Thread: DA's Book Journal (Opinions, Discussion...nerd nerd nerd).

Next on my list of books.......... Holly Black's The Coldest Girl In Coldtown and, just because I'm impatient and writing up reviews and thoughts on the books I've read thus far in 2015 doesn't mean stuff isn't still fair game for discussion--whether I've written about it for 2015 or it's a past deal...it just means I'm being me and writing stuff up as I feel like it, lol. So, moving forward... This book was just amazing. Honestly, when I was first recommended this book way back when, I was all kinds of excited for it because, well, it's a vampire book! And, me being an individual who is utterly infatuated with vampires, I was all kinds of bouncy at the idea of potentially reading something worthwhile. After all, I'd had the bitter taste left in my mouth after having read the unfortunate train wreck known as the Twilight Saga. YES, I read them. Why? Well, I was told they were vampire books and I love vampires. Then, I was given them as a gift because of my love for vampires. And, because I didn't know any better, I gave them a go and the rest was history. I rubber necked, got wrecked, had to pull myself from the scattered debris, get myself hospitalized and hoped I came out alive in the end. LOL! XD Basically, Twilight just disheartened me. I know that there's an interesting battle between those who love it and those who hate it. And that the reasons for this are wide and varied. My own reasons for hate are multi-layered. Ohhhh...here we go. Let's get all kinds of deep on the subject of vampires! Ok...you've been warned. Under the spoiler, get ready for a whole slew of T WHY light. . See more Basically, my hate for the Twilight books starts off with the simple fact that the writing kind of sucked. As in, I felt like I was reading something a child wrote as opposed to an adult. Now, I'm not saying I could write something better. Far from. But, man. I've read way better and sadly it's gotten far less recognition...Trisha Baker's Crimson Vampire trilogy comes to mind here. Although, that trilogy is hardly YA. . coughs Then, there's portrayal of the vampire. I'm all for unique takes on vampires. In fact, I welcome them completely. Same goes for a lot of the supernatural creatures out there. But holy fuck...a vampire that glitters like diamonds? I don't know. It just sort of made me quirk a brow and think...goddamn, this is hokey as fuck! Then, there's the love triangle. I think they did it to death in the Twilight books. Like, to the point that I was so over it I wanted to bleed from my eyes. And the main female character was more annoying than likeable because she was just a damn tease who couldn't make up her mind and pretty much had to have the guys make up her mind for her. Meh...I don't know. I just didn't find that overly appealing. Shit, if you like someone, you like them. None of this bullshit wishy-washy nonsense. Now, some people get pissy over the possessive streaks shown by the main vamp and werewolf and how the main girl was ok with it and even liked it and was even obsessed to the point where she got herself a bit ill... Her obsession seemed overly dramatic to me and while I get that people can find that a reason to 'hate', I hate more the fact that it just wasn't believable. I found the whole thing to be kind of forced in a lot of ways and couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness. But, really, this is just me. I love my supernatural stories and I love my tragically romantic vampires...I like them vicious and dark and I like my characters to have some ounce of spine and depth and for their interactions to make sense and be, well, believable. I guess that's what it's about for me...the rest...I honestly don't care. So that is why I disliked the books. That and the writing itself just lacked. A lot. And now that I've derailed my own reviewdiscussion, I'll get back on topic--Holly Black's book. Let's just say that I was excited to read a book that could take away the bitter taste and this book did not disappoint. In fact, I truly hope that Holly Black writes another book in this universe merely so that I can learn more about the world and the types of people in it--vampires and humans alike! Her take on the whole vampire thing was extremely different and a breath of fresh air! I enjoyed it immensely and loved getting lost in her beautiful world development. Yes, she's brilliant at developing the world you read about. WOW! You can see the Coldtowns...envision everything going on around the characters. It was absolutely stunning. And the slow build as she developed her characters and fleshed out the relationships between them...truly, this is storytelling at its finest! If you love vampires, post-apocalypticdystopian-ish type books, this one is a MUST read. It takes the best of those sorts and brings them together in a beautifully crafted piece that you won't be able to put down.