Review: Amy Garvey - Cold Kiss

Amy Garvey - Cold Kiss

• Pub. Date: September 2011
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Format: Hardcover 304pp
• Age Range: Young Adult

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.

I checked this book out from my local library. Here is my honest review:

This book was hyped up a little to me, and it just didn't live up to the expectations. Mainly this is because I had a hard time feeling for the main character, Wren. Yes, her boyfriend died. Yes, she says she loved him. But she was selfish to do what she did, and in the meantime she had someone else in her sights. I couldn't bring myself to feel bad for her. I did, however, feel bad for Danny. What a mess!

Then there was Gabriel. He could sense her powers. He was able to figure out what she did. He tries to help, and his sister gets involved, too. She's way too understanding with little to no explanation. And I could have strangled Wren's mom! How do you ignore these powers in your teenage child?? Unacceptable.

I didn't really enjoy this as much as I wanted to. I was so focused on my irritation with the MC and her mother for not explaining her powers that I just didn't get into the story right. It took me a long time to read this one until I finally forced myself to sit down and finish the last 200 pages. It certainly had potential, but this one just didn't do it for me. Hopefully you enjoy it more than I did.

What I liked:

• The idea. Heartbroken girl brings back dead boyfriend. Sounds good, right? I thought it was a good idea for sure.
• Gabriel. He was a good male character. He's understanding, cute, and special too. I enjoyed him in the novel, even if he is silly for wanting to be with Wren.
  

What I didn't like:

• Wren. She was not very relate-able. She needed help but just argued with her mother and Gabriel. She left Danny in a garage loft after doing what she did, and spent romantic time with Gabriel at the same time. Grr.
• Wren's mother. You CANNOT ignore what's going on with your daughter, especially when it's crazy magic! Geez louise.

Bottom Line: This book had potential, but too many things irritated me, leaving me unable to enjoy this as much as I could. Many people love this though. You be the judge.

Rating:

3 / 5 book sharks

PS - Happy Thanksgiving!