Amy Garvey

Cold Kiss surprised me, to say the least. I started this book expecting a rather straightforward paranormal romance type of book, complete with the love triangle and teenage angst I've almost come to expect with these "types" of novels. However, what I got was a refreshing paranormal read that focuses in on emotional growth, specifically the grieving process and the pain of losing someone that you love.

When the book opens, the paranormal event has already taken place. Wren, consumed by her show more grief, has used the powers that she has to bring her boyfriend, Danny, back from the dead. While he's not the same as he was before the accident, Wren takes all the comfort she can in the fact that at least now he's not dead. But hat is he really? And what will happen if/when Danny begins to remember the past? What happens Wren's grip on Danny begins to slip?

Wren's journey is one that many readers can identify with. She's reeling in the loss of her first love--the first person that she gave her heart and soul to. She dealing with the death of her boyfriend/best friend. The grieving process and the emotional roller coaster that people deal with when experiencing these things is well-portrayed in Cold Kiss. Wren's coping mechanism is, of course, different than most people, but if it wasn't, this wouldn't be a paranormal zombie book. I think Wren's innocence and naivete make her relateable and connect you with her character, despite the initial strangeness of her decision and resulting situation.

However, Wren's journey isn't just about grieving and dealing with Danny--it's also about the process of moving on. Enter Gabriel--a new "man of mystery" at Wren's school who understands and supports her in surprising ways. While Gabriel brings yet another supernatural element to the story, the focus of this book remains more emotional than paranormal. Gabriel is, of course, attractive, but it's his surprising understanding of her situation and his ability to guide Wren through this difficult time that really endears you to his character. There's a lot about him that makes him appealing, but overall, I think readers will fall for his loyal personality that helps others even when it's immensely difficult for him. By the end, I felt like I really only had the first tastes of who Gabriel could develop into as a character, and I hope that maybe we'll see some more of him in the future!

This story is really about Wren's emotional development--the plot is very character driven versus action driven, which makes it stand out among many YA paranormal books. I'd quickly recommend this to fans of both paranormal and contemporary reads because I think it offers something for readers of both "camps." Overall, this is a quick-paced book that many readers will devour in a single sitting. The mysteries that remain at the finish of this book will leave you thinking and hoping that Ms. Garvey will give us more! show less

For Wren, Danny is her one and only true love. So when he dies in a car crash one faithful night, she decides that she will do whatever it necessary to stop this ache in his heart; she brings Danny back from the dead.

The premise to Cold Kiss is what made me pick it up. I loved that Wren dealt with love lost and had to accept that no matter what lengths she takes to bring him back, it will never be the same. In those regards, the plot was very simple. It's about a girl coming to terms with show more the death of a loved one and attempting to understand the magic that courses through her veins. And no, this is not a zombie book, there is almost no action in this book. Garvey writes of heartache, confusion, and finally acceptance. Despite the lack of action, I enjoyed this book. I liked the slow evolution of Dead!Danny, how he went from a confused shell to a violent shell of a boy who Wren no longer recognizes.

Wren is the reason why this book gets such a high rating from me. Who wouldn't sympathize with a girl who feels as though her entire world is crumbling? If you found a spell that would bring your first love back to life, wouldn't you take the risk as well? Wren behaves exactly how you would expect a heartbroken and confused high school girl to act. She is not annoying by any means, she is simply grieving. My least favorite part of the book was the introduction of Gabriel. Gabriel knows a little something about magic as well, and he does not approve of Wren using her powers to bring the dead back to life. Although Gabriel means well, I think he comes off a little too pushy and inserts himself into Wren's life too often. I could have done without the love story in general. I feel that Wren was complex enough and that she could have figured out that bringing her boyfriend back to life isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cold Kiss. I adored Wren as a character and loved how Garvey conveys Wren's pain and confusion. I could have done without the love story but I did not mind their slow and blossoming love. I can't wait to read about Wren again in the upcoming sequel, Glass Heart! show less

How many people, when faced with the devastating loss of a loved one, wish that they could bring said loved one back? That death was not the final barrier it appears to be? Now, what if one could actually bring someone back from the dead? In Amy Garvey’s Cold Kiss, Wren has the ability to put into action what most people fervently wish in their hearts when facing the death of a beloved. The far-reaching and unforeseen consequences of her actions make for one of the more compelling YA show more novels of 2011.

To really get to the heart of Cold Kiss, one must ignore the fact that Wren has witchy powers. When that element is removed from the picture, a reader can concentrate on the emotional trauma Wren continues to face after the death of her first love. Readers of any age can relate to her inability to let go and refusal to move on. They can appreciate her need to right her own wrongs without relying on the proffered help that would make the entire situation more bearable. More importantly, they can recognize her sense of abandonment that goes all the way back to her parents’ separation. This underlying grief only ratchets up the tension.

