Dark Fairy Tales. Waking Legends. A Magical Battle for the Heart of Christmas.
Krampus Night is coming and even though Gabrielle Greene has only been staying in her Uncle’s strange alpine city a few weeks, she's already earned the reputation of the worst girl who ever lived. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s also leapt to the top of Krampus’s list. Krampus, the sinister Winter King, the anti-Father Christmas who comes calling once a year seeking wicked children to haul back to his realm.
When Gabrielle's younger brother goes missing, she sets out in search of him but soon finds herself hurtling into a shadowy otherworld. A place of terrible trolls, murky forests, coal-black mountains, Christmas charms and fearsome beasts.
Can Gabrielle save her brother from the fiendish Krampus? Will she become The Thief of Christmas? The clock is ticking as Gabrielle discovers her decisions have created terrible consequences, consequences that must be faced if Christmas is to survive.
Krampus & The Thief of Christmas is a magical adventure of yuletide thrills, dark comedy and festive delights.
Krampus and The Thief of Christmas: A Christmas Novel By Eldritch Black Narrated by: Hannibal Hills
If may seem strange to some but I had never even heard the word Krampus until I was in my 30's! I still didn't know what it meant for years! Well this story tells about how Christmas gifts are delivered to good kids and how bad kids are treated. How good and bad have blurred lines. Even between Father Christmas and Krampus! It's the tale of the old myth adding children who save Father Christmas and Krampus from themselves, and how they saved Christmas itself!
It's an adorable and charming story about right and wrong but also about family, duty, and caring. Gabrielle and her younger brother are visiting their uncle and hating it there. They argue and her brother goes missing. Gabrielle will do anything to get him back! What she does is so bad that it changes everyone's lives. Now she has to fix it!
This is a unique and fun Christmas story that shows courage and it is is filled with a plot and characters that are enjoyable! Trolls, and many other creatures, not to mention Krampus himself! Made for middle grade but I think this Christmas story is a keeper for all ages!
I had bought the book but was offered an Audible version. I listened instead of reading and it was fantastic! The narrator was excellent!!! Especially when he performs Krampus! Recommend!
Encontré este libro a último momento, y decidí leerlo para estas fechas. Fue una experiencia de lo más entretenida. Tiene un estilo parecido a Lemony Snicket.
A charming Christmas story filled with lessons of right and wrong and the uniqueness that this time of year brings. It’s about family, love, duty, and sacrifices made to make a better world for everyone. I read part of this and listened on Audible for the second half and I personally did not like the Narrator. He made the brother sound annoying and Gabrielle (main character) just sound off with too deep of a voice. I would have preferred a female narrator. Just my opinion. Great Book!
I loved this book! I listened to the audio book which is read by Hannibal Hills. He did a great job reading this fun Christmas tale. In this story we meet Gabrielle and her brother Percy. They are currently living with their uncle while mom and dad try to sort out their marriage. Gabby has come up with a money making scheme- she is taking the blame for other kid's misdeeds. Who care if she gets a bad rep, they aren't from this town and don't plan on staying there. It's Krampusnacht and he is getting ready to round up and punish all the bad kids. He really wants Gabby because she is the baddest of them all. Or so is her reputation. For reasons unknown to him, none of his minions can catch her. So they take her brother. And this, my friends, is when I got hooked on this book. Gabby's attempts to save her brother reminded me a lot of Sarah's. So I was in! Gabby is off to a magical land to find Percy and bring him back. we encounter some other Christmas folktales here and I loved it! (This is where I fell in love with this book). Krampus really wants Gabby so he makes a deal with her. Steal some old key from Santa and she can have her brother. But what does the key go to? What will happen when she hands it over? I really enjoyed this story and I can see myself listening to this every year. The characters were great. The story was magical. The setting was perfect- I love winter. Someone please get this made into a movie! It would be so amazing!
This was a sweet Christmas story about Krampus but also about much more. This book is also about family, love, duty, and sacrifices made to make a better world for everyone.
The book is also filled with many imaginative things and will ensure that you have a great time during the Christmas season and the spookiness factor is also well covered.
Gabrielle is our main character and she is staying at her uncle's together with her brother. This Christmas Krampus has a list of naughty children that he needs to be kidnapped and brought to him for punishment.
Even though her younger brother is a really good kid, he goes missing. Gabrielle sets out in search of him but soon finds herself hurtling into a shadowy otherworld. A place of terrible trolls, murky forests, coal-black mountains, Christmas charms and fearsome beasts.
Great for people that want to enjoy a dark fairy tale.
