The Coldest Girl In Coldtown

Review:

Title:  The Coldest Girl In Coldtown

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Little Brown

Release Date:  September 3rd, 2013

Format: ARC

Genre:  YA, Paranormal 

Blurb:

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

Writing:

Black's writing was truly enticing.  She came up with a premise, drew you in, and then trapped you among the gorgeous detailing and well paced plot.  The idea is completely original, and takes away all the typical glamour of vampires, leaving it raw and surprisingly desirable.  The book leads you on an adventure, not a romance.  It is a girl dealing with the cards been dealt, not pining over a sparkling old man.  (Maybe there is a specific book that I'm comparing this to in my mind)... Regardless, this book is full of originality, and is shocking and incredible.

Characters:

Tana:

Tana gets thrown into a situation she never asked for, already scarred by a similar event.  Yet she doesn't even question anything, and just becomes full of determination in all of the crazy situations she is thrown into.  She is clever, ruthless, and yet kind.  She shows her vulnerability when it comes to her sister Pearl, and that really deepens her character.

Gavriel:

Gavriel may have ulterior motives, but he manages to open up his frozen heart.  While he tries over and over again to show Tana the brutality of vampires, he never shies her away from it.  Gavriel really respects Tana in a way not all of the characters do. He may have underestimated her, yet he he is not surprised by the way that she bounces back.  This book is not about how delicious Gavriel is, (although that is a true statement... MINE!) yet how he can still surprise her when she thought she's figured everything out.

Final Findings:

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown surprised me.  I didn't expect to find such an amazing book about vampires, that was adventurous, thrillingly creepy, well paced, and had the tiniest bit of romance that you were craving for more.  And yet, that is what I found!  The ending of The Coldest Girl In Coldtown certainly is open ended, and I wouldn't be surprised of a sequel, which I eagerly hope for and expect! 

✎✎✎✎✎

~Remy