Review | The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown 

Author: Holly Black
Release Date: September 3, 2013
Pages: 419
Review by: Cassia

When Tana wakes up the bathroom of her friend Lance’s farmhouse, hungover, she can’t believe that she was passed out that long, and that nobody woke her up. When she walks out into the living room, however, she finds a massacre: all her friends, dead. Blood everywhere. Their blood drained. After gaining the courage to walk into the next room for her keys and phone, she finds her ex-boyfriend, Aidan, and a vampire in chains. As soon as she makes the choice to save them, she is thrown into a rollercoaster of action, courage, determination, and blood.

I’m going to say this right now: I am not a vampire person. I never have been. However, I did enjoy this book. As you all know, I absolutely love Holly Black. I’ll read anything she writes. She always comes up with such unique ideas. I’ve never heard of anything close to the vampire world she creates in Coldtown: any vampires or infected humans are quarantined. Once they go in, they never get out. Even children that are born in Coldtowns never get out. No exceptions. To go along with that, she comes up with some pretty creepy stuff. Like, some of the characters want to become vampires and they use all these terms that are completely wacko, even for a world that crazy. It makes Tana’s world much more real.

There’s not much I can say about Black’s writing that I haven’t already said in other reviews, but I have to say it again. The vocabulary she uses is incredible. In a lot of young adult books, you don’t see a whole lot of vocabulary that makes you pull out a dictionary (or in my case, the dicitonary.com app on my phone). In her books, though (and some other authors), she forces you to think, and I love that. Even if I don’t particularly like the book she writes, I enjoy reading it.

Honestly, not too much happens in this book. Well, it does, but what I mean is, it’s not as action-packed as other books. However, something always comes up. Just as Tana clears one hurdle, another one jumps up in her path, from ground that looked safe. Another interesting thing is that when Tana does some things, she doesn’t really know why she does it, and I like the mystery it gives the reader about her. There are themes in this book, as there are in every book, but mostly I was entertained by the plot.

On to the characters! First we have Tana, our protagonist. Tana is a born survivor. Her surviving skills aren’t as much physical as they are mental. She might not know exactly what she’s doing, but she’s smart enough to figure it out as she goes. Also, she’s extremely compassionate. She’s in the middle of a massacre, and instead of giving in to her instinct to run, she decides to save her ex-boyfriend and a bloodthirsty, crazy vampire. Because they’re in chains and helpless. That takes a lot of kindness and courage. Now, this vampire that’s with Aidan (her ex)... I promised myself I would never fall for a vampire in a book. But I did. I fell so hard. Oh, by the way, this guy’s name is Gavriel. (Yes, I spelled it right. ;)) You all probably know this, but I love the interesting characters; they’re the ones I fall for. Gavriel is mysterious, dark, hurt, and insane. No, I’m not kidding: his mind isn’t totally right. He likes to speak in metaphors and quote poets. (AHHHHH how awesome is that?!?!) Which is also another reason why I fell for him. His relationship with Tana is interesting, too. Then you’ve got Tana’s ex, Aidan. I don’t really like him too much. I feel bad for him, mostly. He’s broken, too, but he’s kind of a baby about it. You can’t blame him, but I just don’t like that in characters. There are some other minor characters along the way that are eccentric, and some of them I like. Two of them are Midnight and Winter. They’re just crazy if you ask me. I like Valentina, though, but she comes in later, so I won’t way too much about her.

Black creates complex relationships between unique characters that are worth reading for, and a world that is different from the stereotypes.

Four stars!

Goodbye for now,

Cassia

Soundtrack Saturday #1: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Hi everybody! Cassia here! Just a little introduction to the first one before I actually start the post. I'll be doing this meme weekly, unless Max or Tessa want to do it every once in a while. Also, we now have a Spotify account! The account will be managed by Max and I, and I'll kind of "take charge" of it since she's already doing Pinterest. So go follow us on Spotify @ crazyforya !

This is a meme hosted by Erin @ The Hardcover Lover. In this meme, I make a soundtrack of about 15 or 20 songs for a book I recently read, provide brief descriptions of the songs and what I feel they represent, and I'll have a link to the Spotify playlist.





The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

"Hello, Brooklyn" by All Time Low

 This song represents Coldtowns--big cities, partying all night long.

"Burning Bright" by Shinedown

Tana's life before the party at Lance's house. She mentions that before the party, she never really felt alive, like she was hiding and distant from the world.

