Jack - (Claus Universe) by Tony Bertauski (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

SOME LEGENDS ARE BURIED. OTHERS CLAW THEIR WAY BACK.

Sura never believed in fairy tales. Honestly, she barely believed in herself after losing her mom. At sixteen, she takes her mother's old job at Frost Plantation, figuring it's just a paycheck. Spoiler: it's not just a paycheck.

This place is weird. Towers disappear from satellite view like someone hit the "vanish" button on Google Earth. Machines hum inside the walls like the house has a heartbeat. The staff speak in cryptic fortune-cookie riddles.

And then there's Mr. Frost. He's brilliant, terrifying, and rocking a mysterious recluse vibe. Some say he's not human. Some say he invented Christmas.

Cool. Totally normal.

And then she finds the secret. Two centuries old. Born of snow, memory, and myth. It's escaped from Frost's basement lab, and it has a name: Jack. Not jolly. Not friendly. Definitely not the kind of Jack you want nipping at your nose.

Now Sura is knee-deep in a story that mixes elves, science, legends, and the kind of holiday magic no Hallmark movie would ever greenlight. She's about to learn why her mom stayed quiet, why Frost never leaves his tower, and why the garlands never come down.

Because Christmas isn't ending with a bang or a whimper. It's ending with Jack.

Jack: The Tale of Frost is a dark, thrilling, and slightly unhinged reimagining of holiday myth. It's about memory, identity, and discovering that sometimes fairy tales are real.

Unfortunately.

Perfect for fans of Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, and Terry Pratchett's Hogfather.

Review Quotes

"This is a great imagining of how Santa Claus came to be."

"It was the perfect holiday book!"

"Forget everything you know about Santa Claus!"

"I have always liked alternate Santa stories and this one is extremely good."

"Fantasy at its best. Just a good book to smile about."

"This is a WINNER."