ARC Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Title: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Author: Holly Black
Category/Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy, Horror
Expected Release: September 3rd


See it at Goodreads


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.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.


The Coldest Girl in Coldtown wasn’t the first time I’d read anything by Holly Black. I knew going into this book what her style was like, and she’s been a favorite since I started reading more YA in my early 20s (having read the Modern Fae books first and absolutely fell in love with them). Nonetheless, I also knew that it’s been hard to attach the word “original” next to vampire anything in recent years, so this made me curious. I hadn’t read the short story and didn’t know anything about it before going into it. I was still insanely excited to pick it up and it’d been one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint me at all. In fact, it went above my expectations. I stayed up well into the night on the edge of my seat because I couldn’t put this one down, and for days after I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Ms. Black crafted a dark, unique world full of excitement and horror, twists and gasp-out-loud cover-your-mouth OMG moments. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown won me over from the first scene--a frightening heart-racing beginning that started off with a bang--and I wasn’t able to let go of this addictive story or its characters from that moment on.

This book blew my mind. I am mind blown. I am still practically speechless and flustered and I don’t know how I’m able to even write this review properly.

 

I found Gavriel just as forbidden and charming and mysterious as Tana had. Gavriel is my new favorite hero. Anti-hero? He’s not all fluffy bunnies and flower hearts, that’s for sure. But he does know how to certainly charm some. And while Tana had had it rough through the years since vampires revealed their existence, her character showed so much determination and strength that I just had to love her and hope nothing but the best by the end for her. These characters had spunk and a realistic appeal to them. Though the blurb may make it feel there’s a possible love triangle, there’s not. An awkward ex-boyfriend friendship, yes, and for that I was like “thank you!” Because really, how often do we see that? The romance overall was exciting and different. And I adored it.

I’m curious though: Is this a stand-alone or a series? The ending left off a bit open-ended, though could have been considered pretty well wrapped up at the same time. As much as I love stand-alones (and we all know we probably could use more of them), I’m sincerely hoping this is going to be a series because I want MORE. There are so many feels. And just gah… I need to know what’s happening to Gavriel and Tana and Pearl, and what’s going to go on next in this crazy-imaginative world. Please?! 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is hands down one of my favorite reads, not just for 2013, but in years. Not hard to make that decision. Holly Black has once again delivered a unique cast and imaginative, fresh world not to be missed!