The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly BlackEdition reviewed: First edition hardcover by Little, Brown and CompanyNo major spoilers, minor spoilers under "the romance".Rating: 2 starsWhy I picked it up:This book came highly recommended by reviewers, friends, critics, etc. I knew the basic premise, in a society with “coldtowns,” and I was excited for a strong standalone novel, amongst a sea of YA series. I mean, how many urban fantasy romances do you see floating around that aren’t a part of a longer duology, trilogy, etc.?So I added it to my Amazon cart. And after receiving it, I told myself to wait, so I could savor the moments when I cracked open the book to enter Holly Black’s world of coldtowns.And this is my review.The Writing:Rather than describing the general summary of the novel, I’m going to assume that most of you have read the provided description.Before I even get to the actual writing comments, I need to get something off my chest: One of my biggest pet peeves in books is when the book feels dated. This book was definitely dated and no where near timeless. Website like Flickr, Tumblr, and Youtube are mentioned constantly, camera phones are everywhere – this is definitely the kind of book that feels like it’s going to get really old really fast.On top of that, the technology element literally cannot be ignored. The fact that everything in this novel, practically, is being filmed and watched by the world made me feel uncomfortable. Not that I mind technology. In The Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, technology is a huge part of the characters’ culture and society, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you if it was written this year, or if it was written 20 years ago. With The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I doubt I’d be able to forget. It didn’t make me roll my eyes, and the parties thrown in Uglies are actually interesting.Now on to the actual writing.A lot of other people have touched on this as a negative: the characters are unlikeable, melodramatic, and unrealistic. Why would Holly Black write about these characters that readers want to hate? She’s obviously an experienced writer, and I’m sure she could craft more believable, likeable characters, but that did not happen in this novel. I generally like many more characters than I dislike, but I honestly couldn’t relate to anyone in this book. I think it’s partially the way they behave, but it’s also that I don’t find Holly Black to have a convincing teenager voice. I can’t immerse myself in the writing because it just seems very superficial. Not to say that I can only read YA voices, because I read an equal amount of adult fiction as Young Adult fiction. In this book, with this setup, these characters, and this plot, the voice didn’t work out.There are some memorable parts of this book that were interesting, but all of that is completely overshadowed by the drawn out writing – it constantly seemed to dragon. On top of that, it always feels as though you know what will happen next. Not that the ending was predictable, you can almost always tell what the next part of the story will be, which really ruins the decent suspense that the book had going.Holly Black is a skilled writer, but the characters (see below) seemed utterly unrelatable, and the events, no matter how dramatic, were the very opposite of raw. The writing just exuded an overly polished feel, and I couldn’t bring myself to care about anything, despite the gruesome details.Not emoted, and that’s saying a lot because I am the biggest crier ever. My eyes tear up at the drop of a hat, and I was stunned by how little I cared for this book. Honestly, it sounded so promising, and I was sure that at least a tiny part of me would latch onto something to like in this book. But instead, I was let down by the curious emptiness in the writing.The Characters:I have never read a book where I have disliked the characters so much. I felt indifference for the book itself, but I actually got irritated by the characters to the point where I almost couldn’t finish the book. That’s a big deal for me, personally, because I have never not finished a book in my life intentionally.But on to the characters, and what I think about them.Midnight and Aidan are my least favorite characters by far. Their shallowness and stupidity left me speechless. They are incredibly superficial and seem to have no redeeming qualities. Aidan especially, as the ex-boyfriend of Tana, is probably supposed to be an alluring character, but he is the opposite. His smile is always “sly,” he seems to have no qualms morally, and is an all around jerk.Tana, the protagonist, is only slightly better. She’s reckless to the point of silliness, because she flat out does not think before she acts. She even acknowledges, on Pg. 171 of this edition of the book, “This is exactly what’s wrong with me… If there’s trouble, I go straight for it.” I nearly smacked myself in the face. She knows there’s trouble, and she doesn’t approach it to be brave or sacrificial. She has nothing to gain at all and everything to lose, so it’s nothing like