Frozen+Fire

Discussion page for //Frozen Fire//. Donna/Colebrook Public -- As a fan of English writers for young adults, I read this book straightaway. As a "psychological thriller," "Frozen Fire" does not disappoint; the story was totally chilling yet alluring. From start to finish, I was totally absorbed by both the characters and the plot. It seems to appeal to both girls and boys, but particularly to "thinkers" who are interested in the paranormal. I would list it as one of the Final 13 Nominees.

I read this last year for the list and didn't blog on it. It is very hard for me to evaluate books that in a genre that I do not like. That being said, I'm going to cut and paste a blurb from VOYA. I do think if you don't have any other paranormal books rising to the top that you should consider this one even though I seem to remember stretches of the boy walking down a snowy lane and NOTHING really happening. I also recall that I loathed the lack of ending. //On a snowy night in rural Britain, fifteen-year-old Dusty receives a telephone call from a strange boy who knows details about Dusty's life, including the name of her older brother, Josh, who has been missing for two years. Dusty is determined to find the boy and question him about Josh. In the meantime, rumors about a mysterious young rapist are flying around town, with a vigilante group seeking revenge. They believe that Dusty is hiding him, and they stalk her, trying to frighten her into giving him up. Dusty senses that the boy is otherworldly, is not convinced that he is a rapist, and wants to protect him at least long enough to find out what he knows about Josh. In the end, the boy's body is exposed to an angry mob, revealing the fact that he has no genitals. He then magically disappears after driving into a lake. When Josh's body is found under the submerged car, Dusty realizes that Josh committed the rape and then drowned himself. Bowler creates an unsettling mood in this novel, which opens with an excruciatingly tense situation but then moves rather slowly. Set against a lonely winter landscape, this weird story will be savored by both fantasy and suspense readers. The fact that Bowler never reveals the identity or motive of the mysterious boy is slightly disappointing, and it is somewhat difficult to connect with his characters, but he spins a good tale nonetheless. Reviewer: Dotsy Harland// ~Kathy Watson, Kimball Library