Guest Review by Super Librarian of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

From Goodreads: “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 normally not a big fan of vampire books, but I decided to give this one a try based on the description alone. I’m glad I did because it definitely offered a unique and interesting vision of vampires. The world building was really well done. It was fascinating to learn Coldtowns were formed to see how the world reacted to the vampirism outbreak. Vampires were feared but romanticized at the same time. The structure of the novel added to the excellent world building. Chapters alternated between present day action and shorter chapters that flashed back to characters’ experiences in the past. This showed not only their personal experiences but also how the world changed as vampirism spread. The vampires in this book were scary and attractive at the same time. Before, I never really understood the attraction to vampires (I mean, I was on Team Jacob while reading the Twilight series), but this book helped me understand the attraction a little more. I think it has one of the best kissing scenes I’ve ever read! Tana has a love interest, but there is no love triangle, which is refreshing for a change. This was my first time reading Holly Black, and I will definitely seek out more of her books! As far as I know, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a standalone novel. The plot was nicely wrapped up at the end, but I wouldn’t mind reading more books set in this world. If you’re looking for a good read with a creepy, chilling atmosphere with action and a bit of romance, give this one a try! Rated 4 out of 5 stars.