This is simply a wonderful, old-fashioned fairy tale. It would not have been out-of-place had it been published in serialized form in a 19th century magazine like St. Nicholas or Wide Awake; it has echoes of Frank Stanton and L. Frank Baum, with a heroine Baum would have delighted in, Holly Claus, the child of Nicholas Claus (otherwise known as Santa Claus) and his wife Viviana.
One day a little boy named Christopher writes a selfless letter to Santa Claus, not asking him for toys, but asking him what he wishes the most for. Nicholas realizes that what he and Viviana want most is a child, and nine months later a daughter is born to them. On her christening day, Holly is cursed by the evil wizard Herrikhan, who was banished from the Land of Forever when he sought to have everyone bow to his wishes and grovel at his feet. The stench of evil and cockroaches surround him. Herrikhan's curse encases Holly's pure heart in ice and closes the Land of Forever. The only way to lift the curse is for Holly to give him her heart, but that will free him and bring his evil back into the world.
Holly grows up tutored and loved, but lonely without any other children around her. Herrikhan's magic makes many of the inhabitants afraid or suspicious of her. Under the watchful eye of Tundra, the white wolf who was Nicholas' closest confidant, and her friends Alexia, a fox, Empy, a tiny penguin, and Euphemia, a snowy owl, plus her godmother Sofya, Holly grows to young womanhood knowing she wants to do good in the world, therefore on the Christmas of her seventeenth year, she journeys to gaslight New York, knowing her encounter with Herrikhan will come soon.
The magic is enhanced by Laurel Long's astounding pen-and-ink illustrations, which are exquisitely detailed. There is now also a picture book version called Holly Claus: the Christmas Princess which features Long's illustrations in full color.
Unforgettable.
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