This is a charming story which, despite dealing with dark themes of grief, poverty and death, remains light-hearted and hopeful. When Tilly was excited, (despite all of the other maids being terrified) I was excited, when she was scared, I was scared for her.

Tilly is a fantastic heroine, as feisty as Pullman’s Lyra Belacqua and as brave as Borrough’s India Bentley. 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.Moontrug likes to make a habit of doing the opposite of what most other people are doing: she goes down up escalators, rushes out into thunderstorms and eats pizza with a lot of ketchup. and be prepared to be transported into a Victorian masterpiece that will grip you until the final page. Ob Kinder ab 10 Jahren hier schon Verständnis gerade für die Auflösung aufbringen können kann ich grade nicht so einschätzen, ich würde es deshalb eher erst ab 12 Jahren empfehlen.

Tilly's life takes an unexpected turn after she nearly drowned which results in her taking a job as a housemaid at Frost Hollow Hall, a home with a tragic past, and uncovers its secrets. 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. Trotz der teilweise recht tragischen Atmosphäre, in der Trauer, Verlust, Schuld und das Loslassen können eine wichtige Rolle spielen, waren auch schöne und warmherzige Botschaften zu finden. Told in Tilly’s unique voice, it is a tale of love and loss, and how forgiveness is the key to recovery.I would most definitely recommend this to someone else, and if they like this book please read the rest of Emma Carrol's books, they are all great. It is so well written that it will keep you reading until you realise that you are already on the last chapter.

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. She thinks that Will Potter is ‘an irksome wretch’ and ‘a daft lummox’, and she is always ready to offer opinions on everything which she encounters. Meanwhile Tilly’s mother has problems, and of course her daughter wants to support her; and Tilly’s relationship with Will – who delivers meat to the hall – moves along nicely.You guys are such a force for good and I am a passionate supporter of Indie booksellers, so I'm so happy this worked out well (I'd love to know how many books were sold if you have it to hand - it felt like quite a lot! 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. 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.