Rating System Changes

Hey guys! So we took a short little hiatus after Vamp Week so we could get ourselves prepared for our fresh start. (Also, I was traveling almost the whole time, and it was easier to just wait.) To start off this new beginning, we changed our rating system—from 0-2 lumps of sugar to 1-5 sugar cubes. The old system made it hard to promote good reviews, and we often ended up using decimals in our ratings (essentially having a 5 lump system), so this just made sense. The new systems is as follows:

5 Sugar Cubes - This book was amazing!
4 Sugar Cubes - This book was great!
3 Sugar Cubes - This book was good.
2 Sugar Cubes - This book was okay.
1 Sugar Cube - This book was terrible, and/or not my cup of tea.

(All of our past reviews will be updated with the change in the next day or two.)

We also (finally) have a review policy up, which you can view here if you wish. And tomorrow we'll debut the slightly revamped Tuesday Tea Break.

See you then!

This is the End (AKA Gallagher Girls Read-a-thon)

I found the last Gallagher Girls book, United We Spy, at Barnes & Noble yesterday (a few days early, it officially releases Tuesday), and I was flipping through and caught the dedication:

And I realized that this was it. This was the end. I mean, I'd always known Untied We Spy was the last book, but I guess it never really hit before that it was the last book. There would be no more. Gosh, just writing this is making me all emotional. Anyway, I have yet to read book 5, Out of Sight, Out of Time, so I thought I would start from the beginning and re-read the series. Books as You Know It hosted a GG read-a-thon a month-ish ago, so this is just for me, but if you would like to join me, great! Leave a comment.

I'm traveling right now, and therefore without my books, so I'll start read-a-thoning Wednesday (possibly Thursday, I'm not quite sure when I'll arrive home). Updates will be posted here periodically as I get through the series, and I'll have reviews for each book too, though those may not be posted 'til I completely finish the series. I'm not going to set a deadline for myself, and I may read 1 or 2 other books in-between GG books, all depends on if I'm in the series-binge mood.

See you soon!

Cover Reveal: Sisters' Fate by Jessica Spotswood

The lovely Jessica Spotswood just revealed the cover for the 3rd book in her Cahill Witch Chronicles series, and I think it it just GORGEOUS—I had to share it with you all! So without further ado. . .

Here are Jessica's thoughts on the cover and title (from her blog):

It’s my favorite since the original BORN WICKED hardback, which has an enduring place in my heart since it was the first book I saw all book-shaped with my name on it. I love that we get to see all three sisters, but only Cate is looking at us – and with such a fierce expression! She looks kind of pissed off, which – well, if you’ve read the end of STAR CURSED, she’s got every right to be, and keeping control of her temper is something our girl struggles with in SISTERS’ FATE. I also, on a shallow note, love their pretty pretty hair. And I love that fiery sunset sky. Fire is a bit of a recurring danger in this book…

As for the title – my editor came up with this one, but my original title was Thrice Fated (to go along with the original earlier titles Thrice Blessed & Thrice Cursed) so  I’m excited that “fate” is incorporated in there! And sisters – well, to me, the heart of the story has always been about Cate’s relationships with Maura and Tess, so that’s perfect.

Now here are the 3 covers in the series, lined up next to each other (all linked to Goodreads):

Jess also has a giveaway going to celebrate the cover reveal, for a bunch of upcoming PenguinTeen ARCs, so check out her blog to enter!

I'm absolutely in love with this cover! I think it's my favorite of the bunch. What do you think?

Vampire Week: Poll Results Announced

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the banner for more information.

This is the last Vampire Week post. I'm kinda sad about that, even though it was crazy hectic on my end. I hope you guys enjoyed this week, and I'm already thinking of maybe doing a Vampire Week next year, so we'll see how that turns out. ;) If you want to see us do this again, leave a comment!

Well I'm just to get right down to it. First up is the results for the Top 10 Vampire Novels poll.

TOP 10 VAMPIRE NOVELS

Books/Series featured:

—Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

—Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

—Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris

—Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine

—Dracula by Bram Stoker

—House of Comarré by Kristen Painter

—Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

—Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block

—The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith

—Cheshire Red Reports by Cherie Priest

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE IN A COLDTOWN?

And that's all, folks! Thank you so much for coming by all this week.

Today's other Vampire Week post: 

—A giveaway for the anthology The Eternal Kiss, signed by Holly Black

See you soon!

Vampire Week: Signed Eternal Kiss Anthology Giveaway

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the banner for more information.

It's the last day of Vampire Week! To end it with a bang, we're having one more giveaway. You could win one of my favorite vampire anthologies, The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire, signed by Holly Black! This is the antho that debuted Holly's Coldtown short story, so it seemed like the perfect closing-giveaway prize. :) The giveaway is US only, and ends at 11:59pm EST on September 13th. Be sure to read all the rules (listed above the rafflecopter) before entering.

The Prize:

—A paperback of The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire, signed by contributing author, Holly Black

The Rules:
—Must be 13 years or older to enter the giveaway.
—Open to US only.
—Giveaway ends 9/13/13 at 11:59 EST
—Winner will have 48 hours to respond to our email, if no response is given a new winner will be chosen.
—All entries are checked, and any false entries will be deleted.
—We at T3 are not responsible if a package is lost or damaged in the mail.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Today's other Vampire Week post:
—Vampire Week comes to an end + poll winners announced

See you soon!

Vampire Week: Movie Review: Let the Right One In

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the banner for more information.

Title: Let the Right One In (Swedish version) (linked to IMDb)
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Staring: Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson
Release Year: 2008
Genre: Horror
Length: 115 mins (1hr, 55mins)
MPAA Rating: R

Summary:
Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire.
(Taken from IMDb)

Post-"taste" Review:
I really cannot say enough about this film, it is a definite must see, and one of the best vampire stories you will ever experience.

Review:
For Vampire Week here at Tea for Three, I chose to review the film, Let the Right One In, based on the novel of the same name by author John Ajvide Linqvist. Please do not mistake it for it's American remake Let Me In. While a decent adaptation, I do not feel that it captures the essence or magic of the 2008 Swedish original. Since it's release, this movie has held me captivated with it's unique take on the vampire mythos. Quiet and haunting, this film takes everything you think you know about a good vampire story and turns it on it's head.

It takes place in a obscure village in Sweden, where a young boy by the name of Oskar tries desperately to find some purpose in his twelve year old existence. When a young, dark haired girl by the name of Eli moves in next door, a rather tenuous relationship is formed. Much to the dismay of Eli's older caretaker. When several locals come up missing or dead, Oskar is forced to question who and what his new friend is. What follows is a tale of friendship, young romance, and survival. What is Oskar willing to do to keep Eli's secret and what is Eli willing to do to protect Oskar?

LtoR: Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar, Lina Leandersson as Eli

What makes this film so effective is it's use of classic vampire tropes utilized in ways you've never seen before. The film removes a lot of the Transylvania mysticism commonly associated with the vampire, and presents a more gritty and realistic need for a vampires survival. Although there are subtle allusions to the more mysterious elements to a vampire, such as Eli's aversion to light, and her inability to enter a home without being invited. These things are presented in a way that does not detract from the tone set by the rest of the movie.

Another major and immediately obvious departure from the iconic vampire image, and one of my favorite facets of the film, is Eli herself. So accustomed are we to the image of a tall, dashing, male vampire in the lead; that we forget any other role a vampire can play. This is where the film takes the traditional gender roles, and flips them drastically. In this story it is Oskar that needs rescuing, not Eli. Oskar is smaller than his classmates, he is bullied and tormented, a social outcast. Eli is strong, willing to take action, and not afraid to sacrifice anyone who gets in her way. The juxtaposition of the image of a young twelve year old girl, and the horrendous violence she commits, is incredibly striking and highly unique.

What I also think makes this film so compelling is it's calm. Scenes exist that do not need words, only scenery and the viewers emotions. So much of the movie is a silent crescendo building to the apex of the movie's graphic climax. A soft score and Sweden's austere landscapes creates the atmosphere that holds the film together.

Today's other Vampire Week post:
—Erin interviews herself about vampire novels

Vampire Week: Erin Talks Vampires

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the banner for more information.

