Exciting, riveting, full of twists and suspense. Man, I would have loved to read this on Christmas Eve. Perfect holiday horror.

I really enjoy reading holiday themed horror before Christmas, so I was excited to read this when I saw the cover. This book has a good premise, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped to. I didn't find any of the characters or dialogue to be that interesting or memorable and found it to be a bit of a chore to get through. It seems like most people that have read this enjoyed it more than I did, so if you are looking for a Christmas horror novel, give it a try. Thanks to NetGalley for providing a ARC for me to review!

Creepy holiday gore perfect for this time of year. This psychotic thing who appears to be Santa from a distance or under his control tears a bloody swathe with the help of kids who serve as elves. Creepy and tensr

Excellent new horror novel! Loved the characters and complex world building. Perfectly horrific villian & terrifying children sidekicks. An absolutely wild ride from start to finish! Looking forward to reading more tales from the author.

Thank you, John McNee and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

Going into this book, I honestly will say I thought it was going to be about some demon going to a small town to torment and torture the individuals there getting what it wanted and then leave. I was way off. This thing, Demon, Monster, creature, god... whatever it is unknown and not many even know what it is. All anyone knows is the name it takes, and that is Santa clause.

This book is full of gore, death, language, and things you wouldn't expect in a holiday book. I absolutely loved every moment of it. The details and just the overall feeling you get from yhe writing leaves you wanting more and unable to tear your eyes from the pages, hoping your favorite characters live and escape from the terrors they are going through. Not only that, you just hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

With all that said, this book makes you think. Could there be such a being out there just hiding in wait? All it needs is a name and people to believe in it enough to give it some form of power and them that's it. The terror of it all comes crashing through, and if you can't see what's happening, it's the end of the line. So the real question is, do you believe in Santa? If so, there's only one thing for you to say: Hail Santa!

If you can see past everything, then run!

Nice Christmas horror. I enjoyed this one! I always worry holiday horror will end up campy, and while this one had a few corny moments, it still was a solid read.

The ending was well done but I would’ve loved an epilogue to account for some loose ends.

Overall this is a gory, solid horror story.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Decided to make this my Christmas Eve book and I was not disappointed. Super fun holiday horror book. I literally was yelling at the characters to run from this psycho Santa and his “elves”.

A strong 4.5/5 for me rounded up to a 5 in the spirit of the holiday!

4 stars

This was a fun dark and just gruesome enough holiday horror. It wasn’t quite as funny as I kind of assumed it would be (you know what they say about assuming…).
However, I found myself enjoying it anyway. It was a well developed unique tale that I can see myself re-reading each holiday season.

Hail Santa! by John McNee.
With a failing economy and dwindling population, the once-flourishing mining community of St. Nicholas in northern Canada is on the road to ruin.
That was until the arrival of the Bingzhen Group, a Chinese-American conglomerate with ambitious plans to buy the town and transform it into the most popular ski resort and holiday destination in North America.
With the deal done and Christmas approaching, the community is buzzing with excitement about the future and the influx of new residents, like Binzhen envoy Ling Wong, Scottish schoolteacher Shona Fleming, new school custodian Curtis Tate and a small army of contractors. What none of them realize is that St. Nicholas was never theirs to sell.
There is something else here which has long laid claim to the land. Something which has long held the town in its thrall and does not intend to give it up without a fight. Something strange and inhuman. Something cruel and powerful and very, very, hungry.
The children call him Santa Claus.
I really enjoyed this book. Gory and dark. Loved it. 5*.