Thursday 25 August 2011

The Truth About Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne


Pages - 343
Published by Usborne in August 2011
Book kindly given to me by Sarah from Feeling Fictional.

Opening paragraph
Celia Frost allowed her body to relax just a fraction as she lifted her coat off the peg in the bustling cloakroom. All she had to do now was get to the staffroom, where somebody would be waiting to give her a lift home. Usually she cringed at having members of staff ferry her to and from school, but today Celia couldn't wait to get into the safety of a teacher's car. 

Goodreads Summary
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 safety". 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.
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From the first cut that Celia experiences, you know that something just doesn't quite ring true with her supposed condition. You have absolutely no idea what might be going on and why she has to be treated with kid gloves, you just know that the story her mother is telling her is just not true. As a reader, you begin to feel rather uneasy when Celia's mother appears; is she a sufferer of Munchhausen By Proxy??

After the rather stressful incident, Janice reacts in the same way she always does and packs up their belongings and moves them to a new town. A new start is needed, just like all the other times, the only problem is that someone has managed to follow their scent this time and is on the trail.

Poor, poor Celia, I really felt for her to begin with. I struggled with how much her mother had lied to her and I   was cheering her from the sidelines as she gave her mother hell for keeping her under lock and key for most of her life. I was so pleased to see her rebel against her mother and shift from the scared young creature to a bold,sassy and rather nasty teenager. However as the story progressed, I began to realise that Janice had her reasons, which we were not privy to and she was completely justified in her actions, so I did feel rather sorry for her and the way Celia treated her. I felt terrible for jumping to conclusions. It was quite pitiful to see the deterioration of the mother and daughter relationship.

It is really difficult to review this book, as it has such a huge twist in it, that you know will appear, but you just can't put your finger on what it actually is. All through the book, you find yourself feeling rather desperate to know what the truth about Celia actually is. When the truth eventually is told, life changes for the better for Celia and Janice, which shows that it is better to get the truth out there rather than living a lie.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and insist that people read it, as the truth about Celia will keep you turning those pages desperate for an answer. When the truth was revealed, it really surprised me as I hadn't expected it at all. A fabulous debut  with a fascinating story line and extremely strong and well written characters. 

6 comments:

  1. Lovely write up, I've seen this book getting some great reviews.

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  2. What a terrific review! I love books with twists and will definitely be adding this one to my list.

    Thanks, Viv!

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  4. This does sound like a very compelling read. I haven't heard of it before, so I'm off to check out the details and add it to the wish list.

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  5. Love the sound of this one! I've seen it around a lot - I'm intrigued by this big twist! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the review :).

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  6. I really want to read this one! I cant wait to get my hands on it! Great review!

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