Review: Cold Kiss, Amy Garvey

Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 304 (Hardcover)
Genre: YA, paranormal romance
Release: September 2011
Source: Book Expo America
Good to know: This is Garvey's first book for teens. It is a standalone, and not the first book in a series.

It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants—what she must do—is to bring Danny back.But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her—and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought—even if it means breaking her heart all over again.

Beautiful and gripping

Cold Kiss can be described as a cross between Pet Sematary and Shiver.


Wren loves Danny with all her heart, and her world falls to pieces the day Danny dies in a car accident. She cannot live without Danny, and decides to use her special powers to bring him back to life. But things does not play out the way Wren planned. Danny is not acting like he used to before the accident. There is also a new boy at Wren's school, and suddenly she begins to doubt her feelings for Danny. She regrets bringing Danny back to life, but there is to late for regret now...

I wanted him back. I wanted him back so much I couldn't think about anything else. Everywhere I looked was suddenly somewhere Danny wasn't. My hands were empy because Danny wasn't holding them. My room echoed with quiet because Danny wasn't there whispering ridiculous things to make me laugh, or make me shiver.  (...)Danny was mine, I was his, and that wasn't going to work if he was dead. So I would make him not dead...

Garvey writes about something most of us can relate too; how it feels like to loose someone we love. I know that I have thought many times that I wish I could spend some more time with loved ones that have passed. Wren acts out on this longing, she brings the love of her life back from the dead. But soon Wren realise that it is not safe to mess with nature.

I am the kid who sticks her finger in the light socket. I am the person who doesn't check the expiration date on the milk. I am the idiot who has never looked before she leaped. I am the girl who is falling apart, right now.

Cold Kiss also deal with darker issues; the love Wren feels for Danny turns to a form of obsession after he dies. She wants to be with him no matter what. She does not reflect upon how it must be for Danny to be brought back to life, a life where he is hidden from everyone he once knew, aside from Wren. Danny exists only for Wren, it is all about her feelings.

I wrote that the book is a cross between Pet Sematary and Shiver. As with Pet Sematary, Cold Kiss is also about what happens when you bring someone back from the dead, and the person brought back is not the same person you knew before. When I mention Shiver, it is because Garvey has a writing pretty similar to that of Maggie Stiefvater. She has some beautiful quotes and passages.

I  liked some parts of the story, and the fact that the book is seeping with emotion. But I thought the story was too slow paced, nothing really happens until the second half of the book. The first half is all about how Wren regrets bringing Danny back, and it is not intereresting to read only about that from chapter to chapter. But when Wren talks more with Gabriel, things really kick off.

It wasn't love right away, because nothing ever is, no matter what the songs say, but it was the start of it. A beginning in one way, and the end in another. I think that might always be true of love.

I love that some authors still writes paranormal novels that are not part of a series, that in itself is a good reason to read this book. I have not read a lot about zombies before either, and that was also refreshing. Cold kiss is a beautiful written book that will appeal to those who like a slowpaced book that grips you.

Other reviews:
The Book Smugglers
Book Briefs
The Diary of a Bookworm

Amy Garvey is on Goodreads and has her own website here.

Review: I am number four, Pittacus Lore

Publisher: Cappelen Damm (Norwegian publisher)
Pages: 441
Format: Hardback
Released: Released in Norwegian March 2011
Review copy, book read as part of a Norwegian bookblog tour



In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now. The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next.

A light read

I am Number Four is an easy and light read, that lacks some depth.

Nine aliens were sent to earth, when it became impossible for them to live at their own planet Lorien. To stay safe from attacks from the evil Mogadorian, they used a form of magic that only makes it possible to kill them in a specific kind of way. Every time one of them is killed, there appears a scar on the leg of the surviving ones. John Smith, aka Daniel Jones, is number four, and when he gets scar number three, he knows that his life is in danger.

I have not read many books about aliens before, so it was refreshing to read this book. I liked the mythology surronding Lorien, and the whole idea behind this book. But the book does not have much depth, We do not get under the skin of the characters, and sometimes the authors just rush through the scenes and does not take time to stop and dwell on the things that happen. This is particularly true in the prologue.

I am Number Four reads like a movietranscript. There is a lot of short sentences and the authors are more concerned about describing events rather than the character's feelings during the actual events. The actionscenes are written in a way that makes me believe that the authors have actually had a movie adaption in mind. There is a lot of details here, and I see it vividly in my mind.

