Eve & The City of Yule

by A.C. Haydée

In the world of Terre, the descendants of the winter god Boreas, the Saints of Noël, protected the Source of Yule — an entity incarnating solace, renewal, and rapture. The ensuing bloodline were champions of goodwill and peace; their annual signature celebration known as Conveyance across the lands.

Boreas' soul resided in the principal Saint, Nicholas Kringle I, and every son and grandson that succeeded him to the throne was known as the Saint of Cheer, or "Santa Claus" — Conveyance's icon, and a heart full of light.

But with every trace of light, there is darkness.

Eve Alcazar grew up without a smile. Curiosity as to why leads to an adventure she had never anticipated. Tasked to intercept winter demon Krampus' quest for the Source of Yule, Eve makes a perilous journey across the nation of Polaris with her cousin, Nick, and best friend, Desiree. But to succeed, she must accept her identity as both the once-concealed granddaughter of the current Saint of Cheer... and the muse of the King of Misery himself.

360 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 28, 2023

About the author

A. C. Haydée is the author of the wintry coming-of-age fantasy tale Eve & The Legacy of Yule, as well as the sunny urban supernatural vampire saga Chronicles of the Moon Blooded. Eve & The City of Yule is her first novel, and its sequel, Eve II: Hiemal Dominion, is her latest release. She is currently working on the sequel to Madeline & The Moon Blooded.

A. C. Haydée graduated from Stetson University with a degree in social science and theatre arts. When not crafting epic worlds and captivating characters, A. C. creates her own adventures in sunny Florida, under the name “Aliya”.

Reviews

[Hannah Weary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haydée is a gifted author whose storytelling ability captures the attention of readers of all ages. An enticing read built on in-depth world building with descriptions that transport readers into Eve's universe. When reading this book, I was so immersed that I forgot about the world around me. The character development is compelling and I found myself attached to the characters. The secondary characters are just as fascinating as the primary ones. The entire book was engaging and none of the details felt like filler or were superfluous. The ending of the book left me curious about the future of Eve and her friends, and wanting follow up novels. This book is the best that I have read this year. Growing up, I used to read a couple of books per week just for fun. But since college graduation, I haven't been able to read since I spent so much time in college reading textbooks. But this book was so amazing that it got me out of my slump and I'm now an avid reader once again. It re-sparked my interest in one of my favorite pastimes. I can't wait to see what else Haydée writes.

[Jasmaine Tinsley]

THIS BOOK IS THE BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK IVE READ IN YEARS!!! I love how we are able to witness every character progress and develop throughout the book. This book is full of adventure and wonder. It’s a holiday fantasy in a book. In reading this book, it was very ready for me to visualize every single moment and character in my mind. And you want that in a book, especially on such as this one. I also love how the beginning of the book contains a dictionary if you will. Since this book is fictional, it’s good to know what certain things are and represent as you read along. You also learn about culture as well! This is a must grab! So run and purchase this book and immerse yourself into the world of Eve and The City of Yule!

[Jennifer Algieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fine fantasy fun! Very quick read if you settle down to read it, best done with some hot chocolate or peppermint tea, and an enjoyable read at that! Full of reimagined Christmas lore it tells the story of the heirs of Santa and their brave companions on a journey to save Santa and the Yuletide season as a whole from the evil Krampus. A good read for young adults or adults looking for a themed fantasy novel! There's a handful of grammatical errors, including one passage where every sentence starts with 'As' even when they don't need to, but self-publishers don't have access to high-cost editors available through traditional publishing and I'm sure as the sequels come out these errors will get ironed out better. Even still, it doesn't effect the reading experience, which is a good time throughout! All in all, two thumbs up!

[Joseph Parr]

I haven’t finished it yet but this book is absolutely brilliant. Haydée writes in a way that really makes you focus on everything that is happening but does not make you mentally exhausted. The flow is remarkably easy and comfortable to follow with so much subtlety and intentionality. The plot development is very smooth and well thought out. She makes you feel like you’re reading a Studio Ghibli movie with the world she creates. The characters are very nuanced and unique, especially Desiree. I can’t wait for the sequels!

[Kianna Mercado · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way the author brings not only the characters and their personalities, but also the story itself to life is absolutely amazing! From the explanation of how a character is feeling to the events happening in the story line! Through all of the twists and turns the story line takes, I personally would recommend to a friend and absolutely read it again!

[Logan C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a great premise and the summary sounded so interesting, but inevitably fell short. It constantly toed the line of being a children’s story and adult vocabulary. The writing was all over the place, dialogue too basic and the constant changing POVs without a clear heads up was just confusing. I struggled to make it through this book, such a shame.

[Rachael Simons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed that it pulled from many different mythical characters and holiday stories such as the Yule Lads being from Norse Mythology. It was a fun and different from my average Christmas stories. Although, I felt like it was a little bit childish, like I was reading a middle school book.

[Tya Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read! I really love the world that was created around the mystical Saint Kringle and incorporating Krampus into her own story!