Unusual collection of 6 short stories set in fantasy/Science fiction genre. All are on the dark side. Sam Hooker; Alcy Leyva; Laura Morrison; Cassondra Windwalker; Dalena Storm; Seven Jane are the authors and this is the first I’ve read any of their work. Not your regular Christmas read. I received a copy of this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

These off stories are nice change of pace from the typical Christmas tales. None were corny. Moving on up should definitely make readers think when reading this interpretation of Christmas Carol. Each felt original

A Midnight Clear is a new anthology of 6 winter holiday short stories. Released 5th Nov 2019 by Black Spot Books, it's 250 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. (For the release, the ebook format is on sale at a scandalously low price).

This is a varied and dark collection of (as far as I can ascertain) previously unpublished fiction. They are all very well written and poignant, humorously scary (Cthulu meets Santa's elves), and all around good stuff. I've always had a particular fondness for collections/anthologies because short fiction is spare and technically challenging, so you get a better feel for an author's expertise with the form. Short fiction is less of a time commitment as well, so if one story is not working for you, there's another piece readily available in a few pages. Anthologies are also a rich source for finding new authors so you can search out their other works. Most of the authors included here were familiar, but there were a couple who were new (to me).

It's unclear from the publishing info available online, but the eARC I received has a handy interactive table of contents. I hope the ebook release version does also. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. Presumably that feature will carry through to the final release version.

The stories varied between 3.5 and 5 stars for me with the average weighted toward the 4 star range. All were high quality and worth a read; nary a clunker in the lot.

Four solid stars. It would make a great holiday gift for your Christmas Book Flood recipients.

Christmas is seen as a time of cheer and joy, but not everyone enjoys the season. This collection of six short stories plays off the darker potential in the season, sometimes dipping into outright horror.

Santa's elves are faced with insanity in the Candy Court for the first time. The changing seasons determined by elder gods' exchange is interrupted by a young girl having a hard time understanding illness and death. A working wolf with anxiety is plagued with horrible dreams after being bitten. Demons of past, present, and future try to sway the choice for the afterlife. A woman disenchanted by the holidays hardens into ice.

My favorite tale by far is the opener. The idea of elves having the Candy Court is wonderful, and I laughed at the idea of meanie being the worst name an elf can call another. They're so sweet and hard-working, and taking on less than two jobs is a horrible thought. I don't want to spoil it, but it is a wonderful blend of the Santa mythos as well as that of unspeakable, unpronounceable and unnamed horrors that would drive creatures mad just by seeing a figure of it. (Horror fans likely will understand the reference just from that, and yes, I found it as horribly hilarious as it sounds.)

Our closer story is just as good, though it drags in the beginning because it's a Christmas story for our current times and very much a warning for us not to let consumerism take over our hearts.

A Midnight Clear has fun holiday stories that would probably be a lot of fun for readers who maybe aren't that big on Christmas or who think the Hallmark Christmas movies are too sweet. The stories in this collection can be funny and thought provoking, but in the end, this collection just wasn't for me.

2.5/3 stars.

Unfortunately, none of these stories really gripped me. They are all well written, I just didn't connect with most of them, they didn't draw me in or leave me on the edge of my seat.

I think the only one I truly enjoyed was Movin' On Up by Laura Morrison which I found to be quirky, witty and fun. I enjoyed the dynamic's between the characters and the underlying moral story.

A whimsical collection of Yuletide stories with a darker edge, A Midnight Clear is definitely something different for the festive season. The collection comprises six stories, each by a different author, and while all have the seasonal setting in common, the styles are very diverse, ranging from a courtroom drama featuring elves and Cthulhu, to a different take on a werewolf story and even a budding romance set at the Stanley hotel. Each of the stories felt fresh and original and I loved the idea of a collection offering something a little different than the usual sweetness and light. I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,.

This ain't your mama's holiday short story collection. Not by a long shot. A Midnight Clear gathers six horrifying holiday season tales. Every story is different and adds a delightfully creepy edge to the holiday festivities.

I loved every story in this collection! The tales are wickedly varied and fun. Demons, Werewolves, insane Elves, winter gods, curses and general Yuletide mayhem. My favorite story of the collection is Sam Hooker's The Dauntless. An elf is on trial for murder because he was part of the annual expedition to deliver holiday coal to Cthulhu in R'leyah. The trip did not end well. Other stories in the collection are provided by: Aley Leyva, Laura Morrison, Cassondra Windwalker, Dalena Storm and Seven Jane. This is my first experience with all of these writers, and I am definitely reading more by each and every one of them!

Usually with story anthologies, I find I like most of the tales, but find a few that just aren't for me. This time I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed each story. All are well-written, interesting and incredibly creative. A werewolf bitten by a human? A holiday murder in the Stanley Hotel? I didn't expect fun stuff like that! Dark humor. Creative horror. Madness all around! Happy holidays!

This is the one time I can say I happily read a Christmas theme book before Halloween. It fits right in with the season.

Lovely story collection! Full marks from me!! Not a bad tale in the bunch!

