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pickwickthedodo's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly good fun. A must for fans of the genre. I don't usually read YA anything, but I'm really pleased I picked this up.
unki's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A story full of mystery and questions of what next?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Body horror, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Self harm
Minor: Animal death and Confinement
drowned_leviathan's review against another edition
4.0
From reading the preview a couple months ago, a knew what to expect from Frozen Charlotte; creepy, sometimes morbid horrendousness (I know it's not a word but shh). And still, I somehow loved it. I could not put it down, every chapter finishing on such a steep cliff that I had to read on, the addition of the song lyrics at each chapter also kept the consistency for me and kept bringing me back to the fact that Frozen Charlotte dolls are a real thing - making it more terrifying because the sadistic little buggers actually exist.
But about the actual story I won't say too much, I myself hate spoilers, but I was completely absorbed. The overall vibe of the book changes completely from start to finish and you may get to the middle and think to yourself that not much has happened. But in reality, the book is pulling you in deeper and deeper until you're too far in to claw your way back out. For me, that was the ending. You can go through the whole book thinking 'this isn't too bad' and get to the end just in time to witness an explosion of gruesome things that will make you want to grimace. It was so cathartic at its final climax that I had to stop reading for a second and take a breather from all the heartache.
Although I would praise this book to the heavens and highly recommend it to anyone, it does have but one downfall. Both books will always be in my favorites but for me the prologue just seemed somehow, better, the overall tone conveying something that I felt was more appropriate for the dolls. Also, I found a lack of consistency in the destruction of the dolls, I won't say what but SOMETHING happened when one of the dolls was destroyed in the prologue that I found didn't follow through in Frozen Charlotte. My final reason for not giving Frozen Charlotte a 5 out of 5 is the last few pages. I noticed this in Charlotte Says too, but although the book is completely unpredictable and has hundreds of twists and turns, the ending is always fantastic but the last few pages can be a little cliched and slightly anti-climactic in comparison, however, I can see the author's reasoning behind it.
Through all that I would still recommend the book, even if dolls super freak you out - like me - it's still worth the read just for the story, knowledge, and influence to the possibility of a truth behind it. As in my case, I would recommend reading the prologue, Charlotte says, first if you haven't already because there are a fair few spoilers in Frozen Charlotte that may ruin Charlotte Says for you, even if they don't mention names.
Happy reading.
But about the actual story I won't say too much, I myself hate spoilers, but I was completely absorbed. The overall vibe of the book changes completely from start to finish and you may get to the middle and think to yourself that not much has happened. But in reality, the book is pulling you in deeper and deeper until you're too far in to claw your way back out. For me, that was the ending. You can go through the whole book thinking 'this isn't too bad' and get to the end just in time to witness an explosion of gruesome things that will make you want to grimace. It was so cathartic at its final climax that I had to stop reading for a second and take a breather from all the heartache.
Although I would praise this book to the heavens and highly recommend it to anyone, it does have but one downfall. Both books will always be in my favorites but for me the prologue just seemed somehow, better, the overall tone conveying something that I felt was more appropriate for the dolls. Also, I found a lack of consistency in the destruction of the dolls, I won't say what but SOMETHING happened when one of the dolls was destroyed in the prologue that I found didn't follow through in Frozen Charlotte. My final reason for not giving Frozen Charlotte a 5 out of 5 is the last few pages. I noticed this in Charlotte Says too, but although the book is completely unpredictable and has hundreds of twists and turns, the ending is always fantastic but the last few pages can be a little cliched and slightly anti-climactic in comparison, however, I can see the author's reasoning behind it.
Through all that I would still recommend the book, even if dolls super freak you out - like me - it's still worth the read just for the story, knowledge, and influence to the possibility of a truth behind it. As in my case, I would recommend reading the prologue, Charlotte says, first if you haven't already because there are a fair few spoilers in Frozen Charlotte that may ruin Charlotte Says for you, even if they don't mention names.
Happy reading.
frannie_rose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emmareadscrime's review against another edition
4.0
Sophie arrives at an old schoolhouse to spend a couple of weekends with her uncle and cousins following the tragic death or her best friend Jay. There are antique dolls all over the house and something sinister is at play.
I bought this book not realising that it is a YA book. I’m glad I didn’t realise as I might not have bought it and it would have been a real shame.
The book doesn’t come across too childish and it is gruesome and scary throughout! There are obviously supernatural elements which form part of the story. I find paranormal activity in books hit and miss but it was perfect for this books story line! It was a good read and perfect for spooky season!
I bought this book not realising that it is a YA book. I’m glad I didn’t realise as I might not have bought it and it would have been a real shame.
The book doesn’t come across too childish and it is gruesome and scary throughout! There are obviously supernatural elements which form part of the story. I find paranormal activity in books hit and miss but it was perfect for this books story line! It was a good read and perfect for spooky season!
nelsonseye's review against another edition
3.0
Frozen Charlotte was suitably creepy (great setting) and the story was quite engaging. I do wish Sophie had taken certain actions earlier, but I guess that wouldn't have fit the genre. The backstories were well done, and the "truth", while not surprising, had me keen to see how things would resolve. The actual resolution/final moments felt a bit rushed, and I wasn't too keen on the "six months later" chapter, but the final epilogue was a good close.
krinaverse's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
bookishgoblin's review against another edition
3.0
Though this book is written in quite a simplistic, and at times boring, style, it's still quite an excellent plot! The entire book is clearly well thought out, well researched, and all together quite scary! An excellent piece, a bit like trashy genre fiction for those who like that, or want a break from stuff to heavy (like uni reading) but no, it really picked up and got quite exciting, once it got going I finished most of it in one day! I'd recommend to lovers of horror, but not anyone who particularly loves innovative use of style and narrative voice, because it really isn't the best.
sasha101's review against another edition
5.0
This book has to be one of the best books I’ve ever read. I liked that the book got to the main plot quite quickly, and even the plot at the start was so eerie, I loved it. I love how Alex Bell presents the characters in this book and I love her writing style. This book is a MUST read (only if you don’t get easily scared!)