Author: Kira Snyder
Book: Season’s Greetings (Parish Mail Series)
Blog: http://what-fresh-hell-is-this.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.kirasnyder.com/
Interview: Part One and Part Two
REVIEW
While the third outing of this fun YA series by Kira Snyder calls itself a short, I consider it to be more a novella with plenty of time to tell a mystery and solve it without feeling rushed. With just as much entertainment factor as the first two books, I couldn’t help but get sucked into Celia’s world of mysterious letters and in this case a Christmas card just in time for the holiday season.
Snyder once again proves she knows how to spin a tale with intriguing characters.
When Celia discovers the words in the Christmas card asking for help, she quickly connects her grandmother’s missing jewelry and thus begins her quest to discover the truth. But is there more than meets the eye in this case? With the help of Tilly, Sloan, Luc, and Donovan, Celia sets out to figure out the mystery and maybe put some balance into the world in the process. This is definitely a fun, non-murderous plot that is perfect to sit down and read with a cup of hot cocoa.
Without giving too much away, Snyder once again proves she knows how to spin a tale with intriguing characters. Furthermore, to be able to tell three different versions of the story and stay consistent is quite a feat. Also, because this is an interactive book, you get to make the choice (for instance) what boy will help Celia solve the mystery and that makes the book all the more fun. And since this is a shorter book than the first two, you the reader have more time to check out all the different choices if you feel so inclined. Still, by this point (book 3 now), I have to admit that I am starting to recognize my biases and preferences. When I was given the ‘big’ choice, I chose Sloan first. And for Veronica Mars fans, I recommend that you take a look at Sloan’s story because in Season’s Greetings, Sloan finally gets to shine and he shines the brightest with characteristics that echo back to Logan Echolls (while still being all Sloan). I love that we get to understand more about his character, his loneliness, and what makes him tick. Tilly also gets some character building in this book as we look into her own family life (this being Christmas time and all).
The mystery itself likely won’t be particularly difficult to figure out but that didn’t affect my enjoyment nevertheless. Besides, it was quite refreshing to read a story all about the Christmas spirit and season (particularly because Synder also truly captures the essence of New Orleans in December so believably).
Overall Impression
If you loved the first two books, you will love this one just as much! While again some of the leaps the characters make sometimes seem slightly contrived, I can still say that reading these books is like an enjoyable walk down the beach. And if you are looking for a YA paranormal mystery series to read while also wanting to get caught up in everything Christmas, then this really is the perfect read for the holiday season.
Overall Rating
“You had me at hello.”
Romance Rating
“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.
I have loved none but you.”
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You still have time to read the first two books of the Parish Mail Series. Here are our Reviews for Book 1 and Book 2
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