Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - Holly Black

I can definitely see why people have been raving about this book all over the blogosphere. I was expecting just another decent vampire story, but what I got was actually so much more. I was surprised at how deliciously chilling the story was. No sparkling vampires here!

 

One thing I really liked about this book was that it grabbed my attention from the very first page. When a book starts out with a vampire attack you know it’s going to be a good one! I mean holy crap! How can you not be sucked in by that?

 

I will admit, it took me quite a while to get through this book, but it was definitely not the book’s fault. It was due to my crazy, busy schedule. With my new classes starting up, it was hard finding any time to sleep, let alone spare time to read. Just wish I could’ve finished it sooner, because it was just that good! When I spend a good portion of my busy time thinking about how I am going to find time to finish a book, it’s a good sign! lol

 

The characters were very well developed, the plot was intense and easy to follow, and the writing was just beautiful. Holly Black sure knows how to make the words on the page just flow perfectly and makes it seem so effortless.

 

The thing that really made me happy was the ending. The author did a fantastic job of wrapping everything up and I was actually surprised with how satisfied I was with the conclusion. Most books end on a cliffhanger or have room for the reader to interpret the ending how they choose, but this one had a solid, beautiful ending. It was a horrible situation to be in, but the way the characters dealt with it in the end was really awesome.

 

With all that said, there was a few things that held me back from giving it the full 5 star rating. The one thing that stands out to me the most was Tana’s decision to go to Coldtown in the first place. If you know there’s a possibility that you are not going to turn into a vampire, why would you give up everything and go anyway? I understand she wanted to protect her family and whatnot, but if you don’t even know for sure if you are infected or not, why would you still risk all of that? I’d want to stay with my family if I could. Tana seemed to just give that up a bit too easily in my opinion. The other thing that bothered me was a technology observation. Coldtown was a run down and trashy place, right? It was portrayed as being “the slumps” where people people couldn’t even afford to buy food. Some were resorting to eating things such as rats. BUT – everyone had internet access. Yes you heard me right. Internet access. This doesn’t make much sense to me. Free WiFi for everyone? When the characters were blogging and uploading their videos in Coldtown, I couldn’t help but shake my head. Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but I don’t see how that’s possible. Then again, I’m from Middle of Nowhere, Ohio where it’s hard to find internet access.

 

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Wish I could’ve finished it sooner, but better late than never, right? I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a darker vampire story. It is definitely not sunshine, rainbows, and glittery vampires by any means. It was a nice change of pace compared to all the vampire stories out there nowadays.

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

“I haven’t had a very good day. I think I might still be hung over and everyone’s dead and my root beer’s gone.”

 

“Tana. In all my long life, though there were many times I prayed for it, no one has ever saved me. No one but you.”

 

“That was the problem with monsters. Sometimes they looked just like everybody else.”

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