The Nightmare Before Kissmas

The Nightmare Before Kissmas is set in Christmas Land. In the world of the book, each holiday is a kingdom, using magic to keep their existence hidden. The King of Christmas decides to match his son, Coal, with the Princess of Easter, Iris, who also happens to be the prince's best friend. The Prince of Halloween, Hex, is invited to court the princess as well. While they have to pretend they're competing for the princess, the two princes get more and more close.

I loved this book! I seriously can't wait for the next one. Something about the writing really resonated with me, sucked me in and didn't let me go. I read it all in one sitting.

The premise is so cute and fluffy, that I thought the book was gonna be a fun and silly (in a good way) read. Which it is, but it's also, so full of passion and love, and it is so evocative, earnest and at times quite deep. While the romance is the main plot, the story is also about family and loss and there are messages in it about the corrupting influences of power and capitalism.

With audiobooks I don't usually highlight sections because it's just annoying. But so many times while listening to this book I had to pause, rewind and replay over and over until I could write them down.

The romance in this is the best. It had delicacy, vulnerability and authenticity. And Coal and Hex are just so frickin cute!! I always love a forbidden romance, with the yearning, the stolen touches and the secret meetings and this was done REALLY well. Their chemistry, banter, and tension, all of it was just so good. Their baggage and misgivings felt very genuine as well.

I loved most of the side characters as well: the Princess of Easter, the other Prince of Christmas, and staff at the palace. I especially loved the brother relationship between Coal and Kris. And together with Iris they make a great trio.

Unlike the movie it's named after, this leans more Christmas than Halloween, in case you like reading books close to their holidays.