2 stars
First of all, Iredale knocked it out of the park with that artwork. Each page is gorgeous and I loved all the details woven into each spread. She really captured the magic of the settings, especially their natural elements.
However, the book itself is a bit odd. I’m hesitant to call it a picture book. It’s more of an illustrated short story. The text is quite lengthy, at times taking up the entire page. The story itself is long and roundabout. The suggested age range is 5-8, but it really depends on the individual child and their interests. Would probably work best for older children who can sit through a long story or read in chunks.
In general, I don’t know much about Christmas lore. From what I can tell, Kristtörn is a Befana-style character although we don’t get much information on her contact with the human world. She leaves a few presents here and there but otherwise just wanders the night. It was fun to see a positive spin on Lutzelfrau, the Yule Witch. I’d loved to have seen more of her. The story blends various storylines pulled from Pagan and more mainstream ideas of Christmas.
The ending comes rather abruptly. The story is left very open-ended and fairly confusing. It definitely sets up a sequel, but I found the background legend a bit lackluster.
While I don’t necessarily think all books need to have lessons, this one has some confusing messages. Kristtörn is told not to engage with the world because she’s too different and no one understands her. I’m hoping this is developed more in the sequel but the lack of resolution in this book makes that message pretty cringey (especially because that advice comes from Santa Claus himself!).
The messages regarding Kristtörn’s anger were similarly unclear. Whenever she gets angry, she loses control and something bad happens. Again, this is probably developed in the sequel, but it leaves the reader with the idea that anger is always bad. Not necessarily the healthiest view. The story needs resolution to clear up some of this odd messaging.
This book lays out the background of Kristtörn as the Christmas Witch, but its lack of resolution is unsatisfying and confusing. Murphy and Plaza set some groundwork but it doesn’t lead anywhere. Perhaps if it had been more fleshed out into a children’s novel, I may have connected with it more. Despite the length, many areas didn’t feel developed enough. Great illustrations though.
Overall, an okay read that had some wonderful elements. They just didn’t come together for me.