I didn’t finish this one. It didn’t capture my attention. Not for me. I really like the cover though.

This story has a very interest premise. Orphans and young people with disabilities are flown to a special rendezvous with Santa. There is just one problem. The one older kid who is always getting in trouble is going with them. I don’t want to give too much away. This is a great read if you don’t mind looking past first (or third) impressions. *Trigger alert - there is inferred past child molestation that one of the main characters is trying to process through.

What drew me to this book was its length—it’s a very short book, especially compared to other novels roughly in the same genre—and the plot, which promised a compelling and dramatic story.

The lively personalities of the protagonists, especially the kids who find themselves, willingly or not, on this journey, keep the reader glued to the pages. The main characters are twenty-two unfortunate kids living in an orphanage who are given an annual trip to Lapland to meet Santa Claus. It's a chance to give these kids a carefree moment and a trip that could be truly special.
As you can imagine, given it’s a trip to Lapland and thus a rare opportunity to meet Santa, there’s an excited atmosphere on the plane. All the kids can’t wait to reach the land of Christmas, except for Danny.

Among the kids at the orphanage, Danny is the most restless and the only one who didn’t want to leave for that cold land, as Christmas has always been associated with very negative thoughts and memories for him. Because of his personality and aversion to a time of year known and considered by everyone as a time of celebration and joy, Danny is often excluded from the group. In fact, it is revealed in the immediate aftermath of the crash that no one really wanted Danny on board.
Yet, despite being reluctantly on that plane, Danny will be the only person able to manage the fate of all the passengers. It will be up to him to find a way to save the lives of all his fellow travelers.
I loved the character of Danny very much, perhaps because out of all the characters, he was the most mistreated, not starting off as a main character but rather as a kid hated by everyone. As I read the story, I realized that the aspect of Danny I appreciated the most was how his way of speaking and interacting with others was portrayed. Particularly, there is a significant difference that I appreciated a lot: the contrast between how Danny speaks to Mr. Cox—the only father figure the characters have in the orphanage, a unique role model who can help them grow—and how he converses with Gary—another boy who for Danny represents more of an enemy to oppose.
In my opinion, it is in these dialogues that the most beautiful and realistic characterization in the entire novel emerges. Here, the author gives his best to faithfully narrate the personality of his main character, who finally enjoys—thanks to the reader—attention and understanding that would otherwise be denied.

A strong point of this story is also the author’s decision to divide the narrative into two timelines: one before the crash and the other after. These two timelines are then intertwined to allow the story to take a suspenseful turn, pushing the reader to continue reading to find out what happens.
At the same time, I recognize that this type of narration might not be completely captivating for all readers, as it is a choice that tends to push the reader to interrupt a certain flow of the story to dive into another. Here, I find that this “forced pause” is well-managed because it does not tire or frustrate the reader, who can now focus on forming a complete picture of the event.
Moving back and forth in the timeline of the story also allows for a more careful evaluation of the events and a calmer analysis of the relationships between the protagonists. This approach reveals the backstories that shape the relationships between the characters and sheds light on their personalities.

**Silent Flight Holy Night** is thus an exciting story that heavily plays on relationships and suspense, managing to keep the reader glued to the pages thanks to the careful characterization of the protagonists who come to life in the narrative.

I just couldn't get into this one. the storyline didn't captivate me, and i couldn't understand what was going on throughout the whole story. DNF at about 70%. I really wanted to like this!

Silent Flight Holy Night by Colin Campbell follows a group of disadvantaged children and their caretakers when they fly from their group home to Lapland to meet Santa Claus. This is a very realistic story of two older boys who don't get along and the younger kids who are just excited to see Santa. I didn't know what to expect as the story goes back and forth between the visit and the plane crash but everything was very believable and the interactions between the children and the staff were well done. This book could be read anytime but would be a special one to read around Christmas.

Although I did like reading silent flight, holy night at times I found it a little confusing the way that it flicked between the 2 time lines. Before and after the crash, however as the book went on and the 2 came together towards the end this did help me to straighten things out in my head And I began to understand the relevance more.

Every year under privileged children are funded through a charity to go on a Christmas visit to Lapland to see Santa. All the children are looking forward to the trip and seem excited, apart from Danny who doesn’t want to go, to Danny Christmas hold horrific memories and he is not in a hurry to join the others to celebrate Christmas and would rather be left at home than go on this trip.

When the plane crashes it soon becomes headline news that the missing plane is full of disadvantaged children who are away with their social workers and teachers. As the plane crash lands it snaps with everyone accounted for apart from Danny. No one really wanted Danny there with them on the trip as much as he wanted to be there, but now it seems that Danny is their only hope.

I felt quite conflicted reading this book, at times I really enjoyed it and at other times I didn’t. Sometimes I loved it and really understood what was going on but at other times I had no idea what was going on which is a shame as I’d have loved nothing more than to enjoy the book from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book, I hope other readers enjoy and understand this book better than I did.

‘You can find hope in all sorts of places - but redemption only comes from within’ I read this sentence and i must admit that it intrigued me and made me want to read the book!

It was an easy book to read and each chapter pushed me along to the next one and made me want to read more and more. I read it really quickly and couldn’t wait to find out how the whole story unfolded.

The story moves between two timelines, pre and post crash and takes place over 24 hours.

It was a gripping and intriguing read and i really enjoyed everything about it…….

Silent Flight Holy Night is a story surrounding a 14 year old troubled teenager named Danny. Danny lives in a children's home for unfortunate children, sent there when all other care options have failed. The children at this care home have been granted the chance to fly to Lapland to meet the 'real' Santa Claus and ride in a sleigh. But upon their return flight, the plane crashes and Danny is separated from the rest.

This story goes back and forth between post and pre-crash until the two timelines meet up and becomes a more flowing narrative. This wasn't an issue, with the two storylines taking place within a 24-hour period and allowed excitement to build while getting to know the key characters. However, there did feel like a genre shift between the post and pre-crash which was a little jarring but still a gripping read despite this.

The relationships that Danny has in the book, especially with the father-figure Mr. Cox, and his rival, Gary, was my favorite part of this story. Seeing how Danny handles two different forms of communication was intriguing, especially because of the way his traumatic upbringing affects his emotions.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I picked it because the first time I read the blurb I found it interesting, captivating and I thought it would be an entertaining enjoyable read but the more I read the less I care about the characters and plot. Unfortunately I had a rough time trying to bond, understand, the characters and the pace was slow in my opinion. However I do think other readers might enjoy it, however it just wasn’t made for me.. Sad.