The Quiet Concert: REVIEW: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Nov

2013

REVIEW: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Title: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: September 3, 2013

Pages: 419, Hardcover
Source: Library, Audiobook

Summary 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.

I like vampire stories and this one was no exception. I don't read a ton of vampire fiction so I'm not "burnt out" on the subject to judge this one harshly. It wasn't an entirely new idea but there was uniqueness, mostly regarding the transition to/from a vampire.
This book was dark and gory right from the start, and I loved it. Vampires in this book are as they should be, more monstrous than glamorous. As such, people die, get bitten and turn cold, act savagely - all that good stuff. I couldn't get enough.

I thought technology played an interesting role in this book. This was the first story I read that really explored social media and how it might be used in a world with Vampires. Imagine The Vampire Diaries or True Blood with blogging and instagram =P. It's not overly prominent but definitely visible and I thought it was cool.

I always love me an ancient and dangerous vampire (although yes the romance was totally cliche). The narrator of the audiobook gave him a sexy voice.

I didn't really connect with the characters or the story. There wasn't a whole lot of character development and Tana wasn't anything special. So while I thought the book was interesting, it didn't bring a whole lot of feels.

I think Holly Black could have taken more risks with her main characters. Where Tana and Gabriel were concerned, some things were a little too cliche.

So I think The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a worthwhile read. It's definitely an interesting story, it just lacks a little in "making-readers-really-care" department. It's still memorable. But my favorite Holly Black remains to be The Curse Worker series. Much love.

Comments (6)

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readaholic31 19p · 594 weeks ago

The Vampire Diaries with blogging and instagram? With a review like that how could I not want to read this! :-)
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christinamofranke 29p · 594 weeks ago

I completely agree with your assessment. I'm also wishing I'd listened to the audio, because, hello, sexy voice! Maybe I'll try my next Holly Black on audio, since I wasn't particularly enchanted with her writing.

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Pam@YA Escape · 594 weeks ago

I actually loved this book, I thought it was such a unique take on the vampire world. I loved how people reacted to vampires, I thought that was so realistic. Reality shows, people traveling to Coldtown so that they could become a vampire, I could totally see that happening. What did you think of the ending? I was like, I want to know what happens! My understanding is that it's a stand-alone, so oh well. Sorry you didn't connect with the characters...think listening to it had anything to do with it? I'm not a big audiobook person, and for me that's part of it, I feel a disconnect when listening versus reading for some reason.
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Joy (Joyousreads) · 594 weeks ago

Aw shucks. I was looking forward to reading this. You're not the only who complained about the characters, though. That's too bad.

Great review, Nicole!
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Kay · 593 weeks ago

You pretty much hit it right on. I seriously think I would have liked this book more if it wasn't for the cliches. My favorite part was that it was dark and gory and that opening scene, wow! I didn't even think much about the technology for some reason, (even though it is a big part of the book) but you are totally right that it adds a little something extra and actually makes it more real. (I think that is the word I want to use.) Either way I liked it too but thought it could have been better. I like vampire novels and I'm glad I don't read every single one that comes out because then I think I would get burned out. Alright I'm done rambling.

P.S. I love how you set up your reviews now! The layout is a great idea, easy to read, gets to the point, etc. I may have to steal your idea sometime. ;)
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Kelly L. · 593 weeks ago

The characters are definitely the downside to this one. I liked Tana in the beginning, but the middle of the book completely made me change my mind. They were just SO clueless and idiotic - there was absolutely no way I could connect with them. I also felt like the book could have been SO much better; half of the book was wasted on the whole Lucien plot, which was predictable and really cliche in my opinion.
Great bullet point review Nicole! (:
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