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Cold Kiss #1
Cold Kiss
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.
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.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 2011
84 people are currently reading
7,775 people want to read
About the author
Amy Garvey
15 books268 followersI've always been a reader. I've also been a movie theater ticket taker, a nanny, a camp counselor, and a romance editor. Now I'm a mom and a writer who still spends most of my free time reading (when I'm not watching too much TV).
After starting off in romance with books like Hot Date and Pictures of Us, I'm writing in the genre I've always loved most, young adult fiction. (My very first completed novel, which will live forever under my bed, was a young adult novel!) Cold Kiss will be available from HarperTeen in September 2011.
After starting off in romance with books like Hot Date and Pictures of Us, I'm writing in the genre I've always loved most, young adult fiction. (My very first completed novel, which will live forever under my bed, was a young adult novel!) Cold Kiss will be available from HarperTeen in September 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 627 reviews
September 8, 2011
How far would you go to save the person you loved most in the world? And what if he were already...dead?
Wren's boyfriend Danny died in a car accident before she had a chance to say goodbye. In a moment of grief, she brings him back from the dead with a powerful spell. But she soon realizes that the boy brought back is no longer quite the boy she loved.
I was really impressed by many aspects of this novel. From the description, I expected to find a typical YA paranormal romance, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the author spends a great deal of time reflecting on love, loss, grief, and responsibility. She skillfully sketches out the close relationship between Danny and Wren, and specifically shows us what an adorable boyfriend and great person he was. So it's all too easy to feel sympathy for Wren's pain and to understand how her bereavement led her to grasp for such a incredible solution without considering the enormity of the consequences.
Wren is a great character, too, full of complexity and conflict and confusion. She has dyed hair and piercings and a mouthy exterior, but she's also close to her sister, trying to understand her mother and the powers she's inherited, and estranged from her two best friends. The first half of this novel was extremely compelling to me as I was drawn in by Wren's struggle to balance the exhausting demands of her terrible secret with the ties she has to her everyday life, and I felt a great deal of sympathy for the guilt and grief that overwhelms her, as well as a great deal of admiration for the way she accepted responsibility for the choices she had made.
The story started to lose its magic for me, however, as Wren began to neglect Danny more and more. While at first, it seemed understandable that she would simply put him to sleep when she needed to leave because of his increasing awareness and dependence upon her, it began to happen far too much for my comfort, particularly after a certain turning point. (The paranormal aspects of the book are also very slight.) While I wasn't enraged by the presence of Gabriel, the new boy who is attentive towards her, as I think it's a natural progression in life, I don't think that it was necessary to have given him the kind of insight that he had. It didn't really add anything to the story, and made his role both much more and much less important than it needed to be. Had the book focused more on Wren and the importance of learning to let go, reading it would have been a much stronger and much more gut-wrenching experience.
Overall, I liked this book but didn't love it as much as I initially thought I would. The interesting premise and the emotional themes that were introduced in the beginning just weren't explored quite as deeply as I'd hoped they'd be--which is a shame, because with a little more development, this slight book had the potential to transcend the genre and to be something really, really great.
This review also appears in The Midnight Garden.
Wren's boyfriend Danny died in a car accident before she had a chance to say goodbye. In a moment of grief, she brings him back from the dead with a powerful spell. But she soon realizes that the boy brought back is no longer quite the boy she loved.
I was really impressed by many aspects of this novel. From the description, I expected to find a typical YA paranormal romance, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the author spends a great deal of time reflecting on love, loss, grief, and responsibility. She skillfully sketches out the close relationship between Danny and Wren, and specifically shows us what an adorable boyfriend and great person he was. So it's all too easy to feel sympathy for Wren's pain and to understand how her bereavement led her to grasp for such a incredible solution without considering the enormity of the consequences.
Wren is a great character, too, full of complexity and conflict and confusion. She has dyed hair and piercings and a mouthy exterior, but she's also close to her sister, trying to understand her mother and the powers she's inherited, and estranged from her two best friends. The first half of this novel was extremely compelling to me as I was drawn in by Wren's struggle to balance the exhausting demands of her terrible secret with the ties she has to her everyday life, and I felt a great deal of sympathy for the guilt and grief that overwhelms her, as well as a great deal of admiration for the way she accepted responsibility for the choices she had made.
The story started to lose its magic for me, however, as Wren began to neglect Danny more and more. While at first, it seemed understandable that she would simply put him to sleep when she needed to leave because of his increasing awareness and dependence upon her, it began to happen far too much for my comfort, particularly after a certain turning point. (The paranormal aspects of the book are also very slight.) While I wasn't enraged by the presence of Gabriel, the new boy who is attentive towards her, as I think it's a natural progression in life, I don't think that it was necessary to have given him the kind of insight that he had. It didn't really add anything to the story, and made his role both much more and much less important than it needed to be. Had the book focused more on Wren and the importance of learning to let go, reading it would have been a much stronger and much more gut-wrenching experience.
Overall, I liked this book but didn't love it as much as I initially thought I would. The interesting premise and the emotional themes that were introduced in the beginning just weren't explored quite as deeply as I'd hoped they'd be--which is a shame, because with a little more development, this slight book had the potential to transcend the genre and to be something really, really great.
This review also appears in The Midnight Garden.
October 24, 2011
4.5 stars
We were completely different. Danny was tall, sweet, graceful despite legs that went on forever. I was little, moody, uncoordinated. We didn't like the same music or the same movies. He put onions and mushrooms on his pizza and never wore socks and could sleep through a pipe bomb. I survived on bananas and yogurt and always wore hats and got carsick unless I chewed gum with my headphones on. It didn't matter. I loved him.
As soon as she entered puberty, strange things started happening around Wren: flying objects and exploding light bulbs became a regular occurrence. This wasn't completely unexpected: all the women in Wren's family can do the same, but for some reason, Wren's mother refuses to talk about it or teach her how to control it. So when Wren’s boyfriend Danny dies in a car accident, Wren decides to use her power and bring him back to her. Unfortunately, Danny that rises from the grave isn’t the same easygoing Danny they buried two weeks earlier. The new Danny, angry and confused, is not nearly as harmless as Wren thought he would be. Just keeping him hidden and compliant might prove to be too big a challenge for one seventeen-year-old girl.
I enjoyed the new take on zombies. Garvey wrote: My zombie, such as he is, isn’t George Romero’s, as you probably figured out. He’s closer to the kind of zombie you might create with Haitian vodou magic, a corpse reanimated and then controlled by a sorcerer. While zombies we’re used to reading about are usually scary in a grotesque way, Danny was creepy and deeply disturbing. Every time Wren kissed him or placed her head on his silent chest, I felt the coldness of his body on my own skin and I shuddered involuntarily. He really made my skin crawl. It was easy enough to forget that he was once a warm and loving boy and that none of it was his fault.
I never even realized how thoroughly I’d connected with Wren until I caught myself siding with her even when she was obviously wrong. I don’t think I even noticed the other (living) characters, not in their own merit at least. They meant to me what they meant to Wren, and if she suddenly changed her mind about one of them, I changed my mind together with her.
The funny thing is that Wren isn’t a character I’d normally like, but that’s where Garvey’s strength lies. Create a selfless, heroic character and everyone will be crazy about him/her under any circumstances, but write a girl who is self-indulgent and careless and make me care about her - and you'll have accomplished something not many authors can.
I think that’s what every emotional reader seeks – a character he/she can connect with entirely. But Cold Kiss is also thought-provoking and original, and Amy Garvey’s marvelous writing skills add more magic to this powerful, compelling and haunting story. I will not only read whatever she decides to write next, I’ll probably preorder it as well.
Favorite quote:
Love like that is what they make movies about. It's the thing you're supposed to want, the answer to every question, the song that you're supposed to sing. But love like that can be too big, too. It can be something you shouldn't be trusted to hold when you're the kind of person who drops the eggs and breaks the remote control.
Love doesn’t break easily, I found. But people do.
We were completely different. Danny was tall, sweet, graceful despite legs that went on forever. I was little, moody, uncoordinated. We didn't like the same music or the same movies. He put onions and mushrooms on his pizza and never wore socks and could sleep through a pipe bomb. I survived on bananas and yogurt and always wore hats and got carsick unless I chewed gum with my headphones on. It didn't matter. I loved him.
As soon as she entered puberty, strange things started happening around Wren: flying objects and exploding light bulbs became a regular occurrence. This wasn't completely unexpected: all the women in Wren's family can do the same, but for some reason, Wren's mother refuses to talk about it or teach her how to control it. So when Wren’s boyfriend Danny dies in a car accident, Wren decides to use her power and bring him back to her. Unfortunately, Danny that rises from the grave isn’t the same easygoing Danny they buried two weeks earlier. The new Danny, angry and confused, is not nearly as harmless as Wren thought he would be. Just keeping him hidden and compliant might prove to be too big a challenge for one seventeen-year-old girl.
I enjoyed the new take on zombies. Garvey wrote: My zombie, such as he is, isn’t George Romero’s, as you probably figured out. He’s closer to the kind of zombie you might create with Haitian vodou magic, a corpse reanimated and then controlled by a sorcerer. While zombies we’re used to reading about are usually scary in a grotesque way, Danny was creepy and deeply disturbing. Every time Wren kissed him or placed her head on his silent chest, I felt the coldness of his body on my own skin and I shuddered involuntarily. He really made my skin crawl. It was easy enough to forget that he was once a warm and loving boy and that none of it was his fault.
I never even realized how thoroughly I’d connected with Wren until I caught myself siding with her even when she was obviously wrong. I don’t think I even noticed the other (living) characters, not in their own merit at least. They meant to me what they meant to Wren, and if she suddenly changed her mind about one of them, I changed my mind together with her.
The funny thing is that Wren isn’t a character I’d normally like, but that’s where Garvey’s strength lies. Create a selfless, heroic character and everyone will be crazy about him/her under any circumstances, but write a girl who is self-indulgent and careless and make me care about her - and you'll have accomplished something not many authors can.
I think that’s what every emotional reader seeks – a character he/she can connect with entirely. But Cold Kiss is also thought-provoking and original, and Amy Garvey’s marvelous writing skills add more magic to this powerful, compelling and haunting story. I will not only read whatever she decides to write next, I’ll probably preorder it as well.
Favorite quote:
Love like that is what they make movies about. It's the thing you're supposed to want, the answer to every question, the song that you're supposed to sing. But love like that can be too big, too. It can be something you shouldn't be trusted to hold when you're the kind of person who drops the eggs and breaks the remote control.
Love doesn’t break easily, I found. But people do.
March 21, 2012
What would happen if you lost the person you loved most in the world and then.... managed to bring him back?
That's what happens in this stunning novel by Amy Garvey.
Wren was - is - in love with Danny. They were everything to each other, breathing each other's air. When Danny dies in a stupid car crash, Wren's world comes to a halt. The only way she knows to give remedy to the sense of loss and desperation she feels is by trying to use her... abilities. Wren has them. Her mom, aunt and sister have them too. They seem to be able to manipulate energy to their will: make things move, flowers bloom out of season, change the color of their hair at will.
In a desperate attempt to bring back what she's lost - but without thinking about the consequences - Wren concocts a spell that manages to raise Danny from the dead. But is really Danny or is it something else?
The type of zombie - there's just one - that Garvey creates in this book is not of your usual garden variety. Danny is more of a reanimated body brought back by a sort of necromancer (namely, Wren) and controlled by her. There are no blood-dripping teeth or deambulation with stiff limbs à la Thriller involved. Danny is sort of lucid, remembers fragments of his past life and is attached to Wren in a morbid way without really understanding why. He is the real and only victim under all aspects in this book and I felt so full of compassion and pity for him, it made me simultaneously mad, repulsed and terribly sorry for the situation.
Wren is a character I'd basically would want to slap, under normal circumnstances. She messes up big time by bringing Danny back and I didn't like the fact that she realized she has to do something about it (read: get rid of him) once Gabriel steps into the equation.