Today I bring you an interview I conducted with myself about vampires and vampire books (mostly vampire books) (Because something fell through and I had to make up a fill-in last minute :D).

Who was your favorite Coldtown character? Why?
Probably Gavriel, because in a way he reminded me of Myrnin from Rachel Caine's Morganville Vamipres, and I am quite in love with Myrnin, even though he's crazy as hell. But back to Gavriel, he's sane with bouts of crazy (where Myrnin is crazy with bouts of sane), so I have to give him the edge over Myrnin. Plus he is so adorable at the end of Coldtown.

What did you think of the Coldtown short story elements featured in the novel?
I loved them! When I was about 100 pages into the novel, I paused and re-read the short story, and when I came back to the novel I was all like, "Ooooohhh." There were parts that mirror the short story, down to a couple almost exact passages, and I thought that was so cool!

Would you want to be a Coldtown world vampire? Free or locked up?
Hmm. . .well, personally, I wouldn't want to be a Coldtown vampire, but I also wouldn't want to be a human (Always watching the sun and afraid of getting bitten, possibly going Cold. No thanks). So I guess, if forced to choose, I would go vampy. And I would want to be in a coldtown, just so I wouldn't have to always wonder when I would get my next meal. (Gross, I know, but I'm a vampire in this situation, so I gotta tell it like it is.) Also, I think coldtowns are just a tiny bit safer for vamps than the outside would.

Would you want to be a vampire in general?
YES. I think I would want to be a Night World vamp, they always stuck with me. I mean, they can go in the sun and only get a slight weakening of their powers. And they have mind powers, and that's really cool.

What are your favorite vampire books?
 I did a more complete list yesterday, so I'm going to stick with my Top 2 today. #1 is The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black. And #2 I'm gonna say is Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, though Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead is a very close 3rd.

Who is your favorite vampire from those books?
Well, you know who my fav vamp from Coldtown is already, so from Blue Bloods it would have to be Jack. (And from VA, Adrian.)

Is there a certain book that got you into vampires?
Twilight. I read the Twilight books in 6th grade, and they really opened up the vampire (and YA!) world to me.

Read any good non-vamp books lately?
No :( I've been in quite the reading slump, so if you have any recs, drop them in the comments. (PLEASE!)

(Since we are all about tea here, I must ask myself a tea-related question.) If you were to be a tea, what kind would you be?
I don't know. I'll just go with my favorite tea, Chocolate Mint. Mmmmm, Chocolate Mint. I'm going to make a cup right now!

Today's other Vampire Week post:
—Lisa reviews the vampire movie Let the Right One In

See you tomorrow for the last day of Vamp Week!

Vampire Week: Our Vampire Books + We Want to See Yours!

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the banner for more information.

I personally love seeing other people's bookshelves, so today for Vamp Week, Amanda and I are going to show our vampire shelves. And we would like to see yours, too! Tweet or Instagram a photo of your vamp shelves or books and tag me (@bookklovr22), and get an extra entry to both of our Vampire Week giveaways (found in the sidebar)! If you don't have an Instagram or Twitter, just comment on this post with what books are on your shelves, and you're good. So you know, the "Comment on a Day 4 post" is the entry option for all posts today. If you tweet or Insta me your pic, you do not need to comment, just tell me your Twitter/Insta handle in the rafflecopter.

On Saturday, I will compile all of the pics you guys send me into a post, so everybody can see. (If you would like to be excluded from the compilation, but still want the entry, just let me know and I'll leave you out of the round-up.) Now onto the fun stuff! Pictures of books!

(Click to embiggen)

As you can see, I have A LOT of vampire books. And those are just my "pure vampire" novels, that's not including the books I have featuring vampires as side characters/creatures. Listing all of these out for you would take forever, and make for a very long post, so I'm just going to highlight some of my favorites.

