Group Review & Giveaway: Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Be careful what you wish for. . . .

When Wren's boyfriend, Danny, died, Wren decided that what she wanted—what she had to do—was to bring Danny back. And so, in a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, she did.

But the Danny who returns isn't the boy Wren fell in love with, and she must hide him away while her life unravels around her. Then Gabriel transfers to her school and somehow he knows what she has done—and he wants to help make things right.

But Wren alone must undo what she has wrought—even if it means breaking her heart all over again. (from Amazon.com)

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.

My Rating:

I’ll be honest right now; I really had no intention of reading this book. I got it at a book signing Amy happened to be at, and though she did get a ton of brownie points for being a Dean Girl, I thought the book was going to be stale and boring. “Oh, look,” I thought, “another story of a girl who’s so obsessed with a guy she has no personality whatsoever.” But Mel raved about it, so I picked it up.

Holy God, why didn’t I do this SOONER?

Cold Kiss does indeed have a love triangle…Sort of. Frankly it can only end one way, considering one member of said triangle is dead, but you still wanna cry for Danny (even if you want to jump into the book and trample Gabriel in a not-so-innocent way). Well, about half way through the book that stopped for me, because Danny was beginning to freak me out…I don’t freak out easily. But it’s written so well, and so precise, I couldn’t help but shiver at some moments.

What I also liked was that Danny wasn’t really a “zombie” and Wren isn’t really a “witch”, though that is exactly what they both are. Wren isn’t walking around with a broom, wand and owl like a Harry Potter rip-off (thank God…) and Danny isn’t utterly obsessed with “Brains! BRAINS!” He is more of an animated corpse, obsessed with the person who brought him back (Wren), and Wren, to me, seems like someone who can just tap into the elements. It’s refreshing, having English instead of Latin and thought instead of hunger.

Wren is a little headstrong and resistant of help, but I actually like that about her. She isn’t falling all over Gabriel (who I love, by the way) and acting like a typical drama-queen we see nowadays. She likes him, it’s obvious, but she’s not obsessing (like other books I won’t mention…), which is good, because I probably would’ve had a harder time getting through the book if she had.

That being said, I got through the book in 4 days, and that’s only because I had work. It is beautifully written and sculpted and I cannot wait to dig into Glass Heart (due out in September- careful, I might trample you to get to it)!

I’m gonna fangirl over this book for a long time to come, I know it. I want to keep ranting, too! But my review is gonna be longer than the actual book soon…so I will shush now. But really, guys, go out and get yourselves a copy! You won’t regret it!

My Rating:

I am an avid zombie story fan; we are an avid “No Spoilers” Blog… I’m sorry but this is not a zombie book. I was a tad bit let down as I was expecting zombies, the night of the living dead eat your brains kinda zombies… so, kudos to Garvey for her new take on zombies but, as a creature of habit I just take a little bit more convincing. That being said, it is a very well written story, the struggles you face through Wren’s eyes are very believable and realistic.

There is nothing like your first love but, what if that is taken from you just when you’ve found it, what if you had the power to bring him back… would you? Anyone who has lost someone will find this story very poignant and prolific! Garvey has managed to capture the love without denying the loss; focused on the pain but never forgetting the memories. This story touches on the reality of hiding who you really are and therefore not being completely honest with the people you love; trust, friendship and the ability to love again even if your heart is broken and you don’t think that you ever will. By the end of the book my heart was breaking for Wren and Danny. This is one of my most difficult reviews to write… I give it 3.5 quills out of 5; mostly because 1. I was expecting zombies and although I got the undead, I didn’t get my zombie(s) 2. Sometimes the author’s descriptions went overboard. All in all, I would still recommend this book as it is a little rough around the edges but Garvey’s story is one that must be told! That is just my two cents. :)

My Rating:

And now! The Cold Kiss giveaway! 

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