Frost by M.P. Kozlowsky

Frost is sixteen and alone.  She has her pet, a new creature that evolved after the world ended, and she has a robot guardian.  The robot is part robot and part her father.  He has embedded his brain in the robot.  The streets are filled with "eaters" and rogue robots.  There are also gangs to watch out for.  But her pet is sick and she's determined to find him medicine...

Scholastic Press and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published October 11th.

This book surprised me.  I've read a lot of dystopian tales and a lot about robots but this was a different take on the subject.  I was also surprised to see that the author is male.  There's a lot of emotion included in this story and I don't know many men who are in touch with that.  This tale is very intense but it was also a very good read.  I had places I had to stop and do something else and then come back and read more.  This is not a pleasant world.

Her pet is big, so the robot has to pull it along for her.  They manage to fight their way through the eaters and the men throwing rocks and parts of buildings from the roof and even got away from the current dictator's men.  It's when she meets a father and his son that her world starts to fall apart.  She's never seen another child and this one is a boy.  She's only imagined talking to one.  She doesn't know how to act.  

The father and son invite them to stay with them in the Zone.  She refuses because she's still looking for medicine.  Instead of taking her where she wants to go, the father takes her in and turns her over to the dictator.  She and her robot have some value.  He's traded his soul to save his son in the past and he'll do what he has to in order to survive.

From here on out the pace increases and the story intensifies.  Everybody had secrets, even her own father.  But Frost signifies hope to a young man.  Neither one gives up and there is hope for the future.  The war isn't over, but things are changing and will continue to change.

There are plenty of surprises in this story.  The author does a good job of springing them on you.  Give it a try.  If you like dystopian tales with a bit of robot/human mix, this is right up your alley.