I miss being able to see what classes get what spells in the spell description, it's one of the previous edition-isms that makes comparing different classes so much easier.
Spells:
Cause Fear
A wis Save VS frightened. Lower HP targets have disadvantage. 60 seconds max with no repeat saving throw.
This is possibly the best level 1 debilitation spell there is. Not because it's as "powerful" as it's piers, but rather because of it's consistency and staying power. This is a one-and-done spell, meaning the target can't break out of it unless you stop it. Given there are a number of ways to inflict disadvantage to a single saving throw, this spell will be a favorite.
Ceremony
Beneath the buffet of once per character benefits, and highly situational coverage points, there is the Investiture option. And that makes this spell OP as heck. It lets you give anyone the ability to cast any level one spell you can cast. Sure, it still comes out of your spell slots, but this spell is also a ritual, mitigating that problem significantly. Notable things include passing off your concentration check, self-buffs, and debuffs that only benefit the caster (like Hunters Mark).
Chaos Bolt
A Sorcerer only damage spell with exploding number of targets based on dice. Unfortunatly, the random damage type makes it undesirable for anyone. Sadly, it starts off by dealing less Average damage than Magic Missile. Also, it has just about the worst scaling possible, and doesn't play off of any of the Wild Mage's features until the capstone. It does, however, work with Twinned Spell and Empowered Spell.
All in all, it's a bad spell. Pump that damage, at least.
Guiding Hand
Basically, it's a compass that points leads you in a direct line from your current location to some important location that people know about.
Unfortunately, it's like the Arrow from Crazy Taxi, and it doesn't take into account important things like terrain, which can make the spell useless in most practical applications, and outright dangerous in some cases.
Hand of Radiance
A welcome addition to the Cleric Cantrip Arsenal. It's a Con Save, but it's an PBAoE with selective targets. Great, even melee clerics will want to get their hands on it.
Healing Elixir
A healing spell for Warlocks and Wizards? This is the end of times. Of note: It doesn't scale. Also of note: Wizards and Warlocks have oodles of ways to get more spell slots (and at some point unlimited level one slots). Even a 60 second casting time isn't very limiting when the vial of healing potion lasts for 24 hours. This spell has an novel placement of being both kind of crappy, because you can't use it emergency heal, and also kind of broken.
Infestation
A 1d6 Con save cantrip that does piercing damage. Normally, that would suck. However, this has an interesting rider: The target moves randomly when it fails the save, which can trigger OA's from you and all of their friends. Unfortunately, that rider triggers in a random direction, if the rider was a bit more controlled (even if simply away from you) it would be a contender for a decent CON targeting cantrip.
Primal Savagery
The Druid Cantrip.
This is reminiscent of the Mystic. You make a melee spell attack for 1d10 slashing or piercing damage (which scales). This is better than Shillelagh for Druids. Which is nice because Shillelagh is basically only useful for gish builds that cherry pick it from various optional rules or class features. The cantrip that should have been indeed.
Puppet
You take control of a target, have them drop whatever they are holding, walk by all your friends (triggering OAs) into whatever hazard is nearby.
Normally, these spells are tied to a Wisdom save. However this is a Con Save, which means the meatshields and monsters are going to laugh it off, while the squishy casters are going to eat mind-control, and possibly death. I think it's on-par with other control options at this level.
Sense Emotion
Why does this spell exist? I don't understand why telling you if the troll is angry would be worth using a spell slot and an action on. Wisdom(Insight) not only covers that, but also provides so much more, without much cost in the way of character resources.
Snare
A create trap style spell that is fun and useful due to it's primary counters being obscure skill checks.
Sudden Awakening
You can wake everyone up with a bonus action, but only if they are within 10' of you. They can stand up from prone for free, which is nice. But otherwise this spell is too situational and too restricted for anyone to learn.
Toll the Dead
It tolls for you. Also it deals more damage when you are hurt. It deals necrotic damage, but it also deals 1d12 damage. For clerics, it's the most damaging single target cantrip they have. For anyone else, I'm not sure I would pick this over Chill Touch, but the Wis save is a good argument for giving up the anti-healing rider.
Unearthly Chorus
Bards now come with their own backup singers. Unlike Charm Person, this is a very good social spell that doesn't penalize you if your targets make the save.
Virtue
A cantrip. As an action, you give someone 1d4+(casting mod) temp hp, but only for one round, and only if they already have 1hp. This spell sucks. Not worth picking, not worth using.
Wild Cunning
Tracking and Survival for the lazy outdoors-man. As a saving grace, it gives you advantage on survival checks as a ritual, so there is a use for it.
Zephyr Strike
Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. good for extra speed in combat, but to what end? It doesn't stack with Hunters Mark, But a bonus action for 30' of movement with no AO's is kind of nice for running away.
Spell lists:
Bard:
No cantrips?
Unearthly Chorus is the kind of charm person bards always needed
Cleric:
Lots of cantrips, two of which are good. The rest of the spells need to be reworked.
Druid:
A few fun things, but lots of bad stuff.
Paladin:
Only gets the OP spell, heh.
Ranger:
Mostly chaff.
Sorcerer
Despite finally getting a unique spell, they still get mostly crap, and less crap than their piers at that.
Warlock
I find it very strange that Warlocks didn't get any new exclusive spells, considering they have more than a few exclusives to begin with.
Wizard
I touched on it before, but Healing Elixir is a questionable addition to the Wizards spellbook. And by that I mean I could see all the other Arcane casters getting it before they do, mostly because of their class features.
Closing thoughts:
I'm a bit disappointed that there are no new weapon cantrips.
