Frost - Marianna Baer

I read the book almost 3 years ago, I know that back then it also struck me as being an odd book. There are some stuff about mental illnesses, there are supposedly ghosts and a whole lot of drama going on. I decided to re-read it, see if I still like it, if I still thought the same. And I hoped that it has been long enough since the previous read that I didn't know the ending or some stuff. And I was right. I still had suspicions and I had the feeling I knew the ending, but I could read the book mostly without knowing the exact details. :)

Let me start with Leena. Ah, Leena. At times I liked her, at other times I just wanted to have her admitted to a mental hospital. This due to various things. Things I will put under a spoiler tag, I will continue talking about Leena's other things (that aren't spoiler), later. I first need to rant.
(view spoiler)
Leena had some good sides. She cares about people, tries to help out people. She is awesome with fixing stuff (be it cars or stuff in the house), and she is apparently smart enough to be at the school. I liked her at times, but sometimes she just was too much.

Next up is Celeste. I didn't like her at all. Her attitude was weird. At times she would be kind, but the next moment she would bitch. One moment she would want David and Leena to be together, but the next she would be rude and mean about it. Acting like Leena was only flirting with David because she needed a fuckbuddy. It was disgusting. And even with the ending and what happened there, I just couldn't and never will like Celeste. She was horrendous. And I hope she will get help, as she will need it.

David. David, David. I am not even sure what to think about the guy. He was an enormous siscon (a term often used in Japanese manga/anime, where the brother is overly obsessing about his sister), and I hated him for a big part of the book. I felt like he was only using Leena. To get information about his sister. He was just creepily overprotective, I wouldn't call it normal behaviour. Not at all.

Then we have Abby and Viv. I did like them, but at times I found them overly dramatic and overreacting to everything. Yes, things happened. Yes, she spend quite a time with her ROOMMATE, and yes, that must hurt your dear feelings, but to act so bitchy about it? No, just no. I also didn't like how they treated her after she accidentally spilled the beans about things and something big happened. Yes, it meant someone was punished, yes it meant that person had to leave. But sorry, he already had something going on, and he knew that going on that trip could mean him having to leave. Maybe now it was Leena, but they could also just have been busted, or someone else would have spilled their guts.

I didn't like the dean at all. I found her behaviour weird. At times she was overly friendly with Leena, acting more like a friend than a dean, but at other times she was a total general and barked at everything. Expected that Leena would come to her like a little puppy and spill the beans. Sorry, this is not how it should work.
Also the overreacting on that advice Leena gave to a girl who was new to the whole boarding school? Why is it that bad. The girl will have to be in that school, on campus for years, only going home occasionally. I don't see what is so bad about the advice to see your dorms as your home, and your parents house as that, your parents house. I don't see why the big fuss, it is a fantastic advice.

There was a lot of drama in the book, at times just too much and too distracting. But, there were also enough creepy times, times that gave me goosebumps. And those times are also a reason why I gave the book a higher rating. Without the creepiness and the feeling that something is haunting them, I would have rated the book quite a bit lower.

I did like the setting and how everything is described. I could just imagine the campus, the school and Frost House.

The ending was decent, but it left me unsatisfied. I felt like it was over too soon and without much of an explanation. I wish it was explained more, or if there had been a big scene (yes, there was a big scene, but I meant more that things were exposed. That we would truly find out what happened in the house).

All in all, I would still recommend the book. It was a good book, and I had fun reading it.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/