A big thank you to Netgalley and BQB Publishing for sending me a digital advanced copy of this book for an honest review.
Characters: 7/10
Plot: 8/10
Concept: 9/10
Entertainment factor: 8.5/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Have you ever wondered why the season of Christmas has the power to turn even the most Scrooge-like person into someone with joy, merrinesss and a Christmas spirit in their heart? The Present by Geanna Culberston has an answer for that! In the story, we follow Frost Mason, a female ghost who has been dead for a hundred years. Her job? Working at the Christmas Carol Department (CCD for short) as a Ghost of Christmas Present, having already given ninety-nine hand-selected "Scrooges" a personalized Christmas Carol experience alongside a team of two other ghosts (Christmas Past and Christmas Future). Together, their mission is to dig deep into the target's past, present and future, in order to deliver a life-shaking Christmas Carol experience that will change the person's heart for good. Hopefully a change that will last a lifetime, right?
However, Frost Mason has lost some of her magical joy since she began her work, as many of her priorly Scrooged people have since reverted back to their old, "bah-humbug!" alter egos. Not only that, but this is her last year acting as the Ghost of Christmas Present, since it is her one hundredth mission after which she gets to retire. Her target? Jay Nichols, a politician in his thirties running for governor, who ends up being somewhat unlike Frost's previous Scrooges. Needless to say, this year things will prove to be slightly more difficult than usual.
I absolutely loved this book's concept! It makes for such a unique and yet still-familiar Christmas story. Not only that, but the worldbuilding and backstories of the CCD, the ghosts, the North Pole, etc. is also top-notch and really immersive. I really enjoyed reading about what the ghosts did in their free time at the CCD and the kinds of activities they participated in. Never have I more wished that I could also stuff my face with all the sugary goods Frost and Bismaad did without suffering the unhealthy consequences.
Frost was a very likeable character, and her general pessimism was something that I also myself found very relatable. I can only imagine the kind of demotivation one would feel by learning that someone whose heart you changed for the good has decided to revert back to their bad ways. Eesh!
The actual Christmas Caroling was simultaneously really entertaining to read about and yet also dug quite deep a human's psyche. The way Frost, Brandon and Midori used their magic to try to change Jay's heart was interesting and definitely also prompted some self-reflection on my part. The only minor complaint that I would have is that Jay's story did feel slightly cliche (i.e. spending more time at work than with his family). However, it was still an all-around super enjoyable story.
Overall, this was an easy and really fun read! Despite the fact that this book is not super short (it clocks in at around 500 pages), the chapters felt like they were whizzing by as I was very invested in the story. A book that is perfect for a Christmas read!
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