The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

I was honestly never very into vampires in the first place although I don't mind the occasional paranormal, vampires had just already been so overdone by the time I started reading YA that I was tired of them before I even read any vampire books. Sorry. But I still pick up the occasional vampire novel that catches my eye, and one of those was The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black. 

I have wanted to read a Holly Black novel for ages, and that just never happened but with the release of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown I decided it was finally time––plus it was a standalone novel and those just generally appeal to me, especially in YA where they are far less common. Oh, and that gorgeous cover, I know we're not supposed to admit it, but just look at its beauty! 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is the story Tana, a teenage girl living in a world where vampires are locked behind walled cities, or Coldtowns, and sometimes humans get stuck there as well. After a party gone horribly wrong, and unsure if she's infected or not, Tana heads behind the wall hoping to save herself and return home to her family. 

The premise of Coldtown really caught my attention, and it was immediately fulfilled when I began reading the novel. Unfortunately, as the story continued it just didn't have the same spark and tension as the first 100 pages or so (and at over 400 pages long, that's a pretty big problem). I did enjoy Black's writing, and there's a lot of nice twists in the book, but it is definitely heavy on the story and lighter on the character depth. 

Tana goes through a lot, and I really wanted to connect with her struggle, but it– as well as the romance– just didn't have the impact on me that I expected. Part of that might be due to the third person narrative, but even then, I expected more of an emotional investment in the story, rather than just one to the plotline.

Even though I never really connected with Tana, I still enjoyed following her journey, so I don't regret reading (or finishing) The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. It's a fun twist on vampires and it's got a complicated storyline that I didn't expect. I would definitely be willing to pick up more books by Holly Black in future and if you enjoy thrill-filled vampire stories, I do recommend The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.

Release Date: September 3rd, 2013  Pages: 419  Source: Borrowed 
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers  Buy It: Book Depository

Meghan Review: Blood Gospel

By far the best suspense thriller I read last year, The Order of the Sanguines Series (#1): Blood Gospel by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I read the whole book in less than a week (during finals, no less!) and I've already recommended it to all my friends.

When Dr. Erin Granger, Sergeant Jordan Stone, and Catholic priest Father Rhun Korza investigate a mysterious dig site with the crucified mummy of a young girl, they are brutally attacked. On the run, the only place where these three can find answers is within the book that was once preserved in the tomb: a book rumored to have been written by Christ's own Hand, containing secrets to His divinity. But they don't realize (except for the mysterious Rhun) is that their pursuers are creatures unlike they could have imagined...

 What makes Blood Gospel so special? It has short chapters with many different viewpoints, constructing a strong world from many different angles. The reader is given a lens into each other the characters' mentalities through the shifting viewpoints, and this kept the plot moving fast. I also think this would help the book appeal to a wide audience---people who prefer militaristic or hyper-masculine stories will really sympathize with Jordan, whereas I related more strongly to the smart, determined Dr. Erin. Historical fiction fans will love Rhun.

Threaded throughout the book is a strong exploration of the Catholic faith and the history of the Church. Initially, I was hesitant about this, thinking that this was a familiar path that other authors (notably, Dan Brown) have tread again and again. But this re-imagining of history was accurate without being dull, interspersed seamlessly with well-developed fantastic and supernatural elements. Blood Gospel is a book that will sink its fangs deeply into you, and not let you go.

Recommended to: people who enjoyed The Davinci Code, Angels and Demons, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, or the True Blood  series, people with a long plane ride ahead, history buffs and vampire fanatics.


Release Date: January 8, 2013  Pages: 496 Format: ARC Paperback
Source: Publisher Publisher: William Morrow Buy It: Book Depository

This is a review by Meghan. You can find her here on Goodreads or on Twitter @meghanc303

Peeps and the Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

The Peeps Series by Scott Westerfeld includes only two novels, Peeps and it's sequel The Last Days. However, even though The Last Days takes place after Peeps it features a brand new cast of characters so I've decided to once again combine my reviews of these two novels while providing no spoilers for either.

Peeps, which I actually listened to on audio book, is told from perspective of Cal Thompson, a guy who should be busy with freshman biology but instead he's chasing down lunatic ex-girlfriends. Ever since Cal was seduced and infected by a parasite-positive, he's been a carrier for the disease, passing it on to the girls he's kissed. Cal himself is lucky enough to only have minimal side effects, like superb nigh vision, inhuman strength, and a fondness for raw meat. Peeps, like Cal's ex-girlfriends, undergo a much more extreme change, one that leaves them with an awful similarity to vampires.

I really enjoyed Cal's voice in Peeps and not just because I was listening to it on audio! He's a charming narrator, Southern and well-meaning, and I really wanted things to work out for him. Like all of Westerfeld's books, I found the storyline really engaging and unique but there was an element I found unnecessary and distracting. The chapters of Peeps alternate between Cal's story, and short ones that discuss various real parasites. At first the non-fiction bits were interesting, but there were so many of them that I felt it dragged down the story. Maybe one every few chapters would have sufficed, but when there was one after every chapter it really took me out of the story I was starting to become involved in, and ended up feeling abrupt.

Despite my complaint about the fact-heavy chapters, Peeps was a novel I enjoyed, and definitely the most intelligent vampire novel I've read. Not only is Westerfeld's writing smart, but his characters are too, which is always refreshing to read. That said, they aren't perfect, and that's part of what makes them, especially Cal, so charming.

