Frost by Marianna Baer Review

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (September 13, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0061799491
• ISBN-13: 978-006179949
• Received From:  Publisher in exchange for an honest review

                        4 Butterflies

 

Synopsis:

Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school starts with a cruel shock: Frost House, the cozy Victorian dorm where she and her best friends chose to live, has been assigned an unexpected roommate—confrontational, eccentric Celeste Lazar.

What Celeste lacks in social grace, however, her brother, David, a recent transfer student, makes up for in good looks and charm. But while he and Leena hit it off immediately, Leena finds herself struggling to balance her growing attraction with her fear of getting hurt.

As classes get under way, strange happenings begin to bedevil Frost House—frames mysteriously falling off walls, doors locking by themselves, furniture toppling over. Celeste blames the housemates, convinced they want to scare her into leaving. And while Leena tries to play peacekeeper between her best friends and new roommate, soon the mysterious happenings in the dorm, an intense triangle between Leena, Celeste, and David, and the reawakening of childhood fears all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. But does the threat lie with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind . . . or in Frost House itself?

My Thoughts:

From the moment I saw the creepy cover of Frost I was hooked.  I knew that I wanted to pick this one up.  I'm even more glad to discover that it's one of those books that the contents actually match what the cover is portraying.  Frost House is creepy as it appears, but is it the house itself, or the people living in it?

Leena is a smart girl, even when she struggles in certain classes, she learns inventive ways to help herself excel.  She is determined and and strong.  Then, when things start to spiral out of control at Frost House, she slowly starts losing her friends (which is really the only family she has) and in the process she starts to lose herself.  The only sanctuary she finds is the creepy closet in her bedroom at Frost House, only Leena doesn't find it creepy, she finds it comforting, and she makes herself at home in there.

I really enjoyed Leena as a character.  She isn't the best at relationships.  Her relationship with her parents is damaged.  She thinks she has a great relationship with her two best friends, but as the year goes along, she will learn that even that will fade, no matter how hard she tries to hold on.  Her relationship with David is a struggle, yet she fights for it to work.  Her relationship with her new roommate, crazy quirky Celeste, is a rollercoaster of ups and downs, but she tries her best to make it work.  I really just found Leena to be a great person, no matter the struggles or wrong choices she was making.

I loved that I could never tell if the creepy going on in Frost House was really something creepy or if it was a psychological problem, or a stalker, or something else all together.  It was always a big mystery that had me on the edge of my seat.  I recommend Frost House for those who enjoy their scary on the lighter side, and those who enjoy mystery.