BUT. Garvey found a way to make me empathize with her on such a deep level that I just couldn't hate her. I could feel her desperation, her denial, her incapability to let go of Danny. But how did Garvey manage that?
Well, with her amazing writing skills, of course.
Garvey writes in such an effortless, polished way, there's not a word out of place. Her writing style is just lovely, in my opinion. She conjures up images and emotions with her words that really touched me deeply and made me tear up and feel all the grief and sorrow and helplessness Wren was experiencing. Her writing is what sets this book apart from others, really.
The only element that didn't let me give this book 5 stars is Gabriel. I have a lot of questions about him - which I am sure Garvey will give an answer to in her next book Glass Heart... right?! - but his relationship with Wren and his interest in her didn't feel completely justified. He follows her everywhere, he's almost obsessed, so much so that she has to tell him to back off. I hope I will find a feasible justification in Glass Heart that will also give light to many of the mysteries surrounding him.
Nevertheless, Cold Kiss is an amazing novel I really recommend reading, especially if you like your zombies with a twist.
That's what happens in this stunning novel by Amy Garvey.
Wren was - is - in love with Danny. They were everything to each other, breathing each other's air. When Danny dies in a stupid car crash, Wren's world comes to a halt. The only way she knows to give remedy to the sense of loss and desperation she feels is by trying to use her... abilities. Wren has them. Her mom, aunt and sister have them too. They seem to be able to manipulate energy to their will: make things move, flowers bloom out of season, change the color of their hair at will.
In a desperate attempt to bring back what she's lost - but without thinking about the consequences - Wren concocts a spell that manages to raise Danny from the dead. But is really Danny or is it something else?
The type of zombie - there's just one - that Garvey creates in this book is not of your usual garden variety. Danny is more of a reanimated body brought back by a sort of necromancer (namely, Wren) and controlled by her. There are no blood-dripping teeth or deambulation with stiff limbs à la Thriller involved. Danny is sort of lucid, remembers fragments of his past life and is attached to Wren in a morbid way without really understanding why. He is the real and only victim under all aspects in this book and I felt so full of compassion and pity for him, it made me simultaneously mad, repulsed and terribly sorry for the situation.
Wren is a character I'd basically would want to slap, under normal circumnstances. She messes up big time by bringing Danny back and I didn't like the fact that she realized she has to do something about it (read: get rid of him) once Gabriel steps into the equation.
BUT. Garvey found a way to make me empathize with her on such a deep level that I just couldn't hate her. I could feel her desperation, her denial, her incapability to let go of Danny. But how did Garvey manage that?
Well, with her amazing writing skills, of course.
Garvey writes in such an effortless, polished way, there's not a word out of place. Her writing style is just lovely, in my opinion. She conjures up images and emotions with her words that really touched me deeply and made me tear up and feel all the grief and sorrow and helplessness Wren was experiencing. Her writing is what sets this book apart from others, really.
The only element that didn't let me give this book 5 stars is Gabriel. I have a lot of questions about him - which I am sure Garvey will give an answer to in her next book Glass Heart... right?! - but his relationship with Wren and his interest in her didn't feel completely justified. He follows her everywhere, he's almost obsessed, so much so that she has to tell him to back off. I hope I will find a feasible justification in Glass Heart that will also give light to many of the mysteries surrounding him.
Nevertheless, Cold Kiss is an amazing novel I really recommend reading, especially if you like your zombies with a twist.
July 7, 2012
This book left me looking:
Barely anything happened, the story was pretty much predictable, and on top of all that, Wren, our protagonist, is so unlikable and whiny. If I had a penny everytime she whined, I would be able to buy my own private island. The romance was stupid and the ending was anti-climactic and boring.
I know some people might say that this book is considered to be one of those mellow, down-beat books that don't really have much action, and I'm fine with those kinds of books, but the problem with this one is that all the characters are really bad. So bad that I kept wanting action to happen because I'm tired of hearing Wren whine about stuff and lust over the hot new guy because I didn't care. I didn't care about her or any of the other characters.
And there's really no need for this to be a series, in my opinion. With that ending, this should have stayed as a standalone. I really don't see how there should be a sequel.
Barely anything happened, the story was pretty much predictable, and on top of all that, Wren, our protagonist, is so unlikable and whiny. If I had a penny everytime she whined, I would be able to buy my own private island. The romance was stupid and the ending was anti-climactic and boring.
I know some people might say that this book is considered to be one of those mellow, down-beat books that don't really have much action, and I'm fine with those kinds of books, but the problem with this one is that all the characters are really bad. So bad that I kept wanting action to happen because I'm tired of hearing Wren whine about stuff and lust over the hot new guy because I didn't care. I didn't care about her or any of the other characters.
And there's really no need for this to be a series, in my opinion. With that ending, this should have stayed as a standalone. I really don't see how there should be a sequel.
July 11, 2011
3.5 Stars.
“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.”
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I love being proved wrong.
High Points.
An um.. alternative way of dealing with loss. Zombies. It’s a kind of magic. Cute flashbacks. Gorgeous prose. Minimal eye-roll inducing descriptions. An unconventional heroine that doesn’t have blonde hair and a willowy figure (she has piercings and coloured hair and…wait for it… she’s short! Woah now). Sisters.
Low Points.
FORCED LOVE INTEREST. Anyone who has ever read any of my reviews, and/or met me on the street and asked me for the time, will know I reaaaally dislike love interests that don’t add anything to the story. This book would have completely ripped out my heart (and god knows I love a heart ripping book) if the whole Gabriel thing had just disappeared. In my view, this book was about Wren and Danny and how their love was cut short. There was no room in my sympathy for a broody boy who can’t even draw and takes things so very seriously.
So, unfortunately, some Brownie points were lost on this front. I know some people can’t get enough of them but I truly feel that my Room 101 would be full of love triangles that would incessantly poke me with their sharp and ridiculously insipid edges. I’m sorry in advance Julia, but I’d betray you as well if it came to that.
Also… Wren and Robin?! I find it offensive that magical/paranormal/mystical beings have to have strange and unusual names. I’m still waiting for a book where the magical power-wielding heroine is called Janet, Linda orJo something like that. *cough*
Heroine.
It took me a bit to like Wren and I was convinced she was going to become an Annoying Female Protagonist (Or as the cool kids call it an AFP) because the first thing we found out about her was that she made the most ridiculous decisions (seriously, this girl needs to watch Practical Magic before doing anything ever again).
BUT, obviously if Wren didn’t make silly decisions involving dark magic and graveyards at midnight then I wouldn’t have had a book to read and review. So… y’know. I’ll let that slide. Just this once.
I loved how Wren handled herself when she realised that bringing Danny back to life were going to have repercussions and consequences. She didn’t moan or panic or think ‘Oh well, he may not be the same or be in possession of a pulse and all but he’s still super-duper cute even if he is a bit pale and I’ll just put layers on when he touches me because he’s kinda cold” .
Wren realised that it probably wasn’t the best idea and she took responsibility for her actions without fuss or anyone’s help.
Love Interest.
Danny, or the zomboyfriend a word that I am hoping will catch on seeing as its all the rage in recent books at the moment, was the perfect boyfriend when he had a pulse and it broke my heart that he wasn’t still around to draw pictures and just be generally lovely towards Wren. It brought back some sad memories of other books that toyed with my emotions like this and turned me into a quivering wreck.
I think Garvey struck gold with the addition of the flashbacks between Wren and Danny because it showed how things were and made the present even more tragic and Wren’s feelings of guilt and loss even rawer. If these flashbacks hadn’t been included and Danny had been just painted as the zombie-in-the-way-of-true-love then I probably wouldn’t have finished it. But with these glimpses at how things used to be, Garvey perfectly created an almost unbearable bittersweet feeling as Wren realised that things could never be as they were and this new Danny could never be her Danny.
Gabriel- Meh. You know my feelings on him and his slate grey eyes.
Theme Tune.
I Want You To Stay- Maximo Park.
This song is perfect for this book because itallows me to practice my Geordie accent is all about losing someone that you still love, dealing with all the accompanying emotions and, finally, letting go.
Angst Scale.
9/10. I don’t know whether it was just me being a complete girl over-emotional but this book really affected me. Garvey proficiently conveyed Wren’s grief and the sense of helplessness and combined this with a lyrical and realistic narrative style that never became too flowery and unnecessarily emotional. A lot of writers believe that in order to write emotions they must be long and overwhelming so they can bombard the reader and pressure them into feeling sympathy towards the MC, but Garvey didn’t need this. I always find books that adopt subtlety with emotions so much more effective than writers who slather it on. I get so confused with the fragmented sentences, the elaborate metaphors that don’t make complete sense and the sensory overload that I forget what I’m even supposed to be sad about in the first place.
And, I have to say that this is the first full-on, honest-to-goodness paranormal romance book that I’ve actually cared about/finished/didn’t pull out chunks of my hair over. I did not think that this was possible because I honestly believe that if I saw a paranormal romance book walking towards me on the street I would cross over to the other side and avoid its gaze until it had walked passed. So well played, Ms Garvey, well played indeed.
Recommended For.
People who have never seen Practical Magic or Pet Semetary and thus do not know the perils of bringing back loved ones from the dead. IT NEVER ENDS WELL.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers.
You can also read the review for this book and others and a whole lot of other exciting stuff on my blog here.
“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.”
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I love being proved wrong.
High Points.
An um.. alternative way of dealing with loss. Zombies. It’s a kind of magic. Cute flashbacks. Gorgeous prose. Minimal eye-roll inducing descriptions. An unconventional heroine that doesn’t have blonde hair and a willowy figure (she has piercings and coloured hair and…wait for it… she’s short! Woah now). Sisters.
Low Points.
FORCED LOVE INTEREST. Anyone who has ever read any of my reviews, and/or met me on the street and asked me for the time, will know I reaaaally dislike love interests that don’t add anything to the story. This book would have completely ripped out my heart (and god knows I love a heart ripping book) if the whole Gabriel thing had just disappeared. In my view, this book was about Wren and Danny and how their love was cut short. There was no room in my sympathy for a broody boy who can’t even draw and takes things so very seriously.
So, unfortunately, some Brownie points were lost on this front. I know some people can’t get enough of them but I truly feel that my Room 101 would be full of love triangles that would incessantly poke me with their sharp and ridiculously insipid edges. I’m sorry in advance Julia, but I’d betray you as well if it came to that.
Also… Wren and Robin?! I find it offensive that magical/paranormal/mystical beings have to have strange and unusual names. I’m still waiting for a book where the magical power-wielding heroine is called Janet, Linda or
Heroine.
It took me a bit to like Wren and I was convinced she was going to become an Annoying Female Protagonist (Or as the cool kids call it an AFP) because the first thing we found out about her was that she made the most ridiculous decisions (seriously, this girl needs to watch Practical Magic before doing anything ever again).
BUT, obviously if Wren didn’t make silly decisions involving dark magic and graveyards at midnight then I wouldn’t have had a book to read and review. So… y’know. I’ll let that slide. Just this once.
I loved how Wren handled herself when she realised that bringing Danny back to life were going to have repercussions and consequences. She didn’t moan or panic or think ‘Oh well, he may not be the same or be in possession of a pulse and all but he’s still super-duper cute even if he is a bit pale and I’ll just put layers on when he touches me because he’s kinda cold” .
Wren realised that it probably wasn’t the best idea and she took responsibility for her actions without fuss or anyone’s help.
Love Interest.
Danny, or the zomboyfriend a word that I am hoping will catch on seeing as its all the rage in recent books at the moment, was the perfect boyfriend when he had a pulse and it broke my heart that he wasn’t still around to draw pictures and just be generally lovely towards Wren. It brought back some sad memories of other books that toyed with my emotions like this and turned me into a quivering wreck.
