The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- The Christmas Murder Game

Author- Alexandra Benedict

Series- N/A

Published- 2021

Page Count- 353 pages

Publishing House- Bonnier Books

Genre- murder mystery, Christmas 

Rating- 3/5 stars

About the Author

A K Benedict read English at Cambridge and Creative Writing at the University of Sussex. She writes in a room filled with mannequins, clowns and teapots.

Her debut novel, The Beauty of Murder (Orion), was shortlisted for an eDunnit award and is in development for an 8-part TV series. Her second novel, Jonathan Dark or The Evidence of Ghosts (Orion), was published in February 2016 and The Stone House, a tie-in novel for Doctor Who spin-off Class, was published by BBC Books in October.

Taken from Alexandra's website. 

Plot

Follow the clues. Find the fortune. Solve the Mystery. This Christmas is to die for. Let the game begin...

'Endgame has kept our secrets for half a century, now it's time for it, and its secrets, to have a new owner.'

When Lily returns home to her aunt's manor house, she discovers that in order to inherit, she and her estranged cousins must stay together over the Christmas week and take part in a family tradition: the annual treasure hunt. But as they are drawn deeper into the game, the clues seem to point not to the deeds to the manor house, but to the key to a twenty-year-old mystery: what really happened to Lily's mother?

As a snowstorm cuts them off from the village, it becomes apparent that the game has turned deadly and that Lily is fighting for more than just an inheritance: she is now fighting for her life. Does she have what it takes to survive? 12 clues, 12 keys and 12 days of Christmas for the heirs of Endgame House to find their inheritance, but how many will die before Twelfth Night?

Taken from Goodreads

Opinions

I bought this on a whim at work because I wanted something festive to read as I really wasn't feeling festive. I had seen this on the shelf and thought it looked interesting. With hindsight, I wish I had read more reviews of it as I probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise. 

I think the best way of summarising how I feel about this book is that I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I enjoyed it. It was easy and fun to read. I read it in a few days when I wasn't feeling well and was having to commute for work, so it was nice to have something to take my mind off everything. There were also some great descriptions, such as "she tutted like a pissed off clock", which really made me chuckle. I thought that was a great description. Without looking too closely at the plot or the writing, this was actually an okay book. I originally gave it 3.5/5 stars, but after some consideration I decided to deduct the half star as it didn't feel right.

Now let's get to the other hand. Let's start with the quality of the writing. It wasn't that good. The author seemed very fond of odd similes that didn't quite work. It was good that they were thinking out of the box with their description, but the similes were really odd and ended up detracting from the point. The plot was also kinda predictable. I figured out quite early on that Tom was the murderer because it's always someone close to the main character. He was just a bit too nice and obsessed with Lily. Then there was the incest between cousins (which I think is a thing), that didn't sit well with me. Lily was also kinda a dull protagonist. She just kept on doing stupid things that put her in danger. 

This book did have good LGBT+ rep, with gay and bisexual rep. It also called out biphobic people, which you don't often see. Overall, while this was a fun and easy read, I had a lot of problems with it and I wanted to write a quick review about it. 

This is my last blog post of 2021, which is crazy to think. But to whoever is reading this, thank you for reading my little blog. I've had a lot of fun creating content this year and can't wait to see what I create in 2022!

What did you think of the Christmas Murder Game??  

Once Upon a Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Taken from Asha's twitter

Title- Once Upon a Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology

Author- edited by H.L Macfarlane

Series- N/A

Published- 2021

Page Count- 369 pages

Publishing House- Macfarlane Lantern Publishing 

Genre- anthology, short stories 

Rating- 3/5 stars

About the Antholgy

A list of stories and contributors to the anthology:

The Biting Cold by Josie Jaffrey
The Match Girl by Rebecca F. Kenney
Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Bharat Krishnan
A Pea Ever After by Adie Hart
The Snowdrop by H. L. Macfarlane
Silverfoot’s Edge by Ella T. Holmes
The Storm Hags by Caroline Logan
The Boggart of Boggart Hole Clough by Jake Curran-Pipe
Around the Hawthorne Tree by Jenna Smithwick
The Best Girl this Side of Winter by Laila Amado
The Snow Trolls by S. Markem
Lord of the Forest by Katherine Shaw
Queen of the Snows by Joyce Reynolds-Ward
Long Meg and the Sorcerer’s Stones by M. J. Weatherall
The Frost of Mercy by A. J. Van Belle
Wintercast by R. A. Gerritse
You Can’t See Me by Kate Longstone

Taken from Amazon

Plot

Once upon a time stories travelled from place to place on the tongues of merchants and thieves and kings alike. Under the blanket of night they were exchanged between children, and passed on to their children, and their children after them. Details were altered from one generation to the next until thousands of tales existed where once there were few.

