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The Coal Elf Chronicles #2
The Rise of Sturd
Upon completing her first Big Night assignment of delivering coal to all the kids on the Naughty List, Coal Elf Ember Skye thought all was well at the North Pole. She no longer has to slave away mining coal, and her arch-nemesis - the demonic and evil elf, Sturd - has seemingly been stripped of his power and relegated to obscurity.
But you just can't keep a bad elf down. Sturd's accidental discovery of an ancient text sends him on a mission that may very well change life at the Pole as they all know it. His unexpected rise in power potentially could lead to unbridled chaos that would threaten the very existence of the Big Night, the North Pole, and even the Claus himself.
Return to the North Pole where Ember and all the Coal Elves will soon realize never to underestimate the corrupting temptation of unrivaled power. Unfortunately for them, it may be too late...
But you just can't keep a bad elf down. Sturd's accidental discovery of an ancient text sends him on a mission that may very well change life at the Pole as they all know it. His unexpected rise in power potentially could lead to unbridled chaos that would threaten the very existence of the Big Night, the North Pole, and even the Claus himself.
Return to the North Pole where Ember and all the Coal Elves will soon realize never to underestimate the corrupting temptation of unrivaled power. Unfortunately for them, it may be too late...
328 pages, Paperback
Published November 16, 2024
2 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Maria DeVivo
22 books87 followersMaria DeVivo writes horror and dark fantasy for both a YA and adult audience. Each of her series has been Amazon best-sellers and have won multiple awards since 2012. A lover of all things dark and demented, the worlds she creates are fantastical and immersive. Get swept away in the lands of elves, zombies, angels, demons, and witches (but not all in the same place). Maria takes great pleasure in warping the comfort factor in her readers’ minds – just when you think you’ve reached a safe space in her stories, she snaps you back into her twisted reality.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 4, 2016
DeVivo's Coal Elf Chronicles is an interesting alternative take on Christmas. Usually, authors of alternative visions of the holiday carefully avoid challenging certain core conventions, even as they delight in challenging many of the common tropes. Thus, Santa is always jolly and kindly, and we seldom see naughty children actually receiving coal for Christmas. In the Coal Elf novels, this is turned on its head. There is an entire underclass of Elves dedicated to mining the coal needed for the Big Day, and Santa - or "The Claus", as he is called - is a distant figure with little direct involvement in the operation, and is revealed in The Rise of Sturd to have become weary and embittered.
I have come to think of the Coal Elf chronicles as a dystopia. Elven society is rigidly regimented. Elves are assigned a life-job at age nine, and there is no appealing it. Most elves are told when, if, and who they will marry. Coal elves are at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, and are even obligated to live underground. Any who rebel against this state of affairs are termed deserters, and are dealt with harshly.
Sturd is an engagingly detestable villain, but yet is somehow not a two-dimensional caricature. His obsession with chaos, and his desire for power are credibly rendered, but one still grits one's teeth at his actions, and hopes to see him find his comeuppance. Ember Skye, the titular coal elf, is a no-nonsense, take-charge kind of person. Having taken on management of the naughty list and annual coal deliveries, she views her job not with regret but as a kind of moral necessity, and an opportunity for her targets to do better next year.
The Rise of Sturd isn't your typical warm-fuzzy, feel-good holiday story, but it is a most entertaining, if dark, read. I eagerly anticipate the next volume.
On a side note - if I may indulge the latent English teacher within me - I would like to observe that in Chapter two, "The shear ambiguity of the title..." would more properly be rendered "The SHEER ambiguity..." (shear = cut, sheer=complete). In Chapter 22, "It's necessary to ensure the longevity of the Claus's rein..." would perhaps be better given as "It's necessary to ensure the longevity of the Claus's REIGN..." (rein = leather strap for guiding a horse, or given the venue, perhaps reindeer), reign=rule). Although perhaps in this context, rein is intended as a pun.
I have come to think of the Coal Elf chronicles as a dystopia. Elven society is rigidly regimented. Elves are assigned a life-job at age nine, and there is no appealing it. Most elves are told when, if, and who they will marry. Coal elves are at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, and are even obligated to live underground. Any who rebel against this state of affairs are termed deserters, and are dealt with harshly.
Sturd is an engagingly detestable villain, but yet is somehow not a two-dimensional caricature. His obsession with chaos, and his desire for power are credibly rendered, but one still grits one's teeth at his actions, and hopes to see him find his comeuppance. Ember Skye, the titular coal elf, is a no-nonsense, take-charge kind of person. Having taken on management of the naughty list and annual coal deliveries, she views her job not with regret but as a kind of moral necessity, and an opportunity for her targets to do better next year.
The Rise of Sturd isn't your typical warm-fuzzy, feel-good holiday story, but it is a most entertaining, if dark, read. I eagerly anticipate the next volume.