I think Garvey struck gold with the addition of the flashbacks between Wren and Danny because it showed how things were and made the present even more tragic and Wren’s feelings of guilt and loss even rawer. If these flashbacks hadn’t been included and Danny had been just painted as the zombie-in-the-way-of-true-love then I probably wouldn’t have finished it. But with these glimpses at how things used to be, Garvey perfectly created an almost unbearable bittersweet feeling as Wren realised that things could never be as they were and this new Danny could never be her Danny.
Gabriel- Meh. You know my feelings on him and his slate grey eyes.
Theme Tune.
I Want You To Stay- Maximo Park.
This song is perfect for this book because it
Angst Scale.
9/10. I don’t know whether it was just me being
And, I have to say that this is the first full-on, honest-to-goodness paranormal romance book that I’ve actually cared about/finished/didn’t pull out chunks of my hair over. I did not think that this was possible because I honestly believe that if I saw a paranormal romance book walking towards me on the street I would cross over to the other side and avoid its gaze until it had walked passed. So well played, Ms Garvey, well played indeed.
Recommended For.
People who have never seen Practical Magic or Pet Semetary and thus do not know the perils of bringing back loved ones from the dead. IT NEVER ENDS WELL.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers.
You can also read the review for this book and others and a whole lot of other exciting stuff on my blog here.
December 13, 2014
This book touched the very bottom of my heart.
There isn't much action and the story is simple, but there are so many emotions crammed into this little book that even my soul started to ache at some point.
The writer knows how to describe the feeling of losing someone dear to your heart, how you need to hold on to the good memories, how you can not let go even when you know that you need to.
This book is also about making mistakes and dealing with consequences, about following your heart to only see it break again, about trying to move on when you are still bound up in your past.
I have this compassion for people that do grave mistakes, the ones that they can never take back, the haunting type.
Maybe it is because I am afraid of doing big mistakes too. I am used to people helping me out when I'm in trouble so it pains me to see others struggling by themselves.
This being said I cared for Wren, I understood how she could love Danny with all her heart, to that point that she wanted to have him back in her life at any cost.
I understood how deep down she didn't even think that she could succeed in her attempt and she never thought about the 'next step', she just let her pain take over and did the one think that she shouldn't have - bring him back from the death.
What pained me the most was to see how she suffered even more when she realized that the one broth back wasn't the one she loved - that his skin was cold, and he didn't have a mind of his own, that he depended on her in a way none should ever, that at the beginning the memories brought him happiness, but after a while remembering started to be painful and dangerous.
The love was fading under the weight of the truth and with realizing that he died he become more aggressive, more inhuman, more hard to control, and Wren’s life was spinning out of control.
What I always wondered was why didn't she talk with her mother. I know that she was upset, but still, when you are playing God hiding un-dead bodies in your closet (figuratively speaking) you should at least get all the help that you need when your magic turns against you.
But Danny is not the only love interest in the story.
There is another boy (and yes, if you are wondering, he is pretty much alive).
If you've read other reviews you might know by now that Gabriel makes a very convenient appearance and he seems to know too much about Wren (having such a *I repeat* convenient power). Also it might bother you a bit the fact that he has this stalk-ish kind of behavior.
But even though all those things are so true, he really wanted to help is Wren and it was nice for her to have someone on her side (even though from time to time she needed to tell him to step back and leave her space to breath and make her own decisions). Probably the next book will show more development on this, so there is always hope for improvement.
Anyways, this was a great emotional story that I pretty much liked a lot, so if you're thinking of giving it a try I hope that you will enjoy it as well ;)
This review can also be found at ReadingAfterMidnight.com
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Blog (EN) | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Bloglovin' | Blog (RO)
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There isn't much action and the story is simple, but there are so many emotions crammed into this little book that even my soul started to ache at some point.
The writer knows how to describe the feeling of losing someone dear to your heart, how you need to hold on to the good memories, how you can not let go even when you know that you need to.
“Love doesn’t break easily, I found. But people do.
This book is also about making mistakes and dealing with consequences, about following your heart to only see it break again, about trying to move on when you are still bound up in your past.
I have this compassion for people that do grave mistakes, the ones that they can never take back, the haunting type.
Maybe it is because I am afraid of doing big mistakes too. I am used to people helping me out when I'm in trouble so it pains me to see others struggling by themselves.
“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.”
This being said I cared for Wren, I understood how she could love Danny with all her heart, to that point that she wanted to have him back in her life at any cost.
I understood how deep down she didn't even think that she could succeed in her attempt and she never thought about the 'next step', she just let her pain take over and did the one think that she shouldn't have - bring him back from the death.
What pained me the most was to see how she suffered even more when she realized that the one broth back wasn't the one she loved - that his skin was cold, and he didn't have a mind of his own, that he depended on her in a way none should ever, that at the beginning the memories brought him happiness, but after a while remembering started to be painful and dangerous.
The love was fading under the weight of the truth and with realizing that he died he become more aggressive, more inhuman, more hard to control, and Wren’s life was spinning out of control.
"Let me go."
Three simple words, and yet they stand for everything I haven't been able to do since he died.
What I always wondered was why didn't she talk with her mother. I know that she was upset, but still, when you are playing God hiding un-dead bodies in your closet (figuratively speaking) you should at least get all the help that you need when your magic turns against you.
“Whoever decided that love should hurt sucks.
It's been silent for too long, and I watch as Mom wipes a tear off her cheek. Whoever decided that life should hurt sucks even more.”
But Danny is not the only love interest in the story.
There is another boy (and yes, if you are wondering, he is pretty much alive).
If you've read other reviews you might know by now that Gabriel makes a very convenient appearance and he seems to know too much about Wren (having such a *I repeat* convenient power). Also it might bother you a bit the fact that he has this stalk-ish kind of behavior.
But even though all those things are so true, he really wanted to help is Wren and it was nice for her to have someone on her side (even though from time to time she needed to tell him to step back and leave her space to breath and make her own decisions). Probably the next book will show more development on this, so there is always hope for improvement.
Anyways, this was a great emotional story that I pretty much liked a lot, so if you're thinking of giving it a try I hope that you will enjoy it as well ;)
This review can also be found at ReadingAfterMidnight.com
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Blog (EN) | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Bloglovin' | Blog (RO)
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February 4, 2012
[NOTE: I gave this book 1 1/2 stars on my blog...]
Hmmmm... OK, so... I wasn't a huge fan of this book. Cold Kiss tells the story of Wren, a high school girl, who happens to have magic powers that her mom has kept a secret from her all her life-- until her boyfriend Danny dies in a car accident, and Wren finds out that she can use her powers to bring him back to life. The problem is that once she does, Danny isn't the same...
*****
When I first read the premise for this book, I was thinking to myself alright, this could either go one way and be really awesome, or it could just fall flat as a pancake. Unfortunately, I felt like it did the second of those two. I had numerous problems with it almost from the beginning, and even though I kept hoping the story and characters were going to get better, it all just kept getting worse.
So my first and biggest problem with this book was the main character Wren. She was completely unlikable. Wait, scratch that-- she was a miserable, stuck-up, ungrateful little toerag who I just wanted to slap into next week for being so incredibly selfish, mean, and bratty. And what really ground my gears about her, besides her insufferable and immature attitude, was her delusional belief that after raising her dead boyfriend back to life and basically turning him into a brain-dead zombie who lives in an abandoned garage, she still somehow thought that she had everything under control and refused to let anyone help her! Gah! So frustrating!
Alright, I will give the girl a little credit-- Wren does understand the horrible consequences of her decisions and she knows that she has to fix things somehow-- I just didn't like the way she went about it. I also get that Wren was incredibly frustrated because she has these crazy powers and no one-- not even her own mother-- will explain them to her. So I guess in a way it's no wonder that she ended up using them in one of the worst ways possible. But despite all of this? She still came across to me as a really crappy person.
Danny, Wren's undead boyfriend, was not much better. Honestly, he was laughable-- and not in a good way, because I feel like the author was trying to make him seem like this super-tragic, sexy undead guy, but instead he just came across as ridiculous and pathetic. I didn't feel sorry for him, which I know as the reader, I was supposed to. And this made me feel like a big, unsympathetic jerk.
Then we have Gabriel, the new hott guy in town who wants to help Wren out of her situation. He annoyed the crap out of me too-- why? Because he's only known Wren for what, like a couple weeks? And he's inexplicably bending over backwards to help out a girl who only responds to him with venomous retorts and ice-queen attitude. Why the heck is he even attracted to her? She treats him like complete and utter crap! This is not realistic at all, and I hate when books portray these totally unrealistic relationships that make zero sense. Almost every interaction was Gab acting like a love-sick puppy towards Wren, who only threw bitchy comments at him if he so much as looked at her the wrong way, and then Wren wondering why Gab likes her so much (a question I also had). It just baffled me that Gab continually took Wren's abuse and was so willing to help her out of a situation that she had selfishly gotten herself into in the first place.
Besides the annoying main characters whom I either hated or couldn't stop laughing at, the ideas in the story were very vague and wishy-washy. Based on the fact that Wren brought Danny back from the dead and that she has had some kind of "power" ever since she became a teenager, the reader would assume that she's a witch, right? But this was only hinted at throughout the book with a few mentions of spells and magic, and nothing was ever really developed too deeply. I don't think Wren even mentioned being an actual "witch" until Chapter 21! This made the whole paranormal aspect of the story really confusing for me.
Finally, I think that this book just took itself too seriously-- it tried to make some deep, meaningful, romantic story out of a premise that is to begin with pretty ridiculous. I would have liked it so much better if it was a comic, light-hearted story about some teenage witch and her undead zombie boyfriend getting into all kinds of shenanigans (love that word) and ending with a touching, happy ending. Unfortunately, any humor that was in the story seemed like it was just awkwardly thrown in as an afterthought, so it didn't come across as actually being funny. (Fail.)
So I don't know, Cold Kiss was readable, it's not like I ever felt like I wasn't going to be able to finish it, but it was one of those unfortunate cases where I just didn't like or wasn't interested in the characters-- and if I'm not invested in the characters, the rest of the story isn't going to do much for me. Let me also state however, that there are many readers out there who did like this book and thought that the characters were really well-done and multi-dimensional. Even though I wasn't a fan, you might want to check out some positive reviews on it because you might end up really liking it!
Lea @ LC's Adventures in Libraryland
Hmmmm... OK, so... I wasn't a huge fan of this book. Cold Kiss tells the story of Wren, a high school girl, who happens to have magic powers that her mom has kept a secret from her all her life-- until her boyfriend Danny dies in a car accident, and Wren finds out that she can use her powers to bring him back to life. The problem is that once she does, Danny isn't the same...
*****
When I first read the premise for this book, I was thinking to myself alright, this could either go one way and be really awesome, or it could just fall flat as a pancake. Unfortunately, I felt like it did the second of those two. I had numerous problems with it almost from the beginning, and even though I kept hoping the story and characters were going to get better, it all just kept getting worse.
So my first and biggest problem with this book was the main character Wren. She was completely unlikable. Wait, scratch that-- she was a miserable, stuck-up, ungrateful little toerag who I just wanted to slap into next week for being so incredibly selfish, mean, and bratty. And what really ground my gears about her, besides her insufferable and immature attitude, was her delusional belief that after raising her dead boyfriend back to life and basically turning him into a brain-dead zombie who lives in an abandoned garage, she still somehow thought that she had everything under control and refused to let anyone help her! Gah! So frustrating!
Alright, I will give the girl a little credit-- Wren does understand the horrible consequences of her decisions and she knows that she has to fix things somehow-- I just didn't like the way she went about it. I also get that Wren was incredibly frustrated because she has these crazy powers and no one-- not even her own mother-- will explain them to her. So I guess in a way it's no wonder that she ended up using them in one of the worst ways possible. But despite all of this? She still came across to me as a really crappy person.
