Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite

Merry Chris Witch is a novella written by C.K. Dawn. Christopher Aspen Heron hates Christmas. Not only does it fall on his birthday, but every single year the festivities go on and on for months, whereas celebrations for his favorite holiday, Halloween, only last a day. After being expelled from his coven’s private school for using underage magic in front of humans to impress his friends, Chris is now forced to attend a public school for magical beings. Surrounded by fairies, elves, trolls and more, Chris considers sneaking out when Santa's son, Kris Kringle, visits the students and teachers at the school. With all of the girls swarming Kris for autographs and taking selfies, Chris storms off in the opposite direction, only to run into the most beautiful girl he has ever seen.

Nichole Frost seems just as determined to leave the school as Chris. Pushing magic to its limits, Nichole conjures up an incredible sports car and they see the sights before each of them exposes their biggest secret, shocking each other with their news. For weeks, Nichole and Chris are inseparable until an incredible snow storm hits New York. An inexplicable sadness overwhelms Chris the very moment he enters the magic realm. When he learns that Santa and his elves have been struck down by a mysterious sleeping sickness and Christmas has been cancelled, Chris steps up and breaks all of the rules of magic, not only to find his missing Nichole, but to ensure that no child on the Nice List is left without a gift under their tree.

C.K. Dawn has written a feel-good book with realistic teenage dialogue about a disgruntled boy who’d just wanted to have fun at a Halloween party, only to be expelled from his school, separated from his friends, and loathing Christmas just that little bit more. The introduction of Nichole Frost, before going into detail about both Nichole’s and Chris’s ancestors, was quite clever and gave them both an unbreakable bond of friendship which led to something more, allowing them to be happy for what feels like the very first time. I quite enjoyed the festivities discussed throughout, with both Santa and Mrs. Claus expecting them for dinner someday soon up at the Pole. Living in northern Finland, I could not help but swell with pride at the mention of the Aurora Borealis, which we are graced with each day and night. The added touch of how the colors of the Northern Lights are formed within each dancing swirl was a pure delight.

Although there is a lot of dark feeling throughout the book, it rolls out perfectly, like that of a red carpet at a gala event. Amongst the gloomy feelings of Chris and Nichole, I found myself smiling at little things, such as a homeless man doing such a kind gesture for a stranger during a snow storm, reasoning that our favorite things will always come back to us. Merry Chris Witch is, without a doubt, one of the better stories I have read in a long while and I plan to add it to my private book collection to be read again and again. I recommend this book (with a touch of Harry Potter and Mistletoe Over Manhattan) to all readers who enjoy festive tales laced with drama, comedy, fantasy, magic and romance.