The Three Sisters

Krampus Chronicles #1

by Sonia Halbach

Fourteen-year-old Maggie Ogden thinks she knows everything there is to Grandfather Clement Clarke Moore and his legendary poem, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. But all this changes Christmas Eve 1854 when Chelsea Manor receives an unexpected visitor - Henry Livingston; who’s searching for evidence to prove that his grandfather, Major Henry, is the true author of the famous holiday poem.

The night takes a strange turn when Maggie and Henry come across another intruder in Chelsea Manor. After following the peculiar boy down a secret opening within the fireplace and through an underground tunnel full of mechanical sleighs, Maggie and Henry discover Poppel, a hidden village under New York City.

Faced with the deadly challenges presented by the legend of The Three Sisters, Maggie and Henry are forced to play by Poppel’s rules and those who run the cursed village. And they quickly learn that not only is leaving Poppel harder than arriving, but there are even more dangerous lies and mysterious truths to Clement Clarke Moore, Christmas, and a menacing creature called Krampus than anyone could have known.

Genres: Fantasy, Christmas, Fiction, Holiday, Paranormal, Book Club, Young Adult

238 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2015

About the author

Sonia Halbach was born in Minnesota, raised in North Dakota, and attended college in South Dakota. So naturally, a week after graduating from Augustana College, she hightailed it east to try New York City on for size. And it turned out to be pretty big. But with a passion for history, Halbach soon became infatuated with New York City’s rich collection of stories.

When Halbach’s not trying new flavors of bubble tea, civilizing her cats, or conjuring up schemes to get locked inside The Morgan Library & Museum for a night, she can be found researching forgotten stories on the island of many hills, which inspired her to write The Krampus Chronicles.

Reviews

[Janis Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Curiosity Quills Press for supplying me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

‘The Three Sisters’ is a great new twist to a classic tale. ‘Twas the night before Christmas’ is a favourite in our house for me to read to my kid’s in December and so I know it well. And to take that poem and create a whole new hidden world around it – loved it. I do like these hidden worlds within our own type stories so knew I was going to be a fan of ‘The Three Sisters’.

I did find it a little slow at times, but all round it was a well-paced, well thought out story concept for the YA audience. I can also see it working well as the first in a series (which it seems to be from the ‘book 1’ on the cover) and do look forward to seeing what other hidden worlds have been created by this family, by the Three Sisters.

The characters are engaging, well defined and easy to connect to. Making the story an easy (and addictive) read. The setting is well described and all in all the whole situation is engaging with enough ‘and then what’ left in it to make me want to know when the next book in the series will be available.

Would I recommend this book to others? Yes I would. I feel my daughter might enjoy it as she gets more into the YA genre and anyone who knows the poem that ignites the imagination this story has sprung from should read it too.

Would I buy this book for myself? Tempted. I would want to see how the series pans out before I commit myself to it though. I really liked it, but do want to ensure it’s not a one off wonder before I commit myself to admitting to being a fan of the series. Oh, I’m being too harsh – this is a good story! Yes I would read the next one tomorrow if it was available!

In Summary: Well written, mostly fast paced tale of a world within our own and a twist to Christmas that hadn’t yet been explored.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

When I started reading this book, I didn't remember at all what is was going to be about. The story that soon spread out, left me quite confused.

It was night before Christmas on the estate of the writer of the famous poem. One by one all his grandchildren disappear when a secret is uncovered.

The first thing that confused me was the age range for the book, although after reading it completely, I've settled for Middle Grade. It doesn't fit perfectly but fits best as the story at times really is quite simple.

One thing that really stood out for me in this book was the lack of (correct) research that went into the book. Google Translate is not such an obscure tool and easy to use, I'd say. However, many times the author says things like 'this or that is the Dutch word for this or that'. But being Dutch, I noticed that in some cases the Dutch word wasn't correct. Usually there was just a small mistake, like maybe the ones made in haste, but I found it messy. An example, 'dunder' isn't the Dutch word for thunder, but 'donder' is.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Barb (Boxermommyreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been looking forward to reading this book since I first learned of it and actually bought a copy on the day it was released. Maybe I am falling into all of the Krampus hype (he does seem to be everywhere this holiday season) but I couldn't wait to dive into this once Thanksgiving passed.

