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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Celia Frost’s life is ruled by fear – fear of a rare disorder that mean she could bleed to death from the slightest cut. But then a knife attack on Celia has unexpected consequences, her mum reacts strangely. Suddenly they’re on the run, and Celia has no idea why. All she wants is the truth … but the truth is more horrifying than she could ever imagine, and it’s closing in fast.
A buried secret; a gripping manhunt; a dangerous deceit …
What is the truth about Celia Frost?
Fourteen-year-old Celia Frost has a rare disorder that prevents her blood from clotting. Although she goes to school, her mum insists on moving to new cities every few years so Celia never makes friends. Plus each time she starts a new school, the head teacher makes a big deal about her condition so the other kids think she’s weird.
When Celia’s attacked by a bully and accidentally cut, she’s rushed to hospital but is told that her blood is actually clotting normally. Instead of being pleased that the disorder is cured, her mum refuses to talk about it and insists on moving them to a new city to start again. Hurt and angry, Celia begins to question everything that she ever knew. The more she pushes to find the truth though, the more danger she puts herself in. There are dark forces looking for Celia and her mother and as Celia closes in on the answers she wants, the forces are closing in on her too …
Paula Rawsthorne’s debut novel is a YA thriller with a scientific twist that won SCBWI’s Undiscovered Voices competition in 2010. Although there are plenty of things to enjoy in the novel, I personally found it to be a mixed bag.
The burgeoning friendship between Celia and Sol is deftly portrayed and I liked the scenes involving Sol’s laddish older brothers and his Ethopian mum. I also enjoyed the scenes told from the point of view of Frankie, a dodgy private detective hired by the forces that want Celia. The way in which he hunts down the clues gives the book much-needed tension and the scenes where he decides to befriend Celia’s mum as a way of getting to Celia are quite chilling.
The big problem for me though was the relationship between Celia and her mother. Rawsthorne only shows it from the point of breakdown so it’s difficult to see what the emotional connection is between them, how the blood disorder fits into it and how the breakdown affects Celia. Consequently I couldn’t quite buy into Celia as a character or her dilemma and I also wasn’t interested in the truth about her condition.
This is an okay and fast-paced read, but I never emotionally engaged with Celia or her dilemma. There’s a potential for a sequel and while I’ll read Rawsthorne’s next book I’m not sure I want to continue with this series.
The Verdict:
Paula Rawthorne’s debut YA novel is an interesting thriller with a decent pace but I didn’t feel emotionally connected to the main character or her dilemma. I’ll be interested in reading more of Rawsthorne’s work, but I’m not sure I’d be interested in reading a sequel to this book.
Celia Frost’s life is ruled by fear – fear of a rare disorder that mean she could bleed to death from the slightest cut. But then a knife attack on Celia has unexpected consequences, her mum reacts strangely. Suddenly they’re on the run, and Celia has no idea why. All she wants is the truth … but the truth is more horrifying than she could ever imagine, and it’s closing in fast.
What is the truth about Celia Frost?
Fourteen-year-old Celia Frost has a rare disorder that prevents her blood from clotting. Although she goes to school, her mum insists on moving to new cities every few years so Celia never makes friends. Plus each time she starts a new school, the head teacher makes a big deal about her condition so the other kids think she’s weird.
When Celia’s attacked by a bully and accidentally cut, she’s rushed to hospital but is told that her blood is actually clotting normally. Instead of being pleased that the disorder is cured, her mum refuses to talk about it and insists on moving them to a new city to start again. Hurt and angry, Celia begins to question everything that she ever knew. The more she pushes to find the truth though, the more danger she puts herself in. There are dark forces looking for Celia and her mother and as Celia closes in on the answers she wants, the forces are closing in on her too …
Paula Rawsthorne’s debut novel is a YA thriller with a scientific twist that won SCBWI’s Undiscovered Voices competition in 2010. Although there are plenty of things to enjoy in the novel, I personally found it to be a mixed bag.
The burgeoning friendship between Celia and Sol is deftly portrayed and I liked the scenes involving Sol’s laddish older brothers and his Ethopian mum. I also enjoyed the scenes told from the point of view of Frankie, a dodgy private detective hired by the forces that want Celia. The way in which he hunts down the clues gives the book much-needed tension and the scenes where he decides to befriend Celia’s mum as a way of getting to Celia are quite chilling.
The big problem for me though was the relationship between Celia and her mother. Rawsthorne only shows it from the point of breakdown so it’s difficult to see what the emotional connection is between them, how the blood disorder fits into it and how the breakdown affects Celia. Consequently I couldn’t quite buy into Celia as a character or her dilemma and I also wasn’t interested in the truth about her condition.
This is an okay and fast-paced read, but I never emotionally engaged with Celia or her dilemma. There’s a potential for a sequel and while I’ll read Rawsthorne’s next book I’m not sure I want to continue with this series.
The Verdict:
Paula Rawthorne’s debut YA novel is an interesting thriller with a decent pace but I didn’t feel emotionally connected to the main character or her dilemma. I’ll be interested in reading more of Rawsthorne’s work, but I’m not sure I’d be interested in reading a sequel to this book.
