This is my first read by this author and I really enjoyed the imaginative and creative spin on elves and just the normal Christmas reads. I enjoyed that the characters were really more down to earth and in a way almost magical realism that helped to create a more relatable and realistic holiday read. Mr. C. trying to help Curtis find his way back to his family, and he sets things in motion. I honestly was crying at some parts because I could relate in different ways through my own life and family events that had happened with trying to find your way back from grief and working on healing all the emotional wounds within a family.

Not what I expected. I assumed it would be all about Christmas elves at the North Pole.

While there is some of that, most of the story is about the elves in their real life.

A short story with heart. Worth the read if you are looking for something a little different

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the free novella/novel*

This is a very short book (or rather a novella) about Curtis. Curtis is a former pilot who is deeply traumatised. Curtis is also an elf who works for Mr C (aka Santa Claus). None of the world building is explained, we learn nothing about Elves really (despite the title) and while Curtis's story was wholesome it was also predictable. Overall, the story did not work for me and I was annoyed.

1.5 stars

The Truth About Elves is an odd holiday (?) novella about healing and family and emotional growth by Ekta R. Garg. Released 19th Oct 2021 by Atmosphere Press, it's 128 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

I'm not at all sure who the target audience is for this book, but as a short read, I did find it well written and engaging. The subject matter is deep (trauma from loss of a child/family member, PTSD, grief) and there is some non-graphic sexual content, so it's not really a kid book (along with the fact that the main protagonist is a 30 something guy working through a lot of life-changing trauma).

There's not a linear plot, the book shifts timeline often and it felt choppy and uneven in places as a result. There's a lot of discussion and description of the whole Christmas eve present delivery and of Mr C himself. The elves are mostly human seeming and the whole elf shtick is traumatized people working through their grief until they're ready to re-integrate into their lives "before".

The language is clean and there's no graphic NSFW content. One strong positive which I liked is that the characters are quite diverse ethnically and it's not an anomaly, they're just written in as real people, not props.

For me personally, the whole elves as folks working through trauma never got off the ground. It's not a fun happy bouncy read and that's fine, but there's very little magic with the magical realism. It's a very very short read, so I certainly didn't feel the time spent was wasted. There were some plot elements which felt contrived and yanked me out of my suspension of disbelief, but again, not egregiously so.

Three and a half stars. It's not polished, but it is certainly competently written and readable.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thanks for the review copy of The Truth about Elves.

A former airline pilot is recovering from the grief of a landing gone wrong, who is now working as a bar tender in vegas as well as 3 months every year as a part time elf for Santa.

This wasn't what I was expecting but a touching and heartfelt story about forgiveness and grief. It's a relatively quick read, so ideal for some escapism.

Fabulous cover. This story made me smile & I loved it. I was sad it wasn't longer but with hindsight I am not sure that would have worked. A great read, sit back & enjoy something a bit different. Unusual read choice for me but nevertheless enjoyable.

What an unexpected and wonderful story about Curtis who lives in Las Vegas but spends three months a year as an elf working for Mr. C. This is not your typical Christmas story but more about the miracle of family and forgiveness.

Curtis is a pilot. His plane went down and he's been living with the guilt and grief for almost ten years. Mr. C has been helping but this year Curtis is struggling.

You'll be touched by Curtis' journey and this magical story!

Thank you Ekta R. Garg and NetGalley for the ARC. I highly recommend it!

Curtis spends most of his time in Las Vegas, focusing on his life and job and avoiding his past. But for three months of the year, he travels to the Arctic Circle, where he works as one of Santa’s elves.

I thought this book sounded magical, but with a darker edge and an element of mystery. I expected some tension around the constant back and forth to the Arctic. Unfortunately, this was one of those books that failed to live up to expectations.

To start with, the book opens in an office where an assistant to ‘Mr C’ is hard at work. ‘Mr C’ is, quite obviously, Mr Claus, but the dialogue and the way he’s talked about makes it seem almost like his identity is a secret. There were some interesting elements in the book – especially regarding the ‘elves’ – that were skimmed over. For some reason, ‘Mr C’ targets those individuals who have experienced something traumatic and takes them to work for him for a quarter of the year. If it sounds like Mr C operates in the same sort of way as a cult leader then, well, yeah, he kind of does.

Some elves don’t return, ever, and remain at the circle all year round. Again, this was another aspect that was skimmed over too easily. Curtis interacts with some of the elves, but there’s the impression he mostly keeps to himself, meaning we get a very limited view of the Arctic Circle and what actually goes on there. Coming up to the ten-year anniversary of the worst day of Curtis’ life, he is sent by Mr C to do a particular job.

Essentially, Curtis finds himself working as a counsellor in his hometown. At the school his niece attends.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

I know people do change a lot, but his niece doesn’t even recognise him, and he fails completely to recognise her. It’s one of those twists that just feels really forced and doesn’t completely make sense. As we find out more about what happened to Curtis, it becomes clear he’s actually acted incredibly selfishly – he turned his back on his sister and niece when they needed him the most and spiralled into self-pity. Curtis basically ran away. It’s understandable that depression can make someone do things out of character, but it’s hard to like a protagonist or even want to see them succeed when they don’t seem to want those things for themselves at all, and would rather dwell in self-pity and misery. Essentially, there was little about Curtis that was actually likeable.

The ending, too, is completely glossed over, and to me, it felt like it wasn’t really earned – it’s the main issue with the book, where not enough time is given for the events to really make sense, and where everything is resolved just a little too easily.

Overall, there were some interesting ideas here, but the book and writing was too superficial and surface level to really tackle and do justice to the themes raised.

Thank you to Atmosphere Press for providing me this book via NetGalley. Views remain my own.

I did not find this book particularly enjoyable I was disappointed to be honest, it took a lot for me to finish.

This book is a unique take on elves and Santa.

Working as a bartender for 9 months out of the year in Las Vegas and then the other 3 months, he works with Santa.

In this unique twist, those who have experienced trauma work in the Artic Circle. Curtis was involved in a plane crash and on the anniversary of that date for the past 10 years, Curtis has drowned his sorrows. This year he is asked to work in the North Pole on the anniversary and even though he is not a typical elf in what we have always thought they were, Curtis experiences the miracles of Christmas.

4.5 stars

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley

A very original story to be sure. I sure enjoyed it.

This was my first Christmas read this year and it's going to be a hard one to beat. I was fascinated with the magic of the Circle and the inner workings of the preparations that go into The Night Of. An endearing behind the scenes tale of Christmas that will truly warm your heart. What a wonderful, wholesome book.

Thank you Atmosphere Press and @netgalley for the eARC in return for an honest review.

The Truth about Elves is essentially a short novella about dealing with internalized pain, guilt and grief and how to overcome it. This is done in a Christmas setting with guidance by the Big Man Santa himself, because why not?
The book is a short little dreary cold afternoon read, heartwarming in the end, but not quite as Hallmark-y as many other titles taking place around Christmas.
I enjoyed the author's writing, and will be happy to check out future publications!

4 1/2 stars

This is a book that’s less about Christmas and more about coming to terms with the consequences of your actions. Curtis, a commercial airline pilot, flies his plane fully aware of possible danger due to bad weather. He decides that he can handle whatever the weather sends his way. As you can guess, the plane crashes, and someone is killed, someone close to Curtis. The book deals with guilt, grief, loss, and PTSD, and family. There’s nothing religious or preachy in this book.

After the accident, Santa Clause, Mr. C. as he’s called in the Arctic Circle, recruits Curtis to be an elf. Elves in this book are not the stereotypical kind we’ve become familiar with. They are normal men and women who work to help Mr. C. prepare for Christmas, but for just one quarter of the year. Very few elves remain working for the full year. Curtis usually works his one quarter in the autumn, then returns to his normal life in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he’s a bartender..

