Holly Black wrote a vampire novel?!
Holly Black is best known for The Folk of The Air Series, where a sad prince falls for a cunning human. This was the only series I’ve read of hers, but the Coldest girl in Coldtown has been on my tbr for a few years, and because I’m in a vampire reading mood, I decided to take the time to read it.
Summary:
Tana awakens the morning after a house party surrounded by corpses, her infected ex-boyfriend, Aiden, and a very old vampire, Gavriel. Now she must race to get the three of them to Coldtown, quarantine cities where vampires and humans coexist or so everyone thinks. Coldtown is dangerous for humans but for vampires who attend the Eternal ball it’s a paradise. Things become complicated and chaotic fast. And Tana ends up becoming a very dangerous person.
Thoughts:
This story is told in the third person and shifts POVs between Tana, her sister Pearl, and Gavriel. I listened to the audiobook, and I hadn’t expected the POVs to change without notice. Other novels name chapters after characters as a subtle way to introduce POV changes, so when this was absent in The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I was lost.
But that’s what I get for listening to audiobooks while finishing chores.
This story has a unique tone that’s both dark and sensual. This novel takes so many dark turns, and it made the novel a very delicious read. I really enjoyed submerging into the grittiness.
“Clever girl. You play with fire because you want to be burnt.”
Holly Black
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a dystopic love story. The events of the novel take place over a few days, so the romance is very much instant love. Honestly, I was a fan. I think the overall horror of Coldtown and Tana’s descent into madness made me root for some goodness.
Yes, Gavriel is unhinged but so is Tana. I was surprised they gravitated towards each other but reading this novel and watching as they quickly built a bond with one other was great.
“We all wind up drawn to what we’re afraid of, drawn to try to find a way to make ourselves safe from a thing by crawling inside of it, by loving it, by becoming it.”
Holly Black
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
The ending scene of this novel is sweet (the coldtown kind of sweet) and is open ended so readers can draw their own conclusion. I normally hate these kinds of endings but I loved this one!
This YA vampire tale is pretty dark, and I wouldn’t recommend it for the easily squeamish but if you like morally gray characters definitely check it out.
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fantastic review!! i dont love dark romances and vampires, but know the exact person who does, defo will send your review to her!! also love how holly black is exploring vampires, I feel like they’re having a comeback lol
ps. cant get over the title LMAOOO it’s just the cheesiest thing I’ve read, feels like a cheesy horror movie from the 90s (in a good way)
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Lol thanks! And thanks for the Share 😀
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Aha! Someone once asked me if I knew any dystopian romances. I’ll note this “dystopic love story” down for future reference.
Gotta admit, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown sounds intriguing. Maybe I’ll add it to my list!
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My other recent review The Sound of Stars is also an interesting dystopic love story. It has aliens instead of vampires though
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Good to know! Maybe I’ll look up that one too.
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