The Holly King is coming, and you're on his list . . .
It's December 1940, and Christmas has come to Woodville. Faye Bright is looking forward to a good old knees-up after a year of supernatural mayhem and Luftwaffe air raids, but it seems glad tidings are in short supply.
Already contending with food rationing and sky-high beer prices, the village is upended by the arrival of the Holly King, an ancient power bent on reclaiming his woodland domain. No mortal magic can stand in his way.
As the winter solstice draws in and the villagers fall under the Holly King's spell, Faye, Bertie and the witches race to prevent his sinister Feast of Fools from reaching its deadly conclusion. But when terrible truths threaten to tear them apart, can they confront the mistakes of the past to save the village from destruction?
Or has Woodville seen its last Christmas?
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Faye knew she was dreaming because she was in the woods.- Dream a Little Dream
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(Simon & Schuster, 14 September 2023, e-galley, 400 pages, copy from publisher via NetGalley)
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I've enjoyed other books in the series, but this is the best by far. I loved The Holly King. It's a bit darker than the other the other books with Faye and her fellow witches pitched against an ancient demigod that seems indestructible and can turn the villagers against anyone who stands in it's way. The demigod seems the wood as it's domain and anyone who tries to get in it's way is in big trouble. Like the other books there is a lot of humour, but the tone is darker and there's a lot more drama and action this time around. This is a real corker.