Abigail dips a curtsey. What lies they tell the young about the festive season! She’s been bleating on about St Nicholas, but the truth is this: bad people are continually rewarded, while the good are ignored, even at Christmastime. It’s enough to break anyone’s spirit.
—Laura Purcell, from “Carol of the Bells and Chains” (The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights, Sphere, 2023)
The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights by Bridget Collins, Susan Stokes-Chapman, Imogen Hermes Gowar, etc.
“There was still old knowledge unforgotten. There remained things in the world that you should never invite in. Horned things that walked in the deepest dark of the year.”
Two years ago The Haunting Season was the first Waterstones special edition I bought, and the first book I owned with stencilled edges! I was just starting to discover books as collector's items, rather than just for reading, and in the two years since, my collection has grown to an unreasonable size.
So when this follow-up book was announced, of course I was going to order the matching special edition! This one has a lot of the same authors as the first, but it also has some new authors too, including Susan Stokes-Chapman. Honestly, I'd have bought the book just to read her story!
I did try my best, while reading these short stories, not to look at the author until I'd read each story, so my expectations weren't influenced by anything I'd read by the author before.
Host - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
In the last book, I called this author's contribution "pleasant but unimaginative". This year's was a laborious read. It cut off too early, with no real resolution.
Inferno - Laura Shepherd-Robinson
This author wasn't included in the last book, and I haven't read any of her other work. This was a good story, but incredibly predictable. It was a little heavy-handed, and probably would have done better if the plot had been more drawn out in a longer story.
The Old Play - Andrew Michael Hurley
I liked this one - the plot was very obvious, but it was suitably suspenseful, and it ended in the right place. The was a nice surprise, as in the previous book, this author's story was one of my least favourite.
A Double Thread - Imogen Hermes Gower
This one was an interesting read, because the characterisation was great, but again, the ending was very predictable, and felt rushed. This was what I was expecting, based on the author's story in the last book.
The Salt Miracles - Natasha Pulley
This was one of my favourites - a great, creepy, religious story, which I was anxious to finish. And it ended brilliantly! In the last book, this author's story was also one of my favourites!
Banished - Elizabeth Macneal
This was an okay read, it was quite nicely written. But there were no revelations or surprises, it was very obvious. Strangely, last year's story was really gripping!
The Gargoyle - Bridget Collins
This one was weirdly nice?! It has an ending which could have suggested something sinister in the future, but is more likely just a nice, happy ending to a misunderstood monster. That's the ending I'm choosing to believe. I liked this one, which is interesting, because I didn't like the last book's story at all!
The Master of the House - Stuart Turton
This is another new author. I wasn't expecting this one to make me cry! In fairness, I was already emotional. This one did start to trail off in the middle, but picked back up, and had a strong ending.
Ada Lark - Jess Kidd
This was a lovely story! A nice friendly ghost, and a welcome break from the mostly sinister stories. I loved the way this one was written, and the author's contribution to the last book was also one of my favourites.
Jenkin - Catriona Ward
Another new author. This was one of my least favourite stories. It was a really childish, fairytale-type concept. The ending was uninspired.
Widow's Walk - Susan Stokes-Chapman
Another new author for this year, but an author I've read (and absolutely loved) before. This story was definitely one of my favourites. There were no hidden twists, but it was beautifully written and definitely creepy!
Carol of the Bells and Chains - Laura Purcell
This one seemed fairly good while I was reading it, but actually was much less interesting on reflection. I would have expected more, as I loved the author's previous contribution, and have read one of her novels, which was brilliant.
