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A review by ravensandpages
Lucky Girl: How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story by M. Rickert
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.5
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Tor!
If you're in the mood for a Christmassy horror read, LUCKY GIRL invokes all my favorite things about dark winter nights and spooky holiday traditions. This novella follows Ro, a struggling writer, who meets four lonely others celebrating one final meal at a local diner soon to close and invites them over for an impromptu Christmas dinner. Ending the night with a round of ghost stories invokes a bloody past that refuses to lay down once its ugly head has been reared.
I quite enjoyed the tone and prose of LUCKY GIRL, which to me perfectly encapsulated the feeling of hearing a story told by firelight. I think the characters' depths perfectly matched Ro's interest in them, and the balance between past and present was done quite well. I always love a story that blurs the lines between monsters of myth and monsters of men, and this really pulled it off for me.
I only had two qualms overall; one is that I fear the title is too long. LUCKY GIRL on its own perfectly encapsulates the story, and I think the rest of it may lead one to think the story drags on, but it certainly does not. I think the ending could have been drawn out a little more, less tell than show, because the narrative lost a bit of that spellbinding and engaging tension once the tone shifted to indicate the end.
The twists did get me and I adored the motifs of the bells, as is central to any Krampus story. If you're looking for a swift horror read this Christmas, I would recommend you try LUCKY GIRL!
If you're in the mood for a Christmassy horror read, LUCKY GIRL invokes all my favorite things about dark winter nights and spooky holiday traditions. This novella follows Ro, a struggling writer, who meets four lonely others celebrating one final meal at a local diner soon to close and invites them over for an impromptu Christmas dinner. Ending the night with a round of ghost stories invokes a bloody past that refuses to lay down once its ugly head has been reared.
I quite enjoyed the tone and prose of LUCKY GIRL, which to me perfectly encapsulated the feeling of hearing a story told by firelight. I think the characters' depths perfectly matched Ro's interest in them, and the balance between past and present was done quite well. I always love a story that blurs the lines between monsters of myth and monsters of men, and this really pulled it off for me.
I only had two qualms overall; one is that I fear the title is too long. LUCKY GIRL on its own perfectly encapsulates the story, and I think the rest of it may lead one to think the story drags on, but it certainly does not. I think the ending could have been drawn out a little more, less tell than show, because the narrative lost a bit of that spellbinding and engaging tension once the tone shifted to indicate the end.
The twists did get me and I adored the motifs of the bells, as is central to any Krampus story. If you're looking for a swift horror read this Christmas, I would recommend you try LUCKY GIRL!