I feel like this is many people's 'currently reading' book at this moment in time. This is a collection of 12 short stories from 12 popular YA authors all based in the festive season. I have read many of the authors in this book and enjoyed what I had seen, so I didn't hesitate to pick this up when it came out, I have saved it until this point to really get me into the festive spirt. So in order to be fair I will review each story individually.
Midnights by Rainbow Rowell
I have enjoyed both of the Rainbow Rowell books I have read and so was excited to be kickstarting the book off with this one. I will say it would have made more sense for this to be one of the last as it is set on New Years Eve, but nonetheless, it was an okay story. Due to the nature of this book being short stories I find it super difficult to connect with the characters, I felt like there was hardly any plot driving it and the ending pretty obvious, but then again it is a stereotypical contemporary storyline just quickened up, so really I feel like had this been extended over a proper novel, I would have had far more enjoyment out of it.
The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link
I really didn't get on with this story. I just didn't get it. I felt like the author wanted to leave a lot of the story up to your imagination but in a way that totally sacrificed the value of the words and it ended up just being a jumble.
Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Peña
Ah I really liked this one, I felt like it was very real and honest. I want to check out more from this author because I really enjoyed the writing, the characters and all that this simple story had to offer.
Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han
This was probably the most Christmasy so far purely because it was set in the North Pole with Santa and Elves, it had a very 'Elf' feel about it. It got what it needed to do done and I was left satisfied with it.
Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan
This story made me feel a bit uneasy, not sure if it was the ending or what but it started off to be a nice festive read of a boyfriend doing something kind and I don't know but towards the end it felt kind of ...sinister I guess.
It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins
This was my favourite story of them all because I feel like it got the Christmas spirit in there without it being overpowering or ridiculous but it was fun and the characters were really well developed considering the short length. I'd be interested in reading a whole novel about these characters.
Krampuslauf by Holly Black
Um, this was okay, I don't really have an opinion on it, I think it worked fairly well as a short story but was a little odd. For me Holly Black's writing is a little touch and go but this was just okay.
What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman
Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan
This story made me feel a bit uneasy, not sure if it was the ending or what but it started off to be a nice festive read of a boyfriend doing something kind and I don't know but towards the end it felt kind of ...sinister I guess.
It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins
This was my favourite story of them all because I feel like it got the Christmas spirit in there without it being overpowering or ridiculous but it was fun and the characters were really well developed considering the short length. I'd be interested in reading a whole novel about these characters.
Krampuslauf by Holly Black
Um, this was okay, I don't really have an opinion on it, I think it worked fairly well as a short story but was a little odd. For me Holly Black's writing is a little touch and go but this was just okay.
What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman
This was a nice enough story, the characters were fun, it was a typical contemporary but that's fine. The writing was nice and flowed well, certainly wasn't the worst in the book.
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra Mcentire
Meh, this was okay but I could have done without reading it. I felt like it was predictable and just a bit too flat.
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter
Well if this tells you anything I only finished this book last night and yet I can't even remember what this was about. I think this didn't work well as a short story, it needed to be a full length novel, you just couldn't connect with the characters enough to really care about what was happening.
Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White
I liked this one a lot, it made me feel happy. The characters were all well rounded and interesting, it left you wanting more but not necessarily needing more.
The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
This just didn't work well with the tempo of the rest of the book, it really didn't. There was no dialogue which made it hard to connect with the characters, I felt myself skimming the pages. This would have done far, far better in either a short story book with just fantasy stories or as a long novel.
All in all, I was disappointed with this, it had so much hype around it but for me it just didn't deliver. I didn't feel anymore festive than before and to be honest I felt like the combination of some contemporary and then a random fantasy thrown in just didn't mix well. I felt like a lot of these stories were the same, whilst usually I wouldn't mind reading a stereotypical contemporary, because hey sometimes that's what you're in the mood for, constantly reading the same thing over and over again just with different ethnicities, genders and sexualities got boring and that's why I feel like I lost my patience with this. Whilst I enjoy many of these authors individual books I just don't connect well with short stories in general. Perhaps give this a go if all you read is contemporary and skip the ones that had fantasy elements because as short stories they just did not work well at all.
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra Mcentire
Meh, this was okay but I could have done without reading it. I felt like it was predictable and just a bit too flat.
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter
Well if this tells you anything I only finished this book last night and yet I can't even remember what this was about. I think this didn't work well as a short story, it needed to be a full length novel, you just couldn't connect with the characters enough to really care about what was happening.
Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White
I liked this one a lot, it made me feel happy. The characters were all well rounded and interesting, it left you wanting more but not necessarily needing more.
The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
This just didn't work well with the tempo of the rest of the book, it really didn't. There was no dialogue which made it hard to connect with the characters, I felt myself skimming the pages. This would have done far, far better in either a short story book with just fantasy stories or as a long novel.
All in all, I was disappointed with this, it had so much hype around it but for me it just didn't deliver. I didn't feel anymore festive than before and to be honest I felt like the combination of some contemporary and then a random fantasy thrown in just didn't mix well. I felt like a lot of these stories were the same, whilst usually I wouldn't mind reading a stereotypical contemporary, because hey sometimes that's what you're in the mood for, constantly reading the same thing over and over again just with different ethnicities, genders and sexualities got boring and that's why I feel like I lost my patience with this. Whilst I enjoy many of these authors individual books I just don't connect well with short stories in general. Perhaps give this a go if all you read is contemporary and skip the ones that had fantasy elements because as short stories they just did not work well at all.
3/5 STARS
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