Robert Tate Miller

Yup! Maybe aside from its lack of a strong emphasis on romance (not a downside, in my book), this short Christmas novel is pretty much what you'd expect its Christmas-TV-movie material to be.

A bundle of humor and a gradual, heartwarming change of heart. What it doesn't have in surprises, it makes up for in its "curl up on a cozy couch with a hot cup of cocoa" feel—along with a wonderful climax and conclusion.

The stuff that turning a frown upside-down and rediscovering the spirit of Christmas is made of.… (mais)

Hmm.... (*scratching my head...*)

This is the kind of read where although I can't say I was particularly into the characters, I still found the plot interesting all the way through.

I also understand the story's overall message. A simple but timeless one. However, I ended the book feeling...confused.

Maybe it's the fantasy fiction reader in me, but good fantasy and supernatural tales come with rules. A certain way the fantasy/supernatural elements will or won't work. If it turns out that the rules can change, be broken, or be cancelled out, the narrative or the characters have to give an explanation for it. Something that makes sense according to the story as a whole.

The fantasy/supernatural players in this story repeatedly share the rules about a particular character's fate. "Fate is fate. It cannot be trifled with." They make several firm references about the character's "destiny" and their "date with destiny," about how the "cosmic balance will be thrown out of whack" if that character's date with destiny isn't met, and how the divine "boss" in charge of it all "won't let that happen."

Hence, I ended the read wondering... What happened to the cosmic rules? Did I miss an explanation about why the rules could suddenly change or disappear? In order for the story construction, for the writing in supernatural fiction to make sense, there has to be some indication or explanation showing that the writer didn't just forget the rules or wind up disregarding them for the sake of convenience—so that the book could have a particular ending.

Even though I enjoyed the read, I'm also scratching my head.

Anyhow. On a much different note, I must say that I really like the simple imagery of this book's cover—how it sets a wintry but warmly nostalgic tone at the same time.… (mais)