"I Get Off" by Halestorm

For Tana and Aidan, and their relationship. This song perfectly describes it.

"Prosthetic Head" by Green Day

Not relating to this book, this song is about celebrities, how the narrator thinks they're all fake. Relating to the book, it represents Lucien and his publicity, in regards to what the song is actually about.

"Viva la Vida" by Coldplay

This is the first of many on this playlist about Gavriel. For me, this one represents his "fall from grace," so to speak; how he changed when he was physically changed into a vampire.

"Stay Awake" by All Time Low

This is how Tana survives throughout the book. I picked this one mainly for the title, because that's Tana's mantra, but the song also goes with how Tana keeps herself alive.

"Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence
 What Winter and Midnight believe the Cold will do for them.
"Shed Some Light" by Shinedown
This is the only one I picked for Aidan specifically, and to me, this is him crying out to Tana. He's so scared, and doesn't want her to abandon him.

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day

Another one for Gavriel. :) This one describes his life: he walks alone.

"Breaking Inside" by Shinedown

Throughout the book, a lot of times, Tana feels as if she's losing it. This one is about that.

"I'm Not Alright" by Shinedown

This song is hilarious, and insane, and is a perfect fit for Gavriel. If you only have time to listen to one song on this playlist, listen to this one.

"21 Guns" by Green Day

This song is another one about Tana, about how broken she is, how she never really healed from what happened to her as a little girl. It's also about her fight to feel whole and alive again.

"Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright

Gavriel really is a broken "hallelujah." Behind his insanity, this is him.

"Peacemaker" by Green Day

For me, this describes Gavriel's life before the book: a vendetta, and utter craziness.

"The Forgotten" by Green Day

This is for both Tana and Gavriel. Here's how I imagine it in my head: Gavriel is singing the verse, about how lost and hopeless he is, and Tana is there singing the chorus to him, telling him not to run away, not to be afraid. I picture them singing it at the end of the book.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black on Spotify

Hope you all enjoyed the first Soundtrack Saturday! A review of this book is coming soon. Let me know what you think of the songs I chose and any suggestions you might have in the comments!

Goodbye for now,

Cassia 

The Seven Deadly Sins Tag

Hi everybody! Cassia here! Sorry you haven't seen much of me for a while, my life's been hectic, to say the least. I'm making an effort to do more in the fall, starting now. ;) I've got a review coming, and a new meme I'll be doing, so keep an eye out for that.

So, since I haven't been doing much lately, I've decided to do this tag. Thanks again to Gloria Lo @ Gloria the Violinist for tagging us!

1. Greed~ What is your most inexpensive book? What is your most expensive book?
Most inexpensive that I can recall is Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick ($5 at Target), and the most expensive would be The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen ($20 at Books-a-Million, and I bought it right after it came out).

 










2. Wrath~ What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?
I don't really have a love/hate relationship with any author, but if I had to pick one it would be Veronica Roth. I love her writing, she's one of my favorite authors, and I would read anything she wrote, but that ending to Allegiant...still can't get over it.

 

3. Gluttony~ What book have you devoured over and over again with no shame?
Wicked Lovely and Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr. Without question.

 










4. Sloth~ What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?
There are lots of those. See, I have a habit of buying books, putting them on my bookshelf (which is organized alphabetically by author's last name), and then forgetting I ever bought it. The one I have neglected the most is probably Switched by Amanda Hocking. 

5. Pride~ What book do you talk about most in order to sound like an intellectual reader?
I don't really do this a lot, actually. But if I had to pick one it would be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's sci-fi and along with technology stuff, there's a lot of psychology, so it makes me feel smarter to talk about it.

 
6. Lust~ What attributes do you find attractive in male characters?
Oooh, I like this one. :D Hmm...I usually go for the bad boys in books: tortured, moody, passionate, broken. As for physical attributes--(usually) dark hair, green or blue or brown eyes, basically Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.

[I don't really have a picture for this one, so picture one of these three: Seth from Wicked Lovely, Four from Divergent (but not Theo James), or Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices. Okay, mainly Will. ;)] 

7. Envy~ What book would you most like to receive as a gift?
This changes, but right now it's City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare, and all of the TMI books. I haven't bought it because (1) it's expensive and (2) it's big and I don't want to get it from the library and be rushed to finish it.

 
I'm tagging Beatrice M @ Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic and Erin @ The Hardcover Lover. Have fun!

