Reviews

Sleigh Spells by Bella Falls

see_sadie_read's review

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3.0

You know all of those Christmas cartoons we watched on TV every year as a kid? This book is like those, but with jobs, drinking, and flirting grown ups. It's utterly ridiculous— with elves, yetis, trolls, paranormals, and talking squirrels all living in the north pole and assisting Mrs. Clause find Santa's missing sleigh. Somehow, though, it manages not to feel eye-roll worthy and is still somehow amusing. The villain is absolutely obvious (and fairly cliched). So, the mystery isn't the point. The characters are sweet (though I didn't feel I got to know them particularly deeply) and I had a good time spending a little time with them.

cindy10's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

rjsthumbelina's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

carolsnotebook's review against another edition

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4.0

Mystery, magic, and romance at Christmas – Sleigh Spells is such a fun, sugary book. Aurora has a bit of a history, but serving probation in Holiday Haven has given her a fresh start. I love Holiday Haven. It’s one of the towns near the North Pole and it is all about Christmas, even more so when the holiday is just days away. Then Santa’s sleigh goes missing and none other than Mrs. Claus asks Aurora to investigate.

Aurora is a witch, but wary of her magic — ice and especially fire can cause plenty of damage. She makes several new friends, most of whom are a little magical. My personal favorite is Nutty, her roommate who is a talking squirrel and also on probation, for stealing nuts of course. She also has a potential love interest. It’s nice to see Aurora have a group of people she can rely on for help, it’s something she hasn’t had before in her life.

The mystery is cute, even though we’re pretty sure early on who the thief is. The fun is seeing Aurora and her gang solve it and figure out how to prove it.

Sleigh Bells was a perfect book to read with a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream.

traceyyoung's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a fun read, just the right thing for Christmas, and it works in January too!  A loved all the different characters and the silly jokes and how they tried to save Christmas. I’ve added the next 2 in the series to my list to read in December.

booknallnight's review against another edition

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5.0

Oh my cozy Christmas!

wargod's review

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

bookjunkie57's review

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4.0

Sleigh Spells
Winter Witches of Holiday Haven, Book 1

 I Picked Up This Book Because: #BlameItOnLitsy

 Media Type: Audiobook
 Source: Scribd
 Dates Read: 12/20/21 - 12/20/21
 Stars: 4 Stars
 Narrator(s): Johanna Parker

 The Characters:

Aurora Hart:

 The Story:

Review to come.

 The Random Thoughts: 

see_sadie_read's review against another edition

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3.0

You know all of those Christmas cartoons we watched on TV every year as a kid? This book is like those, but with jobs, drinking, and flirting grown ups. It's utterly ridiculous— with elves, yetis, trolls, paranormals, and talking squirrels all living in the north pole and assisting Mrs. Clause find Santa's missing sleigh. Somehow, though, it manages not to feel eye-roll worthy and is still somehow amusing. The villain is absolutely obvious (and fairly cliched). So, the mystery isn't the point. The characters are sweet (though I didn't feel I got to know them particularly deeply) and I had a good time spending a little time with them.

katrina_ingram's review

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was my first cozy mystery and first Christmas book combined and i’m not sure if either are the right genre for me. The book was certainly cozy, a real feel good story so if you are looking for an easy Christmas read then give this a go for sure. My issue was that the mystery was far too easy to solve, it was very obvious who the culprit was so no mystery at all really. I like trying to figure out who the culprit is using clues but this was worse than an episode of scooby doo, maybe that’s the draw with these type of books but it’s not for me. While I love Christmas movies I wasn’t as keen reading about it, it was just too sickly sweet at times, and the romance was instalove. That did fit in with the feel of the book but I much prefer a slow burn, too quick and doesn’t feel believable. There was also an error, after drinking shots vale says when she left they were fine but a couple of chapters later says that she put her to bed, so did she leave her or not? Despite this the characters were loveable and it was a quick easy read,  like I said if you like this genre and want a cheesy Christmas version you may enjoy this one