peacefulbookwyrm's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
heyt's review against another edition
4.0
I tore through this in one sitting because of the conversational style and my preexisting love for the characters. Esther is once again between real jobs and of course the supernatural finds her in her temp job. I love the idea that a department store at Christmas is a hell mouth because retail can be a hellish experience for all involved. There were great moments between Esther and Lopez as well. My love for this series did not diminish with this installment and I will definitely read the next one.
karireads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Parts of this book are laugh-out-loud funny, so much so that I am willing to forgive the abrupt ending and the off-screen final confrontation with Evil.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
3.5, but rounding up because the fights in the department story were so funny.
In this installment, Esther find herself working as the Jewish Elf in Solsticeland.
Which is a pretty much as horrible as it sounds.
Resnick is brilliant enough to keep the action largely confined to the department and uses the actual hell such places can be around Christmas to deal with ghosts and such. There are cameos from other books in the series as well as Lopez. While the plot is much simpler than some of the earlier books, it is actually a great ride because of how Resnick uses the setting.
In this installment, Esther find herself working as the Jewish Elf in Solsticeland.
Which is a pretty much as horrible as it sounds.
Resnick is brilliant enough to keep the action largely confined to the department and uses the actual hell such places can be around Christmas to deal with ghosts and such. There are cameos from other books in the series as well as Lopez. While the plot is much simpler than some of the earlier books, it is actually a great ride because of how Resnick uses the setting.
veronica87's review
3.0
Another entertaining entry into the series. Finding herself in-between acting jobs since the last book, plucky Esther takes a seasonal job as Santa's Jewish elf in New York's premiere department store. It's not the best job in the world but Esther still gives it her professional best. That is, until it becomes clear that something evil is lurking in the store's non-denominational holiday display, Solsticeland. To figure out what's going on Esther will need the help of her 300+ year old mentor, Max, a semi-retired mob hitman, and accordian playing elf, and a drag queen Santa. To complicate matters, they have to figure it out while working under the nose of Detective Lopez, the man Esther gave up out of fear for his safety.
This series is definitely light urban fantasy, with more of a bent towards the ridiculously comical, and this installment certainly fits the bill. Murderous Christmas trees and vengeful karaoke teddy bears? It's all in a day's work for Esther Diamond. Max seemed more of an afterthought in this one but at least there (finally!) seemed to be some movement on the Esther/Lopez front. Now if we could just get some progress on his possible mystical powers...
This series is definitely light urban fantasy, with more of a bent towards the ridiculously comical, and this installment certainly fits the bill. Murderous Christmas trees and vengeful karaoke teddy bears? It's all in a day's work for Esther Diamond. Max seemed more of an afterthought in this one but at least there (finally!) seemed to be some movement on the Esther/Lopez front. Now if we could just get some progress on his possible mystical powers...
akagingerk's review
4.0
I spent the three days between acquisition and completion of this book reading the opening line aloud to various coworkers in an attempt to entice them into reading the series. Also, my new manager had her first true glimpse of "Ginger immersed in bookworld" when she tried to interrupt to ask me something during a lunch break. Yeah, if the book's entertaining, you're going to have to actually say my name to get my attention. Probably more than once.
I love Esther Diamond. She remains a terrific character - charming and clever, acting career-focused and self-aware. I especially love her playing the role of Fenster & Co's (a major department store's fictional stand-in) only Jewish elf for their Solsticeland multi-holiday display (well, multi-holiday in name, mostly Christmas in execution, much like its real-world inspirations). The job is terrible and ridiculous by turns, and her reactions to holiday madness made me laugh at the retail season to come. (Terrible and ridiculous, but also challenging and sometimes even fun when one is not dressed like a scantily clad elf.)
Esther on-again, off-again flirtation with Detective Lopez continues to be a strong subplot of the story. Despite my yearning for a final resolution, the unsettled nature of their relationship added necessary complications to the main plot and has yet to wear completely thin.
Despite allusions to previous adventures and the inclusion of many characters from the prior books, this particular novel seems as though it could be read as a stand-alone without losing too much. So if you, too, are about to experience the retail holiday season, it might be a good time to pick up this book.
I love Esther Diamond. She remains a terrific character - charming and clever, acting career-focused and self-aware. I especially love her playing the role of Fenster & Co's (a major department store's fictional stand-in) only Jewish elf for their Solsticeland multi-holiday display (well, multi-holiday in name, mostly Christmas in execution, much like its real-world inspirations). The job is terrible and ridiculous by turns, and her reactions to holiday madness made me laugh at the retail season to come. (Terrible and ridiculous, but also challenging and sometimes even fun when one is not dressed like a scantily clad elf.)
Esther on-again, off-again flirtation with Detective Lopez continues to be a strong subplot of the story. Despite my yearning for a final resolution, the unsettled nature of their relationship added necessary complications to the main plot and has yet to wear completely thin.
Despite allusions to previous adventures and the inclusion of many characters from the prior books, this particular novel seems as though it could be read as a stand-alone without losing too much. So if you, too, are about to experience the retail holiday season, it might be a good time to pick up this book.
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