Goodbye for now,
Cassia

Blog Tour | Finding Mr. Darcy: High School Edition by Erin Butler

Finding Mr. Darcy: High School Edition
by Erin Butler
Release Date: 09/16/14
Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Liza Johnson takes fangirl to a whole new level of crazy when she decides to take dating advice from her literary hero: Jane Austen.
With the help of her best friends, Liza sheds her ancient-speak and complete Austen wardrobe for something a bit more modern in an attempt at finding her very own Mr. Darcy.
Enter Will, the new kid and Liza's Darcy incarnate. Add her BFF's ex to mix and the sexy Brit who kisses with an accent, and Liza is in trouble.
So, what's a girl to do? Without her mom to go to relationship advice, Liza turns to the only 
person she can truly trust with matters of the heart via her mother's copy of COMPLETED 
WORKS OF JANE AUSTEN.
It's too bad Austen's heroines have never played Spin the Bottle or Seven Minutes in Heaven. 
Liza's determined to find her true Austen-esque happy ending, but if she can't trust herself 
instead of books, she just might end up in her own tragic love story.

Buy Links:

Amazon

About the Author

Erin Butler is lucky enough to have two jobs she truly loves. As a librarian, she gets to work with 

books all day long, and as an author, Erin uses her active imagination to write the kinds of books 

she enjoys reading. Young Adult and New Adult books are her favorites, but she especially loves 

the ones with kissing scenes.

Erin lives in Central New York with her very understanding husband, a stepson, and doggie 

BFF, Maxie. She prefers to spend her time indoors reading and writing, but will venture out 

for chocolate and sunshine. She is the author of BLOOD HEX, a YA paranormal, HOW WE 

LIVED, a contemporary New Adult novel, and FINDING MR. DARCY: HIGH SCHOOL 

EDITION, a contemporary YA.

Author Links:

Twitter * Website * Goodreads * Facebook
Excerpt

Buzzing.
I heard it as I moved closer. Each step raised the tiny hairs all over my body until I tingled. I
fought the urge to turn around, but Janie would kill me. Again.
The humming pitched higher. My heart detonated in my chest. Just around the corner and...I
was there.
Lunch.
I tugged my backpack tighter and held the straps out in front so I felt the security of it on my
back. The monkeys were crazy today, jumping, screaming, laughing. All of them, the Geeks,
Preps, Loners, Freaks, Smarties, Drama-Ramas, and Jockheads—all high—all with serious
issues of ADHD and all put on this earth at the same time, designated to this lunchroom at
this very minute, to bug the crap out of me.
My skin itched.
I skirted into the room a little more. Just in time to catch this little, lovely, mind-blowing
comment from Christopher Kronin, Head Jock. “Hey man, did you check out Miranda today?
I swear I saw some cleeeeeavage!” Or, as I like to call him, Head Tool in the Jerkoff Parade.
Wow. I’m sure that’ll be on our next science quiz. Question 22: Was or was not Miranda 
Ames displaying her cleavage last Wednesday? Trick Question! Correct answer: When isn’t 
Miranda Ames displaying massive amounts of cleavage? 
DingDingDing. Insert cheeky, red makeupy, overenthusiastic host face. “My god, Liza
Johnson, you are the smartest thing since sliced bread.” Insert my feigned embarrassment
and tiny Miss America wave. “Thank you. Thank you.”
I smirked, wishing I’d saved that one for Janie. Too late. They never came out the same when
spoken out loud. If Janie lived in my head with me, it would make things so much easier.
A tap on my shoulder brought me back to reality. I turned and looked down into the eyes
of the mind-blower himself. “Um hello, freak? Why are you standing in the middle of the
lunchroom smiling to yourself? You’re not about to go all Carrie on us, are you?” When was
Christopher going to give it up already? I hadn’t said anything yet about his side escapades.
He laughed his big, jock laugh. One of those mocking ones that really made your hand ball
up into a fist and fantasize about your knuckles leaving pretty pink marks on his face.
Instead, I said, “Um, s-sorry,” and skittered away. I picked up the pace; dodged monkeys
who already carried empty trays, and scanned heads for streaks of pink before they decided to
fling their own feces at one another.

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The Book Life Tag

Living inside a bookish world of your own creation is every reader's dream. I have been imagining different worlds to live in since I was five years old (my favorite was the Land of Cotton Candy and Rainbows). In this tag, I will share with you my perfect literary world from all of my favorite books.

