Sunday, September 22, 2013

Book Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Author:  Holly Black
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 432 pages
Publication Date:  September 3, 2013

From 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.


Review:
This book hooked me from the very beginning.  Holly Black's world of vampires is dark, twisted, and unique.  I know it sounds ridiculous to say that a vampire book is realistic, but the way humans reacted to vampires rang so true.  The fact that we would have reality shows about vampire hunters, the fact that people would watch live feeds from Coldtown where the vampires were seen as celebrities. I can so see that happening.  And people traveling to Coldtown in the hopes of being turned.  Again, I can see that happening.  

Tana is an incredible character.  She's strong, caring, and forced to adapt and figure out a way to survive.  What she does in the beginning, saving Aidan and Gavriel, tells you about the type of person she is.  And Gavriel...swoony, dangerous, on the edge of madness, he's a fantastic character.  There were so many amazing secondary characters that I wish this book was part of a series so that we could get to know them better (I know I know, I complain about how no books are stand-alones and now I'm complaining that this book is not a stand-alone).  But I really do want to read more about this world.

And I loved the way they struggled to understand vampirism.  "There's something easy about the idea that vampirism is some kind of disease--then they can't help it that they attack us, that they commit murders and atrocities, that they can only control themselves sometimes.  They're sick; it's not their fault.  And there's something even easier about the idea of demonic invasion, something forcing our loved ones to do all manner of terrible things.  Still not their fault, only now we can destroy them.  But the third option, the possibility that there's something monstrous inside of us that can be unleashed, is the most disturbing of all.  Maybe it's just us, us with raging hunger, us with a couple of accidental murders under our belt.  Humanity, with the training wheels off the bike, carrying down a steep hill.  Humanity, freed from the constraints of consequence and gifted with power.  Humanity, grown away from all things human."

Even if you're sick of vampires, I would recommend this book.  My only complaint is that it is left a bit open, and my understanding is that it is meant to be a stand-alone.  I really just want to know what happens to...can't say anything more or it will spoil it.  But I guess we're supposed to end up believing that, no matter what, things work out.  I guess.

Posted by:  Pam

12 comments:

  1. I just skimmed your review since this one is coming up on my reading list pretty soon but I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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    1. Sometimes I don't want to read a review if I know for sure I'm reading the book anyway, that way nothing's ruined. ~Pam

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  2. Glad to hear you liked this one! It is currently sitting on my dining room table so I will be reading it soon! I didn't know it was a stand-alone. I kind of like that though. I too am getting sick of and overwhelmed by series. But if the ending is left open and the book is really good...I'll probably be wanting a second book too. Great review! Looking forward to reading this one!

    Rebecca @ The Library Canary

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    1. It would probably be too much if it was a series, but the author created such a fascinating world full of interesting characters it's kind of a shame it's over! ~Pam

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  3. I'm so glad you liked this one, I have it for review and wasn't sure if I would like it or not. The characters sound great and I like how this one still managed to be unique despite all the vampire books out there.

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    1. It's definitely unique. Hope you end up liking it! ~Pam

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  4. I keep forgetting that I have a copy of this on my Kindle app! I actually haven't read anyone else's review of this so I had no idea what to expect. That's probably why I haven't read it yet. Great review, I'll definitely need to move it up my TBR list :)

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    1. I found it to be a fascinating read. Hope you end up enjoying it! ~Pam

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  5. For some reason I don't read a lot of vampires. I'm not trying to avoid them though and I like the sounds of this one. Too bad there were some open questions but maybe she'll write more? Or sometimes it is just enough to leave the book on your mind. :)

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    1. It's probably a good thing that it's a stand-alone because I finished it and wanted a bit more. Which is a good thing. ~Pam

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  6. I've seen this book around so much. I'm tempted to read just so that I'm not out of the loop. Great Review!

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  7. Huh, I must admit that it surprises me to find your review positive for this one. I hadn't seen very many while it was still gathering a lot, a lot of reviews, though they did say that the world building was phenomenal. Which it sounds like you agree with, and the points you make of humans hoping to be turned, reality shows, vampires as celebrities -- they do sound realistic to me.

    I thought this one was a part of a series! Little Brown had actually bought it in an auction I think and it was made into a big fuss because this would be its vampire book since Twilight. But I guess I'm wrong - I thought I'd also read in some reviews that suggested that they were looking forward to more on the world and characters, especially since the romance was little? Hmm. Maybe she will write more on it in the future.

    Oooh, I like what you wrote about humanity grown away from all things human. All three options you'd written about vampirism fascinate me, to be honest, and of all paranormal creatures vampires are probably my favorite. I think that's a part of the appeal of vampire stories to begin with - that sort of escapism. What if we lost control? Would we given into these baser desires? etc. It's good to know that this one delivers on the premise.

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