I really wanted to get this last Christmas story review in before the Christmas season officially ends on January 6. So TaDa…
A Witchmas Carol: A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy Christmas is here but the Winchester witches aren’t exactly teeming with good cheer. Well, they are, but it’s not the sort of Christmas cheer Aunt Tillie wants waiting for her under this year’s tree. When Aunt Tillie finds out her great-nieces want to separate for Christmas Day – forgoing the family’s annual tradition – she decides to teach them a little lesson. Of course, since she’s Aunt Tillie, her dose of retribution comes in the form of her favorite holiday Christmas stories. For Bay and Landon, that means they’re shoved into A Witchmas Carol, one of Aunt Tillie’s favorite tales. That should mean hugs and happiness, right? Yeah, try toil and trouble instead. Bay and Landon have to work their way through memories of the past, guilt over the present and absolute terror when facing their future if they expect to come out the other side. To escape, they have to figure out exactly what Aunt Tillie wants … and she’s got a few tricks up her sleeve. A Witchmas Carol is a fantasy set in the Wicked Witches of the Midwest World. It falls between A Witch Before Dying and All My Witches in the timeline.
The fantasy novels in this series don’t usually contain a crime to solve. The stories in these slightly shorter books are more about the adventures Bay and her cohorts end up pursuing, usually not by choice!
Aunt Tillie is pissed off. How dare her great nieces think they can spend Christmas Day away from the family?! Christmas Day is for spending with Family, whether you like them or not. This witch will cast a spell and teach her great nieces what Christmas is all about, at least in her book.
Favourite Aunt Tillie quote: “Christmas isn’t about getting things. It’s about giving things too. That’s the most important thing to remember. You need to give what you can and be gracious about what’s given to you. Then, when you’re done with that, you can smite your enemies with a clear conscience. Everyone clear? Okay, fasten your combat helmets and get ready. We’re not done tonight until Margaret Little is in tears. Only then can we have our cookies” Aunt Tillie while on babysitting duty on Christmas Eve.Some things I liked:
- It’s Christmas time and this is a spin on A Christmas Carol.
- Aunt Tillie’s character: while she’s her usual crotchety, demanding, spoiled self, her softer side is also revealed. She misses her sister and husband at Christmas. We also see that her generosity really knows no bounds when it comes to family. That doesn’t mean she won’t curse them into story books if she thinks they deserve it.
- Landon’s character and past are further explored. One minor complaint I have in general about Amanda’s books is that the back story of the male MCs need more fleshing out. In this one we get a more substantial look at Landon’s past.
- The ‘fantasy’ stories are usually a bit shorter but I wouldn’t have minded digging more into Thistle’s and Clove’s Christmas Eve adventures.
This was a hit for me. There was Christmas cheer mixed in with Winchester snark and mayhem. A wonderful addition to the Wicked Witches of the Midwest collection.
I give this story 4/5 espresso shots.
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