when a character is being reckless to save someone or gain something.There’s nothing I hate more than a dumb character, and almost every decision Tana makes lacks caution and foresight. If this was a movie, it’d practically be a comedy because she is so clueless.And then Tana completely changes. She transitions into someone who retains none of her former traits (except for the recklessness). There was just no character development with her, because it would go from point A to point B, and I would screech at Tana for doing something so out of character.Gavriel is my favorite character, but that doesn’t mean much because I still don’t like him. He’s the only one of the cast who actually has a hint of mystery, and he’s the only one I would ever want to know more about. This is probably due to his backstory, and his deranged behavior. Unfortunately, the extent of his deranged behavior/manner of speaking is only likeable to a certain extent because you wish that someone could actually have an intelligent conversation with him.[minor spoilers here]The Romance:Romance is not big in this novel. No insta-love whatsoever – I’m not even sure normal love exists in this novel. Gavriel might confess that he loves Tana at the end, but I didn’t find that believable in the least. She doesn’t reciprocate, so there’s nothing on that end, either.Steam level was minimal. I can only remember about 3 scenes that seemed vaguely “romantic.” The first is a lustful kiss in which Tana risks her life, the second is bloody and not very compelling to read, and the last is almost sweet (although it’s in the last pages of the book). Kissing once is as far as it gets, really.I don’t need romance, but I’m soft on it. It’s usually the part of the book where I’m the most generous, but this book only had the minimum construction of a “romance.” As in two people that have been in each other’s company for the span of the book, ending with a love confession. No chemistry, minimal buildup, and no character development in that time.The reason this lack of a relationship bothered me so much was because the set up was there. Everything was there; the opportunities for a non-superficial or blood drinking interaction were plentiful. Black could have used the setup of the novel to at least enable a little bit of a pretense of a real romance, but it was ignored.[end minor spoilers]The Ending:The ending was very short, but I liked it. Probably the best part of the book because it was appropriate for the story Black was writing. It fit. But I don’t think that I need to mention that it didn’t bring up even a hint of emotion for me.Final Thoughts:This book is definitely more gruesome than I would have expected. In Chapter 32, it spells out that “he took out his guts and knotted them around the bars of his cage,” “drove rusty nails into the soles of his feet,” etc. I knew there was going to be a lot of blood, but it was a bit underplayed in the marketing of this novel. As clarification, I’m not against horror, but horror done right is a world away from seemingly mindless gore in a YA fantasy romance. It’s not the amount of blood that makes you feel something – it’s the emotional structure, buildup, and execution of the scene.I thought this book was going to be like a standalone version of twilight: romance-centric, with a love triangle with 2 likeable male leads, quick moving plot, and no unnecessary violence.This book was pretty much the opposite.It could have easily been cut down about 100 pages (or at the very least 50), because it dragged and dragged along. Yes, there were a few exciting scenes that made me sit up straighter, but you don’t judge a book by the scenes that are few and far between – you judge a book based on how it makes you feel, as a reader.I simply could not handle these characters.Something I liked?I feel like I haven’t really seen this kind of classic vampire because, ironically, so many vampire writers today are trying to be more creative (and possibly less bloody). Black’s vampires are what I’d imagine the classic vampire to be: they burn in the sun, can be killed with a stake through the heart, they have elongated canines, and are unforgettably predators. As in unlikeable creatures that are neither sweet nor gentle, and view you as food.I can see people liking this book, if they prefer (bloody) drama over love, friendship, sacrifice, and family. Because this book lacks all of those. The violence in this book, and everything about the endless parties in Coldtown really just tired me out.If you were looking for a quicker, fluffy read to get you through a boring day, this isn’t it. Its drawn out length, unrelatable characters, and predictability would definitely make a boring day worse.The romanticization of Coldtowns and being a vampire is beyond ridiculous. And the drooling characters that would do anything to become immortal blood drinkers are unbelievable. On top of that, I would never believe that these Coldtowns could exist in a modern world, where people live normally and party and go to school, and watch vampires party on their laptops.In 3 words, this book is boring, nonsensical, and superficial.

