Frozen by Mary Casanova

Sixteen-year-old Sadie Rose hasn't said a word in eleven years-ever since the day she was found lying in a snowbank during a howling storm. Like her voice, her memories of her mother and what happened that night were frozen.
Set during the roaring 1920s in the beautiful, wild area on Rainy Lake where Minnesota meets Canada, Frozen tells the remarkable story of Sadie Rose, whose mother died under strange circumstances the same night that Sadie Rose was found, unable to speak, in a snowbank. Sadie Rose doesn't know her last name and has only fleeting memories of her mother-and the conflicting knowledge that her mother had worked in a brothel. Taken in as a foster child by a corrupt senator, Sadie Rose spends every summer along the shores of Rainy Lake, where her silence is both a prison and a sanctuary.
One day, Sadie Rose stumbles on a half dozen faded, scandalous photographs-pictures, she realises, of her mother. They release a flood of puzzling memories, and these wisps of the past send her at last into the heart of her own life's great mystery: who was her mother, and how did she die? Why did her mother work in a brothel-did she have a choice? What really happened that night when a five-year-old girl was found shivering in a snowbank, her voice and identity abruptly shattered?
Sadie Rose's search for her personal truth is laid against a swirling historical drama-a time of prohibition and women winning the right to vote, political corruption, and a fevered fight over the area's wilderness between a charismatic, unyielding, powerful industrialist and a quiet man battling to save the wide, wild forests and waters of northernmost Minnesota.

I recieved this book courtesy of Netgalley after the blurb intrigued me! It was different from anything I've read before and I loved that!

What I loved:
Subtlety- I loved how mystery of Sadie Rose's past built and intertwined with her future. I loved all the added surprises and red herrings which kept me guessing and surprised!
Setting- I really enjoyed the setting of North Minnesota- it was different to anything I'd read before. The description was beautiful and realistic.
Characters- The characters portrayed such a range of small town society from politicians and businessmen to middle class families and immigrant servants to brothel owners. I loved the diversion and all the characters were so well written!
Romance- I liked that the romance aspect was in the background and slow burning. It was sweet and uncomplicated compared to the rest of the book. ,
Themes- This book had so many different interrelated themes mixed in. It explored mental health and treatment alongside small town politics and big businesses. I especially enjoyed learning about the early wilderness conservation idea and exploring how it was developed and viewed in the book.  
Epilogue- Perfect ending, it wrapped up all the loose ends but also left it open for interpretation on the future.

What I didn't love as much:
Justice- Despite all the revelations no one was ever truly punished. People seemed to have suspected or known about these revelations but accepted due to their position or they viewed the perpetrator as untouchable. It was realistic but I hate when criminals go unpunished!

This book surprised me with how much I loved it and how many layers it had!

Have you read Frozen?
Any similar books you'd recommend?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxxx