The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black // Vampires Did Not Bother Me in This Case

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, by Holly Black
Publication: September 3, 2013, by Little Brown Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy, Gothic
Pages: 419
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

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.

My Thoughts:

Holly Black strikes again in my bookshelves, my friends. This time, she nicely handed readers a fantasy novel that is not like the rest. This time, it was about vampires, kicking ass and a world setting that is totally absurd but believable. I honestly spent the whole 419 pages wondering if there are people like Tana in this world and if a Coldtown really exists. I'm sure it does, because Black has told us through her writing that anything is possible and anything can happen. I cannot see why wouldn't this be possible. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a novel that everyone should pick up, despite its paranormal promising plot—vampires. 

I have never been a fan of vampires, that concept and theme has been said and done a load of too many times. There are either vampire hunters, or a girl or boy being a vampire and falling in love with the other, but the fact that they are so different tears them apart. Holly Black, as always, adds her own cool flair to the story where I became shocked and terrified of what was yet to come. The vampires in this book were not meant to be scary, at all. This was a typical action novel with a love triangle (of course) and the style that readers have loved because Holly Black just makes it her own.

As the summary states, the book is wholly original. Tana, our protagonist, wakes up in a party in a bathtub and finds everyone dead, except for her ex boyfriend and this weird dude who just comes out of nowhere. She finds that there's been an outbreak of vampires, and everyone is infected. Basically, they're trying to save themselves because they all know that they could be next, and that sort of thing. Their world is surrounded by Coldtowns where these creatures live, and they feel like they're next.

"You drove him off again. Sleep, Tana. I will guard you from Death, for I have no fear of him. We have been adversaries for so long that we are closer than friends."

This book was pretty great. The plot and everything formed together in the style that I enjoy and never get bored of, and I just couldn't stop obsessing over the fact that Tana was such an unstoppable character. As always, Holly Black stuns readers the most with her brilliant ideas that plot together to form something enjoyable. This was a powerful read, but nothing so rememberable that I will freak out about over in the next few years, you know? I would prefer to freak out over a sisterhood or something like that.

Don't read this for the romance. You'll just find yourself extremely disappointed with what the characters felt for each other. We have a grinch (the ex), a vampire and a mysterious girl. They all seemed to be complete opposites of each other and totally, totally disappointing. But this is NOT what we read books for.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is delightful—it is everything a fantasy reader would expect and want in a gothic tale. I extremely recommend it to all, although it was not my favourite. It seemed okay and monotone, and I had issues with the characters and romance. If you're fine with being not able to relate to the characters/protagonist, then you could definitely turn out okay with it.

Do you like gothic tales? Are you a fan of Holly Black?

Lailah by Nikki Kelly Review

Lailah (The Styclar Saga #1), by Nikki Kelly
Publication: October 7, 2014, by Feiwel and Friends
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Vampires, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gifted
Rating: ½

The girl knows she’s different. She doesn’t age. She has no family. She has visions of a past life, but no clear clues as to what she is, or where she comes from. But there is a face in her dreams – a light that breaks through the darkness. She knows his name is Gabriel.
On her way home from work, the girl encounters an injured stranger whose name is Jonah. Soon, she will understand that Jonah belongs to a generation of Vampires that serve even darker forces. Jonah and the few like him, are fighting with help from an unlikely Allie – a rogue Angel, named Gabriel.
In the crossfire between good and evil, love and hate, and life and death, the girl learns her name: Lailah. But when the lines between black and white begin to blur, where in the spectrum will she find her place? And with whom?
Gabriel and Jonah both want to protect her. But Lailah will have to fight her own battle to find out who she truly is.

My Thoughts: 

I find myself being the kind of chick who's willing to go for almost any kind of YA read. Whether it's contemporary or fantasy, I have some favourites for each genre, and I can't get enough of it all. But this isn't about me here (but it is about my opinion), it's about the hype surrounding this novel. I mean yeah, it was published onto Wattpad and went viral, but I feel that there's no need for all of the useless hype and craze surrounding this book. *breathes in and out*

Lailah could've been much better and could've went in a whole other direction, I feel. I'm totally not into paranormal romances these days, and even if this book did happen to capture my attention (and be released) back in the day of my amateur YA-happy days, I still probably wouldn't have liked it. Yeah, there's vampires, angels, and all of that info-dumping about the causes and effects of these weird situations. It's everything you can possibly expect a simple paranormal romance to have. There wasn't anything special about it and I felt rather bored with the entire concept. 