     —the Night World series by L. J. Smith (Not vampire-exculsive, so to speak, but these books do heavily feature them. Plus, I love them all to pieces)
     —the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz (This series. Just so amazing.)
     —The Drake Chronicles by Alyxandra Harvey (I've discovered that I'm guaranteed to get a book hangover if the book has multiple hot boys I like. This series has SEVEN mega-hot Drake brothers, so, you know, GOLDEN.)(This series is just amazing in general, too.)
     —the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead (I haven't read Bloodlines, so I can't include that.)(I love this series so much that I have 3 copies of the first book.) (Win a signed copy of book 1 + your choice of VA or Bloodlines book.)
     —The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine (This series is looooong, so the books are almost episodic, which I quite love.)
     —Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block (I picked it up for the vampires, but stayed for the writing. Seriously though, this is such a different spin on vampires, and the writing is so, so lyrical you can't help but love it.)
     —The Eternal Kiss anthology, featuring Holly Black, Rachel Caine, Kelley Armstrong, Cassandra Clare, Melissa de la Cruz, and other top authors. (Out of all the anthologies I own and have read, this one has the most stories marked "favorite." It also includes the short story that started the novel that started this whole event, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black.) (On Saturday we'll have a giveaway for a copy signed by Holly.)
     —Edit: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (Toooootally forgot to include this. It's super-fantastic-amazing, so I don't know why I did. Hmm. . .) (Win a signed & personalized copy of the book.) (Also, here's my review.) (And vote in the poll.)

(Click to embiggen)

Note: Not all my books are in one place/unpacked, and Erin took this picture, so this is definitely not all-inclusive.

Books on my shelf:
     —the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton
     —part of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
     —Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
     —Soulless by Gail Carriger
     —Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines

Now show us yours!

Today's other Vampire Week post:
—A signed Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead giveaway

See you tomorrow!

Vampire Week: Signed Vampire Academy Giveaway

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the banner for more information.

Today I have a signed copy of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, waiting to be given away. And I'm giving away winner's choice of a Bloodlines or VA book, too! So you get 2 books for the price of 0! (Sadly, the 2nd book won't be signed, as the bookstore I will get it from doesn't have any more signed stock.) The giveaway lasts until the end of the day Sept 10. Standard rules apply (all listed above the rafflecopter), with one exception—the winner only has 24 hours to respond, instead of 48.

Note: Both polls are no longer accepting entries, but I've left the "vote in the poll" option on the rafflecopter, because, while it seems unlikely, I don't want to accidentally delete the valid entries you guys got before either poll closed. All "vote in the poll" entries after 12am Sept 7th will be deleted. (But, as it states in the "Day 2 comment" entry, if you leave a comment to unofficially vote in the "Would you want to live in a coldtown?" poll, your entry will be counted.)

The Prize:

—A signed paperback of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
—Choice of book from the Vampire Academy or Bloodlines series', unsigned

The Rules:
—Must be 13 years or older to enter the giveaway.
—Open to US only.
—Giveaway ends 9/10/13 at 11:59 EST
—Winner will have 24 hours to respond to our email, if no response is given a new winner will be chosen.
—All entries are checked, and any false entries will be deleted.
—We at T3 are not responsible if a package is lost or damaged in the mail.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Today's other Vampire Week post:
—Our vampire books + we want to see yours!

See you tomorrow!

Vampire Week: Review: Blue Bloods

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the banner for more information.

Today for Vampire Week I actually give you a re-post of an old review. Blue Bloods was the very first review on T3, and it's also the start to one of my favorite book series, so it was only fitting that I talk about it. Why re-post? Well, I thought about reviewing the 2nd book in the series for Vamp Week, but decided against it because I really wanted to stick with a 1st book VW review, for people who had never read.

Title: Blue Bloods

Series: Blue Bloods #1

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher: Disney*Hyperion

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Pages: 302

Format: Paperback
Source: Bought

Rating: 2 cubes of sugar

Buy: IndieBound | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

Summary: Schuyler Van Alen is confused about what is happening to her. Her veins are starting to turn blue, and she's starting to crave raw meat. Soon, her world is thrust into an intricate maze of secret societies and bitter intrigue. Schuyler has never been a part of the trendy crowd at her prestigious New York private school. Now, all of a sudden, Jack Force, the most popular guy in school, is showing an interest in her. And when one of the popular girls is found dead, Schuyler and Jack are determined to get to the bottom of it.

