The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Death gives us sleep, eternal youth, and immortality.

Coldtown was dangerous, Tana knew.  A glamorous cage. A prison for the damned and anyone who wanted to party with them. 

Nothing can happen more beautiful than death.

Tana lives in a world where vampires are no longer a myth but present and a daily threat. They have been contained and now live in cities called Coldtowns. And while they are guarded, they are connected to the outside world by live feeds, blog posts and news stories. They are sensationalized and romanticized. Coldtowns are the place to be, but once you enter, you may never leave. 

Why fear death? It is the most beautiful adventure in life. 

The story begins with the protagonist, Tana, waking up in the bathtub, not knowing what happened during a party. All she remembers is fleeing from her ex-boyfriend  Aiden. And she soon realizes that she's the only one who survived the party. All of her friends are dead, except for the endearingly exasperating Aiden, who is on the verge of turning, and Gavriel, a vampire, who has slightly gone mad. While trying to flee the vampires that are still lurking in the house, Tana herself gets bitten.
How is she supposed to save herself and Aiden? There is only one answer: travelling to the nearest Coldtown, ruled by no other than the notorious vampire Lucien. 

Death has his favourites, like anyone. Those who are beloved of Death will not die. 

I was already in love with everything that Cassandra Clare wrote, and after meeting her and Holly Black at a book signing for Magisterium - The Iron Trial I was certain that I had to read more books from Holly. So I picked up The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and let me tell you, I was in love.
The book came out in 2013 and has gotten mixed reviews. While most people like it, there are those selected few, who dislike it a lot. And I understand why. It's complex and really not your average go-to vampire romance story that one might expect from a YA novel.
But that's the best part of the book! 

Death has made His darkness beautiful with thee. 

Tana might be your, more or less, average YA protagonist: she has a troubling past, strong and witty personality and good looks. Her ex.boyfriend is totally hot and a flirt. You have the reckless young sister and the charming best friend. 

And then there's Gavriel: slightly mad, incredibly good looking, sarcastic and one of the most charming literature vampires you'll ever meet (except for Adrian Ivashkov, but that's a different story!) So obviously, there will be romance, right? Sure thing! And it's real good! It's not one of these sob-love stories, or one, where the girl immediately falls for the guy. 

One has to pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive. 

This book will give you shivers, the good AND the bad kind. I loved the villains of the book, some are more obvious than others, and the plot twist. And believe me, Holly is the Queen of plot twists.

Additionally, every chapter starts of with a beautiful quote about death and immortality (some of which have been included in this post). They certainly add to the whole feeling of the story. 

I finished to book within 3 days and will definitely read this book again. It was one of my favourite books of 2015! 

10/10