This story is filled with lots of really magical and imaginative things. There is a wonderful advent calendar, and a weird village. Living show people, invisible walls, subterranean trains to hidden worlds. Lots of really great ideas. Gabrielle is a great character and I loved her devotion to her brother. The writing at times reminded me of Hans Christian Anderson and gave me the sad sort of wonderful magical feeling as his fairytales. Unfortunately, like any story that involves Father Christmas, it tries too hard to keep any sort of religious meaning out of the holiday and it ends up a sort of slushy mess.
I came across this one on Amazon while looking for Krampus books, and decided I wanted to give it a try. I'm ever so glad I did! It was a much more lighthearted Krampus story than the others I've read, but a little bit of feel-good isn't a bad thing in a Christmas book in my opinion. It was a fun, quick read that I finished in a day.
If you like darker fairy tales and more lighthearted Krampus stories, I highly recommend this one!
Krampus and the Thief of Christmas by Eldritch Black is an interesting twist in classical Christmas lore, set in a world of monsters, magic and a land missing holiday cheer. While the book has it's strengths, it falls short in some key areas, resulting in a mixed reading experience.
One of the things that stand out about this book is its world-building. The author creates a vivid world of Christmas magic and monsters that will draw you in. The setting feels for the most part and has a holiday atmosphere (or the opposite depending on where in the plot you are) that permeates throughout the book.
The two main children in the book are a pair of orphaned siblings, Gabrielle Greene and her brother. Emily is a determined and inquisitive young girl who displayed resourcefulness and a willingness to delve into this unseen world of mysteries when she needed to. She served as a driving force behind most of the story's plot points.
Her brother, on the other hand, felt like his character wasn't as naturally fleshed out. He displays such sweet innocence yet has an issue with not staying put at home. The breaking point for him slipping into what is deemed as a form of misbehavior that is punishable under the rules of Krampus just felt absurd.. especially when he's a minor running off in his own.. wouldn't that more naturally fit that mold instead of woo hoo I found a marker color I'm missing. Imma just borrow this and bring it right back! Derp. I would like to say his character arc was well written and that readers will enjoy seeing him grow and change throughout the book. Nope. Plus they forget all the events at the end of the book anyways so even if there was a lesson learned, it logically would be lost.
Hmm.. usually I try not to put spoilers in but I just get agitated when thinking some of this over. *Checks my review has spoilers.*
Anyways, some parts of the kids and their situations showed some effort in crafting a relatable situation (to a short extent cause is mommy and daddy gonna love each other motive doesn't impact the plot too much.) In the end, as my brief rant indicates, there was a glaring lack of connection to the overall plot making the fantastical elements more of an escape from reality opposed to learning how to cope and overcome emotional situations.
The other main characters, Krampus and the jolly fat man, had added some interest in the story and I honestly wish there was more time spent with their characters. They were at times strong and compelling, with unique personalities and motivations that add depth to the story that the children sorely lacked. The way that they interact with each other and with other characters in the book is entertaining and adds some enjoyment to the story.
However, the overall plot at times did hit clichéd points which added to moments of predictable turns which failed to offer much to what could have been a story thriving with much more originality. The book's pacing is also uneven, with some parts feeling rushed and others dragging on for too long. This may make it difficult for some readers to stay invested in the story.
Overall, "Krampus and the Thief of Christmas" was a decent enough read to pass the time but not without it's (sometimes glaring) flaws. While the world-building and characters are at times with some cast members being unique, the plot is many times lackluster and the pacing could be improved upon. Those who enjoy a slight dash of darkness thrown in their holiday tales may find enjoyment in this book, but some may find it lacking. I will give this a 3 out of 5 stars instead of 2 as I was initially considered as it did make efforts to keep you engaged enough to make it to the end. I very well may very likely be too rough on the book as it's naturally geared to a younger audience than myself so, of course, if you're curious you'll have to give it a try yourself. If not now maybe towards the end of the year during the holidays.
It's also worth mentioning that I did listen to the audiobook and the narrator did a stellar job. I'll also confess I derped out on their names and had to edit this to give them their names instead of that of a couple of vexing children I had to deal with irl 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.
What a delightful holiday story, which is great for the whole family. I loved the relationship between the brother and sister main characters - and how they both contributed to their "mission."
The narrator, Hannibal Hills, is wonderful, as always. His magical narration adds to the enjoyment of this story.
This was a enchanting Christmas read! A young girl and her brother are living with her uncle and bratty cousin, and she finds herself on Krampus' list due to choices she made. In all fairness, she thought Krampus was a myth! Her brother is taken by Krampus' people, and she goes to rescue him, and it is such an adventure! I recommend this Christmas read for sure!
"I suppose one cannot exist without the other. Just as there cannot be day without night."
I already read a children's and adult books for my little Christmas marathon, so as the third and final one I decided to pick something from middle grade/YA genre. I admit that I don't know much about Krampus night or the celebrations around it, because we don't have such holiday here, so I was really curious to pick up this book.
And it was a great surprise! A fantastic, holiday themed adventure story, focusing on a fight between light and dark (or snow and coals here :) ). Father Christmas and Krampus have fallen out with each other and now fight over Christmas. In the middle of it are Gabrielle and her younger brother Percival. When Percival goes missing, Gabrielle goes on a journey to the otherworld to find him.
I didn't expect it but I had so much fun reading this story! It's engaging and well paced, with dark-ish atmosphere, humour and amazing writing. The mood in the novel was Christmas-like and very gothis at the same time, and I think it would make a fantastic movie. The characters are well developed and I could hardly put the book down.
I would definitely recommend it if you like fantasy, as I think it could be enjoyed by both younger and older readers.
You know those books that aren't like the ones you normally read? But something draws you to them and you just have to give them a chance? And then you are so glad you did! That's Krampus and the Thief of Christmas for me. I LOVED the juxtaposition - the crisp white snow with the trails of coal dust. The smell of cinnamon and that of burning cinders. The secondary characters, the elves and the trolls, the Christmas Cat and the snowmen. So much fun! Krampus and Father Christmas are both described with such depth, neither taking on their definitive 'good guy/bad guy' roles. This is an adventure probably best suited for young adults, but what is Christmas if not a call to remember your own childhood? I embraced that and thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'd recommend it to anyone who's open to a little dark fun with a festive holiday. If Tim Burton were to have had a hand in The Polar Express, it might have looked a little something like this.
Gabrielle has gained the reputation of being the worst girl in town. For this, she's caught the interest of Krampus. When her younger brother goes missing, Gabrielle will do anything to save him.
What a rollicking Christmas adventure. It's so vivid that I think it would make a great children's movie. I could picture every bit of the story. It's quite action-packed for most of the book. But there's also bravery, cleverness, kindness, determination, and more.
I enjoyed all of the characters, except a couple were drawn in too broad strokes - it's way too obvious that Gabrielle's cousin is supposed to be disliked, except she doesn't do much to be unlikeable. There were a couple of other characters that just seemed to disappear - I would have liked to know what happened with them.
Still, this was a lot of fun. It's a good story to read with kids for the holidays.
I love this dark Christmas tale. It's about a girl who is enlisted by Krampus to steal the key to Christmas in order to save her brother. It's somewhat dark, very magical and full of adventure. It's got the makings of a live action Christmas movie written all over it. What a nice surprise read for the holidays!
This was a fun Christmas adventure. The story was unique and I loved reading about the magic and world of Krampus... there were a lot of little and a few big lessons that can be taken from the story. I really enjoyed the vivid imagery and was excited to see the Christmas cat make an appearance too!
I am so glad I found this one in time for the season and will definitely read it again!
I rounded up because it was an interesting concept. This was a rollicking little adventure and as much as I enjoyed it, I was painfully aware that it was a middle grade novel.
If you find yourself in the mood for creepy Christmas stories Eldritch Black is your man. I listened to this story on audiobook while wrapping Christmas presents and enjoyed every minute. Happy Reading!
This was a very well done middle grade horror. It held my interest and had a unique storyline. The characters of Krampus and Father Christmas were well fleshed out, and our protagonists were likeable and relatable. I loved it!
a bit juvenile for me with the full apropos of adult condescension, morality lessons and child heros. didn't care for the narration, ended up 2x the audio.
Story was engaging, and was a fun easy for the holiday. Writing style was definitely middle-school level, which I wasn't expecting, so be prepared for that.
I wanted to rate and write a review for "Krampus and The Thief of Christmas" by the time I was half-way-through! As I listened I heard phrases in my head -- I still can't order them in my head... "A delightful Xmas fun-ride" "Wonderful use of language" "I haven't had this much fun with the dark/light sides of Xmas since Nightmare Before Christmas was in theaters" "Eldritch Black has expanded upon the Krampus/Santa mythos through this book" "Fun for young and young-at-heart" I've wend my way through two of the author's Weirdbey Island books --"The Pirates of Penn Cove: A Middle Grade Pirate Adventure" and "The Day of the Jackalope" -- I had a ball with them. I knew that this was a separate story and I wondered what might come from it. When contrasting these Weirdbey books and his Krampus tome, Mr. Black displayed his writing talents -- they have a subtle but noticeably different voice to them. Now I'm all the more looking forward to getting into "The Island Scaregrounds: A Middle Grade Ghost Story" and "The Yule Cat: A Christmas Short Story"!