Decimus Croome has forgotten the magic of Halloween and the joy it once brought him. Now he just wishes for it all to be over. This year however he is set to have his own Christmas Carol moment when he's visited by some Halloween spirits but can they reach through his grief and grump to find his heart.

This was such a fun little short story and a perfect read at Halloween. I love a retelling and this is such an interesting concept. I do love Halloween so it was a fun read. The plot is simple and the ending is quite predictable but how it comes together is good. I loved the spirits and the first one was hilarious. A short but sweet Halloween read.

The story, set on Halloween day, borrows from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Tale", as Decimus is visited by four evil spirits who reveal the pain he has caused to others. This timely intercession forces him to confront his past, present and future, and to finally reconcile himself with the damage caused.
Purdy's prose is evocative and captivating, creating a cold and atmospheric atmosphere for this scary story.
It has seemed very original to me this kind of retelling, set on Halloween.

Loved it! A brilliant take on a classic with a Halloween twist. This definitely gets you in the mood for the spooky season! Thank you for the ARC.

This book was made like a Christmas Carol but in Hallowentime. I loved all the characters and the plot. I love how they added a black cat into the story. It had me sad for the main Character. Hope this author makes more stories like this. Love it for Halloween!

This was a fun story! It should become a staple Halloween read for everyone (especially those who don't treat!). I like this retelling of a Christmas Carol. It's well done . And while it borrows from the Dicken's tale, it has certainly made it's story it's own. Fun read!

This story is A Christmas Carol for Halloween. Instead of being visited by the Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, the protagonist is visited by the Ghosts of Halloween past, present, and future. I thought this was a clever idea by the author. The characters were also interesting. I enjoyed reading this story and would read other books by this author.

Great read around Halloween! Decimus hates all holidays but hates Halloween the most. He's content with no human contact and having a gloomy life. This book is based on "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. Only Halloween not Christmas. It's scary funny. The ghost of Halloween past shape-shifting witch and last but not least they have a phantasm.

Decimus Coome despises Halloween. He is content to live out his life alone with only his garden to keep him company. He has even pushed his own daughter and grandson from his life with his hatred of Halloween and celebrations. That is until the night before Halloween when he is visited by four spirits. Can Decimus make the changes in his life before his fate is sealed?

This is such a fun read for the Halloween Season. It will definitely put you in the Halloween spirit. I really enjoyed this unique spin on the classic Christmas Carol. The story is very well done and the characters were kept pretty true to the classic. I recommend this book to Halloween fans, and fans of The Christmas Carol.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

Being a fan of Dickens' Christmas Carol, I was intrigued by the idea of a Halloween version.
Decimus Croome is a lonely old curmudgeon who owns a hardware store which is struggling when a big box hardware emporium moves into the community. He only has one employee and most of the time fewer customers. Said employee has a child struggling with a physical illness. Do you recognize the storyline?

The book opens with a very dark and disturbing scene of graveyards and zombies and an overdose of alliteration. Until Decimus stumbles onto the scene and we discover things are even worse! It is Halloween and all is not as it seems.

Decimus has a reputation. He is not the one handing out full size candy bars to costumed revelers.
His store is not the most decorated among the merchants. He does, however have a black cat, for whom he has a soft spot.

On the eve of Halloween Decimus is visited by spirits (and spiders and the loving essence of his beloved wife, mother to his daughter. He is reminded that there were days when he enjoyed the holiday and company of friends. He also must revisit turning points when his own behavior is enough to scare a spirit!

If you are a fan of the Christmas classic, give this different perspective a try. I think you may find it a treat.

Three and a half stars: A cute, fun Halloween remake of an old classic.

Decimus Croome wasn’t always the local curmudgeon. He once had a beautiful wife, a daughter and a joyous life. When his lovely wife was taken all too soon from him, Decimus forgot how to live. The last few years, Decimus ignored everyone around him, even his own daughter. His hardware story is nearly deserted, he has no friends, and everyone avoids him. Even the kids no better than to trick or treat at his house on Halloween, unless they want carrot sticks. Then one Halloween Eve, Decimus is visited by his dearly departed wife. She tells him that he will be visited by three spirits, all with a chilling message for him. Will Decimus heed what the spirts have to tell him?
What I Liked:
*The Legend of Decimus Croome was a book I had to try as I am an avid lover of Dicken’s classic tale: A Christmas Carol. In this version, the story takes place on Halloween Eve and instead of visions of Christmas past, present and future, the reader is treated to images of Halloweens in the three time periods. All in all, this was a fun refashioning of an old classic.
*I liked that Decimus wasn’t a money hungry old man who had practically no joy in his life. Instead, Decimus had a fun childhood as well as a happy marriage. He was blessed with a wife and daughter. His problems derived from the loss of his wife. It was refreshing to get a strong departure from the Scrooge character.
*I also liked that the story centered around the hardware store which was once a busy and joyous place. The store was run by Decimus’s father. Everyone in town sought out the advice of the Mr. Croome in his hardware store. These days just like Decimus, the hardware story is gloomy and run down.
The spirits themselves are also quite a bit different from the Dicken’s version. Think a grinning jack o’ lantern, a transforming witch and a final phantasm. Each spirit has wisdom to impart.
The Bobbich family stands in for the Crachett family. Young Tommy is battling cancer. I loved the way the town rallied around the Bobbich family even before Croome’s transformation.
*The end is delightful. I especially loved the scene where Decimus attempts to dress up as a Frankenstein monster and he gets the head on backwards. The Halloween party is also lots of fun at the end. All in all, a fun ending.
And The Not So Much:
*I am all for metaphors and similes and creative writing, but I must admit the synonyms and metaphors got to be too heavy handed. It was if the author wrote the book and looked up every word in the thesaurus. It was over the top. I honestly grew tired of wading through the excessive thesaurus words. It needed to be toned way down.
*For an independent novel, this was for the most part, a delightful read. However, there were a few mistakes here and there, and as I mentioned too much over the top vocabulary. A little editing would make this so much better.

The Legend of Decimus Croome was a fun retake on a well worn classic. I liked that this one was all about Halloween. The main character was a departure from Scrooge, and I appreciated that his issues stemmed from the loss of his wife rather than being a greedy miser. If you want an entertaining read for Halloween, and if you are a fan of A Christmas Carol this is one to try. Be warned the metaphors and vocabulary are a little over the top. Still it is one to enjoy.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

The legend of decimus croome by Kevin Purdy.
Decimus Croome is a dastardly curmudgeon who hates all holidays but especially despises Halloween. He is content to live in his gloomy old house and avoid all human contact whenever possible.

He even shuns his own daughter and grandson. But Croome's life changes one memorable Halloween when four ghastly spirits visit him to reveal the misery he has inflicted upon his friends, neighbors and family members.

Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, The Legend of Decimus Croome is bound to become a Halloween classic for readers of all ages. Follow old man Croome as he is visited by the lovely but disturbing spirit of his dearly departed wife.
A fantastic read. Brilliant. 5*.

I thought this was a good Halloween version of A Christmas Carol. I liked that it was updated. There are many changes to this story that make it appealing but the overall story is the same as A Christmas Carol. I cried reading this book. I also laughed. If you love A Christmas Carol you will love this Halloween version. It also the best time to read this as Halloween is fast approaching.



*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

At the time of this review this book is currently #303 in Children's Spine-Chilling Horror in the Amazon rankings and while it is a little less than I had hoped for as far as chills and thrills I think it is appropriately spooky for middle grades. Decimus Croome is a crotchety old man, though not nearly as cold hearted as scrooge since he does have some small glimmer of affection towards his grandson even before the spirits come calling on him. I did enjoy this twist on A Christmas Carol but I can't say that it is the masterpiece that Dickens wrote. As a mom I would say it is at a reading level for grades 5 and up.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first starting reading this book and was pleasantly surprised. The book is basically a retelling of a Christmas Carol but about Halloween instead. Decimus Croome lost his wife and is struggling to move on. He does have a daughter who was born on Halloween- as well as his wife. It used to be a tradition to decorate their house for Halloween but Decimus will not allow this anymore because it's too painful. Decimus is visited by spirits and he starts to realize he can still enjoy life even though he lost his beloved wife. This book was nicely done and well written. Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story of old Scrooge haunted by the three ghots of christmas only in the time of halloween. Not very surprising but good to read.

Decimus Croome has closed himself off from everyone that comes into his world. He cannot get over the loss of his true love—his wife. When his wife died, he still had a daughter to raise but even with her, he was remote emotionally. Like her mother, she was born on Halloween. They loved decorating the house for Halloween. Decimus would not let his daughter decorate the house for Halloween or have a birthday party. He owned a hardware store that had been owned by his father. He hires a man for the store while he hides out in his office. Why? On Halloween Eve, he has three spirits visit him. Will he listen to the lessons the spirits are trying to give him?

This story will remind adults of the famous story “A Christmas carol” by Charles Dickens. It’s very well written with touches of humor. I was enchanted with what the spirits showed him. It’s a fun story with reminders to be kind to everyone.

This book was just kinda weird. I don’t even know what to say about it. Save it for Halloween. Obviously. But don’t expect much.

You can imagine how surprise I was when I realized how much I enjoyed this book. I thought it was just a retelling of A Christmas Carol with a Halloween twist but I absolutely loved it. You knew what was coming but it still keeps you reading until the very last page. Awesome job Mr. Purdy!!!

A retelling of a Christmas Carol, but taking place on Halloween. Decimus Croome has lot his Halloween spirit years ago after losing his wife, a lover of Halloween. Very quickly he loses enthusiasm for pretty much everything. A visit from three spirits sets him on the right path and away from being a curmudgeonly, miserly man.
I was skeptical about this book at first. If the story hadn’t included Decimus’ connection to Halloween, and was just a rip off of A Christmas Carol I would have been disappointed, thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Decimus has to fix things with his family, employee, Halloween and holiday spirit, and the community at large as well. Doing so brings back the joy he hasn’t felt since his wife passed. Anyone who has experienced loss can relate to not wanting to experience happiness after the loss. However, after some healing time occurs, it is time to get back to enjoying life instead of just suffering. This tale is a delightful one, and I ended up very proud of Decimus and the changes he rapidly made.
My only gripe is that some of the vocabulary may be difficult for children. If it is an ebook they are reading, it is easy to look up definitions on the device at least!
Great read for the season!

A brilliant retelling of Dickens' Christmas Carol.
I found it gripping, entertaining and well written.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.