In the spirit of these age-old stories comes Once Upon a Winter, a seasonal anthology of folk and fairy tales from 17 authors across the globe. It covers the Gothic, the romantic, the whimsical, the frightening and everything in-between, and features both intriguing twists on classic tales and exciting original stories.

The first of four planned seasonal anthologies from Macfarlane Lantern Publishing, Once Upon a Winter is sure to have a story for just about everyone. Grab your copy in time for Christmas today!

Taken from Amazon

Opinions

I'd like to start this blog post by thanking the team at Story Origin for sending me a digital proof ahead of publication to read. They were a really nice team to work with and it was easy to apply to receive a copy. As a small blogger/content creator, it can be hard to get to this stage with a company, so it was lovely working with them.

I found this anthology through Twitter, after seeing someone I follow rave about it. I don't normally read anthologies or short story collections, but this sounded like something I would enjoy. There was mentions of fantasy and queer characters, which are two things I enjoy reading about. One of the big things going for this collection was the wide range of stories featured in it. From how the authors approached the theme, to the age range of the intended audience, I felt that there was something for everyone. They all felt like very original takes on the fairy tales included. I particularly enjoyed the environmental theme throughout this anthology. It felt very relevant at the moment. 

My favourite story in the collection, without a shadow of a doubt, was A Pea Ever After by Adie Hart. I liked the mythology of the world, the characters and just the story in general. It really stood out to me within the collection.  I would actually like to read more about this particular world as I could see these characters having a lot of fun going off on different adventures. I would also be interested in reading more of Adie's work. It was a fun, light hearted, feminist and queer story. So it ticked all my boxes. 

Personally, I struggled to connect with most of the stories in this collection. There was so much potential, but it often felt rushed or lacking in world building. At 369 pages, this is a very long anthology. I read it during a very busy period of my life, and I thought it would be something I could easily dip in and out off, but it took me almost two weeks to read it. While there was a wide range of stories, I think it could have done with a bit of tailoring as at times it felt like the target audience was adults, then YA and then for children. All the jumping around made it hard to follow. I can see why people have enjoyed it, but I think it just wasn't for me in the end. 

   

What did you think of Once Upon a Winter??

Christmas Magic- My Christmas Favourites- #The12Letters| Carenza Bramwell

Welcome to the final day of #The12Letters, hosted by BooksNest and FictionTea. I can't believe it's already over. I want to start this post by thanking Beth and Lauren for making this challenge, it's been so much fun and has spread Christmas cheer in a year when we really need it. Today's prompt is yay! I've interpreted this by deciding to share some of my favourite things about Christmas. It's not my usual content, but like this challenge, we could all use some Christmas cheer.

Decorations

If you've been following me on any of my social media sites, then you might be sick to death of me talking about how much I love decorating my house for Christmas. Trees are the main way we decorate. This year we have three. First is the main family tree, filled with decorations collected over the years. We have never been a big Christmas tree theme family, so all our decorations are once we've purchased to symbolise the year. It adds a story to the tree and makes it feel a bit more unique to our family. Then I have my baby tree in my room. I've had this since I was born, like the big tree, I've collected a decoration for every year since I was born. Finally, we have another small one in my mums room. This is going to become a new thing we do. Decorating the house is fun, it's something we all look forward to. Just adds a bit of magic to the place we call home. 

Food

Like most people, one of my favourite things about Christmas is the food. It's one of the few times a year when you get to eat a bit naughty and have some extra nice treats. When I was a child, we used to have traditional Christmas'. We would rotate between various relatives houses and have a chicken, with all the trimmings. We haven't done that in a very long time. Recently, as it's just been me and my parents, we have party food and pizza. It is one of the more unusual things to have at Christmas, but it's become our little tradition.  

Entertainment

I actually wrote a blog post all about this, which I will link here. To expand on this a bit, I love the seasonal viewings. Christmas Doctor Who specials were a highlight in my household. I have noticed in the last few years that there is less and less to watch on Christmas day. Nevertheless, I treasure the memories of watching Christmas day specials. 

Christmas Eve  

I have to admit that I actually prefer Christmas Eve to Christmas Day. The reason is that Christmas Eve is my dad's birthday. We've always made the two very separate. I just enjoy getting to celebrate my dad and make the day special for him. We do have a big meal on his birthday, which means when Christmas rolls around the next day, we tend to have a much smaller meal, hence the party food and pizza. I know some people would be sad having their birthdays so close to Christmas, but we've always taken it in our stride and make it just as special as if it was to fall on another day. 

Those are some of my favourite Christmas things. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Carenza :) x

Christmas Stories- My Favourite Festive Books and Films #The12Letters| Carenza Bramwell

Welcome to Day 9 of #The12Letters, hosted by BooksNest and FictionTea. Today's prompt is stories, so I thought I would share my favourite festive books and films. Christmas is one of my favourite times of year and over the years, I have collected a lot of favourite Christmas stories. 

Books

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

I read this last year after seeing emmmabooks rave about it. This is a retelling of the Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (which I'm hoping to read this year). As the title suggests, it focuses on the afterlife of Holly Chase, who in her alive life was horrible and cruel, dying very young. She is then forced to work at Scrooged, a modern day program that recreates the ghosts visit on that years "Scrooge". All of this changes when this years Scrooge is a boy Holly's age and she has a chance to save him. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked this up, but ended up really enjoying it. It's a cheesy holiday book and if you're looking for something fun this Christmas, I'd recommend it.

The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale

This is a historical magical realism novel. Set during the Great War (WW1), it focuses on this magical toyshop. It is predominately set at Christmas. It's very difficult to summarise without giving away essential details. The magical qualities of the toyshop and the writing are so beautiful that you'll want to visit. I think I am in need of a reread of this one as I don't think I appreciated it as much as I should the first time around. If historical fiction and magic are things you enjoy, then I'd recommend this one.

This Winter by Alice Oseman

For fans of Alice's Heartstopper series, Alice has released a Christmas novella. It was released digitally in 2015, but is now available in paperback for the first time. It takes place at Charlie and Tori's house on Christmas. We get to see what a Christmas is like with them. It's a cute little novella set in the world we already know and we get to visit our favourite characters. In the newly released paperback version, it has some brand new illustrations from Alice. 

Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon by James Lovegrove

Okay, I might be cheating by including this as I haven't finished reading it, but as I'm enjoying it so much, I knew I had to put it on this list. This is a new Sherlock Holmes adventure by James Lovegrove, one of the many authors to write a Sherlock Holmes story. As you guessed it, this one is indeed set at Christmas time. Holmes and Watson are employed by a young woman to investigate some seasonal spooks at her family castle in Yorkshire. I've read about 100 pages of this and can't wait for the next chance I get to jump back into it.

Films

Love, Actually

Yet another Christmas classic that Christmas wouldn't be complete without. I'm sure I don't need to explain what Love, Actually is about. If you are looking for a feel good British Christmas comedy, then look no further. I have lost count of how many times I've watched this film. It has some truly iconic moments in it. 

Anna and the Apocalypse 

This is quite possibly my favourite Christmas film of all time. Imagine La La Land and Shaun of the Dead had a Christmas baby. It's funny. It's got musical numbers. It's got zombies. It's set at Christmas. What's not to love? I could go on and on about how much I adore this film. If you decide to watch or read one thing from this list, then let it be this one!

Happiest Season

Again, I am cheating as I haven't watched this one yet. This is more a shoutout as this film is a gay Christmas film. Again, what's not to love? From the trailer, it looks funny while tackling a serious issue. It also has an amazing cast, such as Kristin Stewart, Daniel Levy, Alison Brie and Aubrey Plaza. I'm planning on watching this very soon and I have a feeling I will love it.

Those are some of my favourite Christmas stories. I hope you find something on here for you!

Carenza :) x 

Bookish Christmas Decor- #the12letters| Carenza Bramwell

Welcome to Day Two of the #the12letters challenge, created by the wonderful Beth of BooksNest and Lauren of FictionTea. This is a challenge across any social media platforms, using the twelve letters in Christmas Day to create prompts for creativity. Today's prompt is "home" and for home I will be sharing with you some of the best bookish Christmas decor out there. For more like this, check out my Instagram post which features my bookish home decor for the festive season. 

Taken from Google Images

A quick google search will let you know that there are indeed book themed Christmas ornaments out there. You two can make your Christmas tree as bookish as possible. All items will be linked in their descriptions.

We bookworms are usually against our precious books being turned into decorations, but this Book Fold artwork will add some magic to your home. There are so many items like this and not just for the festive period. Items like this are usually made from books that are going to be recycled due to age and it gives them a chance to be reused. 

Another creative way to use books as ornaments is to turn them into little statues, like this Snowman Ornament. Again, made from recycled books, it's another way to upcycle something and give it life again. He would make a rather jolly addition to any bookcase!

For the comic book fans, look no further than these recycled Christmas heart ornaments. Add something extra geeky to your Christmas tree. I have a very similar decoration that I will feature on my Instagram later toady. 

Taken from Google Images

If you are looking for inspiration that doesn't require buying these items, then look no further! I have a couple of ideas just for you. Firstly, you can always make a Christmas tree out of books. This trend began a couple of years ago and has resulted in some rather fictitious festive Christmas trees. From what I know, it's best to start with big books on the bottom and then get gradually smaller. You can add lights and decorations afterwards to make it the ultimate book Christmas tree.

Taken from Google Images

Something else you can do is decorate your bookshelves for the festive season. This year, I have tinsel on my display shelves in my bedroom and I've been keeping my Christmas cards on my bookshelves in my office. It adds a little bit of festive joy without going over the top.  

That concludes my post on Bookish Christmas Decor. I hope your Christmas is filled with delightful decorations and beautiful books!

Carenza :) x