As I said, the companion book, or sequel, The Last Days, features an entirely new cast of characters, though a few familiar faces show up near the end. As much as Peeps is a science novel, The Last Days is a music novel, as all five of its narrators are in a band together. And yes, I said five narrators. Generally, I dislike novels with more on than two narrators, but I admit that Westerfeld makes each character distinctive, and balances their stories well enough, that I didn't mind the fact that there were five points-of-view in The Last Days.

Unfortunately, even though I appreciated that the story wasn't interrupted with non-fiction chapters, I didn't find The Last Days quite as engaging as Peeps. Having learned the intriguing background of the disease in the first novel, I was mainly left to focus on the story itself. In comparison to the massive stakes of Peeps, all the characters in The Last Days really want, for most of the novel, is to get famous. And it wasn't really a goal I could find a lot of enthusiasm for.

The Last Days does offer answers to some lingering questions from Peeps but even those don't come till near the end. The rest of the story was based around characters I didn't really care for, the drummer Alana Ray was kinda interesting and definitely unique, the keyboardist Pearl had some moments, but one character is infected and pretty crazy and the other two feels mostly like throw-aways. Perhaps I can blame my lack of connection with them on the fact that I spent so little time in each of their heads, but none of them kept my interest the way that Cal did in Peeps.

This mini series– does two books count?– has a unique and interesting premise, one that I definitely enjoyed being introduced to in Peeps. Unfortunately, while The Last Days does fill in some blanks in Peeps the storyline and the characters weren't nearly as engaging to me. Unless a reader is desperate for answers, I'd recommend just reading Peeps as a standalone, because I think it works really well that way. Overall, I'd have to say that while Peeps is my least favourite of the three Westerfeld series I've read, falling behind Uglies and Midnighters, it still has that intelligent and creative Westerfeld flare that I love. Though I won't be rereading this one, I'll definitely be trying another series by Westerfeld in the future.

Overbite by Meg Cabot

Note: This review contains no spoilers of Overbite, but does contain spoilers of the first book in the series, Insatiable, a review of which can be found here. 

Overbite by Meg Cabot

Release Date: July 5th, 2011
Pages: 278
Format: Hardcover and Audiobook
Publisher: William Morrow
Narrator: Emily Bauer
Source: Publisher and Personal Shelf
Buy It: Book Depository
Also By This Author: Prom Nights From Hell; Abandon

Meena is now working for the Palatine, a demon-hunting organization, despite having Lucien Anton­escu, son of Dracula, for an ex-boyfriend.  She knows convincing her co-workers—including Alaric Wulf—that vampires can be redeemed won’t be easy, especially when a deadly threat begins endangering the lives of both the Palatine and Meena's friends and family.

I enjoyed Insatiable enough to be curious about its sequel Overbite, but unfortunately this one fell flat for me. It seemed like everything Cabot was mocking in the first book, she took seriously in this one. You know all that wonderful snark I talked in Insatiable? Yeah, it's gone. And I missed it. A lot. The result is that Overbite becomes a fairly generic paranormal romance and without the sharp wit that made Insatiable enjoyable I often found myself bored and disinterested while reading Overbite.

Overbite was nearly half the length of Insatiable but the book actually felt longer, and not in a good way, even though it often seemed quite rushed. That said, I didn't really mind how rushed the storytelling was, because the story itself was predictable and cliche. Everything Meena mocks in Insatiable suddenly becomes the norm in Overbite and it bothered me how easily she gave up a lot of backbone that made her so feisty.

Lucien also became really weird and creepy, even for a vampire, in this book and it felt like Cabot was introducing a brand new character rather than developing an old one.  Everything from the plot, to the character development to the ending of the book felt hasty. The ending in particular came out of nowhere and Meena's decisions seemed to contradict with everything she'd spent two books emphasizing. Overall a disappointment, I cannot see myself continuing the Insatiable series following Overbite. 

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Release Date: June 8th, 2010
Pages: 451
Format: Paperback and Audiobook
Publisher: William Morrow
Narrator: Emily Bauer
Source: Publisher and Personal Shelf
Buy It: Book Depository
Also By This Author: Prom Nights From Hell; Abandon

Meena Harper knows how you're going to die, but even her precognition can't prepare her for what happens when she meets Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side... a dark side an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would like to see him dead for.

Although I've dabbled with Meg Cabot before but Insatiable was my first time picking up one of her adult titles and I was curious to see how it would compare to her YA. Well, in comparison to her YA paranormal romance title Abandon, Insatiable definitely pumps up the romance, the violence, and even the length of the book. However, more isn't always better and this was one of those cases where I did wish certain elements had been scaled back quickly and not quite so far over the top. Still, while it's no secret I'm usually not a fan of vampires, I did enjoy Cabot's snarky twist on the topic: a main character who is sick of hearing about vampires, only to find out she's dating one.

The story itself flowed smoothly, and although I got very sick of hearing the name "Meena Harper" repeated again and again on audiobook, it managed to keep me interested the entire time. Insatiable was also another one of those books where I couldn't have cared less about the love interest it seems female readers are supposed to swoon over, in this case Lucien, but I definitely appreciated the underdog in this story, Alaric who is a vampire-hunter. Cabot also includes some charming side characters, and often got some chuckles out of me when it came to  Meena's neighbours and co-workers. The tiny details that make a character unique and interesting is something Cabot is incredibly talented at. I also really enjoyed the sarcastic tone of the book.

Although not perfect for me, Insatiable is an entertaining book that I'd certainly recommend to readers interested in a paranormal romance with a touch of bite.^*

*pun totally intended