Frost Hollow Hall: 'The Queen of Historical Fiction at her finest.' Guardian

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I don't normally read YA novels, but I couldn't resist the allure of a Victorian ghost story, and Emma Carroll did not let me down. Whilst she is on the lake, she heeds no warning from Will to steer clear of the thinner ice, and finds herself underwater: ‘Slowly, gently, the lake closed over my head and all went quiet but for the blood pounding in my ears. But Tilly wasn’t going to let know that she was worried, and she skated right out to the middle of the lake. Emma Carroll's voice flows elegantly through this ghostly period tale of Tilly and her discovery of haunting secrets at Frost Hollow Hall.

The ice breaks and Tilly soon slips through and it seems certain she too will succumb to its icy depths until a hazy figure appears to her underneath the ice and pushes her back up. And I am glad I did for it is a touching portrait of Hollow Hall and its inhabitants with an excellent storyline. There's just something magical and mysterious about Winter and the cover promises these in abundance. Tilly comes from a working class family whose father 'pa' has disappeared and mother 'ma' takes in mending- the rent is always overdue and they have little food.It's creepy, it's imaginative, it has a delightfully determined narrator in Tilly and it's wound through with an utterly believable love story. And then there's Kit Barrington, who appears to Tilly when the inevitable accident happens and she falls through the ice. Warning – do not read this book if you have a nervous disposition; it is a seriously spooky ghost story. You can’t review this book without mentioning the gorgeous cover, which has a real Christmas feel to it. Secrets are unearthed that will rock Tilly's world indefinitely and teach her a whole lot about family, friendship, love, absolution, letting go and moving on.

With creepy rooms, terrified maids, a house-keeper who seems to be hiding something and Lady Barrington mad with mourning, Frost Hollow Hall is a compelling read.but I liked some of the details, like the ones that gave the reader a more specific idea of what working as a servant in a big house might have been like.

Insgesamt fand ich es auf jeden Fall eine sehr gut aufgebaut Geschichte, mit gruseligen Momenten und tragischen Schicksalen, die mich sehr berührt hat. Tilly might feel all alone at Frost Hollow Hall with its dark secrets and grief-stricken mistress, but in the background there is Will’s loyalty, humour and bravery – and set against Tilly’s impoverished family life and the eerie circumstances she finds herself in, that’s kinda cool.But Carroll’s settings aren’t just helpful backdrops – they’re at the forefront of her brilliantly written action scenes: ‘Black, stinking water spewed over the ice. It is told by Matilda (Tilly) Higgins, who, after falling in the forbidden lake at the Hall and being rescued by an angel, or a ghost, or even the watching Will Potter, loses her sister and father as they emigrate to America and then ends up as a maidservant at the Hall. Emma Carroll also describes the settings in such fine detail that you can imagine that you are there and feel the creepy atmosphere.

The story is told through Tilly's voice and the author has captured this brilliantly, you completely believe in the character because she is so well written. There was just the right amount of choice to suit everyone without being overwhelming and I received comments from parents and staff about the quality of books offered compared to previous sales which have always been based around current crazes and well known celebrity authors. Will’s invitation to ice skate on the frozen lake outside Frost Hollow Hall results in a near tragedy for Tilly.He is due home from ‘a stint on the railways’, bringing with him much needed money to pay the family’s rent. Tilly, unlike the rest of the village girls, goes because she never backs down from a dare and not because she’s ‘silly’ over Will. She often feels at-odds with her family and has an amusing love-hate relationship with her schoolboy crush, Will Porter. Außerdem ist Nach über Frost Hollow Hall eine viktorianische Geistergeschichte und für diese Art von Büchern hatte ich schon immer eine Schwäche.