Frost Hollow Hall - Emma Carroll

Quite a few weeks ago, I received a message on Twitter from my (now ex) English teacher, Emma Carroll, asking if I would be able to read and review her new book for her. Big yays! I'd heard a bit about said book from her and had fully intended to place my Amazon order at
some point but, being completely useless as I am, I never actually got round to it. So I was thrilled to get a copy before it's release date in October. After collecting it from her at the school, I started it on the bus home and absolutely devoured it. 

And so here is the promised review that has been a long time coming. 
I repeat. Useless. Tut. 

Plot

Frost Hollow Hall is a gorgeous Victorian ghost story for Young Adults. The prologue tells us about the 'terrible tragedy' that is the death of Kit Barrington, the heir to Frost Hollow Hall, who died after falling through the ice of a frozen lake. Intriguing. 

We're then very quickly thrown into the life of Tilly Higgins as she waits for her dad to come home. We don't actually meet the dad, but we find out that he's a dreamer, always sharing his dreams of grandeur with Tilly. (Although only a side plot, I particularly loved the idea of the father and the way in which Tilly speaks about him.) 

Local butcher boy, Will Potter, soon shows up and so the story really begins. Dragging her out to the frozen lake Kit Barrington fell through 10 years before, Will dares Tilly to skate on  it. Tilly is a fiesty young thing - part of the reason that I really liked her - and so refuses to turn down the dare and consequently falls through the ice ala Kit Barrington. She should have drowned. She doesn't. Perfect and beautiful Kit brings her to the surface and saves her life. Tilly then makes it her mission to find out why the ghost of Kit seems to be haunting her dreams and crying out for her help. After being offered a job at Frost Hollow Hall, Tilly settles into the life of a house maid under the watchful glare of Mrs Jessop who seems to have her fair share of secrets. The reader is really thrown in to the life of a housemaid in the Victorian age. We're introduced to the odd Lord and Lady Barrington who, the Lady in particular, can't seem to move on from the death of their son. One of my favourite parts of the book is actually when Lady Barrington decides to hold a seance led by Madame Martineau (who "everyone knows [is] just Mrs Martin from the next village") to get in contact with Kit. It's a brilliant chapter that throws out many more questions that really builds up the 'what's occurring here?!'ness. I loved it. 

And so it continues. Tilly goes on trying to solve the mystery of Kit whilst finding out that he's perhaps not the only ghost haunting Frost Hollow Hall... 

Verdict

Honestly, I absolutely loved it. It's one of those fantastic books that you don't realise you've spent 4 hours reading until it's dark outside and you need to turn a light on. The settings are so beautifully described that you feel you're there, freezing by the lake or making your way up the narrow staircases of  the hall. The Victorian era is so clearly defined without the over-explanation of details or the time that I've occasionally found with YA books. The way that the house works, the duties of the staff and the hardships of the times are subtly explained without drawing attention from the plot. 

I especially liked the relationship between Tilly and Will. There's a spark between the two stubborn characters that you definitely want to see more of and the banter that passes between them is brilliant. 

The other characters are equally as good, each bringing something else to the story. Mrs Jessop is unforgettable and adds even more intrigue to the story with her odd behaviour towards Tilly. Maid Gracie is particularly charming and easy to love with her innocence and distress at being blamed for the smashed crockery she swear she didn't break. Even Tillys' unlikable mother has redeemed herself by the end of the book.

I definitely think that young readers will adore Frost Hollow Hall for it's perfect balance of mystery and history. Younger Megan would have loved it just as much as 19-year-old-Megan did.  

I admit, I started reading Frost Hollow Hall because I know the author. But I finished  it because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, it's cheesy but it's no word of a lie; I read the last page or so with a smile on my face. 

Thank you for the copy, Mrs Carroll. Good luck! You didn't grind my gears at all. 

It was fabulous. 

M x