Book Review: The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black
4/5 starsTana 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.
Discussion:
In celebration of Holly Black's new book The Cruel Prince, I thought it would be fun to do a review of one of Black's previous books while getting books off of my review shelf. I cannot wait to read The Cruel Prince; however, this is not what this post is about. This post is about
So, while sipping my delicious hot chocolate currently sitting on the coffee table, I think of all the sweet things, or the good qualities, of this book that I enjoy. First, I really enjoyed how the book started off, which was when Tana wakes up from a drunken state of sleep at a barn where a party had taken place the night before. Already, this book had sounded intriguing from the start because who doesn't love a good party?
Okay, so Dumbledore may agree; however, I think every reader out there knows that after every great party comes a massacre. I really enjoyed the build up of tension in this scene even though there was no need for it as it was the exposition so great add-on. I guess?
Also, I enjoyed the majority of the characters! High-five to me, high-five to you, high-five to all the people whom I go to school with but never talk to! High-fives for everyone! As this is the positive section with no hateful strings attached, there will be no talk of the one character I despise. Anyway, I enjoyed the characters' personalities, specifically Tana. Tana was very brave in the situation she was thrust into, and I found her to stay true to her beliefs even when her world turned upside down. I also found her past to come quite in handy as she knows the effects of becoming cold, or the process of becoming a full-fledged vampire. When she goes on a journey to Coldtown, the part of town that holds all the vampires, emos, and vampire wannabes, she uses her expertise to stay smart and one step ahead of others that may try to harm her or worse, suck her blood. Also, I really like Gavriel as he has such a mysterious air that is revealed in the end. I know it is cliché to like the mysterious bad boy, but then who doesn't?
Also, I really enjoyed the little bits of information I had gotten while reading. Black sure does know how to build a world and suck someone in. Also, I know I wrote that I would not write anything negative in the positive happy rainbow gumdrop part of this post, but as my hot chocolate is dwindling down and is getting slurped up by a greedy dragon(me!), the urge to break the rules is getting harder to resist. SO, the world-building was a little short-lived and could've been delved into more. There I did it! I broke a rule. Black should have explained the world she was creating if she wanted to make it seem more believable and more real to her audience.
As I am getting down to the bottom of my hot cup of not joe and the taste is getting a little too bitter for my liking, it is time to talk about the things of why I did not give it a 5 star rating.
Cue the sound effect!
DUN, DUN, DUN!
Yes, there is always a motive of why someone may not give a book a score of less than 5 stars, and most people believe that the question that must be answered is "why does one give said book less than 5 stars;" however, the question that must asked and answered immediately is "what made a person give said book less than 5 stars?" Oh, but no one asks as the answer can be too hard to tell; however, I am here to tell the truth.
DUN, DUN, DUN!
Okay, in all seriousness, there are multiple reasons on why I did not enjoy The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, and one is that I found the characters to be cold, or detached. Every time I had to put down this book and went back to it a little later, it took me a while to get back into it as the characters felt unforgiving. I know this contradicts what I said earlier and this may not make any sense; however, there are always multiple sides to every character. I hope that statement can justify my feelings; however, I feel like nothing will. As an example, Tana is a great character; however, I found her to be classified under the stereotype of "the girl who is different from the rest" to Aidan and Gavriel as she is brave when facing the cold that follows after getting bit by a vampire and that she will stick up for herself and never grovel at anyone's feet for anything. Also, while on the topic of characters, I did not really like Pearl, Tana's sister, as she was so whiny and annoying. She was so bratty that she threw a cereal bowl at her father. I am sorry but that crosses a line as her father was just trying to be honest with her and tell her the possibilities of the dire situation.
Another reason on why I did not give it 5 stars is because it was slow on the wrong parts. Black did a fantastic job of creating tension in a lot of parts; yet, when it came to parts that actually needed to have some tension and fear, it felt dry, and sometimes I would think that if I were to stop I would never get to pick it back up again. There just needs to be more excitement in other scenes rather than just the make-out sessions with hot vampires.
This has been my mind's daily process of choosing a rating for a book. It is such a hard process; however, it can help in the end when trying to balance what was enjoyable and what was difficult to read.
Until next time, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
Love,
newbookcats
P.S. I ran out of instant hot chocolate tonight. The world is ending.
P.P.S. Enter my giveaway to win a book!
Are you excited for Holly Black's The Cruel Prince? Have you read any of Black's books? What is your preferred hot beverage at a party with Dumbledore? Correspond with me in the comments below or on any of my social medias.
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*P.P.P.S. The book cover is from Goodreads and the GIF is from GIPHY.
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