I read Cold Kiss back in October, but I am just getting around to posting this review. What's funny is that a few of the things that Wren hates about her undead boyfriend (he is cold, hard and smooth like marble, has no heartbeat, and she has to wrap herself in a blanket to be near him) are things that Bella didn't mind about Edward.
Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
Publication Date: September 20, 2011
Page Count: 292
Published by: Harper Teen
Source: Library
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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.
My Thoughts:
I really liked the premise of Cold Kiss - heartbroken teen girl magically brings her boyfriend back from the dead. Only she didn't know what she was getting into since now the boy is no longer 'living', and is, in fact, a walking, talking, pale and lifeless version of who he used to be. He is a Zombie only in that he is undead.
At the beginning of Cold Kiss, Wren has already brought her dead boyfriend, Danny, back to life. And she regrets it big time. I would have loved to read about her struggling with the decision to bring him back, rather than coming in when she had already decided and went through with her plan. I think it would have made a bigger impact on me.
Wren was vulnerable and made a very selfish decision because of her grief and her love for Danny. I liked that she was able to recognize pretty quickly that what she did was wrong. Then along comes Gabriel, a new boy in town, and he takes a liking to Wren. He also figures out pretty quickly what Wren did. He's very understanding and continuously gives Wren space to deal with Danny in her own way. This felt a little too forced to me - a new relationship comes along and outdoes the one before. It's not that it's so unbelievable, it's just seems a little too convenient. Not that I didn't like Gabriel, because I did. He was an interesting character and I would have liked for him (and his sister) to have a bigger part in this story.
Wren’s family was pretty messed up. Her mom keeps the fact that they are witches a secret and they never discuss it. She never taught Wren and her sister how to control their magic. Therefore, Wren has no idea what Danny will be like when she brings him back from the dead. That is my one major complaint about Cold Kiss - Wren had no one in her family to tell her secret to and she wasn't able to ask them for help. I thought she should have went to her Mom or her aunt, which would have opened up the communication and understanding that they are, indeed, a family of witches. In the end, this lack of knowledge didn't stop Wren from being able to figure out a spell to make things right again - magically speaking.
The writing was really good and made for an almost believable story. Cold Kiss is definitely a character driven story. It's not fast paced and there's not much action. But there is a bit of suspense in not knowing what is going to happen with Danny.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
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