**I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book from Black Spot Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. No elder gods, monsters or demons were angered in the writing of this review. I hope.**

As with any short story collection some are better than others but all in all this is a really strong collection. The stories are tied together by supernatural/horror elements and a winter holiday setting. They are all fairly short, quick reads which I think helps lift the ones that are less engaging because in the end, you haven't invested all that much time. My favorites of the bunch were Tidings of the New Moon, which is a really creative and interesting look at the werewolf legend and Snow Angel which closes out the collection by examining the true meaning of the holidays.

A Midnight Clear
by Sam Hooker, et.al
due 11-5-2019
Black Spot Books
4.0 /5.0

#netgalley #AMidnightClear
Thanks to netgalley for sharing this e-book ARC for review.

Six yuletide tales that are dark as well as whimsical. The madness, humor and craziness of the season are represented here. These are all unique and imaginative, and share some of the not-so-jolly spirit of the season.
These stories by authors of Black Spot Books are fun to read, creepy, macabre and I enjoyed them all.

Six deliciously dark, twisted tales that are perfect for the holiday season. Six different authors gives a variance of style that keeps you glued. A quick, enjoyable read.

**Thank you to Black Spot Books, the authors, and Netgalley for providing an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Written in the format of six short stories, all with a holiday theme or twist, A Midnight Clear brings six authors who reimagine the holiday season - sometimes in less than ideal ways. From Santa's elves to Satan's demons, human like wolves to a religious Solstice dilemma, A Midnight Clear questions what would happen if some of our fairy tales and traditions were turned upside down.

A Midnight Clear was a quick and easy read, likely because it was split into short stories. I certainly had my favorite of the stories and one's I did not like as much - but I won't bias you, dear reader, towards or against any. The writing in all short stories is well done, and the plots do make you think twice about the holiday season and what it all means. There was go cohesiveness to all the stories as well, which allowed the book to flow well through them.

As we move into the holiday season, anyone who likes to read holiday or Christmas inspired works should pick this up for a quick read.

Okay so this book had six very original Horror/Christmas stories. Each with its own theme and own feeling to it.
honestly, not all stories were that good but the overall was pretty great.
It had some fun and very interesting plots, and probably also something for very different tastes, which mean I can share this book with my husband and he will enjoy some of them too.
The book was a perfect start for the upcoming Holiday season, since it contains some Horror aspects that makes it perfect for Halloween. honestly only one of the stories had a true Christmas feeling to it - which I guess is great since there is a lot of people wanting Christmas books that aren't all romance and too ''Christmasy'' if that makes sense.

Black Spot Books tapped six of their authors to pull together this short story anthology under the overarching theme of “not-so-merry Yuletide whimsy.” The result is truly a mixed bag [insert lame Santa’s sack joke].

<b>The Good:</b> The opening story by Sam Hooker is far and away the best of the lot. Who knew you could combine a sugary cute version of the North pole (reminiscent of what it’s like in the movie Elf) with a visit to R’lyeh? Laura Morrison’s hellish (yet humorous) riff on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is imaginative and entertaining as well, and Dalena Storm’s dive into Slavic mythology wasn’t bad. I wouldn’t take my theology from any of these stories, but they were a lot of fun to read.

<b>The “Meh”:</b> The other three stories left me cold. In a couple, the Christmas element felt shoehorned in, and they all had the kind of pacing that I associate with lousy Christian fiction: the majority of the page count taken up with the protagonist moping, sulking, or mooning around followed by a burst of action at the very end that may or may not connect well with all the repetitive morbid introspection that came before it. Obviously, your mileage may vary.

Overall, the oft repeated descriptor for short story anthologies is “mixed bag,” and that holds very much true here. If nothing else, you need to read Sam Hooker’s cutesy elf/Cthulhu mythos mashup.

4 stars. The stories are not as creepy as I had hoped (based on the NetGalley advertising), but are nonetheless quite good; the first four are excellent. It’s kind of like expecting coffee (horror) with milk (humor) but getting milk with coffee. Still a lot of fun. A bonus: the stories are pretty clean. There is some gore, and occasional coarse language (including at least one instance of the F-word). Not for kids, but overall a much more comfortable read than some.

1. The Dauntless
Murder, Cthulhu and marshmallows! This was (probably) my favorite. I recently graduated from law school, and without giving spoilers, I can say I would LOVE to be an officer of this story’s court. The dualist moral system gave me pause, but the effective blend of creepy and lighthearted made The Dauntless great.

2. Tidings of the New Moon
An adorable twist on a familiar trope, this wonderful story was really not creepy at all (although the main character was terrified, and with good reason! From a human perspective, though, it was howl-arious [sorry, couldn’t resist]).

3. Movin’ On Up
The Screwtape Letters meets A Christmas Carol. The beginning and middle of the story were fantastic (and actually touched on some meatier issues than the first two). However, the ending was anti-climactic, failing to resolve some components of the story.

4. The Poetry of Snow and Stars
This was the first story to give us rich human characterization (and a super-sweet brother/sister relationship, to boot). Sam is a well-written character (except for one thing: it was quite difficult for me to believe that a pastor would encourage his kid nephew to investigate hauntings for fun!) Unlike the rest of the anthology, this story had relatively few “magical” or “supernatural” elements. Instead, it’s a bittersweet mystery.