This is a sweet story that just happens to involve Santa and his elves. I’m not saying that Santa doesn’t have a big role to play in Curtis’s life. He definitely does. He’s responsible for helping Curtis find his way out of his grief and moving on. I will say that I would have liked to see this story developed a little more. Not that it isn’t good as it stands, it’s just that I think it has more potential. I’d have loved to learn more about some of the other characters, seen more of Curtis interacting with the other elves or his ex-girlfriend when she wasn’t an ex, getting a better sense of what everyone does under Mr. C’s direction. I would also have like to see how Mr. C. arranged to recruit Curtis. The book is good as it stands, well written, clear, and entertaining; I just would have liked a bit more.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book through Netgalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

This is a great book to read at Christmas time. I loved the modern day elf story. I wish it was a little longer.

A very very quick read, this book comes in at just about 120 pages. I was able to read this in an afternoon. If you’re looking for a really quick read, this fits the bill. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting though.

Curtis works at the North Pole as an elf. He’s just a regular person, all the elves are. Because Santa saved him somehow, he helps Santa out once a year whenever he is asked to. But this year he’s asked to be there on a date that he normally spends alone: it’s the 10 year anniversary of the worst day of his life.

Santa offers him a way out and Curtis winds up filling in as a high school guidance counselor. But that job is in his hometown, the place he ran from.

Santa is definitely pushing for Curtis to find closure with what happened. He’s still feeling a lot of guilt for something that wasn’t really his fault.

This book was quite sad a lot of the time. It was about Curtis’ grief and him trying to find a way through it. I feel like I wanted something like The Santa Clause when I read the book description and that’s not remotely what this book was like.

It could be said that the book was about a gift from Santa Claus though.

I read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!

I like to check out ARC’s from fairly unknown authors every now and then. Because you never know what kind of gem you are going to stumble upon.

In this case, I think Ekta is more a diamond in the rough. The story about Santa’s Elves is promising and original, but I think the novella is just too short to really work out the story. Because even after finishing the book I’m still not quite sure what has happened exactly with Curtis all those years ago. And also, the whole Santa Business is a bit shady.

In all, a nice read, especially around Christmas time. And I would keep an eye out for more stories from Ekta, because she is going to sparkle!

Three out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the ARC.

What's this? A Christmas review in November?! That's right!

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of The Truth About Elves by Ekta Garg from the publisher. This is a story of, not your typical, elves. They aren't magical, small and work in green suits and pointy hats but instead are just normal human beings who have suffered trauma. Mr. C has an operation in the Arctic that goes round all-year to prepare for the festive season and Curtis, an elf involved in an accident years ago, always spends the anniversary of this in a state of constant drunken slumber. This year, that all changes when he is assigned a different shift that he wants so desperately to be free of.

The cover for this is definitely full of festive cheer that promises a premise that grabs you from the start. The story tugs on the heartstrings when we begin to realise this isn't a typical festive story but instead a bittersweet telling of Curtis, who battles his guilt and shame for years. This is a book that can move us in ways that foretell secrets and healing and Garg deserves praise for telling an enchanting story for adults.

A very enjoyable read. It's not your typical lighthearted Christmas story, but instead is a beautiful telling of a man who is dealing with pain, grief, and guilt since "the accident " and how Santa (aka Mr. C.) recruits him and helps him during this difficult time by giving him purpose as an elf at the Arctic Circle. Grief, loss, and forgiveness play a key role in this short novella. It was beautifully written and it brought tears to my eyes.

This was a cute, fluffy little story exploring the Christmas myths surrounding Santa, etc. I really enjoyed it for what it was, which is a sweet and shallow read. It was formulaic in a good way, and I enjoyed the Christmas theme. Perfect for a late night comfort read by the fire.