“The Keeper of My Kin almost defies categorisation. It is memoir and cultural, mythic, family history, historical non-fiction, short story and mystery all in one. Fascinating and engaging writing and an invitation into the tumult of the history of Malaysia and the lenses, stories and layers that are passed through the generations and that you are passing on to Malaysia and the world.”
– Subacoustics on “A Request For Betrayal” (Storygraph review).
“Salina Christmas’s writing is engaging and compelling and a fusion of all the elements. it is about the way worlds old and new intersect and overlap. Did the events in these fascinating tales happen in the way described? Is it fiction? Here the question itself somehow collapses. A Request for Betrayal is possibly magical-realism-adjacent but so rooted in history that it is quite possibly all true. Also this would make an amazing film or series. who wouldn’t want to see a film with were-tigers in it. There’s a whole genre of horror here just waiting to happen. This series of stories may just be the start.”
– Subacoustics on “A Request For Betrayal” (Storygraph review).
“The novel had me at ‘the graves of a group of fallen Gurkha soldiers’. A page turner, engaging and very well thought out. The description of the scenes are very vivid, giving the readers a crisp mental image, shivers and goosebumps. The key characters connect the past and the present seamlessly. I can’t say enough good things about this book, you’ll have to experience the book yourself.”
– SBo2 on “The Keeper Of My Kin” (Amazon review).
“If you have read the author’s novel before this, ‘The Keeper Of My Kin’, then you know what you can expect from Salina Christmas’S second novel,’The Request For Betrayal’. This novel is definitely a gem and a must read.”
– SBo2 on “A Request For Betrayal” (Amazon review).
“Spooky. Unputdownable. I read it in one fell swoop. Thank you for the excellent read. We heard these stories when I was a young girl growing up. It was intriguing. then Lo and behold, this book WAS WRITTEN with direct old family connections. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
– Kamariah on “The Keeper of My Kin”.
“Finally managed to get my hands on ‘A Request For Betrayal’, the sequel to ‘The Keeper Of My Kin’, a most fascinating and intriguing tale that took place during the japanese occupation… i thoroughly enjoyed the story she narrated and now I can’T wait to sink my teeth into the sequel.”
– Kamariah on “A Request For Betrayal”.
“Reading these very interesting and captivating episodes of the were-tiger and the flying keris, I was numbed. The book brought back memories of tales and stories from my nanny in the kampong. This book is fiction. However it relates with precision historical events that did take place like the murder of Henry Gurney and the Kepong Hill massacre in macabre detail. As the book informs the reader, with scary overtones, playing around or keeping these beings have bloody and horrific consequences. Heavily recommended. Five stars. Beware though. Highly addictive and captivating. Make sure you finish off those household chores first.”
– Faridda on “The Keeper of My Kin”.
“My only complaint is I wish they were longer.”
– Donnacha on “The Keeper of My Kin” and “A Request For Betrayal”.
“The book is a voyage, a time travel between memories, lost cultural beliefs and war times. Salina beautifully weaved ancestors’ myths into her fiction, I devoured this book and wished it was longer. Loved to discover about the companions.”
– Eva on “The Red-Haired Gurkhas. Part One: The Constant Companion Tales” (Amazon review).
“Over Christmas, I read both volumes of the Constant Companion ebooks. They are really good. The story is interesting, and it’s amazing how much knowledge Salina has on history and Eastern culture and religion. Of course, I was amused to see a few English vernacular words and phrases creeping in, like ‘poor sod’! Well done for such brilliant and erudite writing. These are so, so good, and I can’t wait for volume 3!”
– Norman on “Part One and Part Two: The Constant Companion Tales”.
“The book kept me awake until I finished it! Couldn’t leave it for next day. I wonder much of it is inspired by the author’s family story. The historical details of the true events are impressive. This book reveals a completely new side of Salina Christmas that we had no idea about. Her military family background and Malay cultural heritage is very different from my Eastern European roots. Yet one aspect is very similar: the colonialism experience that we’ve been exposed to. The difference at my end was the Soviet imperialism.”
– Nadya on “The Red-Haired Gurkhas. Part One: The Constant Companion Tales” (Amazon review).
Salina Christmas 