Danny, Wren's undead boyfriend, was not much better. Honestly, he was laughable-- and not in a good way, because I feel like the author was trying to make him seem like this super-tragic, sexy undead guy, but instead he just came across as ridiculous and pathetic. I didn't feel sorry for him, which I know as the reader, I was supposed to. And this made me feel like a big, unsympathetic jerk.
Then we have Gabriel, the new hott guy in town who wants to help Wren out of her situation. He annoyed the crap out of me too-- why? Because he's only known Wren for what, like a couple weeks? And he's inexplicably bending over backwards to help out a girl who only responds to him with venomous retorts and ice-queen attitude. Why the heck is he even attracted to her? She treats him like complete and utter crap! This is not realistic at all, and I hate when books portray these totally unrealistic relationships that make zero sense. Almost every interaction was Gab acting like a love-sick puppy towards Wren, who only threw bitchy comments at him if he so much as looked at her the wrong way, and then Wren wondering why Gab likes her so much (a question I also had). It just baffled me that Gab continually took Wren's abuse and was so willing to help her out of a situation that she had selfishly gotten herself into in the first place.
Besides the annoying main characters whom I either hated or couldn't stop laughing at, the ideas in the story were very vague and wishy-washy. Based on the fact that Wren brought Danny back from the dead and that she has had some kind of "power" ever since she became a teenager, the reader would assume that she's a witch, right? But this was only hinted at throughout the book with a few mentions of spells and magic, and nothing was ever really developed too deeply. I don't think Wren even mentioned being an actual "witch" until Chapter 21! This made the whole paranormal aspect of the story really confusing for me.
Finally, I think that this book just took itself too seriously-- it tried to make some deep, meaningful, romantic story out of a premise that is to begin with pretty ridiculous. I would have liked it so much better if it was a comic, light-hearted story about some teenage witch and her undead zombie boyfriend getting into all kinds of shenanigans (love that word) and ending with a touching, happy ending. Unfortunately, any humor that was in the story seemed like it was just awkwardly thrown in as an afterthought, so it didn't come across as actually being funny. (Fail.)
So I don't know, Cold Kiss was readable, it's not like I ever felt like I wasn't going to be able to finish it, but it was one of those unfortunate cases where I just didn't like or wasn't interested in the characters-- and if I'm not invested in the characters, the rest of the story isn't going to do much for me. Let me also state however, that there are many readers out there who did like this book and thought that the characters were really well-done and multi-dimensional. Even though I wasn't a fan, you might want to check out some positive reviews on it because you might end up really liking it!
Lea @ LC's Adventures in Libraryland
January 12, 2019
So I never heard about this book until I picked it up at a used book fair in November. With that being said I actually liked it. The story was interesting and the characters were believable. It was a light read with a little romance and a little magic. I know there are those who hated it because MC started falling in love with someone else (MC uses her magic to bring her dead boyfriend back from the dead) but I see this as a way of her letting go and dealing with the death like she should have done in the 1st place, realizing her mistake and that, although he's been reanimated, the Danny she loved is gone. There were times the main character got on my nerves when someone was just trying to help her and some of the characters should have been talked about more, like her sister who is just realizing the power she has as well or this amazing Aunt who isn't present until the very end. Other than that, the book want bad.
July 18, 2011
How do we let go of the loved ones we lost? How do we move on when the life we once knew has changed forever? If you are Wren, maybe you don’t have to let go.
Wren and Danny were in love. When Danny is killed in a car accident, Wren uses her magical powers, which she still does not fully understand, to raise him from the dead. But is what Wren brought back really her Danny or just bits and pieces?
The pages of Cold Kiss hum with electricity, energy, grief, love and sadness. Garvey’s prose makes you feel the warm embrace of first love and the cold sadness of grief. Her writing style pulls you right into the magic and power of the story seamlessly with beautiful descriptions and humor.
The strongest moments were the achingly, bittersweet flashbacks with a warm-blooded Danny and Wren. So, so cute! Your heart will ache for both of them, which makes what Danny has become so sad. He is a shadow or “zombie” like shell of his old self. The overwhelming loneliness and pain emanating off of Danny along with some of the images of his undead life in the loft will stay with you.
Why we love someone is filled with so many pieces (like family, friends, hobbies), but Wren just took the one—his love for her. Love does not work like that though. It cannot be hidden away or controlled and be expected to survive.
I felt like all the messages and feelings were right there, but Garvey did not go deep enough. It pains me to say that because I really enjoyed the story, but there were so many messages swirling around with the magic, secrets, and loss that I felt like she didn't stir it all together. The story felt incomplete.
There were so many points left up in the air. Perhaps this was just book one in a series? If so, I look forward to hearing more from Amy Garvey and Wren.
Wren and Danny were in love. When Danny is killed in a car accident, Wren uses her magical powers, which she still does not fully understand, to raise him from the dead. But is what Wren brought back really her Danny or just bits and pieces?
The pages of Cold Kiss hum with electricity, energy, grief, love and sadness. Garvey’s prose makes you feel the warm embrace of first love and the cold sadness of grief. Her writing style pulls you right into the magic and power of the story seamlessly with beautiful descriptions and humor.
The strongest moments were the achingly, bittersweet flashbacks with a warm-blooded Danny and Wren. So, so cute! Your heart will ache for both of them, which makes what Danny has become so sad. He is a shadow or “zombie” like shell of his old self. The overwhelming loneliness and pain emanating off of Danny along with some of the images of his undead life in the loft will stay with you.
Why we love someone is filled with so many pieces (like family, friends, hobbies), but Wren just took the one—his love for her. Love does not work like that though. It cannot be hidden away or controlled and be expected to survive.
I felt like all the messages and feelings were right there, but Garvey did not go deep enough. It pains me to say that because I really enjoyed the story, but there were so many messages swirling around with the magic, secrets, and loss that I felt like she didn't stir it all together. The story felt incomplete.
There were so many points left up in the air. Perhaps this was just book one in a series? If so, I look forward to hearing more from Amy Garvey and Wren.
August 18, 2011
Some words that are thrown around to describe COLD KISS: Paranormal. Zombies. Romance.
Don't let these words fool you. COLD KISS is something new and beautiful and unique in YA lit. I hesitate to even discuss or acknowledge the "paranormal" aspect of this book (the main character, Wren, and her family have powers of the occult at their disposal, and Wren does indeed bring her boyfriend back from the dead) because the focus of this book, and the thing I came away thinking about, was Wren's struggle with responsibility, and her understanding of letting go as the highest form of love. Garvey's writing style is simple enough to be palatable for a young audience, but it evokes feelings of love, guilt, and pain that are universal across age. A quick, wonderful read that I highly recommend.
Don't let these words fool you. COLD KISS is something new and beautiful and unique in YA lit. I hesitate to even discuss or acknowledge the "paranormal" aspect of this book (the main character, Wren, and her family have powers of the occult at their disposal, and Wren does indeed bring her boyfriend back from the dead) because the focus of this book, and the thing I came away thinking about, was Wren's struggle with responsibility, and her understanding of letting go as the highest form of love. Garvey's writing style is simple enough to be palatable for a young audience, but it evokes feelings of love, guilt, and pain that are universal across age. A quick, wonderful read that I highly recommend.
July 16, 2020
Üst üste zombi aşkı okuyunca bir ruhum bunaldı. Kitabın gotikliği güzeldi ama bana iyi gelmedi yahu.
May 11, 2011
My Thoughts: We are introduced to Wren who is a high school student. She has two best friends she has neglected. She just has too much going on in her life to handle friends right now. She has been dating Danny and they make the perfect couple. She's really in love with him. But there was a car accident; the car crashed into a tree. One boy was paralyzed, one boy died. Danny is the boy who died in a car accident. Wren is a special girl. How special you ask? Special enough to raise him from the dead! He's back and he's living next door. More like squatting next door. Nobody knows he's there except for Wren.... at first..... Wren visits him every chance she gets, pretending like nothing has changed, like he hasn't changed.
There is a new boy at school; Gabriel. He lives with his older sister. What can I say about Gabriel? I liked him a lot. I never really felt much connection to Danny, I just didn't feel the love for him but Gabriel I instantly clicked with. He was funny, sarcastic, and sweet. I guess its because we never got to know Danny when he was alive so he felt more like a zombie (kind of) and his feelings didn't run as deep. I'm sure he did love Wren when he was alive but in death, he just "needed" to be around her.
Wren knows there is deep power inside her, she knows it isn't right she brought her boyfriend back from the dead, she knows it isn't right he's living in the house beside her, she knows the attraction to the new kid while her old boyfriend is still around isn't right, but she can't help it. She's drawn to Gabriel. He knows her secret. He knows her. He understands her.
What happens to Wren and Danny? What happens to Wren and her power? Where does Gabriel fit in? Want to know what happens? Read the book to find out.
Overall: I really really enjoyed Cold Kiss. It was a wonderful debut. It was a beautiful thrilling story. I couldn't stop reading once I started. I loved the characters, I loved the voice. I want to know why Gabriel can sense the things he does. Is there more to the story behind Wren's gift? I want to know more! I hope there is a sequel.
Cover: The cover is somewhat plain but still interesting. I like the colors and of course the lips.
What I'd Give It: 5/5 Cupcakes
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Review Based On Hardcover Edition
Taken From Princess Bookie (blog)
www.princessbookie.com
There is a new boy at school; Gabriel. He lives with his older sister. What can I say about Gabriel? I liked him a lot. I never really felt much connection to Danny, I just didn't feel the love for him but Gabriel I instantly clicked with. He was funny, sarcastic, and sweet. I guess its because we never got to know Danny when he was alive so he felt more like a zombie (kind of) and his feelings didn't run as deep. I'm sure he did love Wren when he was alive but in death, he just "needed" to be around her.
Wren knows there is deep power inside her, she knows it isn't right she brought her boyfriend back from the dead, she knows it isn't right he's living in the house beside her, she knows the attraction to the new kid while her old boyfriend is still around isn't right, but she can't help it. She's drawn to Gabriel. He knows her secret. He knows her. He understands her.
What happens to Wren and Danny? What happens to Wren and her power? Where does Gabriel fit in? Want to know what happens? Read the book to find out.
Overall: I really really enjoyed Cold Kiss. It was a wonderful debut. It was a beautiful thrilling story. I couldn't stop reading once I started. I loved the characters, I loved the voice. I want to know why Gabriel can sense the things he does. Is there more to the story behind Wren's gift? I want to know more! I hope there is a sequel.
Cover: The cover is somewhat plain but still interesting. I like the colors and of course the lips.
What I'd Give It: 5/5 Cupcakes
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Review Based On Hardcover Edition
Taken From Princess Bookie (blog)
www.princessbookie.com
August 13, 2011
I've been keeping my expectations of YA PNR low lately. That way I'm not too disappointed if something turns out sucky. I am pleasantly surprised by elements of Cold Kiss, despite bits of it being standard. One, girl loves boy but with an obstacle before them, things got difficult. Two, the same girl meets another boy who is just as delicious as the first, and tada triangle. Cold Kiss is not that simple though. True, the characters weren't fleshed out. True, the story took place right after she'd done the unspeakable. I didn't mind though as I enjoyed piecing them together, figuring out if they were good or not.
And in the end, I can honestly say that I don't not like Wren. I applauded her gung ho, "I don't need anyone attitude." I respected her independence. But realistically she really was weak and selfish given that it was her initial act that got the ball rolling. Should I give her props in recognizing that same fact? Is it enough for her to admit to being weak and selfish? It should be. So, heck, why not. But what's really annoying is how she treated the people around her... Gabriel especially. This boy positively puzzled me. 'He saw her' is what said. What pray tell did he see? From the way the story is told she'd basically isolated herself, cut herself off from her family, her friends. I understand why she acted that way she did... but do boys really like sulky girls? He puzzled me like he puzzled her. When she asked why.. so did I.
