Friday, August 16, 2013
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
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. (Summary from Goodreads.com)
Disclaimer: ARC received for review at BEA
Review: Holly Black’s latest novel is an entertaining
addition to the vampire novel genre with a compelling heroine and, while not a
subversion of tropes, displays the horror of vampires beyond the romantic idealization
that is the norm these days. It owes a debt to vampire novels that have come
before but adds many interesting elements to vampire lore to not be dismissed
as simply derivative. There’s a tall dark and handsome vampire love interest
with an angst-filled back story and the villain is melodramatic, but the
interesting part is the Coldtown itself and the way its citizens make use of
social media and televised live feeds to glamorize undeath and lure in lonely teens
to feed upon.
The main
character, Tana, is interesting: defined by the trauma of her mother succumbing
to vampire infection, her ambivalence towards turning “cold” and her risk
taking behaviors make psychological sense; there are reasons why she is drawn
to someone who is clearly dangerous (unlike another heroine *insert obligatory
Twilight reference). She has agency and it is her struggle to survive with her
humanity intact that drives the plot. Gavriel the vampire is not afforded the
same level of depth but he too has his reasons for an interest in a teenager
and his personality made for an entertaining character. The chemistry he has with Tana is sizzling. His backstory with the
villain Lestat- excuse me I mean Lucien, was too Anne Rice-like to be
interesting to someone who has read the Vampire Chronicles. Luckily it’s only a
couple of chapters: this is Tana’s story.
As far as
supporting characters go the standouts are Tana’s self-centered ex boyfriend
Aiden; Midnight and Winter, two bloggers lured to Coldtown by the promise of a
new exciting existence; Tana’s little sister Pearl; and Valentina, a trans
woman working in the Coldtown thrift shop. Lucien the aforementioned Big Bad is
amusing in a campy way. He makes statements like: “Some sicknesses are worse
than their cure” and “Every hero is the villain of their own story” to demonstrate
he is profoundly full of nonsense.
The
inclusion of the blogger characters and the way the vampires capitalize on the Coldtown with various reality TV shows (or “Eternal Balls”) is an
interesting idea and makes this the timely vampire novel for Millennials. The way people, particularly dissatisfied teens, are drawn in to horrors they are not prepared for via social media makes for chilling drama and world building. The details of the vampire infection and detox period adds dimension. Though the
prose occasionally skids into purple territory and some plot beats are
familiar, overall The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a worthwhile and entertaining
read that I would recommend to any vampire fan.
4.5 blogging vampire wannabes.
4.5 blogging vampire wannabes.
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Friday, August 16, 2013
Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
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. (Summary from Goodreads.com)
Disclaimer: ARC received for review at BEA
Review: Holly Black’s latest novel is an entertaining
addition to the vampire novel genre with a compelling heroine and, while not a
subversion of tropes, displays the horror of vampires beyond the romantic idealization
that is the norm these days. It owes a debt to vampire novels that have come
before but adds many interesting elements to vampire lore to not be dismissed
as simply derivative. There’s a tall dark and handsome vampire love interest
with an angst-filled back story and the villain is melodramatic, but the
interesting part is the Coldtown itself and the way its citizens make use of
social media and televised live feeds to glamorize undeath and lure in lonely teens
to feed upon.
The main
character, Tana, is interesting: defined by the trauma of her mother succumbing
to vampire infection, her ambivalence towards turning “cold” and her risk
taking behaviors make psychological sense; there are reasons why she is drawn
to someone who is clearly dangerous (unlike another heroine *insert obligatory
Twilight reference). She has agency and it is her struggle to survive with her
humanity intact that drives the plot. Gavriel the vampire is not afforded the
same level of depth but he too has his reasons for an interest in a teenager
and his personality made for an entertaining character. The chemistry he has with Tana is sizzling. His backstory with the
villain Lestat- excuse me I mean Lucien, was too Anne Rice-like to be
interesting to someone who has read the Vampire Chronicles. Luckily it’s only a
couple of chapters: this is Tana’s story.
As far as
supporting characters go the standouts are Tana’s self-centered ex boyfriend
Aiden; Midnight and Winter, two bloggers lured to Coldtown by the promise of a
new exciting existence; Tana’s little sister Pearl; and Valentina, a trans
woman working in the Coldtown thrift shop. Lucien the aforementioned Big Bad is
amusing in a campy way. He makes statements like: “Some sicknesses are worse
than their cure” and “Every hero is the villain of their own story” to demonstrate
he is profoundly full of nonsense.
The
inclusion of the blogger characters and the way the vampires capitalize on the Coldtown with various reality TV shows (or “Eternal Balls”) is an
interesting idea and makes this the timely vampire novel for Millennials. The way people, particularly dissatisfied teens, are drawn in to horrors they are not prepared for via social media makes for chilling drama and world building. The details of the vampire infection and detox period adds dimension. Though the
prose occasionally skids into purple territory and some plot beats are
familiar, overall The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a worthwhile and entertaining
read that I would recommend to any vampire fan.
4.5 blogging vampire wannabes.
4.5 blogging vampire wannabes.
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