Nickolas Claus

Ghosts of Christmas Past

By: Mae Holloway

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

What if your past is the ghost?

There’s a dark force stalking Nickolas.

Problem is, living at the North Pole, a technologically advanced subterranean “wonderland,” means there’s no place to run, no place to hide.

At eighteen years old, though, that’s all Nick wants to do—leave.

He’s ready for college and to start a new life far away from the glitter and glitz of a Christmas season that never ends. Not to mention the enthusiastic, over-achiever elves who can’t seem to understand Nick’s aspirations—or why he would have any outside of being the only son of the man known the world over as Santa Claus.

Despite being ignored and brushed off by everyone—including his father—Nick has been making plans for his exodus anyway.

But when his best friend, an elf named Witlock, inadvertently lands the pair in hot water, a veil of long-held secrets begins to peel free, hinting at why Nick hasn’t been allowed to leave.

The secrets—all of them—have everything to do with Nick, Witlock, and possibly, the frightening entity Nick can’t seem to shake.

When the dam finally breaks and the terrifying truth comes spilling forth, the bright candy shell of Nick’s insulated world is ripped away to reveal a much darker layer.

He is not who—or what—he has been led to believe.

And neither are those closest to him.


Dark fantasy
Secrets
Romance subplots
Humor
Spooky
Friendship
Magic
Morally gray characters
Twists
Banter
Duality
Paranormal
Mythology



Filled with intrigue, action, magic, humor, twists, chills, and a hint of romance, this New Adult, Christmas-themed fantasy will appeal to fans of the darker, more ghostly side of Christmas, popular manga titles, mythology, video game enthusiasts, and readers of dark fairy tales, dark fantasy, and dark fantasy romance.

Decent, although almost gave up after listening to computer emotion

Virtual voice hasn’t caught up to humans emotions and it sounds like listening to a computer. It’d be better with a human or two as narrators

Was fun to get into the world of the North Pole

This book was really fun to listen to! The writer did a great job immersing you in the world and making you feel like you were right there with Santa, the elves, and his son. I enjoyed some of the twists and turns, and even though some of the language felt very “teenager-like” and made me giggle, it was easy to get past. I wouldn’t say the plot was particularly adult, but it was still a fun, festive listen as the holidays approach.

I didn’t love the narration, it came off a bit odd at times but that’s somewhat expected. If you can overlook that and you enjoy fantasy worlds, you’ll probably have a great time listening to this around Christmas!