Cold Kiss (Cold Kiss #1)
Amy Garvey
Published September 20, 2011 by HarperTeen
ARC Acquired through trade
Review part of Teen Book Scene Tour
“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 her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can’t imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she’s inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved.
Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much more alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can’t turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him—and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart.
Amy Garvey’s transcendent teen debut is perfect for fans of Shiver and Beautiful Creatures. Wren’s unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned. –Goodreads
When Wren and Danny’s relationship is cut short because Danny is killed in a car accident, Wren makes a decision – she brings him back to life. What comes next is a story of love, hurt, loss, and learning to let go. When Wren realizes that Danny isn’t the same in his new undead body she must figure out how to let go and make things right with the boy that she loves.
Garvey’s writing is so beautiful in this book. She does such a great job of telling the story of Wren and Danny’s love story. The reader can understand why Wren was so heartbroken and why she made the decision she did. When I first heard that it was a zombie book I was very excited but this isn’t your normal zombie book and the writing just draws you in and doesn’t let go.
Wren is a very well written character. Her and Danny spent so much time together and their love is just so real that you sympathize with her and her loss so much. I can remember being young and in love and can’t imagine going through that kind of lose at that age.. or even now really. When she starts to realize that mistake she made with bringing Danny back she must choose. How do you give up something like that? And go through those feelings and pain again? Danny is definitely different but Garvey does a great job of letting the readers see why Wren was so in love with him – even though he is a completely different “person” now. And then Gabriel comes into the picture. Gabriel has a secret of his own and wants to help Wren with her problem. Of course there is a spark between them as they work together to figure out how to help Danny. *Spoiler. Maybe* My problem with the Gabriel/Wren relationship is that I just didn’t really feel it. Wren was way too “in love” with Danny for her to get involved with Gabriel so quickly – and with Danny still around and undead. I dunno. That part of the story was just a little “eh” for me.
Overall, Cold Kiss is a fantastic debut. Don’t go into it thinking it is a zombie story – because it is so far from your typical zombie story. The writing is superb and the characters and interesting and real. I look forwarding to reading other books by Amy Garvey in the future.