Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com
Dusty's brother disappeared over a year ago without a trace. The family thinks that he is probably dead, and Dusty is still mourning his loss. Then she gets a phone call from a strange boy who says, "I'm dying." Dusty is ready to hang up on him when he says some things that make her think he knows something about her brother. It sounds like he may really be dying from an overdose, and then she loses voice contact with him.
How did he get her cell phone number? Who is he? She sets off into the winter night to try to find him since she is pretty sure that he is close, and in trouble. Then things get really frightening when a man, two boys, and some wicked-looking dogs join the search and then chase and corner Dusty, demanding to know where the boy is.
After the boy contacts Dusty again, she discovers that other people have also had contact with this mystery boy who seems to be part human, part spirit. He has an affinity with Dusty but insists that he won't let himself be found because he is too dangerous. There are many people who agree and who want to see this boy dead . . . and who will hurt anyone who stands in their way.
Carnegie Medal winner Tim Bowler is a genius at plotting and characterization, and this story stands alone as a paranormal mystery/thriller about a boy that may not be of this world and a girl who is driven to protect him at all costs. FROZEN FIRE kept me reading most of the night, with suspense that just kept building to an unexpected ending. The elusive boy and Dusty are characters that you won't soon forget, in a story that will keep you wondering.
Dusty's brother disappeared over a year ago without a trace. The family thinks that he is probably dead, and Dusty is still mourning his loss. Then she gets a phone call from a strange boy who says, "I'm dying." Dusty is ready to hang up on him when he says some things that make her think he knows something about her brother. It sounds like he may really be dying from an overdose, and then she loses voice contact with him.
How did he get her cell phone number? Who is he? She sets off into the winter night to try to find him since she is pretty sure that he is close, and in trouble. Then things get really frightening when a man, two boys, and some wicked-looking dogs join the search and then chase and corner Dusty, demanding to know where the boy is.
After the boy contacts Dusty again, she discovers that other people have also had contact with this mystery boy who seems to be part human, part spirit. He has an affinity with Dusty but insists that he won't let himself be found because he is too dangerous. There are many people who agree and who want to see this boy dead . . . and who will hurt anyone who stands in their way.
Carnegie Medal winner Tim Bowler is a genius at plotting and characterization, and this story stands alone as a paranormal mystery/thriller about a boy that may not be of this world and a girl who is driven to protect him at all costs. FROZEN FIRE kept me reading most of the night, with suspense that just kept building to an unexpected ending. The elusive boy and Dusty are characters that you won't soon forget, in a story that will keep you wondering.
Dusty doesn't know anything about the boy who mysteriously calls her one night as he attempts to commit suicide, then startles her with all the personal things he knows about her and her life--like the disappearance of her brother, Josh. All she knows that there is something terribly alluring yet dangerous about him at the same time. Her curiosity drags her into an out-of-this-world intriguing mystery that makes her enemies and drives her to her tomboyish limits.
For there really ARE a lot of things strange about the boy. Like how he knows all of these intimate details about people. Or how he disappears without a trace. And then there are the stories that the angry mob from other towns tell, of the boy having a certain hold over girls and then raping them, of him disarming or killing living beings with just one wave of his hand.
Dusty doesn't know how to feel about this boy. Her family, the cops, her friends, the mob--all are telling her to stay away from him, she is only going to implicate herself if she continues to mess things up so that it looks like she's helping him. But all Dusty is certain of is that the mysterious boy is the key to finding out what happened to her brother Josh, all those many years ago.
And for that, she can't stop getting involved, until her very life is in mortal danger.
FROZEN FIRE is interesting and fairly well-written. A lot happens at once, which may confuse some readers, but it is a worthwhile story, with a satisfying ending.
For there really ARE a lot of things strange about the boy. Like how he knows all of these intimate details about people. Or how he disappears without a trace. And then there are the stories that the angry mob from other towns tell, of the boy having a certain hold over girls and then raping them, of him disarming or killing living beings with just one wave of his hand.
Dusty doesn't know how to feel about this boy. Her family, the cops, her friends, the mob--all are telling her to stay away from him, she is only going to implicate herself if she continues to mess things up so that it looks like she's helping him. But all Dusty is certain of is that the mysterious boy is the key to finding out what happened to her brother Josh, all those many years ago.
And for that, she can't stop getting involved, until her very life is in mortal danger.
FROZEN FIRE is interesting and fairly well-written. A lot happens at once, which may confuse some readers, but it is a worthwhile story, with a satisfying ending.
