Book Review: The Truth About Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne.

Product details:
Publisher: Usborne Publishing .
Release date: August 1st 2011.
Paperback, 336 pages.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 13+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

 Celia Frost is a freak. At least that's what everyone thinks. Her life is ruled by a rare disorder that means she could bleed to death from the slightest cut, confining her to a gloomy bubble of safetyA". No friends. No fun. No life. But when a knife attack on Celia has unexpected consequences, her mum reacts strangely. Suddenly they're on the run. Why is her mum so scared? Someone out there knows - and when they find Celia, she's going to wish the truth was a lie - A buried secret; a gripping manhunt; a dangerous deceit: what is the truth about Celia Frost? A page-turning thriller that's impossible to put down.

A gritty, fast-paced thriller brimming with plot twists, Paula Rawsthorne’s The Truth about Celia Frost is an impressive debut that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish!

Often dark in its settings and themes, this book introduces us to Celia Frost and her mother Janice, two people who are hidden away from society, leading lonely and solitary lives. Because of a rare blood disorder that means she could bleed to death from even the slightest of cuts, Celia is labeled a ‘freak’ by the other kids at school, and suffers from near constant name-calling and bullying. Celia doesn’t take this kind of behaviour lying down though, and when, one day, she stands up to a bully and gets cut in the resulting fight, her life changes forever and in a way she could never have imagined. Celia finds herself on the run with her mother, and soon figures out that Janice has been keeping secrets from her. It also appears that somebody knows the truth about Celia Frost, and they will stop at nothing to track her down.

The Truth about Celia Frost is an intense page-turner that I read in one sitting. Rawsthorne tackles hard hitting issues such as bullying and gang violence head on, and this book certainly packs a punch as we unravel the secrets that have led Celia and Janice to go on the run, and settle in the dark and dreary Bluebell estate. Throughout the book Celia maintains a sense of hope, even though her life up to this point has been one of isolation, deprivation and loneliness. Her condition has meant that she can’t run, can’t climb, can’t ride a bike or partake in any of the usual rough and tumble of other kids her age. When she meets local boy Sol, friendship blooms, and these two kids, who have had the hardest starts in life, take such pleasure in the little things that most of us take for granted, that it is a pleasure to behold. I loved the friendship between Celia and Sol, and it is a welcome light relief in a book that is otherwise dangerous and deadly in it’s themes.

A thought-provoking read full of secrets, lies and dark deceptions, The Truth about Celia Frost contains a deadly secret and raises questions about society that will keep you thinking long after you’ve turned the final pages.