Amaterasu Reads: ARC Review: The Truth About Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne

If you had a disease where even the smallest of cuts can kill you, how would you live your life? Celia has lived on the outside looking in, with no real friends, and with the constant fear that she can die anytime, an accident waiting to happen. Imagine how can a girl live that way?

Title: The Truth About Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthrone
Pages: 336
Release Date: August 1st 2011
Published by: Usborne Publishing
Source: Publisher (thanks Blanche & Amy!)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary (from Goodreads):

Celia Frost is a freak. At least that's what everyone thinks. Her life is ruled by a rare disorder that means she could bleed to death from the slightest cut, confining her to a gloomy bubble of safetyA". No friends. No fun. No life. But when a knife attack on Celia has unexpected consequences, her mum reacts strangely. Suddenly they're on the run. Why is her mum so scared? Someone out there knows - and when they find Celia, she's going to wish the truth was a lie - A buried secret; a gripping manhunt; a dangerous deceit: what is the truth about Celia Frost? A page-turning thriller that's impossible to put down.

Celia has haemophilia. I initially thought it was just that, that the story will revolve around a girl who was growing up and has finally decided she will live the way she wants to, that she wouldn't let her sickness control her, but I learned that The Truth About Celia Frost is much more than that.

This book made me do a lot of guessing. Maybe it has a paranormal edge to it? Or perhaps a mythological connection? But no, it came down to life and death, of science and people trying to play God. My imagination went far off as I read through. I love how it's something I was totally unprepared for, that it's something more than I expected it to be.

Celia's life went through one whirlwind of a change ever since that fateful moment when she was almost stabbed. She went from an immature teenager wanting to break free of her hermit-like, mundane existence with only her and her mom to a girl who is determined and not afraid to show the world who and what she is. Sol is a great companion and a friend to Celia, and his life, in contrast with Celia is what helped her understand hers more.

I think a lot of people will have misconceptions and will eventually misunderstand Celia's mother. I did and I felt a little taken aback when all the bad things I've thought of her (that she was a mother who has utter disregard for her daughter and only thinks of herself) were put out in the open and justified, but slowly, readers will understand why she became that way and that all that she had done for Celia is in her best interest.

One thing readers should take into account while reading this is that appearances can be deceiving. People who you expect to be good aren't really what they seem, and those who you think are bad will surprise you in unexpected ways. Like Frankie, the private investigator hired to find Celia and her mother. My perception of what is good and what is bad was tested quite a bit by this book.

The Truth About Celia Frost is a fast-paced, quick read. Engaging and thrilling from page one up to the end, with twists and turns happening so often readers wouldn't know what hit them by the time they finish. It's a breath of fresh air, something new to look forward to aside from the usual dystopian and paranormal books coming out these days. A gripping debut for Paula Rawsthorne which I definitely recommend to everyone!

Content (plot, story flow, character):