ros_lanta's Reviews (988)

This was a fun, cosy follow up to Stepfather Christmas. I enjoyed the magical shenanigans and even more so the family dynamics. It's nice to once again see a British take on Father Christmas and the legends around him, rather than just the American one that fills most Christmas movies. 

At times I did find myself wanting a little bit more. The main elf character was underdeveloped, one plot thread was never fully resolved, and considering the back cover describes it as 'hilarious' I never found myself laughing. Still, I went into this wanting a relaxing and festive Christmas Eve read and that is exactly what I got. 

I picked this up on a whim while out shopping, without having seen any reviews, and I'm happy to say I had a good time with it. It's giving me exactly what I wanted from it - a heartwarming story about a middle aged guy reuniting with his students and slowly being brought to realise that he isn't the failure he thought himself. There's also plenty of swordplay (and honestly I do love an overpowered or otherwise highly skilled protagonist in my manga). 

This isn't likely to become anyone's new obsession, but if you just want a light feelgood story I recommend. 

I genuinely don't know what I think of this book and it's for one specific reason: halfway through this first volume it's made clear that the princess is only 12 years old. It's not stated how old Remy is other than that she is older, so I don't know if it's a couple of years older or a decade. Considering that the series appears to be a romance (based on not just the summary above but other things I've read online) this is potentially concerning. Is there a big age gap between them? If there is, does nothing actually happen until the princess is of age, is there a time skip at some point? Unfortunately I can find no information online as the second volume is yet to come out (at least in English)... which leaves me very conflicted, and I would hesitate to recommend the book until I know for sure.

Leaving the above aside though, this is a pretty cute, cosy story as suggested by the title. I'm intrigued by the hints that Remy is hiding the true strength of her powers and there's also some interesting worldbuilding I would like to know more about. It's also pleasing to see LGBT representation including a character who appears to be gender fluid/non-binary and of course the main f/f relationship once it happens... that is, if it doesn't prove to be problematic.

I won't be rushing to buy volume 2 on its release, but I will probably look up reviews at the time and then decide if this is something worth continuing. Right now I'm just not sure.