Holiday Book Review: North Pole Reform School by Jaimie Admans

North Pole Reform School by Jaimie Admans 

Series: Standalone

Published: November 6th, 2013

Publisher: Self-published

234 pages (ebook)

Genre: Contemporary young adult with elements of fantasy/paranormal

Acquired this book: Bought

Warning: May contain spoilers

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Mistletoe Bell hates Christmas. So would you if you had a name like hers. Her Christmas-mad parents make the festive season last all year, and with another Christmas looming, Mis doesn’t think she can take any more. After her carelessness causes an accident at school, it seems like things can’t get any worse.

Then she wakes up to find The Ghost of Christmases Ruined in her bedroom.

She is taken to the North Pole, to a reform school run by elves determined to make her love Christmas. Stuck in a misfit group of fellow Christmas-haters with a motley crew of the weird and even weirder, watched over by elves day and night, she doesn’t expect to meet cute and funny Luke, who is hiding a vulnerable side beneath his sarcastic exterior. She doesn’t expect to fall in love with him.

But all is not as it should be at the North Pole. A certain Mr Claus is making the elves’ lives a misery, and pretty soon Mistletoe and Luke are doing more than just learning to like Christmas.

A YA romantic comedy in which Santa is the bad guy, teaching reindeer to fly is on the curriculum, and zombies have a fondness for Christmas music.

 

North Pole Reform School is the third book I’ve read from Jaimie Admans, and each book is better than the last. North Pole Reform School is definitely my favourite of Jaimie’s books so far, and it is officially my new favourite Christmas book.

I find that I never really know what to expect when going into one of Jaimie’s books. She’s a fantastic writer - one of the best indie writers I’ve come across - and she has a knack for humour, but her stories are never formulaic and always have unexpected elements, which I love. I’ll be expecting one thing to happen, and something entirely different actually happens. I love being kept on my toes and not being able to predict what’s coming next. I think Jaimie has a rare talent in that respect.

Mistletoe was a great main character with a strong voice and personality, and I found her easy to like and relate to. She was part of a very eclectic mix of reform school students, run by a quirky group of elves. I loved that the story encompassed so many things - it was light and funny at times, but there were also moments that pulled at my heartstrings. I’m someone who knows how lucky I am to have an amazing family, and I’m grateful I get to spend the holidays with them, but this book really drove home for me that not everyone is that lucky. The story was told in a way that made it possible to believe that Santa and his elves are real, and it made me wish they were.

This book had a little bit of everything - humour, romance, action, paranormal aspects (zombies at the North Pole? So funny and clever), and lots of heart. I laughed, I cried, and I didn’t want the story to end. There’s never a dull moment, but there are heartwarming moments that will remind you what Christmas should be about. Need a boost to get you in the holiday spirit this year? Want to be reminded of the magic of Christmas? Love a story with a sweet, romantic happy ending? North Pole Reform School checks all those boxes, making it a must read in my opinion! 

{Read my review of Kismetology || Read my review of Not Pretty Enough}

 

 

Have you read North Pole Reform School? What did you think? If you haven't read it does it sound like something you'd be interested in? Have you read any of Jaimie's other books?

 

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