day 6
Reviewed by Rhonda
TITLE: Krampusz
SERIES: Dreamspinner Advent Calender 2014 Celebrate
AUTHOR: Lou Harper
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 54 pages
BLURB:
Freshly out of college, shy and introverted Brian Preston travels from LA to Budapest to teach English, ready to embrace life and spread his wings. It’s early December, and the air is heavy with the scent of roasting chestnuts. Getting involved with his new roommate, native Hungarian Zoli Park, promises to be the adventure Brian always wanted. But all is not as it seems, and Brian might find himself in the arms of Krampusz, demonic companion to St. Nick, who punishes bad boys. A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2014 Advent Calendar package “Celebrate!”.
REVIEW:
I love to learn something new about how other people and cultures celebrate Christmas. In this short story we learn about Mikulas Day, a pre-Christmas celebration in Hungary that rewards the good children with candy and nuts gifted by Mikulas, their version of St Nick, and the monstrous goat man ,the Krampusz, that accompany him on his rounds to punish the bad children. I actually had to take a break from reading and learn more about this version of Santa, I found it truly fascinating.
Anyway back to the book. We meet Brian as he is leaving for Hungary to teach English to children in Budapest and meets his new roommate, Zoli, who comes off as a little strange at first to Brian. He seems cold and distant, which we learn is for a very good reason. However, they soon warm up to each other as Brian opens himself up to new experiences in a new place and culture. I found this story to be particularly pleasing as Brian and Zoli take time to get to know each other and learn about each other rather than jumping right into a hot and heavy relationship. There is a bit of a twist to the story that almost ruins what they have together but thankfully with a bit of communication they manage to make their way past it and become the happy couple they were meant to be.
This was a short and sweet story that didn’t leave me hanging on any of the storylines and that gave a beautiful description of Budapest and the different ways people celebrate major holidays. I recommend this story!
RATING :
BUY LINKS:
Sounds great, and it’s good to see that this one is slightly longer than the others so far. 🙂
Sounds so cool! Ty
this sounds really good. Thank you for this review
Very long story so far and can’ wait to read it:) Thank you for the review
This is the longest so far and it sounds really good. Thank you :)))))
Interested to read to about Krampusz, have heard of him before
I love reading about other cultures and customs. Thank you for the review =)
I’ve always been curious about Budapest!
This review was really good. Thank you