"Fluttering my eyelids closed I placed my hand over his chest in return. He wrapped his hand over the top of mine, pressing it down more firmly. It was like his soul was enveloped around me tightly, and I imagined cupping his light, watching his purity dance in the palm of my hand." (Hardcover, page 146)

Imagine the purity all right, because this had no sense of purity. It was just a knockoff of everything else you've read all mixed up together in one, just with a gorgeous cover that I still can't keep my eyes off until today as I'm writing this review. Every time I take a peek at it now, only the negative memories float back to me, sadly. Don't readers choose to purchase and devour a book out of utter interest and happiness? What's happening to this genre now?

Whoa, just take a look at the first sentence of this synopsis: "The girl knows she's different." Ohmygosh. We have never ever heard of this thing before! *says sarcastically* Of course we have. IN EVERY. SINGLE. PARANORMAL. BOOK! Kelly definitely should've taken that aspect in a whole other route. Ugh. Moving on with my own personal tiny snippet of a summary, we have our sassy (but cool) main character, Lailah. DUH. She actually doesn't realize that her name is Lailah until later in the novel, but you could say that she's an immature clueless freak at the start of her story here. She has visions of this guy (BEAUTIFUL CREATURES?!) and then one day on her way home from work, she encounters this vampire dude named Jonah (who's pretty hot if you ask me) and what do you think this'll lead to? You've guessed it, and I bet that there's no need for me to waste sentence space and time to say it. Keep it to yourself. *winks* ;)

In a paragraph, that's one way to explain what this book provided for readers. You're probably thinking that it was horrible for me and I'm a weirdo for giving it a 2.5 star rating if all I'm doing is complaining so far, but you have to comprehend that there's some positive sides to it, too. Always remember, that if there's a dark side, there's always some kind of good, light side somewhere. Okay? Okay. *hates using cheesy quotes but it's the only way to proclaim my thoughts out loud* In one sentence, I'll tell you that I hated the concept and setting: I hated the concept and setting. That's a 1/5 star rating since I dislike vampires and angels, both smashed together into a book. And of course, one guy is one creature and the other is the other creature. Love triangle, you speak of?

"No, love, the darkness inside him cost him his existence, [...] His life was taken from him a long time ago; you need to separate the two." (Hardcover, page 238)

When beginning to flip through the pages and hope for the best, I believe that it did start off as the best. Okay, it literally wasn't the best the best, *hopes you're getting this* but I was liking it. The plot seemed that it was about to explode into a million action scenes that would gather my feelings and hopes and wishes and throw them around like confetti, but I found it all rather boring. It was too philosophical, too wordy and weird for the genre itself, and it stayed that way towards the end. Why did I not DNF it instead?

THE CHARACTERS, OF COURSE! Woot. I finally can grab myself and throw my words into this paragraph, forming it in my mind with pure happiness. Lailah's character is what helped me stay. Think of If I Stay, that kind of staying and not leaving anyone/anything behind. *thinks about it* Lailah was kick-ass, totally not annoying, and she resembled the total opposite of Bella Swan in this case. And plus, in the love triangle, there weren't any humans! Mostly. *laughs* She was normal, and unusual both at the same time. What other bad-butt protagonist could you possibly ask for? *thinks of Celaena Sardothien* 

Then we have the men—Gabriel and Jonah. So I grew to actually LOVE Jonah although he was really creepy at times. *thinks of the moments* BUT GABRIEL WAS TOO SENSITIVE AND SYMPATHETIC, LIKE A WHINY PUPPY. Jonah was the hardcore man who could back Lailah up in any situation. And he's just like her, kick-ass and real. But I'm afraid that the love triangle thing here is a little too cliché for this situation and for the genre itself. I don't recommend reading this if you're against them. 

"Love is light. Hate, evil is darkness. Polar opposites. It would never matter what she did, even with a being such as Gabriel, he could never love her like that." 

Despite the bad, negative factors that I've continuously mentioned throughout this review, Lailah wasn't horrible, but it wasn't that good, either. I can add that it was well written, though the concept just isn't my kind-of-read and I do believe that many others will fall in love and pet it happily day and night. You may even want to read the sequel. *gives a suggestion out* But for me, and voicing to the many paranormal-haters, this wasn't as good as expected. Stay away from hyped-up reads if you feel it's not for you, there's a tip!

What is a hyped read that didn't go well for you?

