Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Yule Lord

This is my second novel by Brom, and it didn’t disappoint! His stories have a way of going exactly where I think they’re going to go, yet still surprising me and leaving me turning pages.

My favorite thing about his work is the complexity of every character, even the villains. Krampus is good and terrible, but so is Santa in his own way. Even a character as loathsome as Dillard isn’t completely one-dimensional.

I loved the incorporation of Norse mythology into the narrative, especially

Santa Claus being the god Baldr. Him being able to be killed with mistletoe felt appropriate, and it put a nice twist on the Santa mythos. It’s a wonderful thing that I went from vaguely thinking that Santa was right about Krampus, to feeling heartbroken when Santa does slay him in the end. Although, we get to see his Yule spirit live on, which felt bitter-sweetly satisfying.

That said, I do have some nitpicks. There were times when I felt like certain characters didn’t react realistically to Krampus: There were too many instances of people having calm and rational conversations with a 7+ foot tall devil man. Although, I guess we could argue that Krampus’s magic is at play.

Additionally, I also didn’t care for

Santa coming back from the dead via a literal deus ex machina. I didn’t want him to stay dead, but his resurrection felt too easy. I also felt that a couple of loose ends had too-convenient solutions, like Dillard just-so-happening to have a Cold War shelter in his basement.

In all though, this was a solid read and made for a good change of pace from my usual holiday rom-coms. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves Brom’s dark and rich reading style, especially if you want a festive twist on his usual work. Also, be aware that it does get gory at times. You know what you can handle.

Content Warnings

rachelunabridged's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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_thugbug_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you want to find a beautiful/chilling story different from most Christmas tales. That is heart-wretchint but satisfying and surprising heartfelt at times. Look no further! Happy YuleTide everyone 💜, sometimes it's good to be terrible 😈

Content Warnings

mmoxie25's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

4.0

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