The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

ARC received from fellow blogger, Jen at Jenuine Cupcakes.  Thanks!

Release Date:  On Shelves Now

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Gripping and Sexy, Crossing my Fingers for a Sequel!

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.

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.

I like vampires, but that being said, I really haven’t read many books centering on them.  So, I’m not one of those people who is burned out on them; and even if I was, I would have loved this one!  Though not overly unique, I still felt like Holly Black created a new and exciting world where twists and turns and shadows and blood will chase you into your darkest nightmares.

I really liked the main character, Tana.  I loved how resolute she was about the vampire epidemic.  She knows exactly how she feels about ever becoming one, and even when she meets an alluring, somewhat “good” vampire, she still doesn’t waver (even though I wanted her to).  She’s tough and doesn’t let fear knock her down; instead, she faces the darkness head on.  Now, her kind heart did get on my nerves at some points.  There were times when I wanted her to just say, “Screw it,” and leave, letting the vampires and “soon to be” vampires deal with their own problems.  I kind of wish it was a sense of adventure or desire to know that spurs her to action, instead of her wanting to help everyone.

Now Aiden (the ex) drove me nuts!!!  He is such a jerk, and I just wanted someone to smack him really hard in the nose.  But, like I always say, if an author can elicit a strong emotion (even a negative one) from me, then he or she is doing something right!!!  Way to go Holly on the annoying, jerkface Aiden.

And then there’s Gavriel, the mysterious, somewhat mad vampire.  He reminded me of the vampire version of the Mad Hatter.  He rambles these cryptic messages and seems to always be deep in thought.  I LOVED this about him.  He straddles the lines of madness and sanity, and every so often, he would dip to one side of the other and we would discover something new and amazing about him.  I am so hoping that Holly writes a sequel just so I can see more of him!

There was plenty of action in this one, and while the plot was slow at times, it wasn’t so much so that it lost my attention.  I also loved the idea of the “Coldtowns,” paralleling those of the ghettos during World War II.  It was intriguing to see how the other side lived, and furthermore, to see how fear can make people do horrible things.  In this case, the fear was warranted, as vampires are blood thirsty, dangerous creatures.  But they weren’t like rabid vampires, they were cold and calculating, embracing politics to manipulate the Coldtowns along with the rest of the world.

Overall, this was a great read, and I highly recommend it to vampire and Holly Black fans!

Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards

Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards

ARC received from Putnam Juvenile (Penguin)

Release Date:  6-4-2013

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Action-packed, Heart-wrenching, and Perfect with a Capital P!

Weeks after his crucifixion and rebirth as Phoenix, Ash Fisher believes his troubles are far behind him. He and Natalie are engaged and life seems good. But his happiness is short-lived when he receives a threatening visit from Purian Rose, who gives Ash an ultimatum: vote in favor of Rose’s Law permanently relegating Darklings to the wrong side of the wall or Natalie will be killed.

The decision seems obvious to Ash; he must save Natalie. But when Ash learns about The Tenth, a new and deadly concentration camp where the Darklings would be sent, the choice doesn’t seem so simple. Unable to ignore his conscience, Ash votes against Rose’s Law, signing Natalie’s death warrant and putting a troubled nation back into the throes of bloody battle.

I have had a copy of Black City since its release, but since my sister Amy had already reviewed it, I kept putting it off for others I needed to read first.  After receiving an arc of the sequel, I decided to pick it up and see what it was all about.  Reaction?  Why did I wait so long to read this one!!!  If you’re a book blogger or just a bookie, you’ve been struck by this epidemic before—letting a great book get further and further down your TBR pile, and then when you finally read it, it’s like BAM!  Anywho, I,  for one, can say that anything by Elizabeth Richards will make it to the top of my TBR pile, never again becoming a victim of the “Waiting Too Long To Read” disease.

Okay…so let’s get to Phoenix.  I just loved it!!!!  It starts out pretty much right after Black City ended, and the rebellion is staring to get really heated.  The vote for Rose’s Law is about to come, and it has divided the country—but not just in two.  Purian Rose, the Hitler of Elizabeth’s world, is ready to go after everyone he deems impure.  As a result, it become a dog eat dog world where everyone has to look out for themselves.  One of the parts I loved about Phoenix was that Elizabeth brought more species forward, including Lupines and the mysterious Bastets.  There is just so much more to this world that we don’t know, and I found all its inhabitants interesting and dangerous in their own way.

One of the things I am always worried about with sequels is the second book slump.  Most of them follow the same old formula—the love interests get torn apart by something and the world falls into an even deeper disarray.  Now, Phoenix does follow this formula in its own way, but it’s done in a way that will not bore you.   There is so much action in this one that I was constantly sitting on the edge of my seat.  Just when you think that they are out of Purian Rose’s grasp, they make a wrong turn and go crashing back into his net.  It’s spine-chilling and heart-breaking, and the discoveries that Natalie and Ash make along the way will cut you deep.  But, there is very little time to mourn, because just around the corner is something even more atrocious.  Elizabeth will keep you guessing and keep you anticipating the next disastrous event.

My favorite part of this installment was getting to see more of the United Sentry States.  This story takes place all over the country, and seeing the different cities and the Barren Lands was extremely interesting.  Even more so, we see into the past persecution of the Darklings, and it is both eye-opening and disturbing.  I found haunting similarities between this war and our own tragic past during World War II.  These similarities added to the chilling tone of the novel and the gruesome paranoia of the tyrant, Purian Rose.

The only thing that got me frustrated at times was Natalie and Ash’s relationship.  They keep secrets from each other, even though they claim to be so in love.  I understand the reasoning behind keeping such secrets, but I still think they were being selfish and immature by not being honest.  As a result, their actions became very much like a middle school romance.  I found it hard to see the love that had blossomed between them when they both were willing to sacrifice their lives after Gregory’s death in the first book.  However, this didn’t deter me enough to keep from loving the book.

OH…and the ending!  Talk about a cliffhanger I didn’t see coming.  There were some predictable aspects of the books (although I suspect Elizabeth of planting a few red herrings in there to throw us off), but the ending—DIDN’T SEE IT COMING!!!!!

Elizabeth’s world is full of rage, hatred, deceit, and darkness; and born of these horrible acts and feelings is a world that persecutes and murders in the name of peace and faith.  It’s a broken world left to crumble beneath the weight of its sins, unless a handful of outcasts can defy the laws, break down a despot, and spark a flame of resistance.  I can’t wait to find out if Ash and Natalie can truly rise from the ashes to build a better world.

Waiting on Wednesday: Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN by J.A. London.  DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN releases on May 29th from Harper Teen.

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This electrifying new trilogy blends the best of paranormal and dystopian storytelling in a world where the war is over. And the vampires won.

Humans huddle in their walled cities, supplying blood in exchange for safety. But not even that is guaranteed. Dawn has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as the delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn’t until she meets Victor, Valentine’s son, that she realizes not all vampires are monsters....

Darkness Before Dawn is a fresh new story with captivating characters, unexpected plot twists, a fascinating setting, and a compelling voice. Written under the name J. A. London by a talented mother-son team, the trilogy is perfect for fans of True Blood and the House of Night and Morganville Vampires series.

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I have to admit I wanted to read this book before I even read the synopsis because the cover is gorgeous!  After reading the synopsis, I wanted to read it even more.  I know some people are tired of vampires, and even though I am not one of those people, this book still sounds like something even those who are bored of vamps will enjoy.  I mean, what's not to enjoy?  Its got three aspects that I love:  paranormal elements , a dystopian world, and a cute maybe bad, maybe good guy!  So, don't miss out on this one!  Preorder it today!