Setting the Scene: 🇨🇦 Welcome to the fictional town of St. Nicholas in winter during Christmas (reminiscent of the northern regions of Ontario or Quebec, Canada). 

POV: The story flits between various characters and their perspectives – from an elderly priest to a child filled with the Christmas spirit, to a corporate CEO.

 

-Winter isolation survival thriller

-Christmas creature feature and creepy kids

-Descriptive folk horror paired with body horror and gore

-Light-hearted but deep exploration of themes of consumerism, community, reinvention, not-all-as-it-seems, misplaced loyalty, survival, denial, fear, and hope. 

 

----

🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕

 

🗣️ Tale-Telling: The writing was cinematic, punchy, and snappy. I don’t like comparing work to other authors, but I have to here - this felt  like what could happen if John Marrs and Nick Cutter wrote a story together. The scenes transitioned smoothly, each packed with just the right amount of thematic detail. It was a slow-paced fast read for me that felt like watching a horror movie. 

 

👥 Characters: This was a large cast, but each character, no matter how briefly featured, was vividly drawn and fleshed out with consistent motivations and quirks. I felt like a fly on the wall, observing their personalities and actions. 

 

🗺️ Ambiance: I loved the cinematic worldbuilding. I was immediately immersed in each setting, thanks to the succinct, atmospheric descriptions. It was a world that felt real and palpable (it also captured to 'feel' of Canada lol). Even the motivations and dynamics of the town’s past, and mixed feelings about the future felt believable. There seemed to be a lot of thought put into the worldbuilding detail and sensory descriptions, which I love.

 

🔥 Fuel: The suspense comes from knowing just a bit more than the characters at times, and less at others. The story kept me guessing with twists and unexpected developments, and some well placed ‘wtf’ moments. There were a lot of action, escape, fight-for-your-life, cat-and-mouse scenes which I normally struggle to stay engaged with but had no issues here. They were written in a way that we keep the immersive fast-paced momentum so it’s easy to follow the…violence? The fast-paced scenes are interspersed with slower moments for reflection and regrouping. 

 

🎬 Scenes: The action scenes were vivid and impactful, devoid of unnecessary heroics or gore (there is gore though, prepare for lots of gore, I just mean it didn’t feel gratuitous). The horrors are startling and swift, then it’s back to building suspense and wondering who will survive. The looming dread is worked in to every scene and I loved the portrayal of Christmas traditions mixed with dark origins to add the eerie layer. 

 

🤓 Random Thoughts: I thought this was a ‘fun’ read, but on reflection it was also kinda deep. It played with the idea of Christmas cheer masking darkness and being used for evil purposes. And it touched on themes I’ve rarely seen in horror, like the ‘freeze’ response many have in crisis situations, challenging the traditional notions of heroism and masculinity. 

----

 

Content Heads-Up: Medical (heart). Murder. Gore. Body horror. Brainwashing. Sexual assault and harassment (unable to consent; insinuated; on page). Step-incest (fantasizing; lusting).

Rep: White, Black, and Chinese Americans and Canadians.

 

👀 Format: Advance Reader's Copy from Blood Bound Books and NetGalley

 

“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI bookworm bestie ✨”