Midnyte Reader: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Title/Author: Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black.

Read by: Christine Larkin.

Genre: YA, UF.

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers.

Source: Library.

Synopsis: 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. ~Goodreads.com

Midnyte Musings:
Holly Black does it again with The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. The story had me hooked from the first page (or rather disc). It starts out strong, is exciting and fast paced. Although not a "light" book, as it delves in some deep issues, it is easy to read/listen to and enjoyable to follow.

There is mystery and Holly's signature twists. Her characters drew me in immediately. All of them. They are adventurous, human, monstrous, damaged and some are, at times, deceitful. I love the main character Tana. She's kind of a badass and can be remote and distant, but there's a reason she has walls built up around her. I especially loved how her ex-boyfriend, Aidan, perceived her. I thought it was so interesting because Tana was presenting herself as one way and he took it as another. Gavriel, the vampire that Tana saves is another intriguing character and there is so much more to him than what you see at first glance. Also a character named Midnight. What? And guess what? She's a blogger. Not a book blogger, she blogs about vampires.

There is romance, but it is definitely not the main storyline, which is another reason I loved it. And you could say there is a love triangle, but no, not really. Maybe just the potential for there to be one.

I haven't read a Holly Black book in a while and you know how you sometimes get worried that an author may disappoint you when you read a new book? Well Black's writing doesn't diminish. Her style is compelling, her dialogue smart. When she talked about a character's hair color being akin to a blue gum ball, by God, I wanted a blue gum ball! The world building, the vampire mythology, the Dystopian atmosphere -- all are so unique and clever.

Narration: Fabulous. I loved Christine Larkin's voice and would listen to anything she reads. She brought Tana to life and is skilled and convincing in her portrayal of all the characters, yes even the male ones.