I was tagged by Gloria @ GloriaTheViolinst .





Who would your parents be?

Mia's mother and father from If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Mia's parents are so understanding and unique. Most of the time in YA books, the parents are dead, always working, or nonexistent. So, Mia's parents stood out because they are a huge part of Mia's life and they want to keep it that way.

Who would be your sister?


Katy Swartz from the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I am currently reading Opal, so it is fresh in my mind how awesome Katy is. She is a book blogger, like myself, and she is not afraid to be her quirky self.


Who would be your brother?

St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. St. Clair is the sweetest guy in France, but I do not want to take him away from Anna. So, he is going to be my brother. Considering how protective he is of Anna, I think he would be an amazing older brother.

Who would be your pet?

Church from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I have never had a cat, and Church seems like the perfect cat for me. He is mostly self sufficient (I cannot be relied on to remember to feed a pet) and he is the oldest cat in New York. Pretty cool, right?

Where would you live?

I would live in New York City. New York has everything that I will need-- shopping, people, Camp Half-Blood, and Shadowhunters.That is all I will ever need.


Where would you go to school?

A better question would be which Hogwarts house would you be in, because Hogwarts is going to be everyone's answer. Going to Hogwarts is still a dream of mine (somehow my acceptance letter got lost in the owl mail, but it will be arriving shortly).

Who would be your best friend?

Hazel Grace from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Hazel has an amazing sense of humor, and she can always take what life throws at her and make the best of it. I would love to have her as my best friend.


Who would be your significant other?


Four (Tobias) Eaton from Divergent  by Veronica Roth. I have countless crushes on fictional characters (who doesn't?) but Four is still my favorite. He always remained loyal to those that he loved, even if they did not return the favor. He knows his faults and he is constantly trying to improve them.

I tag:

Lauren @ A Blonde Librarian

Georgia @ The Books Bandit

and if anyone has not been tagged, but still wants to do it, just say that I tagged you!

Blog Tour | Perfect for You by Ashelyn Drake

Perfect for You
By: Ashelyn Drake
Release Date: September 2014
Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Meg Flannigan isn’t very self-confident, but what girl would be after her sophomore-year boyfriend dumped her by making out with another girl in front of her locker?

Now a senior, Meg catches the eye of not one, but two gorgeous guys at school. Sounds good, right? What girl wouldn't want to be in Meg's shoes? One cute boy happens to be her boyfriend, and the other? Well, he wants to be. And Meg? She't torn between Ash, the boy she's been with for nearly five months, and Noah who is pretty irresistible.

But Meg is playing with fire. Pitting two boys against one another, even if she doesn't intend to, could end badly if she isn't careful. PERFECT FOR YOU is a teen romance from bestselling author Ashelyn Drake, where one girl will risk everything to find her perfect match.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Excerpt

Noah’s going to the football game? “You can’t be serious. You’ve never gone to a game.”

“Been keeping tabs on me?” His dimple is back.

If Noah shows up at the game, it could ruin Ash’s concentration. No, it will ruin Ash’s concentration. Ash has this uncanny way of finding me in a crowd of people. And what if he finds me with Noah?

“Please, don’t go.”

“Okay, I won’t.” He takes my hands in his. “I’ll stay as long as you’d like.” His thumbs tickle my palms.

“I mean tomorrow.”

“Well, I don’t know if I can spend the night, but ... ”

I yank my hands free and smack his good shoulder. “Stop it. Seriously, you can’t go to the game. Please. I’m asking you as a friend.”

“Are we friends?”

I don’t know how to answer that. I’m not sure what we are. I want to be his friend, but can I be? “What do you think we are?” Let him answer the tough questions for once.

“What do I think we are or what do I want us to be?” He reaches for my hand, brushing his index finger lightly against it.

“Noah, I can’t do this.” I step around him and walk out of the bathroom. I don’t want to feel trapped by him. Not in my own house.

“Hey.” He reaches for my shoulder and winces in pain. I stop, unable to keep from feeling bad that he’s hurt because of me. He stares at me, looking more than physically hurt. “I’m sorry. I’m used to girls giving in to me. Not always at first, but most seem to like—”

“The cocky attitude?”

He shrugs his good shoulder. “I didn’t say I understood it. It just works.” He cocks his head to the side, and his confidence is replaced with genuine emotion. “But you’re different. I think that’s why I like you so much.”

