Title: North Pole Reform School
Author: Jaimie Admans
Date of Publication: November 6, 2013
Genre: YA rom-com, fantasy
Blurb:
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.
Suitable for older teens and upwards due to bad language.
Purchase link: Amazon
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This book was just all kinds of cute. It was so sweet and so completely bonkers.
NPRS is told from the POV of Mistletoe Bell, as she and a group of Christmas haters are taken to the North Pole to learn about the spirit of Christmas, how important it is to others, and to learn that their actions can have serious consequences. I loved Misty. She has such a snarky attitude but she also has such a warm heart. While at the North Pole she is partnered with Luke, who I also loved. The banter between these two was brilliant and they had some really sweet moments together.
The book is so bonkers. Between a talking purple moose, the crazy elves, and fricking zombies, you will not be bored while reading. I loved every second of it. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and some really heartwarming moments. But beneath all the fun there is a very touching message to be had.
This was just such a quick, cute and thoroughly enjoyable read. I was left with the biggest smile on my face. I was up til 3am reading it, I just couldn't put it down! I wish there was a follow on book. I really want to continue Misty and Luke's story. I highly recommend this book to everyone! Whether you love Christmas or not, you will after reading NPRS. It's the perfect holiday read.
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EXCERPT:
It started with a purple moose.
At least I thought it was a moose. On
reflection, it could have been a reindeer, but it didn’t matter at the time
because it was obviously just a dream.
“Mistletoe,” the moose-reindeer said.
Yep. Still hate my parents for naming me
that.
“Mistletoe,” it said again in a spooky echo
of a voice, “I am the Ghost of Christmases Ruined, and I have come to tell you
something.”
“Go away.” I turned over in bed.
“Mistletoe Bell,” it said sharply. “Listen
to me right now.”
I sat up, suddenly wide awake. God, what a
freaky dream.
“Mistletoe Bell,” it said again. I jumped
out of my skin. I clutched the duvet to me as I turned around. Of all the
things I expected to see, the purple moose sitting in the middle of my carpet
and looking annoyed was about the last of them.
“Wh… what are you?” I asked quietly. I
didn’t really believe my eyes. I must still be dreaming.
“I’ve tried to tell you already. I am the
Ghost of Christmases Ruined.”
I tried to pinch myself awake without the
moose noticing. It didn’t work. I didn’t wake up and the moose noticed.
“It won’t work,” the moose said. “You’re
already awake.”
“I’m looking at a talking purple moose. I
don’t think so.”
“You are Mistletoe Bell?” the moose asked.
I dropped my head into my hands and edged
closer to the other side of the bed.
The moose continued to look at me
expectantly.
“Unfortunately, yes. I couldn’t be anyone
else with that stupid name.”
“It’s a very nice Christmas name.”
“That’s exactly the bloody problem. You try
having a stupid Christmassy name in the middle of July or something.”
“Ah yes, but it’s December now.”
“Screw December,” I muttered.
“Aha,” the moose said. “This is exactly why
I’m here.”
I gave it an angry look. “What the hell are
you going on about?”
“Well, if you’d be so kind as to allow me
to get to my point, I will enlighten you.”
I sighed in frustration.
“Mistletoe Bell,” the moose said, “you have
been charged with ruining Christmas. Multiple counts over the years, but a
particularly aggressive case this year when taking into account the fire—”
“The fire was an accident.”
It gave me a glare and I rolled my eyes.
“Please go on,” I said, complete with a sarcastic hand gesture.
“As I was saying…” The moose had an annoyed
tone to its voice now. “Ruining Christmas, multiple counts, we can’t let it
continue. We’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while now. We were actually
hoping you might grow out of it now you’re nearly seventeen, but the fire this
year is the final straw. Mistletoe—”
“Please stop calling me that.” I interrupted
it again. “It’s Mis, Misty, or nothing.”
The moose rolled its eyes. “I am required
to call you by your proper name at all times. Now, can we get on with it?”
“Get on with what?”
“Mistletoe Bell, tomorrow you will be taken
to the North Pole where you will stay until you can learn how to behave
acceptably and stop ruining Christmas for others. You will be part of a group
who will learn the value of Christmas to all involved.”
“That’s ridiculous. Who’s going to teach
me? The polar bears?”
“The elves will teach you.”
“Of course they will.” I smacked my
forehead. “Of course there are elves. I don’t know why I expected anything else
from a purple moose.”
The moose made a frustrated noise.
“Mistletoe, do you understand?”
“I will be taken to the North Pole and taught
by elves? Yes, I understand perfectly.”
“I must be on my way. Sweet dreams,
Mistletoe.” The moose got up and jumped out of the window.
I rolled over and went back to sleep. I
must’ve eaten cheese before bed last night or something.
There were more weird dreams. I dreamt of
flying above the rooftops and over the oceans, and it was really, really cold.
I’m pretty sure I could hear strains of “Walking in the Air” in the distance.
~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Jaimie is a 28-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, drinking tea and watching horror movies. She hates spiders and cheese & onion crisps. She has been writing for years but has never before plucked up the courage to tell people. Afterlife Academy is her third novel and she hopes you enjoy it. There are plenty more on the way!
Website: http://www.jaimieadmans.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/be_the_spark
Facebook: http://facebook.com/jaimieadmansbooks
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/oDXZj
GIVEAWAY:
thx u for hosting :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for such a lovely review, Yvonne! I'm so glad you enjoyed the book! Thank you for reading it and taking the time to write such a thoughtful review!
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