Written by J.E. Taylor
Some sequels do very little to differentiate themselves from the original book; they take what worked in that, then remix it for an all-new adventure. Christmas Wish, the second or third book in J.E Taylor’s Silent Night series (depending on whether you include the prequel, Joy), isn’t one of those books. Where Silent Night (from which the series takes its title; click here for my review) is about saving Christmas from attacking monsters, Christmas Wish is about saving the North Pole from a friend, despondent over her lack of success in finding love.
Granted, based solely on the above description, you would be forgiven for thinking there isn’t a great deal to differentiate the books. One might focus on monsters and the other on a friend; one might be set at Christmas and the other during the US/North Pole summer, but they’re both built around Santa Claus’ daughter saving the day. However, where Silent Night is a bombastic tale filled with over the top action, Christmas Wish is a quieter affair. The book still brings a sense of fun to it, but the fun relates more to friendship than it does action packed set pieces. Once again, the book is an urban fantasy, though it is one that will appeal more to readers of cosy books and light romances than fantasy fans.
At an estimated 76 pages on your eReader of choice (or 66 pages in paperback, which seems closer to the mark than the page count provided for the previous book), Christmas Wish is both a brisk read and sizably longer than Silent Night. However, where Silent Night felt like the perfect length for the story it had to tell, Christmas Wish would benefit from some extra space. While Taylor’s story isn’t particularly complex, it often feels as though it’s rushing through the various situations that crop up amongst its pages.
Like its predecessor, Christmas Wish is told in the first person, with the tale narrated by its protagonist, Santa’s daughter, Chrissy Kringle. Where that book’s prose was imbued with a freewheeling sense of fun, Christmas Wish takes a more restrained approach. While restraint is always a valid decision, Christmas Wish’s lack of attitude does less to draw the reader in. Fans of Silent Night might find themselves disappointed by the latest book’s tone, especially because it feels like it’s told from the perspective of a different character. The prose remains inviting, however, but another round of editing could have tidied it up to help it flow more freely.
Looking past the prose, however, Chrissy still feels like herself. She’s an entertaining protagonist who is engaging enough to follow. The novella doesn’t give her a strong character arc, though, nor does it offer much to push her character. The only other character to receive much focus is Chrissy’s best friend and the instigator of the plot, Tanya Snow. Like Chrissy, Tanya is an engaging character and fun to follow. The author provides Tanya a light arc. Given the style of the book, it’s enough to move her character forward as the story progresses without it challenging the reader.
The novella’s dialogue fairs a little better than Silent Night’s. The characters’ speech feels more natural, as if real people are talking. It is clear and easy to follow. However, Christmas Wish’s characters don’t sound particularly distinct from one another, particularly its major characters in Chrissy and Tanya.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, Christmas Wish is, depending on how you look at it, the second or third novella in the Silent Night series. Not that it matters, however, as the book stands entirely alone. While its Amazon listing mentions the series, it’s absent from the book’s title, and readers who read this in isolation from the wider series will be able to follow it just as well as readers familiar with the series.
Christmas Wish is a sequel that offers something entirely different to its predecessor. It’s less focused on action, and more focused on its characters. The end result is a book that doesn’t capture the same level of fun, but will likely appeal to readers who like their fantasy to be rather cosy.
Favourite Passage
It wasn’t Christmas, so I didn’t have access to any of the magic that had resurrected my father from nearly dying on Christmas Eve. No matter how much I wished for more, I knew my magic was limited to two days a year—Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Christmas Wish, Chapter 8
Christmas Wish was provided by StoryOrigin for the purpose of an honest review.
Christmas Wish is available in paperback and eBook from retailers including—but not limited to—Amazon.
Note: I do not post scores for reviews on this website, but do post them on my Amazon and Goodreads reviews:
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Interested in purchasing Silemt Night?
Please find a link below; please note I do not collect any proceeds from the sale.
Christmas Wish
wastanley.com 