On a side note - if I may indulge the latent English teacher within me - I would like to observe that in Chapter two, "The shear ambiguity of the title..." would more properly be rendered "The SHEER ambiguity..." (shear = cut, sheer=complete). In Chapter 22, "It's necessary to ensure the longevity of the Claus's rein..." would perhaps be better given as "It's necessary to ensure the longevity of the Claus's REIGN..." (rein = leather strap for guiding a horse, or given the venue, perhaps reindeer), reign=rule). Although perhaps in this context, rein is intended as a pun.
September 11, 2025
This is book 2 of The Coal Elf Chronicles. I still can’t get over the idea of elves being anything but sweet, cute, and kind! This book picks up immediately where book 1 left off so you really need to read these books in order to understand not only the characters but also the main plot of the story.
Something big has to be coming for Ember. I mean I get she’s the main character of the storyline but there’s something bigger for her. There has to be!
I am upset about the wedding ceremonies, I won’t lie. I wish that could have been pushed to book 3 so everyone would have had time to figure something out else out. I’m counting on the wrongs being righted in book 3.
I am really getting into this series of books and can’t wait to see what Ember and the gang cook up in book 3 to save Christmas!
4 stars!
Something big has to be coming for Ember. I mean I get she’s the main character of the storyline but there’s something bigger for her. There has to be!
I am upset about the wedding ceremonies, I won’t lie. I wish that could have been pushed to book 3 so everyone would have had time to figure something out else out. I’m counting on the wrongs being righted in book 3.
I am really getting into this series of books and can’t wait to see what Ember and the gang cook up in book 3 to save Christmas!
4 stars!
September 20, 2025
Now that Ember Skye is no longer a coal elf slaving away in the mines, her life has become so incredibly different and challenging in new ways. Sturd is really growing into his villain era and keeping Ember’s life full of turmoil. You won’t want to put this book down. New twists and turns in this story that are so unexpected and dark, leaving you wanting more… There is never a dull moment throughout and I often found it difficult to pull myself out of the story. I enjoyed the evolution of characters from book one mixed in with the solid balance of new characters being introduced throughout this book. I’m excited to see what happens next.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 3, 2022
Sturdy second of three book Coal Elf Chronicles!
The twists turns and unpredictable events keep you turning the pages! An easy read crafted uniquely pulling you into the story as if you're in the story itself. I would recommend this to fans of Terry Brooks. I hope the author finds ways to market this series for the big screen. The concept is to great to leave on the shelf!
The twists turns and unpredictable events keep you turning the pages! An easy read crafted uniquely pulling you into the story as if you're in the story itself. I would recommend this to fans of Terry Brooks. I hope the author finds ways to market this series for the big screen. The concept is to great to leave on the shelf!
September 27, 2024
This book has twist and turns that teens and up will love. Ember has been delivering coal to the bad kids, she loves not being in the coal mines. Sturd is still up to no good still. Follow and see what happens to Sturd, if anything. Lets see.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 24, 2024
DeVivo's Coal Elf Chronicles Book 2 is another interestingly dark alternative take on Christmas. Ember now manages the naughty list and coal deliveries. It seems Sturd is no longer the top dog or make that top elf. When he comes for his revenge will he change the very essence of the North Pole and all who dwell there?.
December 21, 2024
Not as good as the first one, but still pretty good.
July 30, 2016
◆A complimentary copy was given to my blog, in exchange for this reader's honest review.◆
That title says it all, really. Never have I had such a disgust for a character, really. Sturd...I don't feel it necessary to even say anything about him. Hey, it was the Author's fault for writing such an evil & vile character. *Kudos* Of course, with that evil we have our good, which is Ember. Things have ever been changing with her, you see how she's adjusting and is going to adjust to certain events that eventually unfold. What can I say that I havent? I love this storyteller. Her details aren't too much but just enough where you find yourself reading more and more each time. She's created a world you don't want to leave. I had moments where I was reminiscing of childhood memories, because something about the Mythology stood out. The Twins & what they have to do with Santa...hmm... &then I remembered!! All I can say is this was well executed, brilliantly written, and it indeed will leave you wanting to be on the Good List.
That title says it all, really. Never have I had such a disgust for a character, really. Sturd...I don't feel it necessary to even say anything about him. Hey, it was the Author's fault for writing such an evil & vile character. *Kudos* Of course, with that evil we have our good, which is Ember. Things have ever been changing with her, you see how she's adjusting and is going to adjust to certain events that eventually unfold. What can I say that I havent? I love this storyteller. Her details aren't too much but just enough where you find yourself reading more and more each time. She's created a world you don't want to leave. I had moments where I was reminiscing of childhood memories, because something about the Mythology stood out. The Twins & what they have to do with Santa...hmm... &then I remembered!! All I can say is this was well executed, brilliantly written, and it indeed will leave you wanting to be on the Good List.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews