The Legend of Holly Claus — Book Review

A very good friend of mine gave me this book for Christmas, and I loved it so much that I had to write a review.

Here's the basic conflict in my own words. One Christmas, a little boy named Christopher writes a letter to Santa Claus asking him what he wants for Christmas. The heartfelt love with which this letter is written causes a magical event to take place, granting Santa his one desire — to have a child of his own. Thus, Holly Claus becomes the first baby to be born in the Kingdom of Forever (where Santa is king).

There is also an evil Warlock named Herrikhan, who is confined to a place of suffering because of his evil deeds. The only way he can be released from the curse is if he possess a pure heart. So when little Holly is born, he freezes her heart and traps her in Forever where he can come fetch her when she is old enough to marry him and break the spell.

Let's face it...a lot of Christmas stories are cheesy, and that's okay because most of them are meant for small children. This is more a Polar Express kind of quality, though there are several parts of the book that remind me of the movie Anastasia.

The only thing I found myself growing frustrated with was the length of time I spent with Holly growing up before getting to the main adventure. But then I thought about it and realized that growing is part of the adventure. Holly didn't just appear in the story as a pure young  heroine. She has to grow into it, and watching her grow draws the reader close to her in a way this book couldn't have done otherwise, no matter how well written.  We know the conflict is coming, and we wait impatiently with Holly while she yearns to make her way in the world of mortals and somehow defeat Herrikhan. When the time finally comes for her to leave Forever, the reader is just as excited as she is, and the rest of the book is far more emotionally satisfying.

Overall, I  give it five stars. This is one of the best Christmas books I've ever read, and I can't wait to share it with my sisters. If you have small children (under nine or ten years old) who won't understand the plot yet, there is a condensed children's version as well (with stunning artwork on every page).