While I went into this thinking "scary, Christmas horror story" it was more of a mystery/adventure tale. Maggie's grandfather is Clement Clarke Moore, the creator of "Twas Night Before Christmas"...or was he? Maggie meets Henry, who claims his father actually wrote the piece and while the entire extended family is gathered at Moore's home in 1854, he confronts the grumpy old man, angering the whole family. After everyone goes to sleep on Christmas Eve, Henry breaks in the home, Maggie spies him, and then together the see a young child climb down the furnace/chimney duct. So what do they do? They follow him of course and are transported to the magical land of Poppel, a cursed Christmas village, where they set about saving the Foundlings (child-like slaves) and the town from evil.

This book is rich with Christmas lore. Drawing its inspiration from the beloved Christmas poem, the reader encounters all kinds of magical Christmas elements. I especially enjoyed the enchanted sugarplums which are used to send the person eating them secret messages. There were a few slower points in the book, but for the most part, it is pretty action-packed.

My main disappointment just happened to be the main reason I picked the book up to begin with - Krampus. He makes an appearance or two, but really isn't a huge player in the tale. However, I will say that the ending of the book, which I assume is a trilogy, sets the way for a big appearance from him in the next installment.

I am not a "traditional" Christmas gal and this book really changed the pace on my holiday reading. I believe this is the author's first novel and I enjoy her style and pacing. I also respect the amount of research she must have put into this work due to all the historical and literary references - yet she made the story her own. I will definitely be looking out for the next in this series and if you are looking to shake up Christmas a little, I would recommend you pick up this book.

[Melissa Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. By the description, I really expected so much more. It took awhile before it got interesting which is when they went to the city village of Poppel. Even then, it still was a bit better than okay but it was barely enough to hold my attention.

[Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Full Review:
I went into this expecting horror about an evil Krampus monster. What I got instead was a YA Christmas mystery adventure with a unique spin on the legend of St. Nick and the T'was the Night Before Christmas poem.

And I was so pleasantly surprised! I didn't think teens on a mystery adventure was my thing, but I really liked this book! It caught my interest quickly, and then, as soon as they were in the underground city of Poppel, I was hooked.

The descriptions of Poppel, the story behind it, the concept---it was all very fantastical and magical. Especially when they first got there, I felt like I had stepped into some eerie yet strangely quaint, alternate North Pole town, complete with sleigh pulleys, cobblestone streets, and colorful, little shops. I loved it.

But the characters were soon swept up into the tyrannical rule of the Garrisons (the men in charge), their unethical doings, their mistreatment of the Foundlings (the orphans taken to work there), and the darkness surrounding the legend of Saint Nicholas. It was interesting and kept me turning pages. And the pacing was spot on, never overwhelming, but never dragging either.

While I didn't connect to any of the characters on a deep level, they were the type who were fun to read about and who really had me rooting for them.

There were too many likeable ones to mention them all, but Clemmie was my favorite. He was a bit of a pompous jerk in the beginning, but his sarcasm was hilarious, and, by the end, he had proven himself to be a good person. Maggie and her sister, Catherine, were great too, both headstrong and spirited. Also, one of the things I hate most is when one person is getting attacked and the others just stand there uselessly, so I cheered every time the girls stepped in to help in those types of situations. I also liked Ward who seemed so grouchy at first but then ran around with his awesome candy weapons, doing more than his part to help.

There were even some sweet family elements since most of the main characters were siblings and cousins, and they looked out and cared for each other.

"You’re not actually going down there?”

“Of course, I am,” snapped Catharine. “Someone has our sister. And much to their future suffering, I am going after her.”

And with that, she jumped into darkness.

Overall, this was a fun adventure that's perfect for the holiday season but can probably be enjoyed year-round, and I look forward to the next book!

Recommended For:
Anyone looking for a fun, magical adventure, especially those who want something Christmas-y for the holidays (though it can be enjoyed year-round) and who like family relationships.

Original Review on Blog

[Harker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, from the description, had a lot of potential. It reminded me of other books where the characters venture to other worlds beneath or behind our own, like Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere or China Mieville's Un Lun Dun. However, after reading the book, I found that I had been lured in with the pretense and I found myself confronted with a book that just didn't live up to its promise.

I was particularly put off by the first 20% of the book. It was an introduction to Maggie's family, which would not have been so bad had the narrative not gone on and on. There was so little information actually imparted to the reader, but the word count must have been over the top because the whole portion could have been cut down by at least half.

The research that went into this novel was obviously great and I commend the author for that. Not a lot of American readers will have heard of Krampus or, at the very least, know about his origins. It was interesting to read a story that brought that into play.