I shake my head, not wanting to hear this. “Don’t say things like that. You don’t even know me. And I have a boyfriend.”

“I know. I really am sorry. I push the boundaries with you. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself when I’m around you. It’s not easy watching you be with him. Do you have any idea how much I want to grab you and kiss you? Even right now?”

I step back, but not far.

“I won’t though. I know I’ll lose you if I do.” 

Good. At least he’s staying in control of his emotions. 

“Would be a hell of a kiss though. I’m sure of it.”

                       About the Author

Ashelyn Drake is a New Adult and Young Adult romance author. While it’s rare for her not to have either a book in hand or her fingers flying across a laptop, she also enjoys spending time with her family. She believes you are never too old to enjoy a good swing set and there’s never a bad time for some dark chocolate. She is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

Author Links

Website * Twitter * Goodreads * Facebook

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Book Blitz | Phantom's Dance by Lesa Howard

Phantom's Dance

by Lesa Howard

Release Date: 03/01/ 14

Summary from Goodreads:

Christine Dadey’s family uprooted their lives and moved to Houston for her to attend the prestigious Rousseau Academy of Dance. Now, two years later, Christine struggles to compete among the Academy’s finest dancers, her parents are on the brink of divorce, and she’s told no one about her debilitating performance anxiety and what she’s willing to do to cope with it.

Erik was a ballet prodigy, a savant, destined to be a star on the world’s stage, but a suspicious fire left Erik’s face horribly disfigured. Now, a lonely phantom forced to keep his scars hidden, he spends his nights haunting the theater halls, mourning all he’s lost. Then, from behind the curtain he sees the lovely Christine. The moldable, malleable Christine.

Drawn in by Erik’s unwavering confidence, Christine allows herself to believe Erik’s declarations that he can transform her into the dancer she longs to be. But Christine’s hope of achieving her dreams may be her undoing when she learns Erik is not everything he claims. And before long, Erik’s shadowy past jeopardizes Christine’s unstable present as his obsession with her becomes hopelessly entangled with his plans for revenge.

Available from:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

About the Author

I'm not the typical author. I didn't always enjoy reading or writing. While in school, I found it to be a chore I'd just as soon skip. I would rather have been daydreaming, my favorite past time. It wasn’t until I grew up and didn’t have to, that I realized reading was fun. I soon discovered that reading fueled my daydreaming. So, remembering a short story I'd written in high school, I began imagining expanding that story into a book. Before long I found I had loads of ideas for not just the short story but other books and stories as well. Fast forward a few years, a lot of studying about writing, practicing my writing, studying some more, taking classes from people who knew what they were doing, studying and practicing yet more, and ta-dah, author! In the same way I had learned I loved reading, I learned I loved writing, too. It’s just that writing is a lot harder than reading.

Author Links:

 
Website *  Twitter * Goodreads * Facebook

Excerpt

I cast about. Was he behind me?

“Van, are you messing with me?”

“Your technique is flawless, but you stifle your gift with it.”

To my left. He was behind the curtain to my left.

“Who’s there?” The voice had a gravelly edge to it. There was no way it was Van’s high-
pitched, juvenile speech.

Rather than answer me, the guy continued his critique. “You worry too much about your
form. You should trust your body to do what it’s trained to do.”

I trod over and yanked back a curtain. “Who’s there? Are you one of the
Diamondbacks?” That of course was ludicrous, because the only formation they knew was on a
football field.

Then it dawned on me. “Oh, you’re a security guard. Well, I was about to leave,” I

explained to him. “I was looking for Evander Woodruff, and I—”

“I’m a dancer.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m a dancer.”

“Oh. A member of the company?”

“Not this company.”

“What company are you with?”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not making sense. And where are you?” I twisted my head like an owl.

“Behind the curtains.”

“Yeah, I got that.” It sounded like he’d moved so I did a one-eighty to follow his path.

“But why?”

He hesitated. “It’s what works for me.”

“What?”

“Let’s just say I have my reasons.” His tone was superior and sounded strangely familiar.

“But I saw your dancing,” he said. “And your technique really is outstanding, but you’re uptight
and it shows.”

“Excuse me.” I sputtered.

“Don’t be offended.” He chuckled. “I just think some of your steps were stiff and it
needed to be pointed out.”

“And you think you’re the one to do that.”

“Well, yeah. It doesn’t seem anyone at this ridiculous school knows how to help you.”

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