Amy Garvey excels at presenting Wren as teen with a broken heart. With the entrance of Gabriel, her warring desires to move on with her life versus fear of what others will think versus the horrific thoughts of putting Danny to rest figuratively and literally make the reader ache for her. More importantly, in showcasing this struggle, Ms. Garvey is highlighting the fact that Wren is still young and has her entire life before her. More importantly, she is not meant to pine after her first great love forever. It is a refreshingly common sense approach to growing up, something that the paranormal YA genre tends to gloss over in lieu of a happily-ever-after ending.

Cold Kiss is a beautiful story of love and loss. The premise is simple, while the heart of the novel lies in Wren’s pain and her touching struggle to right a terrible wrong. Wren’s need – for Danny, for her friends, for feeling better – is almost palpable. This poignant powerhouse brilliantly captures Wren’s feelings perfectly, and the reader is brought along for the ride. The whole power as-a-metaphor-for-her-surging-emotions supernatural element, while done way too often these days, is nicely balanced with the more realistic aspects of the story. Wren’s plight gets under the reader’s skin and firmly lodges there until the emotionally draining end. Readers will long remain haunted by Wren’s situation and this novel about the power of love to unite and to destroy. show less

How do you write a review for a book you barely have words for? For a story that has me choked up just considering the emotional depths it plundered? No matter how emphatically I proclaim the beauty of Cold Kiss, I won’t be able to do the book justice.

Cold Kiss is the story of a beautiful life cut short and a love gone tragically too soon. The lengths Wren is willing to go to in order to fill the hole left after her Danny has died. And sadly, what happens when you don’t stop to consider show more what comes after.

Author Amy Garvey perfectly set the tone of the book in the prologue. The opening of the book is beautiful, wistful and drew me in completely. When I read it, I thought “Oh. Cold Kiss is going to be that book.” The kind book that leaves you undone, emotionally spent. But in the most cathartic sense.
I know I’m not dealing out a spoiler when I say that Wren brings Danny back from the dead. And while that’s the impetus for the story, it is not the main idea. Cold Kiss is Wren coming to terms with Danny’s death. After Danny dies, Wren’s spirit is broken, her desperation overwhelming. The author did an exemplary job conveying the emotional havoc Wren experienced. She gives pieces of Danny and Wren’s time together. Enough so that you understand the “big-ness” of their love. It is a love so consuming, she is left gaping when it is gone. And while what Wren did sounds unbelievably stupid, you get why she tried. Because who amongst us hasn’t bargained and pleaded to bring back someone they’ve loved and lost. If I lost the man I love, I would be willing to do anything to bring him back me.

The characters of Cold Kiss are written to brilliant perfection. Wren is a ball of pent-up energy. As she continues to deal with the consequences of bringing Danny back, she slowly unravels emotionally. And you can’t help but wonder, when is she going to blow wide open? Wren continually expounds on the selfishness, the rashness of what she did. You have to respect her as a character, because she takes ownership of her actions and what it will take to fix it. When Wren meets Gabriel, he immediately senses what she’s done and questions her about it. I loved that the author gave Wren that outlet, someone to share her secret with. Gabriel is exactly the person Wren needs at this time. He doesn’t judge her harshly. He isn’t jealous the love she feels for Danny, he doesn’t belittle it. And while Wren and Gabriel have an instant bond, it doesn’t feel forced. It’s quiet and peaceful. Even though Wren feels attraction to Gabriel, she never loses focus of Danny, of righting her wrong. And she knows it’s a journey she’ll have to take on her own. The Danny that Wren brings back isn’t quite a character. He is a sad, confused shell of the boy she loved. Who you can’t help but mourn for when Garvey takes you back to the boy Wren fell in love with.

Looking at this review, I get that I might seem overdramatic. But it’s this book! Cold Kiss hit me in such a visceral way, when I wasn’t expecting it. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t to be sucker punched in the gut with raw emotion. It hit a deep part of me that I don’t stay in too close contact with because I’m afraid to feel emotional pain. My eyes are welling up at just thinking how hard I cried during the last few chapters of the book. I try to avoid “the ugly cry” at all costs. Cold Kiss got me there. It was a beautiful, tragic, and ultimately cathartic story that I am so happy I read. I expect Cold Kiss to stay with me for a long, long time.

Favorite Quotes:

“But love like that can be too big, too. It can be something you shouldn’t be trusted to hold when you’re the kind of person who drops the eggs and breaks the remote control.”

“What I wanted was to blow a hole in the sky, explode a star, let the burning embers scorch me and everything they touched.”

“Love doesn’t break easily, I found. But people do.”

* I received Cold Kiss from Harper Teen, in exchange for an honest review. * show less