Monday, December 26, 2011

Frost by Marianna Baer

Summary:
Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school begins with a shock: Frost House, her cozy dorm of close friends, has been assigned an unexpected roommate: confrontational, eccentric Celeste Lazar. But while Leena’s anxiety about a threat to her sanctuary proves valid, it becomes less and less clear whether the threat lies with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind, or within the very nature of Frost House itself. Mysterious happenings in the dorm, an intense triangle between Leena, Celeste, and Celeste’s brother, and the reawakening of childhood fears, all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. Frost is the story of a haunting. As to whether the demons are supernatural or psychological . . . well, which answer would let you sleep at night? (From GoodReads)

Review:
I love thrillers and spooky stories, so I was really excited to read Frost. I haven't read a thriller in awhile because sometimes they aren't that good, but I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed Frost!

Frost does a good job of starting out slowly and drawing the reader in. Everything seems fine at first and then little things start happening, but they are things that could be explained by natural causes. All the weird stuff that happens usually targets Leena's new roommate Celeste. Frost was different than other supernatural stories because in the beginning Leena is strangely immune to the odd occurrences. She actually feels safe in the house, which is the opposite of Celeste. But the secure feeling that Leena gets in the house starts turning creepy, like how she is drawn to the closet and likes to sit in there.

There is kind of a triangle between Leena, Celeste and Celeste's brother David. They are super close so when Leena starts falling for David, it makes things a little weird between her and Celeste. I liked David and I liked how much he cared for his sister; I thought it was sweet. But Leena thought it was annoying how he wanted her to be his personal updater on his sister's life.

What I really liked about Frost is that the ending could go several different ways. Was there a scientific explanation for the happenins in Frost House? Was the house haunted? Was it an effect of mental illness? It's very open-ended so the reader can decide what ending they think fits best.

That being said, I enjoyed Frost a lot. The boarding school setting is always fun and the spooky happenings make Frost a great novel to read when you're home alone at night. Or maybe you'll want to wait until it's light out....

Rating: 9 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from library

2011/Balzer & Bray/400 pages.

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