I'm not sure that I could recommend this book for anyone in particular, but I'm sure that there are some people that don't mind the extraneous detail in the beginning and could get past it to the legend in the later part of the story.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Steampunk, wickedly fun Holiday novel, The Three Sisters begins a series that I think will become one I need to read every holiday season. The mystery around a very famous poem as well as the creativity in the design of the world we are transported to is full of images that put you in the mood to celebrate. I recommend this one to anyone looking for an off the wall Christmas story and am looking forward to continuing my adventure.

[Dayna Hauschild · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this author. I haven't read any of her books before but was intrigued by the storyline. I quickly became absorbed in the plot surrounding
the writing of Twas the night before Christmas poem and the discovery of Poppel. Krampus made an appearance but was unclear as to his role. Guess I will need to read the second book in the series.

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Odd, Ambitious and Often Engaging Fantasy

There have been a number of middle grade and YA series published in the past few years that work from the premise that well known kid stories, ("Alice in Wonderland", "Oz", and the like), are really kiddified versions of real, darker, true stories. This book launches itself from Clement Clark Moore's poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", which turns out to be a playful, rhyming guide to a deeper, darker, and still on-going secret world. That's a decent way to start an adventure fantasy, and an interesting way to grab young eyes. The challenge, of course, is to turn that rather slim poem into an entire book, and the author does so with mixed, but generally heartening, results.

The book starts out in an unexpected fashion. It's 1845, and the extended Moore family is gathering at the old manse for their traditional family Christmas celebration. That gets all of the main players together in one place, puts the focus on The Poem, and turns out to be the location from which the adventure will commence. Oddly, these first few chapters, elegantly written, read sort of like Jane Austen and Henry James sat down to share a Christmas pudding. I wondered if I could take over 200 pages of this rather formal and dry style. But fear not, that's only the first few chapters. It sets up the characters, (especially spunky and independent Maggie, her drippy cousins, and her cranky grandfather, Clement Clark Moore himself), and it sets the groundwork for all that will be revealed by "The Poem".

Once Maggie and Henry, (grandson of the man who claims to have really written The Poem), head underground, this becomes an entirely different book - an adventure, fantasy, quest, armed resistance, puzzle sort of book. This makes up the balance of the tale and, as you might expect, it has its ups and downs. There are lots of pauses while characters monologue about the whole lengthy Saint Nicholas backstory. Most readers don't like a lot of exposition, but because this is for middle graders and because it takes a lot of twisting and explaining to get from a simple poem to a medium-dark fantasy, the exposition was actually helpful in moving the plot along.

VERY MILD SPOILERS: Again as you might imagine, some of the plot contrivances really are a stretch, some wild implausibilites are just ignored or magicked over, and big chunks of Poppel, (the "hidden village under New York City"), are hard to buy, even in a straight up fantasy. But, if you've gotten this far, you're probably willing to stay on for the whole ride. And, some of the bits are not only imaginative but rather charming. (The underground good guys communicate through secret sugar plums that cause the recipient to have "visions". That's the kind of cleverness I mean.)

So, as noted, this is ambitious, and sometimes its reach exceeds its grasp. But its pretty fast paced once it gets started, its lead characters are appealing, it's certainly well written, it's good-humored, and it's just quirky enough to be fun. An interesting find.

Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

[Tiffany (BookAndCoffeeAddict) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Three Sisters is a wonderfully whimsical and wholly imaginative Christmas tale that starts with the real-life controversy over the authorship of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas (Clement Clarke Moore versus Henry Livingston) and then spirals into a Christmas Eve adventure that leads the grandchildren of the two authors in question on a not-so-merry, and sometimes scary, chase.

There’s a lot going on in this book. I mean A LOT. We have the debate over the author of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas, the drama within the Moore family, the underground village of Poppel (complete with a bunch of Dutch words for things that many readers will probably be unfamiliar with), the tale and backstory of Nikolaos, the legend of The Three Sisters, and the addition of Krampus – it’s pretty easy to get a bit overwhelmed. Add in the fact that, while Livingston’s grandson Henry and Moore’s granddaughter Maggie are the most central characters to the story, Moore’s six other grandchildren also join in on the adventure, plus all the people of Poppel both good or bad, no matter how minor their part is, are all called by name – it’s a bit hard to keep the whole cast of characters straight at times.

I will admit that I chose this book because of the mention of Krampus in the title – I was a little disappointed by how little Krampus is in or even mentioned in the book. The name “Krampus” doesn’t even come into play until Chapter 17 (about 2/3 of a way into the story) and is only really part of two scenes – with a name like “The Krampus Chronicles” I was expecting more.

