Jessica
Year 9
St Richard's Catholic College
I really like this book because, from the first sentence, it captivates
you and you have to read on.
When Dusty gets a strange phone call from a boy, who she believes may know something about the disappearance of her brother Josh, she is determined to find him. But there are lots of rumours about the boys past, can he be trusted…?
I really liked the ending of this
book because just as you think you know where the plot is heading, it twists
off in another direction. It was unpredictable, surprising and a great read!
Rosie
Year 9
St Richard's Catholic College
Dusty’s brother has been missing for ages and it has torn her
family apart. Her mother has left, and her father needs a job; but when she
gets a strange phone call how can she ignore it. Something strange is pulling
her towards the unknown boy…
I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the plot was original and fast moving with excellent suspense and description. The author kept you guessing at each stage in the book.
The author portrayed Dusty really well, and related to the reader and made them feel part of the book. The novel captured the feelings and emotions of the characters and made it such and enjoyable read.
I also thought that the ending had an excellent twist to it; it left no loose ends and surprised you at the same time. I would mainly recommend this to older readers as it is quite complex.
I would give this book 10/10.
Charlotte
Year 9
Brighton & Hove High School
I liked this book very much. It had a good story line and the author’s
writing style seemed to bring its characters to life somehow. The first page
really gets you into the story when Dusty gets a phone call from a mysterious
boy, a phone call she knows she can’t ignore. You wonder if she will
find him and if she will ever see her missing brother again. This book really
gripped me, and it gave me a good idea of how Dusty felt when she lost her
brother and when she went through all her scrapes. My overall conclusion is
that this book is a really good read and well worth reading, if you like books
with a bit of mystery.
Lucy
Year 8
St Richard's Catholic College
This is a story of a girl who discovered a mysterious boy with a whole
trail of mysteries following him where ever he went.
This story starts off with a simple phone call from a boy who said he was
dying. Dusty could not ignore it. She was surprised to find she knew a lot
about Josh which meant Dusty had to find the boy no matter what.
There were many haunting and strange things about him when they finally met.
He had powers that no other person possessed, he had the power to see people’s
thoughts and feel what other people feel just by thinking of them.
Because of all this Dusty gets involved in many adventures and events which
involved many different people including: the police, mad parents and angry
townspeople. Dusty has a new surprise around every corner; she turns trying
to pick up the mysteries and rumours that the boy has left behind in his trail.
She finds it a challenge but at the end she has sorted her mind out and with
her new friend she is fine.
Louise
Year 8
St Richard's Catholic College
I was never really drawn to this book because of its cover; it really
didn’t make me want to read it, but the content was brilliant. Now I’ve
actually read the book properly I think it’s good and quite spooky!
Dusty lives with her dad after her brother, Josh, went missing and her mum
moved out. One evening she gets a phone call from a strange boy who asks her
to call him Josh. Dusty is shaken after her phone call and goes to find the
boy. While she is out looking for him she realizes that she has got herself
into a tricky situation…
I would recommend this book to any of my friends who are about 12 +.
This book is truly amazing. It has an great story line and one big question comes along with it - what made him come up with this???
It includes the need to know more which I call a "thirst-for-a-book". The book ends with a bang which i look for in a book.
Overall reaction:
Loved it!
Katie W
Year 9
Brighton & Hove High School
This book was weird, but I still liked it. I couldn’t put it
down. The only thing I didn’t like was when it went on and on about
the snow in literally every paragraph. At first I thought it would be just
another one of those books with a girl looking for her lost brother, but it
became really mysterious when the strange boy came into it, and he knew about
the girl’s missing brother. It was a strange, mysterious, magical, sort
of scary, excellent book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.
Rory Mckeown
Age 14
Brighton College
I enjoyed every page of this book. Tim Bowler has succeeded in creating
an original thriller. The novel had many strange twists to it. My imagination
just kept going and going. The characters were original and believable. I
loved the contrast in strong action and a sad story. All these components
put together made a magnificent novel, winning me over and I’m sure
other teenagers.
His disappearance ravages their
family and Dusty’s mother leaves. Just as Dusty and her Dad are beginning
to see the light at the end of the tunnel, disaster strikes! A mysterious
figure enters the picture, one who knows something about Josh, one who Dusty
is desperate to talk to. I loved this book and I think most people will.
The author’s style of writing kept me interested; I think this was because each chapter ended with a cliff hanger, making me want to read on.
The front cover of the book I found slightly strange. I felt that the main idea of the figure walking was a good one, but the figure should have been clearer and definitely wearing a duffel coat with its hood up.
Overall this is my favourite book so far!
Annie
Year 8
St Richard's Catholic College
This is a very touching book that I have read before that highlights
how when someone you love dies you will never get over it, but when Dusty
gets the phone call she is refilled with an urge to find her brother but the
story has a sad ending. He committed suicide and her memory of her brother
is fogged by the new and terrible information she has received from the mysterious
boy.