I have been in the mood for some books that go with the season, full of horror, darkness, or something twisted. My friend sent me a quick tweet telling me about this book and a snatched it up in seconds. I love vampires. And I absolutely crave stand alone novels sometimes, right now being one of those times. There are wonderful gothic YA novels, but every time my interest is piqued, it's book 1 of an incomplete series. I wanted delicious horror themes with closure. I'm so glad I snatched up The Coldest Girl in Coldtown because it awesome! I loved the layout and how each chapter was short and began with a quote about death. Immediately, the state of the world intrigued me. Vampires existed openly, but not like anything I've ever seen before. The ones who weren't trying to infect the human population typically went into the Coldtowns to live with curious humans and infected humans. The infection process was somewhat unique and added a bit more conflict to the vampiric conflict. Once bitten, if not killed, a human went through a transition period. If no human blood is ingested, he or she reverted to being a human again, though it's insanely difficult to get through 3 month transition period. I like how vampires couldn't just drink nonchalantly and move on. They must make a choice to either feed without biting, feed and kill, or feed and create chaos by unleashing an infected human into the world. It was such an incredible premise! I loved Tana and her adventure. I loved her character, her boldness, and her willingness to do what needed to be done. She struggled with a lot of her choices, but she was very logical and focused when she needed to be. I loved her evolution and the way she handled the difficult situations she found herself in. I never knew what she would do or what the best solution was and there were many times I thought she'd give in or give up and she figured out an alternate solution somehow, sometimes by doing the unthinkable. I was completely intrigued by Gavriel, the vampire found chained in a bedroom when Tana woke up at the start of the novel. He was so.. different than I or Tana expected, but also incredibly creepy and weird. Aidan, Tana's ex boyfriend, was infected, but he still managed to make me laugh and his personality came through despite his struggle. I also found Midnight and Winter, the two kids they picked up at a gas station, to be interesting and they gave me a different kind of viewpoint in world of vampires existing. Tana had her own distinct dislike of vampires, but Midnight and Winter wanted to be immortal and the idea of flirting with death and danger fueled them. I loved this book. I love vampires, especially when they are blood drinkers without any alternative. I like it when the set up doesn't include any easy ways for them to survive and still hold onto their humanity. The vampires were a bit like the ones in Anne Rice novels, which I enjoyed because they were violent, terrifying, cruel, calculating, and elegant all at the same time. I love heroines who are kick ass, but they still have a softness to them that makes them easy to to relate to, so I loved Tana and really rooted for her. I will add that The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is NOT any kind of futuristic dystopian. Yes, there are Coldtowns and the purpose is to keep the vampires separate from the thriving human population, but this book isn't about any kind of oppression or world in which vampires rule or anything like that. I don't think the synopsis makes it sound like it IS, but it also uses the world Coldtown which may make people assume it's like a dystopian sort of compound? It's more like the kind of setting in the Sookie Stackhouse books, where people know about the vampires and the rest of the world is basically normal. It seems like a lot of people were confused about this on GR (and it so irks me when people "review" books before reading them and just assume they are a certain way). I highly recommend this book. But I will admit that I will always love vampires, mostly when they are still quite violent and cruel. So if you KNOW you're basically "over" vampires (though I'm not sure why you'd pick up a vampire book if you're not open to the idea of having them...), perhaps this isn't the book for you. If you are a vampire lover, or you were and you need a good bloody and fascinating story to rekindle your love, then I definitely think it's a good book for you. It's a great Fall/Halloween book to read (or any time of the year if you are a fan of vampires!)

I have had this on my tbr for an age and I still don't know why I hadn't read this sooner. I loved it!Tana found herself in the middle of a bloodbath and escapes with 2 unlikely companions. Aiden, her ex, who has been bitten by a vamp but not yet transformed and Gavriel, an actual vamp.She needs to get them to Coldtown, a cornered off piece of the city where vamps can run free. Plus she decides to go in herself with a token of escape.Gavriel is everything I want in a vamp. A bit crazy, tortured and lovely to look at! I loved him!'They’d taken every other piece of him. He would hold on to revenge. It would be his fairy story, his lullaby, sung softly by flayed lips. Off-key and deranged.'I actually liked Aiden (the ex) and also another secondary character, Jameson. Tana was so strong, you couldn't help but like her even though she played with death a lot! Another thing I loved was the portrayal of the vamps in this world. The same but different!I liked the ending, it was a sort of promise of what I want it to become and I'd love to see more stories set in this world.