And while she's trying to figure out how to get out of the mess she found herself in, there's her family and friends to consider as well... Gabriel's too. I saw potential in Olivia, his sister; she too puzzled me too in her easygoing manner. But the part that could have been tackled a bit more was Wren's family, there were so many things left unsaid there. Her father, her mother.. their situation. I wanted to know so much more.
2.5/5
Thanks Net Galley!
And in the end, I can honestly say that I don't not like Wren. I applauded her gung ho, "I don't need anyone attitude." I respected her independence. But realistically she really was weak and selfish given that it was her initial act that got the ball rolling. Should I give her props in recognizing that same fact? Is it enough for her to admit to being weak and selfish? It should be. So, heck, why not. But what's really annoying is how she treated the people around her... Gabriel especially. This boy positively puzzled me. 'He saw her' is what said. What pray tell did he see? From the way the story is told she'd basically isolated herself, cut herself off from her family, her friends. I understand why she acted that way she did... but do boys really like sulky girls? He puzzled me like he puzzled her. When she asked why.. so did I.
And while she's trying to figure out how to get out of the mess she found herself in, there's her family and friends to consider as well... Gabriel's too. I saw potential in Olivia, his sister; she too puzzled me too in her easygoing manner. But the part that could have been tackled a bit more was Wren's family, there were so many things left unsaid there. Her father, her mother.. their situation. I wanted to know so much more.
2.5/5
Thanks Net Galley!
June 30, 2011
I suggest when reading Cold Kiss you have a box of tissues sitting right next to you. I've never read a YA book that actually made me cry as hard as I did reading Cold Kiss. It made me cry at the beginning and at the end.
Cold Kiss is about a girl named Wren who falls in love with a boy named Danny, only to lose Danny in a nasty car accident. Not being able to let go and move on, Wren finds a way to bring him back. She always knew that she was different somehow. Not just her, but her family as well. After going through a bad time with her father leaving them, Wren wasn't ready to let go of Danny too. So she uses a little magic and brings Danny back. From there on you continue to read the struggle Wren has with letting go and moving on. She loves Danny with every single piece of her heart, but she also knows what she has done is wrong.
Cold Kiss broke my heart into a million pieces and then put it all back together with the ending. Amy Garvey's writing will touch you and give you goosebumps. She is so good at describing emotions, that you can feel exactly what the characters are feeling. Now I know some of you might be thinking, "Well, why would I want to read a book that will make me cry?" Trust me, it is so much more than that. It made me cry, smile and laugh. Cold Kiss is a beautiful story about love, family and friends. I am so sad it is over, but I am also very happy I got the chance to read it. I don't know if this is going to be a series, but the way it ended left it open for a possible second story or just for a stand alone. A MUST MUST MUST READ!
5 out of 5 Stars!
Cold Kiss is about a girl named Wren who falls in love with a boy named Danny, only to lose Danny in a nasty car accident. Not being able to let go and move on, Wren finds a way to bring him back. She always knew that she was different somehow. Not just her, but her family as well. After going through a bad time with her father leaving them, Wren wasn't ready to let go of Danny too. So she uses a little magic and brings Danny back. From there on you continue to read the struggle Wren has with letting go and moving on. She loves Danny with every single piece of her heart, but she also knows what she has done is wrong.
Cold Kiss broke my heart into a million pieces and then put it all back together with the ending. Amy Garvey's writing will touch you and give you goosebumps. She is so good at describing emotions, that you can feel exactly what the characters are feeling. Now I know some of you might be thinking, "Well, why would I want to read a book that will make me cry?" Trust me, it is so much more than that. It made me cry, smile and laugh. Cold Kiss is a beautiful story about love, family and friends. I am so sad it is over, but I am also very happy I got the chance to read it. I don't know if this is going to be a series, but the way it ended left it open for a possible second story or just for a stand alone. A MUST MUST MUST READ!
5 out of 5 Stars!
April 23, 2017
I was prepared to dislike where the story seemed to be going after the first thirty pages or so, but then I got caught up in the story. It was different and I enjoyed it all the rest of the way to the conclusion.
January 30, 2012
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.
We were completely different. Danny was tall, sweet, graceful despite legs that went on forever. I was little, moody, uncoordinated. We didn’t like the same music or the same movies. He put onions and mushrooms on his pizza and never wore socks and could sleep through a pipe bomb. I survived on bananas and yogurt and always wore hats and got carsick unless I chewed gum with my headphones on.
It didn’t matter. I loved him. I loved him so much that I couldn’t see anything else for a while. Danny filled the cracks inside me, blotted out the cold, empty places in the world. It didn’t take long before Danny was the only thing that mattered.
Love like that is what they make movies about. It’s the thing you’re supposed to want, the answer to every question, the song that you’re supposed to sing.
But love like that can be too big, too. It can be something you shouldn’t be trusted to hold when you’re the kind of person who drops the eggs and breaks the remote control.
Love doesn’t break easily, I found. But people do.
When Wren's Danny dies, she is nothing but rage, grief and terror. Losing him didn't leave her numb and empty. Bringing him back as a zombie however does.
Wren never stopped to think about what would happen, what she would do, what Danny would do, once she brought him back. As she says;
It should have gotten scarier the more I researched. When you find yourself buying mandrake root on the internet, it’s probably a good time to question what you’re doing.
But all she could think about was having him back and Danny comes back wrong. So wrong. Leaving Wren with her dead boyfriend squatting in her neighbor’s garage, losing more of himself by the day.
This book is a surprisingly touching little piece on love and loss. I got a little teary in places. Wren's wants are just what most people's would be in her situation, it just so happens that she has a bit more than the average magical oomph to back it up. Sadly Wren missed that all-important ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ lesson the rest of us learnt from our friendly neighborhood Spiderman.
To be fair though, she is only seventeen and there is a major case of disappearing-parent-syndrome going on in this book.
The only other thing I would say is that from, the book description-he can sense the powers that lie within her—and that he knows what she has done- I got the impression that Gabriel DeMarnes was going to be another of these smug, all-knowing white-knights to swoop in to save the poor haplessswooning damsel, it wasn't like that. Gabriel is just another kid, albeit one with a touch of clairvoyance. Gabriel strikes up a friendship with Wren, and does try to press his help upon her but in the end it's Wren herself who cleans up the unholy mess she's made. *respect*
We were completely different. Danny was tall, sweet, graceful despite legs that went on forever. I was little, moody, uncoordinated. We didn’t like the same music or the same movies. He put onions and mushrooms on his pizza and never wore socks and could sleep through a pipe bomb. I survived on bananas and yogurt and always wore hats and got carsick unless I chewed gum with my headphones on.
It didn’t matter. I loved him. I loved him so much that I couldn’t see anything else for a while. Danny filled the cracks inside me, blotted out the cold, empty places in the world. It didn’t take long before Danny was the only thing that mattered.
Love like that is what they make movies about. It’s the thing you’re supposed to want, the answer to every question, the song that you’re supposed to sing.
But love like that can be too big, too. It can be something you shouldn’t be trusted to hold when you’re the kind of person who drops the eggs and breaks the remote control.
Love doesn’t break easily, I found. But people do.
When Wren's Danny dies, she is nothing but rage, grief and terror. Losing him didn't leave her numb and empty. Bringing him back as a zombie however does.
Wren never stopped to think about what would happen, what she would do, what Danny would do, once she brought him back. As she says;
It should have gotten scarier the more I researched. When you find yourself buying mandrake root on the internet, it’s probably a good time to question what you’re doing.
But all she could think about was having him back and Danny comes back wrong. So wrong. Leaving Wren with her dead boyfriend squatting in her neighbor’s garage, losing more of himself by the day.
This book is a surprisingly touching little piece on love and loss. I got a little teary in places. Wren's wants are just what most people's would be in her situation, it just so happens that she has a bit more than the average magical oomph to back it up. Sadly Wren missed that all-important ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ lesson the rest of us learnt from our friendly neighborhood Spiderman.
To be fair though, she is only seventeen and there is a major case of disappearing-parent-syndrome going on in this book.
The only other thing I would say is that from, the book description-he can sense the powers that lie within her—and that he knows what she has done- I got the impression that Gabriel DeMarnes was going to be another of these smug, all-knowing white-knights to swoop in to save the poor hapless
Read
May 28, 2011Ms. Garvey’s writing is stunning. She has given Wren a very poetic, funny, and honest voice. Raw, even. The descriptions leave nothing to be desired and have a sort of depth to them, if that makes sense. The dialogue is smooth and fluid, as well. Although Wren is withdrawn from her friends, they are still great members of the cast and help show just how strong friendship can be.
Prior to reading the book, I knew Danny had to be some sort of zombie given the fact that Wren brings him back to life. Zombies tend to freak me out because of the whole flesh-eating thing, but Danny is not freaky. He is a tragically broken person who seems trapped between death and life. I really like how Ms. Garvey has presented both zombies and witches in this. I wouldn’t necessarily consider Danny a zombie nor Wren a witch, though. And I mean that in a good way. They’re both just them, beautifully flawed characters.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cold Kiss. The ending felt a tad rushed, but it ended on a sweet note. Nonetheless, it’s a beautifully written and told story that I know many will love. Wren, Danny, and Gabriel—a boy I’m sure many will swoon over—all tugged at my heartstrings and I can’t wait for other readers to be swept away by their story.
Prior to reading the book, I knew Danny had to be some sort of zombie given the fact that Wren brings him back to life. Zombies tend to freak me out because of the whole flesh-eating thing, but Danny is not freaky. He is a tragically broken person who seems trapped between death and life. I really like how Ms. Garvey has presented both zombies and witches in this. I wouldn’t necessarily consider Danny a zombie nor Wren a witch, though. And I mean that in a good way. They’re both just them, beautifully flawed characters.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cold Kiss. The ending felt a tad rushed, but it ended on a sweet note. Nonetheless, it’s a beautifully written and told story that I know many will love. Wren, Danny, and Gabriel—a boy I’m sure many will swoon over—all tugged at my heartstrings and I can’t wait for other readers to be swept away by their story.
January 26, 2012
3.5 stars
Cold Kiss is surprisingly powerful. It was a rather fast read but the impact of emotions was something that had me invested from the very first chapter. Wren was just so sad and desperate and broken and Danny, dear gawd was so utterly sweet. He broke my heart. The memories alone is what had me undone.
This was an unexpected gem that I'm really glad I had the chance to read. Very bittersweet right till the very end.
Cold Kiss is surprisingly powerful. It was a rather fast read but the impact of emotions was something that had me invested from the very first chapter. Wren was just so sad and desperate and broken and Danny, dear gawd was so utterly sweet. He broke my heart. The memories alone is what had me undone.
This was an unexpected gem that I'm really glad I had the chance to read. Very bittersweet right till the very end.
November 8, 2016
There's some great stuff going on here, with a few minor missteps. Although I like Gabriel as a character, I think the story as a whole would have been stronger if his function in the story wasn't romantic. It sort of dilutes what is an otherwise fantastic story of grief.
September 30, 2012
I liked this book. The romance, the character development, the storyline... it was good. Even though i cried half of the book, i still loved it :0 i'm excited to read the 2nd book :)
August 20, 2023
Cold Kiss
By Amy Garvey
September 20, 2011
Cold Kiss is a YA zombie romance book. I know it sounds weird but it actually made a little more sense when I was reading it.
Danny died on a nice sunny day, and the only thing his girlfriend Wren can do is bring him back to life. When Danny returns he is nothing but a shell of his old self. His skin is icy, his chest is deadly silent. Wren’s life slowly unwinds as she tries to keep him secret, hiding Danny away. When Gabriel DeMarnes moves to her town and starts school, Wren knows that Gabriel can sense her deadly secret. In order to make things right Wren must undo what she has done, but that means a heartbreak all over again.
Thank you to HarperTeen and NetGalley for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
By Amy Garvey
September 20, 2011
Cold Kiss is a YA zombie romance book. I know it sounds weird but it actually made a little more sense when I was reading it.