Lailah Book Blitz

Title: Lailah
Series: The Styclar Saga #1
Author: Nikki Kelly
Release Date: October 7th
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Summary from Goodreads:
The girl knows she’s different. She doesn’t age. She has no family. She has visions of a past life, but no clear clues as to what she is, or where she comes from. But there is a face in her dreams – a light that breaks through the darkness. She knows his name is Gabriel.

On her way home from work, the girl encounters an injured stranger whose name is Jonah. Soon, she will understand that Jonah belongs to a generation of Vampires that serve even darker forces. Jonah and the few like him, are fighting with help from an unlikely ally – a rogue Angel, named Gabriel.

In the crossfire between good and evil, love and hate, and life and death, the girl learns her name: Lailah. But when the lines between black and white begin to blur, where in the spectrum will she find her place? And with whom?

Gabriel and Jonah both want to protect her. But Lailah will have to fight her own battle to find out who she truly is.

Pre-Order Today!
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"An extraordinarily imaginative look into the realms of good, evil, and all that comes in between. Lailah will have you gripped until the very end." -Brittany, Please Feed the Bookworm

“Lailah: Original. Swoonworthy. Captivating. Lailah will make you have all the FEELS, and you’ll find yourself flailing for Book #2, Gabriel!” -Andrew, Endlessly Reading

“Lailah is a fast-paced read that will keep you hooked from cover to cover." -Jess, The Book Bratz

“Lailah is paranormal romance like you have never read before. With its hauntingly beautiful writing it will have you craving for more!” -Dana, Dana Square

“AHHHHHHHH! (in a good way)” - Ri, Hiver & Café

“Dark. Sexy. Intriguing. Filled with twists and turns and set on a beautiful backdrop, Lailah is sure to enchant and haunt you from the start.” -Rachel, A Perfection Called Books

Q&A with Nikki Kelly! 

What inspired you to write LAILAH?
As all the best stories start... ‘I had a dream!’
Seriously, that’s what happened.
I dreamed of Lailah, and the thought of her simply wouldn’t leave me.

If you could only have one book with you on a deserted island, what would it be?
The Lord of the Rings (I’m taking the box set – I don’t care what you say!)
First, they are some of my favorite books of all time.
Second, because I would be reminded that there are worse places to be than stuck on a desert island, such as Mordor, and at least I don’t have the worry of Orcs and the Nazgul.

Who are your favorite YA authors?
Lori Goldstein
Leigh Bardugo
Jessica Brody
Gennifer Albin
Marissa Meyer
Stephanie Meyer
Charlaine Harris
Mary Pearson
Ann Aguirre
Veronica Roth
... the list could go on and on and on...

What book introduced you to YA?
Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse #1)—Charlaine Harris

How do you write SwoonWorthy moments?
With plenty of swoon ;)
Okay... if you want to get really technical...
When writing a swoon-worthy moment, I think about the five senses – sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch – and I incorporate them into the descriptive language, which helps build the scene. I try to keep an ambiguity around ‘will they, won’t they’ when writing these moments, building them up, only to knock them down again, ready for the next round!

Do you have any traditions you do before you sit and write?
Boil the kettle...
Brew a teapot...
Put my headphones on, and gear myself up for a long writing stretch!

You’re watching TV; what TV show are you watching?
I tend to watch Netflix and almost always re-runs of The Office (American version).
If I switch on the TV, it’s likely that I will be watching The Big Bang Theory.

Who is your ultimate Book Boyfriend? (No cheating!!!)
That’s such an unfair question.
A—I have many!
B—the top spot on that list changes on a book by book basis!
Right now I am loving Tobias from Divergent, having just read the first book! Strong, rugged and brooding... *Le Sigh* *Le Swoon* and, yes, *fans oneself*!

What inspires you most to write? (Songs, dreams, surroundings..etc.)
Lailah came to me in a dream and stayed with me, so I’d say dreams inspire me most. But when it comes to the writing process, I would find it far more difficult to get in the mood to write an action scene, for example, without first playing the ‘Rocky’ soundtrack! Music is SO important.

Why did you decide to write YA?
The best advice I ever received about writing was to 'write what you know, and write what you love.' For me that was YA Fantasy with some uber-swoon thrown in!

What books would you recommend to readers who enjoyed your book?
Lailah is a YA Paranormal Romance / Fantasy, so I'd probably recommend other YA PNR novels… Oh and I have thrown in a few of my fave YA's that aren't necessarily PNR! 

Mortal Instruments—Cassandra Clare
Sookie Stackhouse Novels—Charlaine Harris
The Vampire Diaries—L. J. Smith
Unremembered Trilogy—Jessica Brody
Becoming Jinn (Spring '15)—Lori Goldstein
Divergent—Veronica Roth

Styclar Street Team!

