Scan barcode
jarrahpenguin's reviews
1280 reviews
A Room in a Rectory: A Ghost Story for Christmas by Andrew Caldecott
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
An interesting story that stands out from some others in the collection because it’s very focused on religion and Satan and demonic possession as opposed to less explicable phenomena. It felt like Caldecott really just wanted to explore these themes himself and there’s a lot packed into less than 100 pages.
The style is interesting, covering events from the perspective of not just the pastor but also including letters by a member of the congregation, comments of townsfolk, and somewhat of an epilogue with outsiders discussing the main events.
Overall I thought there was a bit too much explanation and not enough setup to create real suspense. Things got to their climax quite quickly and then were wrapped up too neatly.
The style is interesting, covering events from the perspective of not just the pastor but also including letters by a member of the congregation, comments of townsfolk, and somewhat of an epilogue with outsiders discussing the main events.
Overall I thought there was a bit too much explanation and not enough setup to create real suspense. Things got to their climax quite quickly and then were wrapped up too neatly.
Half Spent Was the Night: A Witches' Yuletide by Ami McKay
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
3.0
A light, short story about three witches in Gilded Age New York who are invited to a mysterious new year’s ball. I didn’t realize until starting it that this was a sort of holiday epilogue to The Witches of New York, which I hadn’t read. This story did stand alone but felt thin and it seems to give key details of how the other book ended, so read that first if you want to read both.
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Gorgeous, haunting novella about a mythical people who live underwater, descended from pregnant women thrown overboard during the years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The protagonist, Yetu, is their people’s historian and carries the memories of their traumatic past. They and their people have to grapple with balancing personal and collective identity, past pain and future joy. The descriptions are beautiful and atmospheric and the story is really engaging. There are a couple of flashback chapters that took me a while to situate in the story, and overall I think it could’ve been longer to do justice to those chapters in the Wajinru’s history.
The protagonist, Yetu, is their people’s historian and carries the memories of their traumatic past. They and their people have to grapple with balancing personal and collective identity, past pain and future joy. The descriptions are beautiful and atmospheric and the story is really engaging. There are a couple of flashback chapters that took me a while to situate in the story, and overall I think it could’ve been longer to do justice to those chapters in the Wajinru’s history.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Slavery, and Suicide
Podolo by L.P. Hartley
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
One of the shortest instalments in Seth’s series of ghost stories for Christmas, Podolo is a super creepy story about a gondola trip to a seemingly deserted island, and what happens when the protagonists encounter a feral kitten. Definitely exciting and a bit grisly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
The Captain of the Polestar: A Ghost Story for Christmas by Arthur Conan Doyle
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
A short, atmospheric, eerie story from Arthur Conan Doyle, about a whaling ship caught in the arctic ice, and its erratic captain. The descriptions of the scenery and ghostly encounters were great and Seth’s accompanying black and white drawings were especially effective in the arctic setting. Overall though I didn’t find the story itself very exciting. I wished we had more build up of the captain’s moods and that the ending was more explanatory than it was.
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I devoured this dark comedy of errors about women’s agency in a patriarchal caste system, murder and female friendships. It was really engaging and I loved Geeta and Saloni and the fun cast of supporting characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Suicide
A Witch's Guide to Burning by Aminder Dhaliwal
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Loved this graphic novel about a witch who’s rescued from burning and ends up on a journey with new friends to recover her memory. The characters were great - I would die for Yew-Veda. Also loved the kintsugi theme. Overall an inspiring story of self-discovery, community and healing.
My only quibble was the printing of the darkest pages made it hard to see what was going on or read the words on a couple of pages.
My only quibble was the printing of the darkest pages made it hard to see what was going on or read the words on a couple of pages.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
The House by the Poppy Field: A Ghost Story for Christmas by Marjorie Bowen
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
An interesting, atmospheric ghost story for Christmas. This one is short and feels like it could’ve used more build up and/or back story to the creepy goings on.
On the plus side the way the story takes place in essentially just one night does make it feel more meditative than your traditional haunted manor story. I didn’t totally get what the protagonist was going through in reflecting on the connections of childhood left behind to death in the future, but I felt like Bowen was trying to do something cool and meaningful there.
On the plus side the way the story takes place in essentially just one night does make it feel more meditative than your traditional haunted manor story. I didn’t totally get what the protagonist was going through in reflecting on the connections of childhood left behind to death in the future, but I felt like Bowen was trying to do something cool and meaningful there.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
Nori by Rumi Hara
4.0
Rumi Hara's Nori is a collection of stories of a toddler named Noriko growing up in Osaka in the 1980s, and her grandmother, who takes care of her while her parents work full-time. The illustrations are lovely, with simple, soothing color palettes. The stories attempt to inject a young child's flights of imagination into everyday events, such as Nori's fantasy of talking to various animals she encounters. The underlying dynamic that makes this more than a kid's book is the absence of Nori's parents and the deep, loving bond between her and her grandmother. It's very sweet and pleasant to read, but I found myself wanting more depth to the characters than perhaps was possible while staying faithful to the point-of-view of a four-year-old.
M Is for Monster by Talia Dutton
4.0
"M", is created when a scientist, Frances, and her husband attempt to resurrect Frances' sister Maura, who had died in a previous experiment gone wrong. Inhabiting Maura's body, M doesn't have any of her former host's memories and doesn't take naturally to the path Frances envisions for her, so she turns to some help from an unusual source. The art is clean and nicely stylized, with a hint of a retro sci-fi vibe, and I think the story would speak to many different kinds of experiences that people who are othered or marginalized in our world go through.