5. Sleep, Sweet Khors
Stories 5 and 6 are not the best. Sleep, Sweet Khors had its good points: its thoughtful characterization of a grieving little girl, its terrifying portrayal of nature gone wrong, and its use of lesser-known Slavic myth. However, several aspects of the story feel forced. The plotting, especially in the little girl’s journey to fix her mistake, feel like paint-by-numbers. And slapping Christmas customs onto a pagan ritual was simply distracting.

6. Snow Angel
First of all, let me start by saying the prose was beautiful. The prose, and some of the imagery, were the chief good points of the story. In the anthology’s second take on A Christmas Carol, a major cliche leaves the plot limping. In addition, the main character’s motivations and character changes seem unbelievable.

Although the first two-thirds of the anthology are much stronger than the last third, the book as a whole is a quick, fun read, perfect for a snowy afternoon (or a blistering hot afternoon. Imaginary snow is better than no snow!).

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! The stories have a delightfully different sort of holiday charm. I was hooked from the very first page (lawyer elves at the North Pole!) and I will definitely be looking for other stories/books by these authors. I highly recommend this book!

What a darkly funny and unique collection, I loved the bizarre twists on these holiday stories!!! Each story & author had their own style/tone and I enjoyed all of them, I found myself giggling out loud. I will definitely keep an eye out for more works by each of them.

A series of short stories set around Solstice. The first was quite silly but some so deep they made me cry, enjoyable reads

A Midnight Clear has been my first winter holiday read of 2019 and overall I enjoyed it. Some of the stories I really enjoyed, others weren’t my cup of tea as is usually the case with short story collections. This is a fun exploration of darker themes and ideas within the winter solstice season.

The Dauntless – A bit silly but made me laugh all the same. Since we are a family associated with the legal process, I admit I got a bit rowdy when the skeevy elf prosecutor was pulling some dirty, definitely not acceptable shenaningans.

The Tidings of a New Moon – This one didn’t work for me, unfortunately, but it did make me think of the robot-only planet from Futurama that has robots terrified of humans (I do love Futurama). The story was well-written with an interesting approach, but I wasn’t as engaged as I was with the other stories.

Movin’ On Up – This was an enjoyable twist on the Ghost of Christmas idea. It spurred a bit of reflection in this reader which doesn’t usually happen. I am definitely curious after that cliff hanger.

The Poetry of Snow and Stars – I just finished an ARC of Preacher Sam before picking up this anthology and I can’t tell you how excited I was to get another dose of Sam. I wish it was longer and that it ended differently just because I want my man Sam to succeed and be happy. I can’t give spoilers but Windwalker you are RUINING ME! I am looking forward to my next dose of Sam and Co.

Snow Angel – In my notes, I had this tagged as “Mommy Grinch” to remind myself of the story when I went to write my review. Not like this is a forgettable story though, but my view of the holidays is so far from Crystal’s (MC) that I was a bit happy when something happened to her. That sounds awful, I know, but I’ve never been one to force myself trying to create the perfect Hallmark holiday for my family. That said, I love the twist on solstice folklore, the message, and of course the gorgeous writing that truly brought the chill for a bit even when I was reading outside.

Sleep, Sweet Kohrs – If someone was to ask me to pick one holiday story that wasn’t cheesy, this would be at the top of the list. This was the most difficult read out of all the stories. Beautifully written, Little Lisa and her distress over her dying uncle broke my heart. As a parent, I don’t know how I would breach the topic of death and arguments about the afterlife. It was unsettling to have a young girl traipsing through a horror-scape but it was excellently written. Honestly, this story would work perfectly in audio form/storytelling setting.

Overall, this short story collection is the perfect answer if you are looking for a bit of something different from your typical holiday cheer. Some are funny, some are gloomy, but all are well-written and thought out stories from some gifted authors.

**Shortened review posted to Goodreads and Bookbub
**Full review will be posted to Dream Come Review closer to release date
**Review will be posted to Amazon on release day

As with all story collections that employ multiple authors, this was a mixed bag and difficult to rate. I had mostly positive feelings toward the collection as a whole and was also swayed by two truly standout stories in my ultimate verdict on the collection.

The first two stories in the book were absolutely outstanding. Sam Hooker’s The Dauntless was a clever, creative look-in at the judicial process at the North Pole. Alcy Leyva’s Tidings of the New Moon was an excellent original take on the werewolf legend.

Movin’ on Up is a fun reimagining of A Christmas Carol, and Snow Angel was a well written, sort of Grinch-adjacent cautionary tale.

The other two stories included in the book were lesser animals. Sleep, Sweet Khors is beautifully written but drags and doesn’t really have much to do with Christmas. And while the atmosphere in The Poetry of Snow and Stars had great potential, it’s a blatant Murder on the Orient Express rip-off.

Though there are a few stories worth skipping, this collection was a fun read that I will likely come back to during the holiday season.