The Styclar Street Team is essentially bloggers and readers who are fans of the story, and wish to declare and spread their love for Styclar!

MEMBERS
Want to become a member of the Styclar Street Team? We'd love to have you!

If you've read Lailah, enjoyed the story, and want to get involved, simply take a selfie with your copy of the book, and tweet it with the following hashtag: #StyclarStreetTeam

Be sure to also email the photo direct to Nikki — nikki@thestyclarsaga.com and your awesome selfie will be uploaded to the Street Team page of The Styclar Saga website! (www.thestyclarsaga.com)

Check out the page to grab buttons for your site, find out about how you can participate in the latest spreading the Styclar word activities' and enter special giveaways!

Nikki's going on the Fierce Reads Tour in October! Want to meet her? Check out the stops here: http://fiercereads.com/

About the Author:

NIKKI KELLY was born and raised only minutes away from the chocolately scent of Cadbury World in Birmingham, England. Lailah was first launched to wattpad, an online readers and writers community. Within six months, the novel had over one million reads. Lailah is Nikki’s debut novel, and the first book in The Styclar Saga. She lives in London with her husband and their dogs, Alfie (a pug) and Goose (a Chihuahua).

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Blog Tour: Hidden Intentions, by Stacy Claflin

 Hidden Intentions by Stacy Claflin 

(The Transformed) 

Publication date: Summer 2014

Genres: New Adult, Paranormal Romance

Rating: 3/5 stars 

Format: ebook

   Fun-loving Clara is keeping a dark and deadly secret from William, the love of her life.

Not because she wants to hide things from him, but because her story is so unbelievable he will probably think she’s crazy.

 If she tells him, she could lose him. If she doesn’t tell him, she will.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22081161-hidden-intentions

Purchase: 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Intentions-Transformed-Standalone-Novel-ebook/dp/B00LDQB0OU/ref=la_B008AXCK1Q_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406561558&sr=1-7

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hidden-intentions-stacy-claflin/1119882881?ean=9781498947145

☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟☟

    This is a book about vampires. If you didn't know that and hate vampires, then I'd recommend that you should stay away from this book. I personally am sick and tired of vampire books, and if I knew it, then I'd stay away from this book.

         I overall thought that this one was okay. What kept it good was the fact that the romance and characters were pretty adorable. There were many boring moments that made me roll my eyes and the whole vampire concept is very lacking of awesomeness. Some authors can really create a gorgeous vampire world, but I found this one to be confusing and dull. Other than that, the book was pretty well-written.

  

       This is about Clara, who's secretly a vampire. She's been one for over two hundred years, and went through many phases of relationships. When she meets William, it brings back memories of her love for his ancestor, Liam. They fall in love and head back to their hometown, and when William finds a photo of his ancestors, he finds a photo with a girl who looks exactly like Clara. (And it is.) He then proposes, and Clara figures out that she needs to tell William the truth, or else their whole relationship would be ruined.

        I read this book fairly quickly. It took me about an hour and a half, and although it was fast-paced, I was bored at many times. The plot went by quickly, but the main problem was the concept which didn't interest me. There really was no point of this standalone. Vampires? Yuck.

  

            But it was fast-paced... So that's a pro, right?

        I adored the characters. Clara was just the most kick-ass chick I've read about in an adult novel. She was easy to relate to, and totally independent and perfect, just like William says. William was absolutely hot, steamy, and adorable. I kept fanning myself whenever his POV came up. ;) You'll adore him.

         By the time the ending came, I realized that this book was more of a meh read for me. It had its flaws and good ideas, but the (bad) ending really stuck with me. It was predictably bad, but the romance made it a whole 'lot better because you'll decide that it was worth it.      

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About the Author:

    I love writing, reading, and watching most anything paranormal. My favorite shows include Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, Fringe, Pretty Little Liars, and Once Upon a Time.

   I’ve been writing and telling stories for as long as I can remember. As a kid, my story telling would get me into trouble when I would try to convince others that my stories were real.

   When I’m not busy writing, I spend time with my family. I also run a home preschool and educate my kids from home.

You can learn more about my current and upcoming books at StacyClaflin.com.    I’d love to hear from you!

Author Links:

http://stacyclaflin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/stacy.claflin.author

https://twitter.com/growwithstacy

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6591338.Stacy_Claflin

    I'm also hosting a giveaway for 1 ebook copy of Hidden Intentions! Comment below and let me know your favourite vampire read for an entry!