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

Product Information

The mysterious setting of Frost Hollow Hall lures you in from the start, just as it does Tilly: ‘like I’d been tied with an invisible thread and someone at the Hall was on the other end of it, reeling me in. 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. The boy appears to her in her dreams and Tilly realises that he is Kit Barrington, the heir to Frost Hollow Hall, who drowned 10 years earlier in the lake.

Sie verliert nicht den Mut und merkt am Ende, dass Träume und Hoffnungen natürlich schöne Ziele sind, man dabei aber nicht das aus den Augen verlieren und wertschätzen sollte, was man hat. Yourself and Bob are much cherished in our booky world and I personally really appreciate everything that you do. After nearly drowning in the frozen lake of Frost Hollow Hall she discovers that she has made a connection with the ghost of Kit Barrington and she must help him to put things right.Frost Hollow Hall is a convincing read for any committed reader, who particularly enjoys historical stories. Emma Carroll's debut novel came highly recommended to me by my sister and fellow blogger Chrissi Reads and after reading the beautiful synopsis, I was certain I was going to enjoy it. I have the Audible UK version on my phone, too, and I especially enjoy re-reading (or listening to) this book every year, as winter begins to approach. Carroll presents the ghostly aspects of the plot in a subtle yet powerfully frightening way: ‘The whispering started just inches from my ear, a hissing, lisping sound that made my scalp prickle. Don't start this one at bedtime unless you're planning to go to bed a few hours early: you won't want to put it down to sleep.

The characters are all phenomenal and we see the growth of every single one throughout the novel but I had a special soft spot for Tilly, a normal, independent and loving girl that although she has problems of her own delights in being able to help other people.

Tensions arise between Lady Barrington, Mrs Jessop, the housekeeper, and other members of staff and eventually, after an ill-fated séance, Tilly is dismissed, much to her disappointment for she was determined to unravel the mystery of Hollow Hall. Meanwhile, Tilly must control her nerve while working at this scary place, while continuing to discover the truth! As well as being a classic ghost story this book also has the theme of how to deal with the loss of someone you love, and moving on with your life.

I wanted more - probably because I couldn't help but picture him as a younger version of Kit 'you know nothing Jon Snow' Harington from Game of Thrones. So perhaps it was unsurprising when, on the hottest day of the year so far, she decided to read the most wintry-named book she could find: Frost Hollow Hall by Emma Carroll. Tilly makes it clear that they are poor: ‘We didn’t even own enough chairs for us all to sit down at the same time’, and so when her father fails to turn up, she begins to worry.I was so intrigued by the place, I was instantly hooked and wanted a glimpse inside even more than Tilly. Tilly Higgins is a really headstrong girl who stands up for herself and doesn’t let anyone walk over her. He appears to be pleading for her help and Tilly is determined to uncover some secret that will allow him to be at peace.