Audiobook Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Posted 9 January, 2014 by Heather in Blog, Heather, Heather Book Review / 11 Comments

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Audiobook Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly BlackThe Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers on September 3, 2013
Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 421
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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5 Stars

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.

audiobook

My Thoughts:

I haven’t heard anything but good things about Holly Black’s books, and when both Danny and Pushy read and reviewed The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I read the description and figured that I could jump in with both feet since I haven’t read anything vampires in a while (at the time of my listening), and as a bonus, I could finally say that I’d read something by Holly Black.

Tana wakes up the morning after a party, realizing that she’s the last person left alive and human in a house full of her dead friends. They’d been attacked by vampires, which are known to the world, and Tana finds her ex-boyfriend tied to a bed and in the middle of turning into a vampire while a strange vampire boy is chained up in the same room. Not wanting to leave them behind because that’s not the kind of girl she is, Tana risks life and limb to escape the house, bringing the two guys with her out the window. She doesn’t get away unscathed: she now has a scrape on her leg from vampire teeth, and it’s uncertain if she’ll go cold like her ex-boyfriend has done and start to turn.

To protect her family and the people around them, there’s only one place that Tana can go with her ex-boyfriend and the mysterious vampire Gavriel, so they head into the dangerous Coldtown nearest them. Tana waits with uncertainty and hope that she won’t go cold, while the ex tries to resist the change. And of course, Gavriel has is own agenda and ulterior motives for going into Coldtown–a place that you can never leave once you’ve entered, especially if you’re infected or already a vampire.

The world building is great in The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Vampires are fierce, nasty, predatory, and cold-blooded killers here, and it’s refreshing to read this version of them. Tana was headstrong, kick ass, but she was also vulnerable and afraid. She was able to push those things aside to fight when she had to, and it was nice to see her think of her family before herself. Gavriel was a nice surprise in this book as more of him was revealed throughout the book. He certainly wasn’t what I was expecting when you first meet him in the book and peel back some of the layers to the end.

I give The Coldest Girl in Coldtown a five out of five. With excellent world building, great secondary characters, gory details, and fierce fight scenes, the story moved forward at a pace that was perfect as Tana fights to help both herself and her friends. The vampire characteristics and concepts were not entirely unique, but they were combined in some new ways that made this story highly enjoyable. I found myself totally cheering on Tana as she kicked some vampire ass, and I really hope to see what happens after the open ending.

 

I listened to the audiobook provided by Hachette Audio

Get your own Audiobook at Audible: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.

I think this was one of those books where I enjoyed the book so much more because I listened to the audiobook instead of reading it on paper or on my Kindle. The narrator was fantastic, and Christine Lakin does every voice with easy distinction and great action. Musical interludes amped up the tension and added to the atmosphere of important parts of the book, and I really enjoyed hearing these little pieces. While the book was a bit slow in a few spots because of the world building, the excellent character driven plot made the story fly right by as I just needed to hear what  would happen next because of these things in the audiobook. I highly recommend listening to this prodcution.

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Heather

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I'm a PhD chemist who loves sarcasm, music, and books-paranormal, mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, and romance. Most of my free time is spent at the martial arts studio these days--whether practicing Combat Hapkido or reading books while watching my son's Taekwondo classes, or even working up a sweat with Kickboxing for fun. Goodreads

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11 Responses to “Audiobook Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black”

  1. Upon coming across this adorable cover, I bought this one when it came out in our country. I’ve read a few chapters, maybe below a hundred pages, but never really got into it. 🙁 Since I really like the concept, I might try it again in the future, though. I’m glad you enjoyed it better than I did. 🙂
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    Heather 1/10/2014

    The Coldest Girl in Coldtown seemed to take a little bit to pick up in pace. Since I listened to the audiobook, I can’t tell you how many chapters, but give it another shot. It’s an excellent book, Aimee.
    Heather recently posted..Audiobook Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly BlackMy Profile

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  2. I’m reading this one now. At first I wasn’t really convinced, but once they actually GOT to Coldtown things started to get really good 😀 (and, uhm, THAT KISS)
    Allie @ Little Birdie Books recently posted..Review: The Raven Boys {Maggie Stiefvater}My Profile

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    Heather 1/10/2014

    Oh, yes, Allie! That kiss in The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was amazing! Just wait until you get closer to the end 😉

    Hope you like this one as much as I did!
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  3. I LOVE that she’s not the kind of person to leave people behind, even if they are turning cold. I love that she stands up for herself and for others. I love this whole book. *huggles it hard*
    Mary @ BookSwarm recently posted..Speed Date with Officer Prospero: DIRTY MAGIC by Jayne WellsMy Profile

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    Heather 1/10/2014

    My thoughts exactly on The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Mary. I loved this book so hard too! I need a sequel stat.
    Heather recently posted..Audiobook Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly BlackMy Profile

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  4. Anytime I see a new vampire book, I think “Oh no, is it going to be good? Is it too overdone? How will this take on the undead go?” The answers I found: YES, this is new, and FANTASTICALLY bad a**! Seriously, I LOVED it. I’ve been ready for the next book since before I even read this one, THAT is how excellent I found this book. I am in complete agreement with you:)
    Danica Cannon @ Rainy Tree Reader recently posted..Stacking the ShelvesMy Profile

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    Heather 1/10/2014

    I was a bit burned out on vampire books too, Danica. That’s why I stick to the series that I’ve followed for several years, and even those I’m not totally caught up on the latest releases. But I gave The Coldest Girl in Coldtown a shot, and I’m so happy I did. It was excellent and I need that next book so bad!
    Heather recently posted..Audiobook Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly BlackMy Profile

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  5. I’m so glad you enjoyed this one and I’m glad that the audiobook made it seem even better. I’m definitely a fan of Holly Black!
    Megan recently posted..Review: CinderMy Profile

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    Heather 1/10/2014

    After listening to The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I’m a fan of Holly Black now. I’ve just never read any of her books before, but I certainly will be reading her from now on.
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