Fiction for Teens

After the tragic death of her best friend, Sophie travels to the Isle of Skye to clear her mind of recent events. She stays at the former Dunvegan School for Girls, now the home of her cousins and Uncle. She gets to know Piper, eager to befriend Sophie, Lilias, the youngest sibling struggling with a difficult past, and Cameron, the moody piano prodigy. As Sophie stays longer, she learns that not is all that it seems – the creepy old dolls called ‘Frozen Charlottes’ in a locked cabinet begin to raise questions for Sophie. As she learns more about the family and witnesses some unusual events, she wonders what is really going on…

From the beginning, I couldn’t put  Frozen Charlotte down. Bell effectively builds mystery as the book progresses and links begin to form between the strange goings-on and the characters in the book. As shown by the warning on the back cover of the book, some elements of the story are too scary for younger readers.

My favourite aspect of this book is the characters. Sophie is a strong girl with a good sense of right and wrong, while Cameron really changes and we see another side of him. Every character in this book develops as the story progresses and eventually each one turns out to be quite different from first impressions.

The tension in the story builds until a gripping final scene where a lot is at stake. I thought that the ending was appropriate, with some questions left unanswered. If you enjoyed books like Say Her Name and Cruel Summer by Juno Dawson, I think you will enjoy Frozen Charlotte as it combines horror with mystery. I really enjoyed this book so I’m excited for the release of the prequel, Charlotte Says,  coming out later this year.