Danny died on a nice sunny day, and the only thing his girlfriend Wren can do is bring him back to life. When Danny returns he is nothing but a shell of his old self. His skin is icy, his chest is deadly silent. Wren’s life slowly unwinds as she tries to keep him secret, hiding Danny away. When Gabriel DeMarnes moves to her town and starts school, Wren knows that Gabriel can sense her deadly secret. In order to make things right Wren must undo what she has done, but that means a heartbreak all over again.
Thank you to HarperTeen and NetGalley for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 12, 2012
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would, but was still very let down by a few aspects of it.
The writing was lovely. I'll say that right off the bat, because that was one of the things I really, really liked. You all know I'm a big fan of lovely writing. It was lyrical and powerful but never strayed into over-written. It drove the whole story and made it so much easier to connect to Wren and all the crazy things she was feeling.
But Wren herself I was a little iffy on. Sometimes I loved her, sometimes I wanted to slap some sense into her. I loved that Garvey didn't try and paint her as the perfect heroine, how Wren acknowledged that she was selfish and reckless and just generally terrible at making decisions. I loved that I could feel everything she was going through, all the pain and confusion and regret and loss all bundled into one small, powerful girl. I loved the way the power was just sort of a part of her, and the way Aunt Mari had explained it; like electricity, and they simply knew how to tap into it.
I didn't love how she swooned for the hot new guy as soon as he came on the scene, despite the fact that her dead boyfriend was still in her neighbor's garage. I didn't love how she strung Gabriel along, using him but then freaking out at him for trying to help. I didn't love how she asked the stereotypical heroine question about three times--"Why do you like me?"
You may notice that all my dislikes of her revolve around Gabriel. That's because my main problem with the book revolves around Gabriel.
I think this book could've been really, truly beautiful if he did not exist. If it was not about sending Danny to heaven because a hot boi came along, but simply about Wren and Danny and their past and their present, about Wren coping with the loss of his death and the knowledge that he never really came back, about her reconnecting with her friends and her family and her life. So, yeah, maybe the little teen fangirls thirsty for fresh blood (no pun intended) would've been disappointed by the lack of a supernatural hot guy. But the genuine book lovers? The people who can appreciate a good story? No. Not at all. Not the slightest bit. This book still had some depth to it, but not nearly the amount it could have had if Gabriel simply did not exist.
It's not that I hated Gabriel. He was better than a lot of PNR guys that girls fantasize about. But he was also the stereotypical hot, brooding, falls-for-the-girl-the-instant-he-sees-her even though she's "nothing special" love interest that we see far too often these days. He had his moments, but the two of them moved far, far too quickly, and I never felt their chemistry like I felt Wren and Danny's.
The flashbacks with Wren and Danny were lovely. By the time the book is coming to a close, the reader has a very strong feel for Wren and Danny's relationship, and it was adorable and sweet and real. I genuinely felt that she loved him and he loved her and her without him was like a puzzle missing a crucial piece. The only thing I did not like was a quote at the very beginning of the book, where Wren talks about how her relationship with him became her entire life, and then how "that's the kind of love they write movies about." This was not actually true--she didn't just shun her friends and family while she and Danny were in a relationship, we learn later. But that is what the prologue said, and it really bothered me. Because no, that is not the kind of love they write movies about. That is not love at all. When one boy becomes more important to you than the family and friends you've known for your entire life, that is obsession, and should not be dressed up as anything else.
The only other thing that bothered me in this book was that the whole dad thing was never wrapped up. I seriously respect Garvey for writing a stand-alone PNR, because these days that's almost unheard of. Most of 'em like to milk the cash cow for all its worth. However, there wasn't any explanation as far as Wren's dad was concerned. It's one thing to have an open ending and another to explain nothing whatsoever.
I debated between 3 and 4 stars for this one. Settled with 3, but it's more of a 3.5. It's a good read with good writing, just could've been a lot more powerful.
3 stars.
The writing was lovely. I'll say that right off the bat, because that was one of the things I really, really liked. You all know I'm a big fan of lovely writing. It was lyrical and powerful but never strayed into over-written. It drove the whole story and made it so much easier to connect to Wren and all the crazy things she was feeling.
But Wren herself I was a little iffy on. Sometimes I loved her, sometimes I wanted to slap some sense into her. I loved that Garvey didn't try and paint her as the perfect heroine, how Wren acknowledged that she was selfish and reckless and just generally terrible at making decisions. I loved that I could feel everything she was going through, all the pain and confusion and regret and loss all bundled into one small, powerful girl. I loved the way the power was just sort of a part of her, and the way Aunt Mari had explained it; like electricity, and they simply knew how to tap into it.
I didn't love how she swooned for the hot new guy as soon as he came on the scene, despite the fact that her dead boyfriend was still in her neighbor's garage. I didn't love how she strung Gabriel along, using him but then freaking out at him for trying to help. I didn't love how she asked the stereotypical heroine question about three times--"Why do you like me?"
You may notice that all my dislikes of her revolve around Gabriel. That's because my main problem with the book revolves around Gabriel.
I think this book could've been really, truly beautiful if he did not exist. If it was not about sending Danny to heaven because a hot boi came along, but simply about Wren and Danny and their past and their present, about Wren coping with the loss of his death and the knowledge that he never really came back, about her reconnecting with her friends and her family and her life. So, yeah, maybe the little teen fangirls thirsty for fresh blood (no pun intended) would've been disappointed by the lack of a supernatural hot guy. But the genuine book lovers? The people who can appreciate a good story? No. Not at all. Not the slightest bit. This book still had some depth to it, but not nearly the amount it could have had if Gabriel simply did not exist.
It's not that I hated Gabriel. He was better than a lot of PNR guys that girls fantasize about. But he was also the stereotypical hot, brooding, falls-for-the-girl-the-instant-he-sees-her even though she's "nothing special" love interest that we see far too often these days. He had his moments, but the two of them moved far, far too quickly, and I never felt their chemistry like I felt Wren and Danny's.
The flashbacks with Wren and Danny were lovely. By the time the book is coming to a close, the reader has a very strong feel for Wren and Danny's relationship, and it was adorable and sweet and real. I genuinely felt that she loved him and he loved her and her without him was like a puzzle missing a crucial piece. The only thing I did not like was a quote at the very beginning of the book, where Wren talks about how her relationship with him became her entire life, and then how "that's the kind of love they write movies about." This was not actually true--she didn't just shun her friends and family while she and Danny were in a relationship, we learn later. But that is what the prologue said, and it really bothered me. Because no, that is not the kind of love they write movies about. That is not love at all. When one boy becomes more important to you than the family and friends you've known for your entire life, that is obsession, and should not be dressed up as anything else.
The only other thing that bothered me in this book was that the whole dad thing was never wrapped up. I seriously respect Garvey for writing a stand-alone PNR, because these days that's almost unheard of. Most of 'em like to milk the cash cow for all its worth. However, there wasn't any explanation as far as Wren's dad was concerned. It's one thing to have an open ending and another to explain nothing whatsoever.
I debated between 3 and 4 stars for this one. Settled with 3, but it's more of a 3.5. It's a good read with good writing, just could've been a lot more powerful.
3 stars.
July 29, 2011
SO glad netgalley came through for me on this one. I’ve been dying to read this, and I wasn’t let down. Not one bit. “Cold Kiss” may just seem like “another paranormal-ish romance” at first, but when you dig deeper, Garvey really brings depth and gives teens the credit they deserve in terms of the ability to make emotionally mature decisions, even if you screw up mightily along the way. You can definitely count on this one going on my bookshelf once it’s published.
The only thing I felt was lacking in this book was Gabriel’s character development – there really wasn’t any backstory to him, which was more than a bit disappointing. But since this is Wren’s story (and Danny’s too), I can see why Garvey had to cut her losses to make sure her book didn’t turn into a George R.R. Martin-worthy 1000+ page tome (not that that’s a bad thing – I LOVE GRRM and his works). So, I guess you could say I’m okay with that.
We get the mystery of why Wren’s dad left, and why her mother’s being secretive now about it for the whole book, and this too was finally resolved in the last third of the book. The pacing was wonderful – you got Wren and Danny’s complete backstory together as a couple, and Wren’s complete personal backstory as the protagonist. Garvey did this wonderfully, though had she developed Gabriel a bit more, it would have made it to my best of 2011 list. So close! But even if it didn’t make it, this is still a really pretty awesome read, and if you’re a parent anxious about letting your teen read about death and love, Garvey doesn’t screw around talking about Wren’s selfishness when it comes to playing with forces she doesn’t understand, and the lessons learned from it. A moral of the story-kind-of-story? A little. The argument could be made. But this book, even with a few four letter words, is still generally acceptable material for younger teens.
And the best part is, regarding the above, just because it is acceptable, relatively tame reading, Garvey doesn’t make her story the same old paranormal pap. We see things going wrong with Wren’s experiment from the very first page, and it only gets worse for her. And Garvey tortures her plenty over it. The lesson is that we do not own the ones we love, no matter how much we want to. And I think in YA lit, any kind of YA lit as of late that’s been popular, that message has been severely lacking (yes, “Twilight” franchise, I’m talking to you). It takes Wren most of the book, her own little private hell of the past versus the present to come to that conclusion, but once she does, the book just skyrockets into pure awesome. She does the right thing. She lets Danny go, and moves on (even if that “moving on” in terms of romance is a bit ill-timed).
As someone who’s lost a loved one far before her time, I can relate to Wren. I didn’t romantically love my best friend, but I still remember wanting to bring her back from the dead at 13 because it wasn’t fair, and I loved her too much to let go. I still do, to a certain extent. When you lose someone you love young, it stays with you. It’s a wound that never quite heals, and Garvey does a magnificent job of expressing this message to the reader, as well as the message of “yes, it will eventually get better” by the end of the book. To let someone go is one of the most unselfish acts you can commit, and unselfishness isn’t exactly popular in our culture right now. So to have a YA book that discusses it without shoving it down your throat is not only refreshing, but needed. And Garvey does it right.
So, I’m really generally pretty happy (despite my picky areas that I’ve already talked about) about how this book turned out. I definitely would recommend it to any YA reader of any age. If you want a non-traditional zombie love story, pick up “Cold Kiss”. You might just learn something about yourself when asked “what would you do?” about Wren’s situation.
(posted to librarything, goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
The only thing I felt was lacking in this book was Gabriel’s character development – there really wasn’t any backstory to him, which was more than a bit disappointing. But since this is Wren’s story (and Danny’s too), I can see why Garvey had to cut her losses to make sure her book didn’t turn into a George R.R. Martin-worthy 1000+ page tome (not that that’s a bad thing – I LOVE GRRM and his works). So, I guess you could say I’m okay with that.
We get the mystery of why Wren’s dad left, and why her mother’s being secretive now about it for the whole book, and this too was finally resolved in the last third of the book. The pacing was wonderful – you got Wren and Danny’s complete backstory together as a couple, and Wren’s complete personal backstory as the protagonist. Garvey did this wonderfully, though had she developed Gabriel a bit more, it would have made it to my best of 2011 list. So close! But even if it didn’t make it, this is still a really pretty awesome read, and if you’re a parent anxious about letting your teen read about death and love, Garvey doesn’t screw around talking about Wren’s selfishness when it comes to playing with forces she doesn’t understand, and the lessons learned from it. A moral of the story-kind-of-story? A little. The argument could be made. But this book, even with a few four letter words, is still generally acceptable material for younger teens.
And the best part is, regarding the above, just because it is acceptable, relatively tame reading, Garvey doesn’t make her story the same old paranormal pap. We see things going wrong with Wren’s experiment from the very first page, and it only gets worse for her. And Garvey tortures her plenty over it. The lesson is that we do not own the ones we love, no matter how much we want to. And I think in YA lit, any kind of YA lit as of late that’s been popular, that message has been severely lacking (yes, “Twilight” franchise, I’m talking to you). It takes Wren most of the book, her own little private hell of the past versus the present to come to that conclusion, but once she does, the book just skyrockets into pure awesome. She does the right thing. She lets Danny go, and moves on (even if that “moving on” in terms of romance is a bit ill-timed).