Abby
Year 9
Hurstpierpoint College
From the moment I read the first words, it captivated me and I could
not put the book down. It was so gripping and the best thing about it was
the description used: it almost felt as if you were there, with Dusty, willing
her to find out the mystery and to find the boy. The book was magical and
the writer was great at building a tense atmostphere and creating an intriguing
mystery. It is definately a book to be read and my favourite book I have read
so far. But save the book until last: save the best until last, which is what
I wish I had done. Spine-tingling, intriguing, spooky mystery, a definate
good-read that will wrap you up in drama and magic and one that will make
you feel every emotion.
Jordan
Year 9
Beacon Community College
This book is consistently gripping and believable. It’s a very
original idea and really focuses on how Dusty stays by the mysterious boy,
through thick and thin because she can tell that he is very disturbed and
in trouble, and that he really needs her by his side all the time.
Emmeline
Year 9
Beacon Community College
This book was really hard to put down, I enjoyed it very much, it
had a good pace, even though it only took place over a few days. Dusty wasn’t
that much of an appealing character, she was missing her brother too much
and it took away any aspects of her personality. I wanted to know more about
the boy, but we only got a few brief meetings and that explained little about
what he was. It had a rather unsatisfying end, that though it was unpredictable,
it didn’t really answer all the questions. I would like to have known
about Dusty before she became so detached and a full explanation on why her
brother left, but I still loved it and would recommend it.
Rhiannon
Year 8
Beacon Community College
It’s very interesting, but at points it is very confusing and
hard to understand. The name fits the story and the blurb makes it sound very
exciting and fast paced. It is original in the sense that the characters are
quite hard to believe and the things they do and say aren’t very realistic.
I enjoyed it but I wouldn’t really tell other people to read it and
if I didn’t have to I wouldn’t have read all of it.
Megan
Year 9
Beacon Community College
I really enjoyed it. I could understand what the character was going
through and their personality. The writer really gripped my attention all
the way through. Questions filled my head which I wanted answered. I didn’t
want to put the book down. The plot for the story was really original which
is what kept me reading; I didn’t know what to expect. The title confused
me at first but as I progressed through the book it started to make sense.
The atmosphere of curiosity and anger went hand in hand and made the story
more real. I would recommend this book to teenagers.
Megan
Year 10
St Richard's Catholic College
'Frozen Fire' intrigued me from the very first sentences. It's such
a mysterious book and you're never quite sure exactly what’s going on.
The storyline is very original although sometimes overly dramatic. It was
quite fast-paced as well; I was always gripped in one plot or another. However,
it wasn't always that realistic and occasionally I couldn't get completely
engrossed in the story because I just couldn’t imagine it happening.
I really enjoyed reading about the strange boy, I thought he was such an ingenious
character and I was fascinated by him. He seemed really sensitive and gentle
but there was an impression from him that made you a bit wary and want to
keep your distance. The author gave you just enough information to engage
you but not enough so you were always left wondering about him. I also thought
Dusty was a well-written character, she was extremely feisty but her vulnerability
also shone through at the right moments.
I really enjoyed 'Frozen Fire', it was incredibly tense at times and I could
feel myself get more and more involved and wanting to help the characters.
The author portrayed a vivid image of the events that occurred and I could
really imagine myself in those situations and empathise with the characters.
Rating: 8-9/10
Hui Liu
Age 14
Brighton College
A young girl receives a phone call late at night from a mysterious
boy which leads to a series of events spiralling further and further from
reality. The boy seems to know something about her missing brother, yet makes
no move to help her in the search.
The book has a very ethereal, almost spooky atmosphere to it, as has all the works of Bowler, yet everyone can empathise with Dusty as she struggles to repress distant memories of her brother. Although the plot is rather unrealistic, the characters and motivations behind each move are believable and the pace never slows.
The reading of every book is a
journey, and this was a most memorable and thrilling one to partake in.
Connor
Year 8
St Richard's Catholic College
This weird but wonderful book is full of twists and turns, and contains
one of the most obscure story lines ever.
Follow the story of Dusty, a teenage girl with a knack of getting into fights.
One night, she gets a phone call from a dying boy who apparently just thought
of her phone number. Only this boy is special; this boy knows about Dusty’s
brother, Josh.
This is a dangerous time; mobs are forming to dish out some vigilante justice
to the boy, as he is supposed to have violated a girl repeatedly. Should Dusty
believe these rumours? Or should she ignore them in pursuit of her only brother?
Callum
Age 13
Brighton College
Tim Bowler’s novel “Frozen Fire” is a gripping book
which is fast paced and involves the reader superbly.
