This was a fun and unique spin on a holiday horror. I found the story engaging and easy to get into, though the pacing was a bit off at times and the writing style was not my usual brand. I liked the characters and the bits of information strewn in the story.

I loved the concept of this book! It was such an interesting concept and gave NOS4A2 vibes. I feel like books where kids are involved are always so much darker, and this didn't disappoint. However, the pacing of the book was a struggle for me. It was hard to stay engaged when the slower parts were an incredible slow burn. Overall though, I think this is such a great book for Halloween!

When the children in town start to go missing, the concerned adults are quick to point fingers at the most likely culprits: the monsters. However, the monsters are not willing to take the blame for a crime they didn't commit and are desperate to bring justice to the town and to themselves.

What did I like about this book? The heart. The concept! I love love love any book where monsters are the main characters and this didn't disappoint! Count Dracula and his beloved werewolf wife and their band of well known monsters were a team filled with so much heart. I loved them all and I loved each of their backgrounds, classic enough to be familiar but with new additions to add a unique flair. The villans were also good! Believe it or not, there was heart there as well! I honestly just loved the idea of monsters trying to save themselves from a crime they had no part in.

I loved that so much of the content held subtle nods to so much spooky media throughout history. The hidden double meanings behind age old nursey rhymes, the introduction and explanation of phobias and terrors of all kinds, common and uncommon. It was a bundle of spooky fun that left me eager to turn every page.

My biggest complaint was, unfortunately, the pacing. I have found, though, that sometimes I just simply struggle with the pacing of horror novels so I wouldn't say that the pacing makes or breaks it. I personally would have just preferred to have the character motives and backgrounds be given out slowly and bit by bit. I felt like there were times when there was a little too much information being thrown at me at once, especially in the beginning. Longer chapters with a little more uncertainty would have been more my speed. However, aside from the pacing, this really was a fun and unique story. Definitely something I may want to reread when Halloween rolls around!

This is a book filled with ideas that aren’t quite supported by the writing. An old woman unjustly hurt by neighborhood children, who pelt her with rocks and eggs one Halloween night, decides to get revenge. As children go missing, people turn the blame on monsters — because who else could it be — which causes the monsters themselves to take notice.

The writing is very much a telling as events are given through exposition, so much so I felt I was reading a cliff-notes version of the book. This isn’t helped with the constant trivia interjections. For example, when Dracula gives a ring to Aoife, the werewolf, it’s a single sentence in a paragraph stating that it happened, only then to list when Alexandrite — the stone — was discovered, and who it was named after. Mummies come into the story and several paragraphs go on to mention how mummies were made and with what tools. A character’s introduction involves the history of his college, when it was founded and by whom, and how many acres the campus covers.

In many ways it reads as though it’s intended for a younger audience with the way it’s written, especially in the ways it tries to interject history and science lessons. The characters all had similar personalities and ways of speaking, and while there were some good moments of banter here and there … overall this book isn’t to my personal taste.

So so so good! Loved this book so much! This author is such a bop! Need to discover more books from John DeGuire.

I’m a big fan of all the classic monster stories so I enjoyed this take on them for the most part! I kept thinking that it would definitely make a neat movie. My only real complaint is that is sort of drones on and on. I found myself constantly checking to see how much I had left instead of being engrossed in the story.

It’s very unique and kudos to the author for managing so many characters and blending them into a plot. It’s quite impressive!

Netgalley ARC- 2.5

The first part of this book is a solid 4 stars. The last half is a two

This book includes all your favorite horror characters-and makes them have a little more heart. Minus the witch and her goon squad.

This book is a little long. Lots of extra information thrown in that can definitely be edited out.
The concept is very interesting…. But the story goes no where with it. Strong start but seems the ending was not thought out.

Book was very hard to follow in terms of setting
Lots of animal cruelty/killing added for no reason.

John DeGuire takes a interesting concept and makes it original. It had a great feel to a holiday horror novel and I enjoyed the rag-tag group of monsters. It uses that concept perfectly and I enjoyed how human the monsters were. It was written well and had that feel I was looking for. I enjoyed the way John DeGuire wrote this and hope he continues to write this perfectly.

Original and entertaining, an horror story set at Christmas time. Well plotted, gripping, it kept me on the edge.
I appreciated the world building and the storytelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A fresh, heartfelt take on classic horror staples. The relationship between Dracula and Aoife was a highlight. I couldn't help but compare the plot of "monsters clearing their names in the eyes of humans" to Hotel Transylvania, as on a basic level they share a lot in common. So if you're looking for a more mature and horror-esque upgrade of that film, this would be a great fit.

This was a strange sounding book after reading the summary and I requested it because it really piqued my interest. What I didn't expect was a heartfelt story of friends, family, and understanding differences. I really liked it, and it was an entertaining book. I'm glad I came across it and requested it because I enjoy this read.

In John DeGuire's debut novel, "Holiday Spirit," the quaint town of Killington, Vermont, is gripped by a chilling its children are vanishing. It all starts with a Halloween prank gone horribly wrong and an enraged witch.
As Christmas approaches, strange and unexplainable events plague the town. Ancient mummies, sinister lagoon creatures, and malevolent phantoms threaten the very essence of the holidays.
When the children disappear, panic spreads, and the townsfolk point fingers at the lurking monsters. But not all monsters are what they seem. Meet Saul, Frankenstein's patchwork EMS captain, created by his scientist father. Dr. Ralph Ellison, the invisible man, who blends into the shadows.
Aoife, a heroic werewolf who embraces her lycanthropy, and her husband, Count Dracula, a vampire with centuries of wisdom and a thirst for justice, not innocent blood.
As the witch Bridgett Bishop gathers her dark forces, this unlikely band of heroes must rise to the occasion. "Holiday Spirit" is a gripping werewolf romance, holiday baggage, and holiday murder mystery all rolled into one thrilling novel.
Can these monsters save the children and rescue the holiday season, or will darkness prevail?
Join them in a heart-pounding battle for the most magical time of the year and discover that love truly never dies, not even for Dracula.

You know exactly what you're getting in this book. A fun, goofy and campy werewolf horror novel set during Christmas. If you like these type of goofy horror movies then I think you'll like this one. I personally like a more serious tone of narrative, but I still had a lot of fun with this one:)

The book is atmospheric and gripping. Children used to call Bridgett as Bitch Witch. While she has a painful past, and her fate has been cruel to her. She was charged as guilty of witchcraft but she survived. You will get to read about the witch’s family and witch trials. The children not only called her Bitch witch but they also did wrong things with her like throwing eggs on her on halloween day and the old lady kept asking for help but no one came forward and because of them, the family heirloom also broke so she ventures on a quest of vengeance. But soon children starts disappearing from the Vermont and the holiday spirit becomes dull.

While Dracula and his wife Aoife, they come to meet Saul Frankenstein, their old best friend. The Rumours of monsters grips the town and the monsters were being blamed behind disappearance of children so Count Dracula, Aoife, Saul and the invisible man, they all decide to clear their names.

I liked to read about Aoife, half wolf and half human. The saying about her grandmother somehow came true about wolfsbane bloom and the full moonlight. Dracula was sweet. Dracula and Aoife have a strangely good bond. The author wrapped it up so well. This is an enjoyable holiday horror story.

Many thanks to the Author and Netgalley.

I loved the author’s take on the classic horror monsters and got excited each time a new one was introduced in the story. Going from romantic loving chapters to spooky scary ones. I couldn’t get enough of it and as a Halloween fanatic I gave it at 10/10. Reading it during Feb. and it feels like Halloween never left .