Goodreads summary, for the lazy (me): “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.”
I’m not great at gushing, but I liked The Coldest Girl in Coldtown a lot. It was suspenseful, funny, and well-paced. Black’s writing is sharp and often poetic, and her imagery was evocative. The concept was great: it paid homage to classic vampire stories while still containing unique concepts that made Black’s vision feel fresh. The idea that there are quarantined cities, or sections of cities, isn’t in itself anything new, but Black added to the concept that these aren’t necessarily desolate, abandoned places; they’re communities, some more thriving than others, that maintain equilibrium between humans and vampires, and what goes on inside isn’t some kind of government secret. The Coldtowns may be walled off, but many of them are still viable, even desirable, options for many humans, infected or not.
As a lead character, I found Tana to be a realistic depiction of how many average people in her situation might have come across. A lot of her decisions aren’t necessarily the smartest in terms of self preservation, but she is brave and loyal and it was immediately evident that she wasn’t the type just to look out for herself, but for others as well. Given that about her, her actions throughout the book make perfect sense. She is a genuinely likeable person who benefited not just from her own industriousness, but also from building relationships with others who then are happy to help her. The budding romance between her and Gavriel, the “mysterious boy” from the party, is based on his wonder and admiration for her fighting spirit and determination to help others.
I was deeply into the book from start to finish. I’m unsure if there is meant to be a sequel, but if there is, I will absolutely read it.
This was one of my favourite books that I read last year. It completely blew me away and I more or less read it in one sitting, because I was so engrossed. It keeps popping up in my memory still, and I really liked Tana and Gavriel a LOT. I would love a sequel, but only if Black has something equally cool in mind. Otherwise I’d rather preserve the book and characters the way they are at the end here.
The idea of a sequel hadn’t even crossed my mind until I saw it being discussed on Goodreads. I agree with you — I wouldn’t want a sequel just for the sake of it, as so many YA series have been ruined that way, but there are definitely threads from the book I’d be interested in picking up!
I think I’m turning into the old crotchety curmudgeon who everybody tries to avoid at the party because I thought this was a crushing bore.
The premise of Coldtown offers so much potential. What sort of society would develop there? What would motivate people to go there? What sort of people would thrive vs. die there? What other strategies would the infected come up with to try to avoid their fate?
Sadly I felt that Coldtown never really delivered on the premise. Many of the decisions seemed fairly arbitrary, characters flocking to support (and even die for) Tana based on a loose acquaintance. Gavriel (let’s call him Angel) was your basic brooding but good-hearted vampire. The action dragged to the point that I almost didn’t finish it.
I know, I know. Now I’m “that guy.” Well shut up and get off my lawn you kids!
Haha, to each her own! The reviews on Goodreads weren’t all glowing either. To speculate on your thought of characters supporting and dying for Tana based on a loose acquaintance, I have to say that I think it’s something that always makes me think I get a little insight into the author of how s/he feels about human nature, based on how they behave after some kind of apocalypse. Some books are all scorched earth, where there is no one you can trust except for very few; Black seems to have most people being goodhearted and kind. The optimist in me will accept that!