As someone who’s lost a loved one far before her time, I can relate to Wren. I didn’t romantically love my best friend, but I still remember wanting to bring her back from the dead at 13 because it wasn’t fair, and I loved her too much to let go. I still do, to a certain extent. When you lose someone you love young, it stays with you. It’s a wound that never quite heals, and Garvey does a magnificent job of expressing this message to the reader, as well as the message of “yes, it will eventually get better” by the end of the book. To let someone go is one of the most unselfish acts you can commit, and unselfishness isn’t exactly popular in our culture right now. So to have a YA book that discusses it without shoving it down your throat is not only refreshing, but needed. And Garvey does it right.
So, I’m really generally pretty happy (despite my picky areas that I’ve already talked about) about how this book turned out. I definitely would recommend it to any YA reader of any age. If you want a non-traditional zombie love story, pick up “Cold Kiss”. You might just learn something about yourself when asked “what would you do?” about Wren’s situation.
(posted to librarything, goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
March 28, 2012
*Genre* YA Paranormal/Romance
*Rating* 4.0
*Review*
When 17 year Wren’s boyfriend Danny dies in a horrific car accident, she uses magic she doesn’t fully understand to bring him back. For Wren, her decision to bring someone back from the dead has its consequences. Danny is a talking zombie with fading memories of who he was, and what he had with Wren. He isn’t the boy Wren fell in love with and is slowly losing all reasoning for being alive.
“It seemed so right. Danny was mine, I was his, and that wasn’t going to work if he was dead. So I would make him not dead, not anymore. I didn’t think any further than what it would feel like to kiss him again, to wrap my arms around him and bury my head against his shoulder. That was my first mistake. It also turned out to be the biggest.”
When a book moves me to the brink of tears, and I reach for the Kleenex box, I rate the book higher than I normally would do otherwise. Wren’s character is pretty vulnerable to the point of having fits of rage and bouts of crying. She also tends to ignore her friends who just want things to go back to the way they were before Danny’s unfortunate demise. She also appears to be one of the strongest witches in her family, even stronger than her mother, and Aunt, yet still wonders why her father took off 10 years ago without staying in contact.
The second part of the story is about Wren's magic and the mysteries surrounding it. The rest of her family like her mother, sister, grandmother, and Aunt are similarly gifted with magical abilities. I was a bit surprised that Wren didn’t try to reveal what happened with Danny to her aunt or mother in order to get some help fixing her problem. Instead, she relied on someone from the outside who really offered her no real solutions to her problems other than to tell her about the full moon and reversing her spell.
The third part is discovering that yes, life does move on even after a devastating loss to the person you loved the most. Gabriel is an interesting character, yet he also annoyed me with his intrusive nature of not letting Wren figure things out. Yet, you couldn’t help feel your heart strings break just a little bit when he comes out and says…
"I saw you, Wren," Gabriel says, and his voice is so soft, a feather drifting on the air, that I close my eyes to listen. "I saw this girl with these dark eyes and this crazy hair and this fuck you look on her face, and I wanted to talk to you."
So, it was obvious as the nose on my face that Garvey would write an ending like she did with Wren and Gabriel walking off hand and hand.
"He's across the street, leaning against a mailbox, a paper cup from the mini-mart in one hand. He doesn't wave, he doesn't smile, and he doesn't walk toward me. He waits. And I think that this is what I would like love to be. Leaving room for each other, knowing that not every step is going to be side by side. Giving more than taking. Waiting. Trusting." p 292
Although this book clearly is capable of standing on its own, there appears to be a sequel called Glass Heart that is scheduled for release September 18, 2012.
*Rating* 4.0
*Review*
When 17 year Wren’s boyfriend Danny dies in a horrific car accident, she uses magic she doesn’t fully understand to bring him back. For Wren, her decision to bring someone back from the dead has its consequences. Danny is a talking zombie with fading memories of who he was, and what he had with Wren. He isn’t the boy Wren fell in love with and is slowly losing all reasoning for being alive.
“It seemed so right. Danny was mine, I was his, and that wasn’t going to work if he was dead. So I would make him not dead, not anymore. I didn’t think any further than what it would feel like to kiss him again, to wrap my arms around him and bury my head against his shoulder. That was my first mistake. It also turned out to be the biggest.”
When a book moves me to the brink of tears, and I reach for the Kleenex box, I rate the book higher than I normally would do otherwise. Wren’s character is pretty vulnerable to the point of having fits of rage and bouts of crying. She also tends to ignore her friends who just want things to go back to the way they were before Danny’s unfortunate demise. She also appears to be one of the strongest witches in her family, even stronger than her mother, and Aunt, yet still wonders why her father took off 10 years ago without staying in contact.
The second part of the story is about Wren's magic and the mysteries surrounding it. The rest of her family like her mother, sister, grandmother, and Aunt are similarly gifted with magical abilities. I was a bit surprised that Wren didn’t try to reveal what happened with Danny to her aunt or mother in order to get some help fixing her problem. Instead, she relied on someone from the outside who really offered her no real solutions to her problems other than to tell her about the full moon and reversing her spell.
The third part is discovering that yes, life does move on even after a devastating loss to the person you loved the most. Gabriel is an interesting character, yet he also annoyed me with his intrusive nature of not letting Wren figure things out. Yet, you couldn’t help feel your heart strings break just a little bit when he comes out and says…
"I saw you, Wren," Gabriel says, and his voice is so soft, a feather drifting on the air, that I close my eyes to listen. "I saw this girl with these dark eyes and this crazy hair and this fuck you look on her face, and I wanted to talk to you."
So, it was obvious as the nose on my face that Garvey would write an ending like she did with Wren and Gabriel walking off hand and hand.
"He's across the street, leaning against a mailbox, a paper cup from the mini-mart in one hand. He doesn't wave, he doesn't smile, and he doesn't walk toward me. He waits. And I think that this is what I would like love to be. Leaving room for each other, knowing that not every step is going to be side by side. Giving more than taking. Waiting. Trusting." p 292
Although this book clearly is capable of standing on its own, there appears to be a sequel called Glass Heart that is scheduled for release September 18, 2012.
July 20, 2011
I am not usually a big fan of zombie themed books. With the exception of a select few, I never understood the appeal to either cold, dead bodies for romance or brain eating shells of humans for entertainment. That could be why I was a little hesitant on reading Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey. After reading the first chapter though, I just knew I was going to like this book though.
When Wren is devastated after losing her boyfriend Danny in a car accident, she does the unimaginable and brings him back from the dead. Not an easy task to do, especially when your Mother refuses to tell you much about the family magic that is inside her. Even though Wren does bring him back from the dead, she quickly realizes that Danny is not the same as he was before. At first she keeps him locked in a neighbors garage while she attends school and such. While she is away, Danny feels confused and can't stop thinking about Wren. When she does see him after school and at night, he is cold to the touch and trying to remember things. The only things he seems to remember though are events including Wren.
She desperately wants to fix her mistake and give Danny peace finally, but she doesn't know how to do it or if she is ready to let him go. When Gabrielle, the new boy in school tells Wren that he knows about her powers, she is afraid of what he will do. Instead of calling her a freak, he falls for Wren and tells her that he has certain powers as well. Together they try to figure out a way to deal with Danny being undead and how to give him the peace he needs. When Danny starts to remember the accident though, he escapes the garage and everything starts to fall into place in his mind.
I loved Gabrielle as the third character in the book. He was patient, kind and supportive without being too pushy or jealous. Wren was okay, but I wished we could have seen more of her with Danny before the accident so I could have connected better with their relationship. I understand that it hurts to lose someone that you love, but at times I wished we could have had more glimpse's into their relationship before Wren brought him back. I enjoyed the friends Wren had in the book and wished we could have seen more of them. They were hurt the Wren had strayed from them since the funeral, but they could only be pushed so far before walking away from Wren. I felt bad for them and wanted Wren to open up to them more.
Overall this book has made the zombie romance a little more tolerable for me. It made me stop thinking of zombies as brain eaters and started to enjoy them as a storyline that can be sweet and tortured in a good way. I can also say that Amy Garvey is going to only get better with each book she writes. Her storyline and pacing is perfect and she does great with details without going overboard. I personally can't wait to see what she will bring us next!
When Wren is devastated after losing her boyfriend Danny in a car accident, she does the unimaginable and brings him back from the dead. Not an easy task to do, especially when your Mother refuses to tell you much about the family magic that is inside her. Even though Wren does bring him back from the dead, she quickly realizes that Danny is not the same as he was before. At first she keeps him locked in a neighbors garage while she attends school and such. While she is away, Danny feels confused and can't stop thinking about Wren. When she does see him after school and at night, he is cold to the touch and trying to remember things. The only things he seems to remember though are events including Wren.
She desperately wants to fix her mistake and give Danny peace finally, but she doesn't know how to do it or if she is ready to let him go. When Gabrielle, the new boy in school tells Wren that he knows about her powers, she is afraid of what he will do. Instead of calling her a freak, he falls for Wren and tells her that he has certain powers as well. Together they try to figure out a way to deal with Danny being undead and how to give him the peace he needs. When Danny starts to remember the accident though, he escapes the garage and everything starts to fall into place in his mind.
I loved Gabrielle as the third character in the book. He was patient, kind and supportive without being too pushy or jealous. Wren was okay, but I wished we could have seen more of her with Danny before the accident so I could have connected better with their relationship. I understand that it hurts to lose someone that you love, but at times I wished we could have had more glimpse's into their relationship before Wren brought him back. I enjoyed the friends Wren had in the book and wished we could have seen more of them. They were hurt the Wren had strayed from them since the funeral, but they could only be pushed so far before walking away from Wren. I felt bad for them and wanted Wren to open up to them more.
Overall this book has made the zombie romance a little more tolerable for me. It made me stop thinking of zombies as brain eaters and started to enjoy them as a storyline that can be sweet and tortured in a good way. I can also say that Amy Garvey is going to only get better with each book she writes. Her storyline and pacing is perfect and she does great with details without going overboard. I personally can't wait to see what she will bring us next!
August 29, 2011
Going into this I wasn't really sure what to expect. It seems like everyone has their own copy of it to read, and with such a big marketing push I was a little weary that there was a bad reason behind it. And then there's the fact it's a zombie books, which turns me off a little, and is part of the reason I've never read a zombie book. But I'm glad I gave it chance, because I wound up being really pleasantly surprised.
The books starts almost in the middle of the story and Wren has already brought her boyfriend back from the dead. I think that worked for the story, because if I had to read the choices Wren made to get to the place where she made that decision it would may have been difficult to understand. Instead we're with Wren as she's having to deal with the consequences of her decision, how to keep her zombie boyfriend hidden from her mom, her sister, and all her friends. It's almost heartbreaking reading just how lost Wren feels in this mess and how she doesn't seem to have anyone to turn to.
I think my biggest frustration with this book, was Wren's unwillingness to open up to her mom. I understand that it's a YA book and that as a teenager there's stuff you don't want to tell your parents. I also get that there's no guarantee that Wren's mom could have helped. But Wren just seemed so lost and confused throughout the book, that I was dying for her to be able to confess to her mom, to hopefully get at least a little comfort or even a little guidance.
While the book is a zombie book, it doesn't really feel like one. So much of the book is Wren dealing with her feelings of loss from the death of her boyfriend in a car crash. And I'm sure anyone going through that situation would wonder, what if I could bring him back? Wren has that ability (although the reasons behind that ability remain much of a mystery even through the books end), and is able to do so without really thinking about the consequences, which again is part of normal teenage behavior. You can't help but feel for Wren throughout the book, and even if the zombie aspect turns you off, I think it's one that you definitely take a chance on.
