Book: The Winter Riddle
Author: Sam Hooker
My Rating: 3 totally bizarre stars
What in the 2020 did I just read, y’all? I was perusing Kindle Unlimited for a Christmas time book to read and this popped up. Instantly, from the cover alone I was intrigued. Santa with a Viking hammer, a witch, a tree with a face, scary looking things that could be Santa’s elves… how could I pass up the opportunity? This book was a TRIP. I don’t even know where to begin. This review might be a hot Christmas mess, y’all.
Santa is not the main character of this story, it’s not about him making toys and delivering presents to children, there aren’t any Christmas trees per say…there is Osgrey the talking tree though. This story is about Volgha the Winter Witch. She used to be a princess, but when her sister became queen she renounced her title as princess and took up the mantle of Winter Witch. Mostly, she just wanted to live in her cottage in the woods and be left alone by everyone. But you can’t always get what you want, and soon her sister the queen gets into some mischief with Loki. (That’s right, we now have Norse mythological characters in this story because, why not?) Also, we find out Santa is apparently a retired deadly warrior, who owes Volgha a favor. Hilarity and hijinks ensue.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to guess what is going to happen in this story, y’all. We see Loki starting trouble in one chapter, and then don’t see him again for several chapters. Volgha goes to sleep in her cottage one night and wakes up in the snow with the voice of her mentor in her mind the next morning. She also explains that flying is just a matter of intimidating your broomstick into compliance, and that witches as a rule MUST hex anyone that vexes them. “Vexes get hexes” is a direct quote from this book, y’all.
It was really a wild ride from start to finish. I couldn’t believe the imagination that went into this story! It was, at times, a little too much imagination for me to grasp. But it was certainly entertaining the entire time. If you’re looking for something totally ridiculous and unpredictable to read that is a holiday story in a roundabout way I recommend it.
Krystle Goodman is a crazy cat lady, who loves to drink exorbitant amounts of coffee, and read a shocking amount of books. She lives in Benton with her husband Josh, her son Roman, and their two cats Roxanne and Abby. When she isn’t reading, you’ll find her cooking, painting, or watching true crime shows. Watch for Krystle’s book reviews every other Friday. Send fanmail to: [email protected]
See more of Krystle’s reviews at www.mysaline.com/krystle.