I feel like we got really dramatic about holiday cheer, more so than we needed to. I think the drama entwined in the more political aspects of the storyline misses the mark, the anxiety the characters are experiencing does not feel proportional to the political issues at hand.  Coal is going at 110mph at all times no matter what and it is A Lot. Arguably this isnt an insta love moment but I will be ignoring that argument because it feels like a very dramatic insta love relationship type deal. I really liked this concept but I think the writing style and fine details lacked for me. 

Also maybe a hot take but Hex is a stupid name and pulled me out of the story every once in a while. The other halloween siblings have very halloween names that aren't as cringe so I know the author has it in them to make good choices!

I also do not care for whatever happened between Kris and Iris at the end. You can slow burn that shit on the backburner the whole book and have it end all unsettled but bad like that. If you want to discuss it in the next book just leave the conflict for the next book.