The 12 Days of Holly Chase Blog Tour (Bookmarks + Giveaway)

‘Tis the season to be merry! Welcome to the third day of the Holly Chase tour hosted by Your Book Travels.

A little confession though before I elaborate on today’s tour stop. I’m not much of a Christmas person. I know, shocking when I decided to join such a festive celebration. You can say that I used to be a bit of a Grinch. It’s kinda hard, especially since:

1. We don’t experience the winter weather here in the Philippines. (Not even fall. What even are pumpkin spice lattes?)
2. Filipinos debunk the Santa thing pretty early since it’s kinda hard to think about how the heck he’ll give presents when we don’t exactly have chimneys.
3. Family reunions are both a joyous occasion and a pin to your mental health. (Thank you for noticing the weight I gained, Aunt Barbara. No, Auntie Sylvia. I don’t have a boyfriend yet.)

But hey, I warmed up to it. Once you get past all of the trials and tribulations that comes with the holidays, it’s not all that bad. In fact, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. For us Filipinos, the Christmas season starts once the month’s letters ends in -ber. No joke in some ways, because I know people who literally put up their displays in the middle of September. (Halloween who? Thank u, next.) So you can safely say that we’re always bringing our a-game in sharing the Christmas spirit. Who has the time to say “Bah, humbug.”? Definitely not us since we are too merry in basically every Christmas activity.

Honestly, there is so much joy and warm feelings that come with the Christmas season. Especially for us readers! We get all cozy with our latest reads, thanking the bookish gods that we have the holidays to engross ourselves with our current reads. To add, when it comes to receiving (and giving) gifts, nothing warms a bookworm’s heart more than a book. Personally, I love reading contemporaries that make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Just take it from the wonderful book that we’re celebrating today. What’s not to like about a book set during the holidays? It is a Christmas Carol-inspired young adult novel – a modern take on good ‘ol Ebenezer Scrooge. But this time, her name is Holly Chase. It’s a retelling, but there’s so much more that goes on. Simple yet complex in the values and lessons learned: that’s The Afterlife of Holly Chase for you.

Title: The Afterlife of Holly Chase

Author: Cynthia Hand

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

ISBN: 0062318500

Date Published: 24th of October 2017

Series: None

Publisher: HarperTeen

Buy it on: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Indiebound

Summary:

On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.

She didn’t.

And then she died.

Now she’s stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge–as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past.

Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly’s afterlife has been miserable.

But this year, everything is about to change. . . .

While I will not be sharing a full review despite having read (and loved) this wonderful book, I will be sharing some bookmarks inspired by Cynthia Hand’s lovely novel.

I read this book in early March, and a bit out of the loop if you might add, but The Afterlife of Holly Chase still has that spark and the same fuzzy feeling you get when it’s Christmas. Paired with Cynthia Hand’s magnificent writing style, it’s easy to love the premise. Granted you do get to meet some characters that make you go -oof, but hey, what you can expect from reading this book is some great character development. It’s an excellent story about love, friendship, and second chances with a mix of magical realism that can make you mutter, “God bless us, everyone.” The story overall had a good ring to it, and if given the chance, it’s one of those books that are perfect to reread with some hot cocoa by one’s bedside.

Now when it came to designing these bookmarks, I took inspiration from the simplicity and the minimalism of the cover of this awesome book. While it is mostly quotes, I wanted to add some holly-day PSA. (I will never get tired of that pun.) Generally put, I have a weakness for things that can make anyone happy. So hey, to the person reading this, I hope you enjoy these bookmarks!

You can get these lovely bookmarks individually, or get the whole set here.

Bookmark 1

Bookmark 2

Bookmark 3

“Holly-day Prize Pack” Giveaway

U.S. Only! (Click on the photo to be redirected)

The winner will receive a signed copy of a Cynthia Hand novel of your choice, a Holly hat, knitted by Cynthia, a holiday spice candle, a copy of Mickey’s Christmas Carol, two Christmas tree bath bombs, a cranberry/pear and vanilla lip balm set, a “make your own ugly sweater kit,” a pair of Christmas tree glasses, a Christmas mug that reads: “Dear Santa, it’s a long story,” Christmas pencils, candy cane Christmas kisses, and a limited edition Holly Chase ornament, signed by Cynthia (not pictured), and digital download of The Afterlife of Holly Chase: An Alternate Christmas Carol by Lindsey Hunt.

Cynthia Hand is the New York Times bestselling author of several books for teens, including the UNEARTHLY trilogy, THE LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE, MY LADY JANE and MY PLAIN JANE (with fellow authors Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows), THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE, and the upcoming novel THE HOW AND THE WHY (Fall 2019). Before turning to writing for young adults, she studied literary fiction and earned both an M.F.A. and a Ph.D. in fiction writing. She currently resides in Boise, Idaho, with a husband who’s addicted to typewriters, two kids, two cats, one crazy dog, and a entourage of imaginary friends.

Connect with Cynthia!

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Goodreads

Now the big question/s are: Have you read The Afterlife of Holly Chase? What are some of your favorite books set during the holidays?