Winter Haven Sleigh Tour Review: The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan

YA Novelties is excited to join the WinterHaven Sleigh Tour hosted by WinterHaven Books. This week, we are posting our choice of a Winter Book Review. To see who else is on the sleigh, go to WinterHaven Sleigh Tour for a list of participating blogs.

As part of the festivities, WinterHaven Books is hosting an international giveaway  
that will include a copy of Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Signed by Levithan and Cohn) and a copy of Let it Snow to four lucky winners. Good luck and happy holidays!

The Legend of Holly Claus
By Brittney Ryan
Published September 26th, 2006
Publisher: Harper Trophy
Paperback, 544 pages 

Santa Claus is the King of Forever, Land of the Immortals. When one special boy writes to Santa asking what no other child has ever asked, a miracle occurs: Santa and Mrs. Claus are blessed with a daughter. But the birth of Holly Claus also brings about a terrible curse--from an evil soul named Herrikhan. Holly's heart is frozen, and the gates to Forever are locked, barring exit or entry.  

As she grows into a beautiful and selfless young woman, Holly longs to break the spell that holds her people hostage. With four faithful and magical animal friends, she escapes to the wondrous world of Victorian New York, where she will face countless dangers, adventures, and a miracle all her own. -GoodReads

Review

 The story of Holly Claus is just the sweetest thing ever. Although it is also suitable for younger children, I enjoyed it none the less. 

Holly Claus is the most pure hearted person, and so endearingly naive with the immense desire to help humankind, spreading hope, joy, and Christmas cheer. Everyone who meets Holly is touched by her in some special way, she seems to have a talent of bringing light to others. You can't not like Holly, it is impossible.

Christopher is mysterious and intriguing. I wanted to know more about him and his back story, and I felt like only the surface was brushed with his character, giving us enough information to go along and understand the plot, but there could have been so much more. I was sort of disappointed about the lack of detail in Christopher's story, considering he is arguably the most important character in the book.  


The Legend of Holly Caus is an enchanting story. The word choice is excellent, and helps everything flow smoothly. Although the 544 pages may seem daunting, it is an easy read. The beautiful pictures in it were a great supplement to the story, making the story even richer and fuller, bringing life to your imaginings. The message of this story is amazing, too often people forget about love, compassion, faith, and courage in their everyday lives. They go about very self centered, not bothering to notice anything else, while this story sheds light on the little ways to make other people's lives better.This book also centers around faith, in believing without seeing, and calls to the many people who still have hope to recognize their dreams and aspirations.  

One of the only things I have to fault this book is that it was just a little too cheesy, layering it on a bit thick. Other than that, I loved it, especially the happy fairytale ending, I'm a sucker for those. I would highly recommend this book, for everyone of all ages, and older people might especially enjoy this as a way of looking back on their childhood.  

Purchase at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble