About this time last year, Anna reviewed a series of YA fantasy books by Holly Black that started out with White Cat. We both finished that trilogy this year, and really enjoyed them. So imagine how happy I was to see that Black released a new book this fall! It’s a YA book about a teenage girl who gets swept up into a whole adventure with vampires. Yes, another one of those. But this one is awesome, and rather than try to explain why by describing the plot, I’m going to list just a few of the ways this book is better than Twilight:
1) First and foremost, the main character, Tana, is the totally kickass opposite of Bella Swan. She takes care of herself and others and doesn’t particularly need saving. And it’s not that she’s a superhero–she’s terrified most of the time–but she sees things that need doing, so she just does them.
4) Being a vampire isn’t particularly romanticized here. There are characters that do glamorize it, but it’s actually presented a lot like fame: it might seem exciting, but the reality is not that much fun. The main character spends most of her time trying very hard to not become a vampire, which I found refreshing.
So, overall, a little gory, but very entertaining and way way way better than a lot of vampire stuff out there.
Kinsey’s (Approximately) Three Word Review: A fun, dark ride.
You might also like: Sunshine by Robin McKinley, which Anna already told you to read.
I want to read this book right now! It sounds like it is probably exactly what I currently need in a book.
I think you would love this one. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t seem like the first in a series, but I would happily read another book about these characters.
I finally got a hold of this and really liked it a lot. A couple of times I got nervous about where the characters were going, but Black definitely earns my trust. She knew how to walk an interesting line with these characters.
And yeah, as satisfying as the ending was, I would definitely be interested in reading a sequel if there is one.
I’m so glad you liked it! And I agree–every time I would get nervous about something, she would bring it right back around. Another one of her books, Doll Bones, just won a Newbery Honor, so I’m thinking I should check that one out, too.
[…] I really enjoyed The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I started paying more attention to Holly Black. This book didn’t hit me quite the same way, […]