I saw My True Love Gave To Me doing the rounds last Christmas, but never got around to reading it. But then I was in the library a few days before Christmas and saw it right there on the shelf. I don’t read many short story compilations as in the past I’ve found them a bit patchy, quality-wise, but his collection was excellent. Each story had just enough plot and character development not only to engage my interest, but also to provide a satisfying conclusion.
I think one of the things I enjoyed most was how very different each of the stories was, considering they’re all set around the same theme - a Christmas romance story. I think this was because the twelve authors each have very different styles. You have Holly Black sandwiched between David Levithan and Gayle Forman and other offerings from Laini Taylor, Ally Carter, Jenny Han and others.
I think my favourite story was Krampuslauf by Holly Black. It was an urban fantasy about the Krampus, Saint Nicholas’s creepy companion. I also really liked The Lady and the Fox.
This was a perfect read for the run-up to Christmas and I’d thoroughly recommend it to everyone for next year!
(And actually, it’s only as I write this review that I’ve realised why there are twelve stories - for the twelve days of Christmas. Honestly, I worry about how my brain works sometimes.)
4 stars