Disclosure: I was provided this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own
The books starts almost in the middle of the story and Wren has already brought her boyfriend back from the dead. I think that worked for the story, because if I had to read the choices Wren made to get to the place where she made that decision it would may have been difficult to understand. Instead we're with Wren as she's having to deal with the consequences of her decision, how to keep her zombie boyfriend hidden from her mom, her sister, and all her friends. It's almost heartbreaking reading just how lost Wren feels in this mess and how she doesn't seem to have anyone to turn to.
I think my biggest frustration with this book, was Wren's unwillingness to open up to her mom. I understand that it's a YA book and that as a teenager there's stuff you don't want to tell your parents. I also get that there's no guarantee that Wren's mom could have helped. But Wren just seemed so lost and confused throughout the book, that I was dying for her to be able to confess to her mom, to hopefully get at least a little comfort or even a little guidance.
While the book is a zombie book, it doesn't really feel like one. So much of the book is Wren dealing with her feelings of loss from the death of her boyfriend in a car crash. And I'm sure anyone going through that situation would wonder, what if I could bring him back? Wren has that ability (although the reasons behind that ability remain much of a mystery even through the books end), and is able to do so without really thinking about the consequences, which again is part of normal teenage behavior. You can't help but feel for Wren throughout the book, and even if the zombie aspect turns you off, I think it's one that you definitely take a chance on.
Disclosure: I was provided this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own
September 6, 2011
I've been working patiently down my list of books from BEA and requests. And I couldn't wait to get to this book. Damaris, you guys know Damaris. Well she ranted and raved about this book. So I was looking forward to it. And for once in a long time. I can't say I agree with her. And I'll tell you why.
Wren was finding it hard to continue living without the love of her life Danny. She was having a hard time letting go of her dead boyfriend. They basically were attached by the hip. That was until Danny was killed in a car accident. Leaving Wren grieving like a teenage widow. And like anyone who grieves for a lost one, she secluded herself from friends and family. She was dealing with the lost her own way until one day she did the impossible. You see unlike any other teen, Wren has powers. And by using her powers she brings her dead boyfriend back to life.
But what Wren didn't expect was the Danny she brought back to life was not the Danny she fell in love with. While she had him under control when she first brought him back to life, he was now becoming unpredictable. Not only was having Danny around becoming hard, but she was having problems with her friends. They demanded her time when she wasn't ready for them. But the biggie here is meeting this new boy Gabriel that sparked something in her that she did not want. And as much as Wren tries to push Gabriel away, he isn't going away so easily. He knows she's different and he's not giving up. He's in it for the long haul and he's there to help her get through her grief. But she has to deal with the consequence of her bringing Danny back to life, she has to figure out what do do next.
This was a good read. I didn't weep or get teary eyed like Damaris did, but it was indeed a sad story. My bff lost her fiance months before her wedding and I was there for her when she felt like she couldn't continue life without him. So I understand the pain Wren was going through. I liked this book but I wasn't blown away so I give it a 3 stars. I recommend it to those who enjoy reading a grieving love story with a little magic.
Wren was finding it hard to continue living without the love of her life Danny. She was having a hard time letting go of her dead boyfriend. They basically were attached by the hip. That was until Danny was killed in a car accident. Leaving Wren grieving like a teenage widow. And like anyone who grieves for a lost one, she secluded herself from friends and family. She was dealing with the lost her own way until one day she did the impossible. You see unlike any other teen, Wren has powers. And by using her powers she brings her dead boyfriend back to life.
But what Wren didn't expect was the Danny she brought back to life was not the Danny she fell in love with. While she had him under control when she first brought him back to life, he was now becoming unpredictable. Not only was having Danny around becoming hard, but she was having problems with her friends. They demanded her time when she wasn't ready for them. But the biggie here is meeting this new boy Gabriel that sparked something in her that she did not want. And as much as Wren tries to push Gabriel away, he isn't going away so easily. He knows she's different and he's not giving up. He's in it for the long haul and he's there to help her get through her grief. But she has to deal with the consequence of her bringing Danny back to life, she has to figure out what do do next.
This was a good read. I didn't weep or get teary eyed like Damaris did, but it was indeed a sad story. My bff lost her fiance months before her wedding and I was there for her when she felt like she couldn't continue life without him. So I understand the pain Wren was going through. I liked this book but I wasn't blown away so I give it a 3 stars. I recommend it to those who enjoy reading a grieving love story with a little magic.
May 24, 2012
Hello all, this month we decided to tackle Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey for our group review! I came across this book while browsing through Goodreads (I believe Lana was already reading it) and it caught my attention. I went right to Amazon & downloaded it for my kindle. I'm so very glad I did; this book had me hooked from the very first page!
Set in a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone else, Cold Kiss brings us back to our first love and that first time you feel really connected to a person outside of your family. And it shows what can happen when that gets taken away in a violent and unexpected manner. Especially when you have certain gifts at your disposal as does our main character, Wren. I was riveted by Wren's story from the beginning and literally sat and read this book in one afternoon without moving from my couch. I simply could not put it down.
Garvey has written an emotional masterpiece that will have you on the edge of your seat. Told from Wren's point of view, the story hurtles towards climax, dragging you along for one hell of a ride. Wren's life has become one giant yarn ball of catastrophes and every time she thinks she has one knot undone, another one gets helplessly snared in the tangle. I really love how she doesn't expect anyone else to get her out of the mess she's made.
My very favorite thing about this book was the characters; mainly our heroine. Wren is a dynamo, a miniature spitfire who is determined to fix her own mistakes and learn from them. She isn't a princess waiting to be rescued, but a complexly fierce, stubborn and funny young woman. Then we have Gabriel; can I just say that I LOVE him! He's sweet, caring and funny and exactly what Wren needs, in my opinion. Knowing what a horrible situation Wren is in, he just wants to help her fix it. Or fix it himself; yep, he's that kind of guy. I can't wait to see how his & Wren's relationship develops in the next installment.
Cold Kiss is fast paced and heartbreaking; funny and sad all at the same time. You're on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good paranormal story.
Set in a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone else, Cold Kiss brings us back to our first love and that first time you feel really connected to a person outside of your family. And it shows what can happen when that gets taken away in a violent and unexpected manner. Especially when you have certain gifts at your disposal as does our main character, Wren. I was riveted by Wren's story from the beginning and literally sat and read this book in one afternoon without moving from my couch. I simply could not put it down.
Garvey has written an emotional masterpiece that will have you on the edge of your seat. Told from Wren's point of view, the story hurtles towards climax, dragging you along for one hell of a ride. Wren's life has become one giant yarn ball of catastrophes and every time she thinks she has one knot undone, another one gets helplessly snared in the tangle. I really love how she doesn't expect anyone else to get her out of the mess she's made.
My very favorite thing about this book was the characters; mainly our heroine. Wren is a dynamo, a miniature spitfire who is determined to fix her own mistakes and learn from them. She isn't a princess waiting to be rescued, but a complexly fierce, stubborn and funny young woman. Then we have Gabriel; can I just say that I LOVE him! He's sweet, caring and funny and exactly what Wren needs, in my opinion. Knowing what a horrible situation Wren is in, he just wants to help her fix it. Or fix it himself; yep, he's that kind of guy. I can't wait to see how his & Wren's relationship develops in the next installment.
Cold Kiss is fast paced and heartbreaking; funny and sad all at the same time. You're on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good paranormal story.
October 6, 2011
To be honest my expectations weren't very high for this book. The premise sounds intriguing and I love the cover, but I was seeing some mixed reviews about it. That made me a little wary. Those feelings were totally unjustified and it only took me reading a few pages to realize I was going to love this book.
This book isn't your typical YA paranormal romance. Not at all. It's a little bit on the darker side and it deals heavily with Wren's grief and bad decisions. But not so heavily that it's depressing. Wren's boyfriend, her first love dies in a car wreak. Wren does what a lot of people would do...if they had the power. She brings him back. But the book is more about her internal struggle to come to terms with his death.
Wren was very fascinating. She was tough, but also a little weak. Not in a bad way. I think most people would do the same exact things in her position. She was very dynamic. She is also very powerful, but the power is kind of subtle. There isn't a huge amount of significance put on that aspect of the story, but it's a quiet undercurrent throughout the book.
Danny was creepy. From the get go. He wasn't the kind of raised from the dead brain eating zombie that you usually encounter (although I hope that you don't encounter many zombies...). I think he was even eerier than that. This type of...zombie--I really don't even like using that word for him, it just doesn't feel right. Let's say undead, okay? This type of undead is more based of voodoo legends and necromancy, instead of the shambling dead from the horror movies. He was the Danny that Wren knew...but he wasn't. He was loving and completely devoted to her...until he wasn't. This book is a very subtle kind of creepy. I loved that.
Amy Garvey's writing is really fantastic! I loved the prose and just the overall atmosphere she created with her words. I just really loved this book. Can you tell? That just goes to show that I should never let mixed reviews dissuade me and you shouldn't either. Read this!
This book isn't your typical YA paranormal romance. Not at all. It's a little bit on the darker side and it deals heavily with Wren's grief and bad decisions. But not so heavily that it's depressing. Wren's boyfriend, her first love dies in a car wreak. Wren does what a lot of people would do...if they had the power. She brings him back. But the book is more about her internal struggle to come to terms with his death.
Wren was very fascinating. She was tough, but also a little weak. Not in a bad way. I think most people would do the same exact things in her position. She was very dynamic. She is also very powerful, but the power is kind of subtle. There isn't a huge amount of significance put on that aspect of the story, but it's a quiet undercurrent throughout the book.
Danny was creepy. From the get go. He wasn't the kind of raised from the dead brain eating zombie that you usually encounter (although I hope that you don't encounter many zombies...). I think he was even eerier than that. This type of...zombie--I really don't even like using that word for him, it just doesn't feel right. Let's say undead, okay? This type of undead is more based of voodoo legends and necromancy, instead of the shambling dead from the horror movies. He was the Danny that Wren knew...but he wasn't. He was loving and completely devoted to her...until he wasn't. This book is a very subtle kind of creepy. I loved that.
Amy Garvey's writing is really fantastic! I loved the prose and just the overall atmosphere she created with her words. I just really loved this book. Can you tell? That just goes to show that I should never let mixed reviews dissuade me and you shouldn't either. Read this!
November 10, 2011
I would have given this a 3.5.
This book was okay. It was interesting enough that I wanted to finish it but I felt like the main character was not very well developed. I get that she was going through trauma and dealing with stuff, but she was really all over the place in her actions and I never got to know her or care about her. I wondered why the hero cared as much about her as he did. She asked him that a few times and he didn't really give a good answer except something that sounded vaguely like love at first sight. It was never explained what happened with her dad, what was up with her mother, why his sister was okay with what Wren had done. There were no reasons for anything, I guess. Rather than making me want to know more, it kind of just left me flat.
I also have a quibble with the cover. The lips on the cover are obviously a girl's but the cold kiss comes from a boy. I like the cover art and the colors and it was one of the things that caught my attention with this book, but it doesn't quite go with the plot.
Book Description
Publication Date: September 20, 2011
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.
This book was okay. It was interesting enough that I wanted to finish it but I felt like the main character was not very well developed. I get that she was going through trauma and dealing with stuff, but she was really all over the place in her actions and I never got to know her or care about her. I wondered why the hero cared as much about her as he did. She asked him that a few times and he didn't really give a good answer except something that sounded vaguely like love at first sight. It was never explained what happened with her dad, what was up with her mother, why his sister was okay with what Wren had done. There were no reasons for anything, I guess. Rather than making me want to know more, it kind of just left me flat.
I also have a quibble with the cover. The lips on the cover are obviously a girl's but the cold kiss comes from a boy. I like the cover art and the colors and it was one of the things that caught my attention with this book, but it doesn't quite go with the plot.
Book Description
Publication Date: September 20, 2011
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.
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