Dusty, a girl who is the main character,
receives a mysterious ‘phone call from a boy who is trying to kill himself
at the time and he starts using words and phrases that Dusty’s brother
Josh used. Dusty becomes determined to find this boy because she is convinced
that he would know where Josh is. When Dusty finds herself in a dangerous
situation, she knows that to be connected with this boy is dangerous. Throughout
the novel Tim Bowler uses great description and keeps the boy hidden and mysterious
until the very end. He builds up tension every time and always includes the
smallest detail which I think makes it a great book.
Lily
Year 9
Roedean School
It starts with a mysterious call from an unknown boy. He says he is
dying, but Dusty soon finds that he has other information that is very important
to her. As she is drawn deeper into the mystery she finds her own life in
danger. Dusty wants the answers, but what of the boys past? Can she trust
him at all?
I thought this was an amazing book, it was quite thought provoking. It was
thrilling and mysterious all the way through. Tim Bowler really knows how
to write a good book! I would give it 9/10 for the great plot, originality
and ability to grip the reader to the very last page.
Charlotte
Year 9
St Richard's Catholic College
When Dusty receives the phone call from the strange boy she feels
she cannot ignore it. He says only things that her brother says and her brother
went missing a few years ago. This strange boy has taken an overdose and wants
a kind voice to listen to while he dies. Dusty thinks that is fair enough
but why her and how did he get her number? Dusty decides to go out to the
place where he is, the park. She gets there but there’s no sign of the
boy. She can hear barking and footsteps behind her and realizes she’s
being chased. She gets confronted by some horrible people who are connecting
her to the boy. But she doesn’t know him. These people never leave her
alone and as she gets closer to the boy, he’s not in danger, she is.
I really enjoyed this book it was beautifully written. The character Dusty
was really good to think and read about. She is such an intriguing character
and her search for the boy is almost frustrating because you want her to find
him. I enjoyed the plot and the all little twists he put into it. I would
definitely recommend this book to everyone.
I really enjoyed it so I am giving it 10/10.
Connie
Age 13
St Leonards Mayfield
I thought that Frozen Fire, was a gripping thriller that was subsequently
a page turner. I have to say that despite being a good book it was not brilliantly
written. The book is written in a style that builds tension effectively, yet
uses a simple dialogue to do this and does not really stretch the reader.
Despite the above I really enjoyed
the book and thought that it had a very good storyline that encouraged me
to keep reading throughout. Jolly
Connie
Age 13
St Leonards Mayfield
I thought that Frozen Fire, was a gripping thriller that was subsequently
a page turner. I have to say that despite being a good book it was not brilliantly
written. The book is written in a style that builds tension effectively, yet
uses a simple dialogue to do this and does not really stretch the reader.
Despite the above I really enjoyed
the book and thought that it had a very good storyline that encouraged me
to keep reading throughout. Jolly good a spiffing book!
Niamh
Year 9
Brighton & Hove High School
There is no other way to describe this book, apart from the word epic.
It combines a tantalizing recipe of mystery, fear, magic, climaxes, obsessions
and stunning imagery to satisfy the hungriest of readers.
You can’t fail to have this book welded to your eyes, because it is just so un-putdownable. The author is definitely talented, keeping us on the edge of our seats with the cleverly intertwined stories.
At first, we think that this is an ordinary story of a young teenager’s quest to find her lost brother, but it turns to a magical tale when a mysterious boy comes into the plot. The author I think really sets the scene in the book to reflect the unknown boy and the girl’s feelings, by having it snowing all of the time. The girl is empty and lost without her brother whereas the boy is cold distant, deadly and also has a pale complexion and appearance. Then the tale turns from mystery to adventure and fear as the boy may have committed a serious crime. The girl gets tangled up in the story, (in ways I can’t say because it would give the whole plot away!) mystified and curious, as the boy seems to know something of her missing brother. Then the crime is revealed, (and so is the boy!) the main mysteries are solved, but you can’t help finishing the book with a lot of unanswered questions. What sort of magic was it? Why was the boy like that and how? What really happened?
And so I definitely recommend this book to any avid reader, looking for a good book to curl up with inside on cold winter nights, but beware, it might just make you keep glancing out of the window at people with hooded coats…
Joseph
Year 9
St Richard's Catholic College
Dusty is in a kind of limbo, kept there by grief – grief at
the loss of her charismatic brother Josh, whose body has still not been found.
Her parents have divorced, too bitter to live together anymore. She lives
with her dad in an isolated cottage. One night, her mobile phone rings, and
a mysterious and dangerous boy appears in her life…
I found the idea excellent and original, but sometimes the emotional state
of Dusty is just too much. The snow is brilliant in this, serving as a blank
canvas for the actions taking place. However when the ghost boy appears, the
emotion is fully justified and vividly described.
All in all, this is an engrossing, psychological thriller, excellently written,
but occasionally with too much description to wade through, however beautifully
described.
4/5
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