Released on: September 20th, 2011
Source: Book from publisher to review
3.5 stars: It's A Good Read
After her boyfriend is killed in a car accident, high school student Wren Darby uses her hidden powers to bring him back from the dead, never imagining the consequences that will result from her decision. -quoted from Goodreads
I was surprised by how much I really like this book in the beginning, because it doesn't have all the elements I normally love in a YA book. While there is bits of paranormal elements in the story, I liked that Wren's story focuses more on the emotional side of being a teen with first love, loss, grief, family life, friendship and getting through that awkward stage where you're not a young teen any more, but you're not yet an adult. I liked that realistic aspect of the story. Added to these emotions is the paranormal side of the story, an ability that Wren has inherited that runs in her family. That ability is what allowed her to bring back her first love, Danny. We all know that when you bring someone back from the dead they're not the same person they were before.... I loved being able to read about Danny before his tragic accident. He seemed like an all around great guy, great boyfriend and someone everyone loved. Being able to read about Danny and Wren being together before things changed made it easier for me to sympathize with her as the story goes on.
I really enjoyed having that emotional connection with Wren and her story. Wren is one of those complex characters who's layers get peeled back little by little as the story goes on. She's someone who surprised me through out the story and I love that she does thing that I didn't except. She's someone who looks out for those she cares about, even though it's done in an unexpected way. She's a character who has a lot to deal with, has to learn to make do with the powers she has and knows little about, mend her broken relationship with her two best friends, pick up the pieces of her broken heart, and figure out what to do with the new guy Gabriel that knows more about her than she would like him too. It's through this process I felt more drawn to Wren and her story. I liked feeling like I was able to get those glimpses into her life and she what shaped her into the character she is now.
Once the story line started to explore Wren's worries and some what abandonment of Danny I felt like I lost some of the emotional connection that I felt with the first part of the book. Don't get me wrong, I understood Wren's fears and the reasoning behind her actions, but I felt like it took something away from the story for me during this time. This wasn't necessarily a horrible thing, because this allowed Gabriel to become more involved in the story. I like the support he offers to Wren and the way their relationship is developed during the second half of the book. I just missed being able to witness Wren's growth emotionally like I had been seeing for the first half of the book. I felt like the second half of the book shifted gears a bit and went into a direction I wasn't expecting it to. By the end of the book I was left wanting a little more from both the romance, and the slight paranormal elements in the story, as well as from Wren. Not that wanting more is bad a thing. Over all I think Cold Kiss was a good read, and it's one I think YA readers will like. There is a few f-bombs mentioned through out the story.