It's a long time since a vampire book caught my eye. It's difficult these days to find genre novels that are well written, thoughtful and original. Even rarer to find a YA-category novel with a female protagonist that isn't primarily angsty romance.Which is not to say The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is without romance. It even has an HFN ending. But the romance is not central to the plot, and there's no clichéd love triangle or idolisation of unhealthy behaviours. If anything, one purpose of the story is to expose the seductive glamour of vampires as an abusive fiction.Tana, our heroine, is seventeen, an accidental sole survivor of a massacre. She's not a Chosen One and has no special powers, but she shares a trait common to many heroes: a stubborn determination to do what is right, even in the face of mortal terror.Immortal terror too, of course. The story is set in a world where vampire infection is rife, and where whole cities have been walled around. These are the Coldtowns of the title - although the first part of the title, The Coldest Girl in ... is misleading and probably just for effect. (How many titles start with The Girl ...?) The lives of the dead and undead within these enclaves are glamourised Reality-TV-style and broadcast to the world, luring in a steady stream of wannabe vampires with their fresh, warm, human blood.If the basic plot is a wild, roller-coaster ride (I read the second half in one sitting), the book's unifying theme is death, where life is warm and death is cold. Vampiric infection is perceived as a creeping cold. The vampires themselves are not the evil of demonic possession, but rather once-humans cursed with - and corrupted by - abnormal lust and power.There are also some nice historical touches, with scenes in Paris, Vienna and Russia. In many ways, this is a very traditional vampire tale, but with a modern approach, a thriller with elements of both horror and romance.

This is a fun little vampire novel that manages to carve out its own place in the genre. A well realised world that sits somewhere similar to that portrayed in the Blade films, whilst managing to put its own little twists in.The book was of two halves. Part western-road trip, part urban gothic-horror. The road trip feels a little too drawn out and I think more needed to be made of the second half. Some of the characters and events felt a little rushed or forced in to that second part of the story and I would have liked to have had more.But that is the key thing here - I was invested in it, especially after the road trip, and it made for compelling reading even if it was ultimately a little unsatisfactory. Would recommend if you’re a fan of the genre.

This book was not what I expected but in a good way. I thought I’d grown bored of vampire books but when I read this book I couldn’t put it down. I was so annoyed it was a standalone and not part of a series. It could so easily be. Holly Black has a way of drawing you in that make you mourn the world and the characters when you’ve finished the book. I highly recommend this book just beware that when you reach the end you’ll be desperate for more.

You know when you go to a concert and the band leaves the stage because its “over” but the crowd knows that there will be an encore, so everyone starts chanting “WE WANT MORE, WE WANT MORE!” over and over until they come back on. Well, that’s all I can hear in my head while writing this review. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book I cant help but feel a little let down with the ending. This is a standalone novel but could easily be part of a duology or even a series. Has Holly Black purposefully left this open ended or is that really it?This book had been on my radar for quite some time prior to this review. Having not read anything by Holly Black before I thought it was time to give her a go. Believe me, it certainly won’t be the last time I read a book of hers. Although this had its flaws, I was able to look past them and enjoy the book for what it is.Admittedly I'm always sceptic to read paranormal fiction as it has become annoyingly tiresome since twilight. I mean, what vampire sparkles in the sun and is a vegetarian? I'm sorry Edward but you just aren't cutting it for me. I want malicious, natural born hunters. I want vampires who kill with no remorse and take everything they can get. I’m not looking for a love story. I’m looking for straight up badassery! You’ll be glad to know that this book has it all, everything that I mentioned above and more is included is this brilliantly crafted novel.The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was a refreshing read as it is the polar opposite of Twilight. Right from the offset I knew that I was going to enjoy this book, the premise was exciting and Holly Blacks writing was incredible. I didn’t think that I’d get so caught up in this world that Black has created but I crave more of it. No, I don’t crave it…I need it.I don’t want to spoil you too much; instead I urge y’all to give this book a chance because if you’re anything like me then you’ll love it. This is an unforgettable book that I know I will enjoy rereading over and over again. I can’t help but think that paranormal fiction is finally redeeming itself; with authors such as Holly Black, Julie Kagawa and Jennifer L Armentrout around I have hope for the genre.