“The Reign of the Anti-Santas” Book Review

Title: The Reign of the Anti-Santas; A Christmas Misadventure for Grown-ups

Author: Colin Dodds

Date/year published: 2023

Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Sarcasm, Holiday

Format: E-pub read on my Kindle. This was an ARC (Advance Reader Copy)

Why did I choose to read it: I was in the mood for a silly Christmas tale.

Synopsis:

Told through the eyes of a VIE – Very Important Elf – we’re given an insider’s take on Christmas as a commodity to be bought and sold, especially when none of Santa’s many children want to carry on the family business.

Thoughts:

This tale is wry, dark and twisted. It was an interesting read. Personally, I had a difficult time adjusting to Christmas being a commodity, something tangible and quantifiable that could be bought and sold. But then again, we put a value on air and sunlight, so I suppose it’s possible. But for me, that was a hang-up, it made the book difficult to read.

The author’s wit is woven throughout the story. My favorite quote is “She had the hoarse voice of a woman who doesn’t mind yelling to be heard.” There were also many new takes on elfdom and life at the north pole that added to the dark humor, including scandals galore and union strikes.

As entertaining as the book was, I didn’t enjoy the writing style. It felt choppy, haphazard, and unedited. But that could just be me. Not everyone will like every book. Sometimes there are things we like about it, and things we don’t. For me, that’s the case with this book. I think it has a lot going for it, but some might not like the style.

Would I re-read or recommend it?

Reread? Probably not.

Recommend? Maybe. Only to someone with a dark, quirky sense of humor.