Overall, although it gets a bit complicated and hard to keep up at times, The Three Sisters is a fun magical Christmas adventure with the feel of a Christmas classic and well worth a read. I look forward to reading the next book in the series next holiday season – crossing my fingers for more Krampus next time though.

*I received a copy of this book to review. You can find this review and others like it at BookAndCoffeeAddict.com, along with recommendations for a fantastic cup of coffee.

[Angel · Rating 2 out of 5]

*sigh* not what I was thinking or hoping. Not at all.

The series is The Three Sisters (The Krampus Chronicles Book 1) Well alright! Three books with Krampus?! Sounds good to me. But as it turns out we only see the Christmas demon once in the story and then hes not quite the 'strike terror into the heart of children' demon we hope for (ok I hope for) he's kind of skulking around in the shadows being slightly creepy.

The story itself isn't bad. But more then once I seriously considered grabbing a pen and paper and charting out the characters family tree to help keep all the connections straight. Even then there would have been loops? As one set of characters are siblings AND cousins not to mention several of the characters are different generations sharing the same name(s).

The good news!! (Yes, even though I personally didn't LOVE this there's good news) The good news is you could hand this book to your child (Depending on their reading and maturity level- there is some violence and creepy things lurking) and they would probably really enjoy a new (dark) story about Christmas.

[Jen Jones]

The Three Sisters is book one in a series by Sonia Halbach. I have to give it two stars because after reading 60% of the book, I gave up. I was interested in the story because a.) it takes place during Christmas which is appropriate for the time of year, b.) Krampus is supposed to make an appearance at some point, and c.) it's Victorian which interests me. Sixty percent of the book is spent discussing the genealogy of the main characters and the legend behind a story written by one or the other of the ancestors. It's all very confusing because the author doesn't develop the characters well enough for me to remember who is who and not much in the way of action happens. I see the potential for greatness in this story, but I just couldn't hang with it anymore.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this book. I never once lost interest or got bored. I am eagerly anticipating the release of her next novel. The whimsical nature of this book kept me in its grips until the very end. This is the type of story that everyone would love, especially those of you who enjoy more of a fantasy type story. I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and enjoyable holiday adventure. Readers of all ages will love the characters and their unusual plight. I thought it was quite an interesting tale and a nice spin on Twas the Night Before Christmas. I think this is perfect for the middle reader crowd especially.

[Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice fantasy

Quite a good take on the Christmas St Nickolas story. The characters are very easy to believe in and follow throughout the story.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters all introduced at roughly the same time made this one really hard for me to follow. Not for me, unfortunately.

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I found this book to be quite an intriguing read. It managed to draw me into the world really easily and I thought Maggie was a really intriguing character. She was a good mix of chidlike innocence and at just the right age to be 'growing up'.

I did get a bit confused by the amount of different characters. I would have liked to see more of Maggie's relationships with her siblings and her cousins. I found it very difficult to empathise with many of the minor characters, since I felt that they were just introduced through a listing off of the names and attributes.

I did think that the usage of the poem 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' was a really interesting concept and did a good job of linking in to the other world.

I felt that the dream of St. Nicholas falling from the roof did a really good job of showing elements of tension right from the beginning.

It was interesting to see something of a contrast between the world Maggie inhabited and the world she found herself in. I was a bit disappointed by the whole love-triangle-thing with Maggie, Catherine and Henry, though. I thought Catherine came across as very much 'so pretty it's almost a curse'. I did like the fact that she came across as a strong character even so, despite the fact that I didn't find her as interesting as Maggie.

I did like being able to learn more about their families, even though I did find some of the background a bit confusing. It was also good to meet the Foundlings... but I didn't really know all of them, either, even though I thought the timing part was really interesting.

