focus and established a clearer thesis. For example, I felt that the section on fairytale writers was especially interesting but too short.