A Very Fantasy Christmas by 
You’d think after reading 15+ Christmas/holiday romances in the span of thirty days, everything would begin to blur together. And it absolutely did with the majority of them thanks to the lack of creativity and variety. It’s why I was so hopefully when I found A Very Fantasy Christmas by Chelsea Starling. It filled a niche which has been severely lacking. The whimsy and emotion in this collection had me smiling and crying in equal measure.
The premise was a fun one – a genie escapes and is accidentally roped into playing Santa Claus, unknowingly making wishes come true in this small Christmas town. Overall, each short in the collection fit the theme well. Wishes of the heart fulfilled, ensuring a happy holiday to each of the citizens. Each story had its own fantasy or paranormal twist and featured a number of standard tropes. One which I was really looking forward to, a wlw romance between hags, ended up a disappointment solely because I believed Muma Padurii deserved better. It became my least favorite of the collection, but was still well written enough to have me choosing a favorite character and wanting more for them. I think this short story – The Great Hag Bake Off – fell flat for me because it was just so short. If this had the time and length to develop the relationship and have Jenny Greenteeth properly atone, it would’ve been so much better. As is, compared to the others in the collection, it was just shy of the mark.
Speaking of shorts I wanted more of, Turned was definitely one I would’ve loved to see built up into a novella length story. There is so much potential there. From the angst of Adam having to process and endure his transformation into a werewolf alone, to the budding friendship to romance with his coworker, into eventual acceptance of what and who he is. There was so much packed into twenty-fivish pages that I selfishly wanted more.
My two absolute favorites, however, were the perfect length and had everything I wanted. From Hell has a demon coming to Lena’s rescue as she is forced to spend Christmas with her ex-husband and his new partner. Almuzath was ride or die and honestly? I think we all deserve someone like that in our lives. This short was steamy and fun which just enough mean-spiritedness to make me cackle. Meanwhile, The Returned literally had me in tears. My absolute favorite of this collection, a hands down five star story. The heartbreak was palpable; the yearning and love between Ella and Andrew still gets me choked up thinking about. To have a love feel so transcendental in twenty pages was extraordinary. To be gifted one last night with a loved one and have them give the grace of goodbye just hit me hard.
A Very Fantasy Christmas by Chelsea Starling honestly runs the gamut for holiday romances. From the heartwarming to absolute devastation, there is a bit in there for everyone. I think this is one I’d recommend for readers that enjoy short story collections and are looking for bite sized Christmas romances with the slightest fantasy/paranormal twist. There’s spice, but that is far overshadowed by the heart that is present in each tale.
quotes
‘Imagine stitching with a thread. The past is certain. The present is fairly stable as I know where my needle is heading. The future can be quite wobbly and messy but it usually ends up as planned.’
The Peculiar Case of Percival Puttery | Page 95
‘I want you to fall in love again, baby. You deserve to be so sickeningly deep in love that your kids are disgusted by it. I’m gone, El. You’re not going to have eighty years of isolation.’
The Returned | Page 175