I was a bit disappointed that Krampus didn't really show up until much later, but I was intrigued by what was going on in the house and I would like to know if my theory about Krampus is correct. I probably would read the other book/s in this series at some point in the future, since I would like to see more of Maggie especially... but I'd also like to get to know other members of her family.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be more than a little biased since I know Sonia personally--we went to college together and were involved in theatre and we were both English majors (her being obviously more successful with her degree than I), so before I even picked up the book, I knew how wonderful a writer she was. I was looking forward to reading her debut--it's always exciting reading a book by someone you actually know quite well! And Sonia, per usual, did not disappoint. I agree with most reviews that this novel is probably geared more for younger readers (not children, but junior high kids, at least), but it was delightful even to an adult mind. I loved the twist on a beloved Christmas classic, and although Krampus appeared only briefly, I figure since these are the Krampus "Chronicles", that Krampus will feature more prominently in the books to come. I thought the main character had a lot of spunk and I liked the fact that the romance was to a minimum--I feel, in general, a lot of novels just throw in a romance because most people like it, but isn't really necessary to anything, but this novel didn't fall into that trap, which I found refreshing. I found myself intrigued by the story and this kind of novel, with a lot of "fantasy" elements with it, isn't usually my cup of tea, but Sonia did a wonderful job of keeping it interesting and grounded in enough reality that I could still imagine places and people without getting lost or overwhelmed (like I do with Lord of the Rings). I am very much looking forward to charting Sonia's progress as a writer and eagerly picking up every book she writes from here on out!

[Mrs. Kenyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie knows that her grandfather is famous for writing the poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, but she has never understood why he refuses to read it … even to his own family. When she meets Henry Livingston on Christmas Eve in 1854, he makes a bold claim. He believes his own grandfather was the actual writer of this poem. Maggie and Henry take an unexpected trip within the fireplace and discover an underground town that has survive under New York City. There they discover the legend of The Three Sisters and together they must try and overcome the sinister actions of the residents of Poppel.

The Three Sisters is the first book in The Krampus Chronicles. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas will never again been seen in the same light after readers explore the twisted truth behind the childhood tale. The characters begin with very little information, yet they must tackle the magic and mystery far older than the city they live in. Halbach’s world building was seamless and complete. Readers will fully fall into this more innocent New York City and discover the rich secrets woven throughout. The Three Sisters was an interesting read and readers will be looking for the next book in the series.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reminded of Peter Pan and Willy Wonka...

Each year I cram as much Christmas reading as possible between Thanksgiving and New Years. Most is fluffy and happy but this book has true depth. I usually get lost when there are many characters as they are normally just names in the cast. Not so with this story. Each character has a reason for being. Last year my favorite Christmas novel was Claus. This year it's definitely Krampus! Is this a pattern?

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine if the kids from The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe took a ride on a sinister underground Polar Express... and that's kind of what you have here. This is a very original story with a good eerie factor. I'm not sure how I fee about it as the start to a series, I'd have to see the blurb for the next book to know if I'd be interested in continuing.

[Rickus Bookshelf]

DNF at 21%. I'm sad to say that I cannot bring myself to finish this book. I'm stopping at 20 %. During those 20% that I have read, the did book did not manage to catch my interest. I feel no connection to the characters nor am I actually sure what the plot is supposed to be apart from dealing with a stolen poem.

[Bubble Bath Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are delighted to review this extremely interesting YA Christmas fantasy with a teensy dark twist. It is a divergent direction from and cleanses the palate of the holiday romances that we have featured. So deliciously different! Read our full review of Krampus: The Three Sisters.

[Susan B · Rating 3 out of 5]

makes me want to go back and read the nght bfore xmas again. clearly I must have missed somthing about an underground system. the writer cleverly wove in Christmas themes brightly colored cosutumes for the foundlings , red dress for Catherine, idea ofnever aging. perhaps the next book in series ill have a little more of ST Nikoloas in it. Young teens will likeit.

[†Reviews of a FearStreetZombie†]

I received this book in return for an honest review.

DNF at 16% ... I just couldn't get into it. It went on to much with nothing happening.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

New take... On an old story. Has a Grimm Brother's vibe. Like an old school fairytale. I am intrigued by the Krampus lore so was slightly disappointed he wasn't featured more. I do hope the second book will focus on him a bit more. Looking forward to it!

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. I got it free for my Kindle. You'd think that with a name like Krampus: The Three Sisters, you might have more than three or four mentions of Krampus, wouldn't you? Well in this case, you'd be wrong. I don't know, I doubt I'll read further, but it was alright.

[Linette-Jean Gauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Christmas story!

Liked the story. Liked the plot . Many of the "that"s are not needed and I found them to be taking my attention from the story. The ending leaves a nice hint with a good hook about Book 2.

[Daniell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book. I wasn't sure. What to expect and from the beginning of the book I had no idea which direction it was going to take. Boy was I surprised. This was a unique and interesting story . A fun ride and a perfect fit as my Christmas read!

[Susan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story about the story "The Night Before Christmas". Two people are trying to find out who wrote the story when they come upon a city under the streets of New York. This is a fun read.