I am Number Four is an entertaining read, the pages flew by and I think that the younger audience will like this book. There is a lot of suspense here, and much action. I also believe that having a male protagonist will help attract the boys to the book.

The book deals with a lof of themes; the most obvious one is the search for ones place in the world. The wish to belong to someone or something. That is something that may ressonate with the younger audience.

As you have noticed, I write "the authors" because this book is actually a collaboration between authors James Frey and Jobie Hughes. The duo is working on a new book. The Power of Six will be published in August this year.


Other reviews:
Katie's Book Blog
Becky's Barmy Book Blog
Book Nerd Blog

I am Number Four on Goodreads
The authors on Goodreads
Official website for the book

Review: Kisses from Hell

Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Format: Paperback
Pages: 262
Source: Review copy





















" From a fugitive vampire forced to trust a boy who might work for the group bent on destroying her, to the legendary romance of two immortals whose love compels them to risk everything, this exciting, heart-pounding collection brings new meaning to the words "love you forever." Whether you're into romances that are dark and moody or light and fun, these stories will quench that insatiable thirst for enchanting tales of the beautiful undead." ( Description from Amazon.co.uk)


Background:
"Kisses from Hell" is an anthology consisting of five short stories from Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy), Alyson Noël (The Immortals), Kristin Cast ( House of Night - series), Kelley Armstrong ( Darkest Powers - series) and Francesca Lia Block (Pretty Dead). All the stories revolve around love and vampires. Harper Collins has earlier published "Prom Nights from Hell" and "Love is Hell".

The Book:
"Kisses from Hell" starts with "Sunshine", written by Richelle Mead. The story is part of the universe Mead has created in the "Vampire Academy - series", and focuses on the romance between Eric and Rhea Dragomir, Lissa's parents. The story is well written, but for me it was a bit boring. I never got into it, and my mind kept dwelling on other things than the story I was reading. I suspect that I would have gotten more out of the story if I had read the Vampire Academy - series prior to it, and I will try to read the story again, when I have done that.

The next story is "Bring me to Life" by Alyson Noël. Danika, an American girl, is attending Sunderland Manor Art Academy in England, but the school is not quite what she expects. I am a big fan of Noël's writing and she didn't dissappoint me with "Bring me to Life" either. I loved the story and the atmosphere she creates in it. It is obvious that she is inspired by "Dracula" and "Wuthering Heights", two of my favorite novels. You have characters with names such as Bram and Earnshaw. I read this story late at night when the rain was pooring down outside, and that just added to the atmosphere in the story. I wish "Bring me to Life" was a whole novel, and not just a short story. I would really like to get to know Danika better.

"Above" is the name of Kristin Cast's story, and I have only one word for it: OMG! The story simply blew me away. It is dark, disturbing, bizarre, suspenseful, mysterious and depressing. But also poetic with some glimmers of light and hope. It reads like a poem, and you have to read between the lines to really understand what's going on. I have read the first book in the House of Night - series, but this was nothing like that. This story was spectacular. I want more. The best short story in this book and a story you either love or hate, I suppose.

Kelley Armstrong has written "Hunting Kat", about Katiana from the Darkest Powers series. I read this story while trying to decide if I should put the book away or not. I have the Darkest Powers - series on my shelf, but I have not read it yet and I am afraid this novel had some spoilers. Again, I think this is a read that is best suited for those who know Katiana's story from other books.

"Lilith" by Francesca Lia Block is the last story in the book. A dark tale about Paul Michael, who do not fit in at school and escapes into an imaginary world. One day, a new girl attends school. Her name is Lilith. This was a cute, and at the same time, dark story. I thought it was a bit short, even for a short story. I wanted to read more about Paul Michael and Lilith, and get to know them better. I didn't feel I got under their skin, so to speak.

I have mixed emotions about "Kisses from Hell". I loved two of the stories, but the others didn't appeal to me, but again I think that is because I do not know the series they are part of. I also would have liked the publisher to state that, for example, "Hunting Kat", is based upon another series by Kelley Armstrong so I could have avoided spoilers.

If the anthology only contained the stories by Noël and Cast, it would have gotten full score. But since I only liked two out of three stories, I am giving it 3 books.