Schuyler wants to find out the secrets of the mysterious Blue Bloods. But is she putting herself in danger? Melissa de la Cruz's vampire mythology, set against the glitzy backdrop of New York City, is a juicy and intoxicating read. 
(Taken from Goodreads)

Post-"taste" Review: 
Absolutely loved! A very different take on vampires unlike everything else I've read, and it was beautiful. A must-read for vampire fans.

Review: This was my third time reading Blue Boods, and I still enjoyed it as immensely as I did the 1st time around. De la Cruz offered a very lyrical and in-depth 3rd person POV of the glamorous (and not-so-glamorous) lives of New York's teenaged vampire elite. 

Something I loved, though at times felt was unnecessary, was being told what brand the important characters were wearing. Most of the time I don't really care what brand characters are wearing—any characters in any book—but because these characters are New York elite, they are supposed to be fashionable, and how better to get that across than to include top name designers in your descriptions.

I love the mythology of the whole story, and how all the committees work to keep the Blue Blood identity a secret. I absolutely loved where the book ended, with Sky discovering part of the Van Alen legacy, and deciding what she needed to do, even in the midst of tragedy. 

Today's other Vampire Week post:
—Amanda's Top 9 favorite vampires, from books and TV

See you tomorrow!

Vampire Week: Amanda's Top 9 Favorite Vampires

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the Banner to view other Vampire Week posts.

Today I bring you my 9 most favorite vampires! Without further ado, and in no particular order. . .
• Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith (TV show version) ↓

Source

• Thomas from The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
• Eric Northman from Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris ↓

Still from True Blood, the TV adaption of Sookie Stackhouse. Source

• Jean-Claude from Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton
•Aiden from Being Human (TV show, US version) ↓

Source

• Damian from Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Laurell K. Hamilton
• Benny from Supernatural (TV show) ↓

Source

• Lord Akeldama from Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger
• Bubba (Elvis) from Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris

That's it! And don't forget, if you comment on this post, you'll get another entry in the Coldtown giveaway! (And other forthcoming giveaways ;) To lend you a hand. . .Who are your Top 9 favorite vamps? What's your favorite vampy TV show (or show that features a vamp somewhere)? If you just want to pick 1 favorite vamp, which actor/actress do you picture them as? (Answering these questions aren't mandatory to get the extra entry, they're just for fun. You only need to comment for the entry.)

Today's other Vampire Week post:
—Erin's review of Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Vampire Week: Would You Like To Live In a Coldtown? Poll {CLOSED}

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the banner for more information.

   

In The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the government quarantines vampires in walled cities called "coldtowns" to keep them from spreading vampirism further. All it takes is a bite for the infection to take hold, and it stays in your system for around 88 days. Over that time, you are overcome with bloodlust, and if you get any human blood, you turn.

No one leaves a coldtown once you're in. But if you turn a vampire in, you can get cash OR a marker that will allow 1 human to go free. Humans live in coldtowns because they were there when the walls went up and it became quarantined, or they want to become a vampire, so they go in hoping they can convince one of the vamps inside to turn them. (These humans are also known as "fangbangers" because they typically donate blood.)

If you enter a coldtown because you're infected, like Coldtown heroine Tana, and you make it through the 88 days without turning, you are still stuck in that coldtown, unless someone from the outside gets you a release marker.

Note: If you vote in the poll, you get an extra entry in the giveaway below. It is the same rafflecopter that's on the kickoff giveaway post.

If you guys still want to collect a "Comment on a Day 2 post" entry with this post, leave a comment with your unofficial vote in this poll (or just a comment in general). Poll options:

Would you want to live in a coldtown?
     —Yes, as a vampire
     —Yes, as a human "fangbanger"
     —Yes, because I got infected
     —No

Today's other Vampire Week posts:
—Erin Review's The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
—A spotlight on Holly Black's book tour for Coldtown

Win a signed copy of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black. The Rules:
—Must be 13 years or older to enter the giveaway.
—Open to US only.
—Giveaway ends 9/8/13 at 11:59 EST
—Winner will have 48 hours to respond to our email, if no response is given a new winner will be chosen.
—All entries are checked, and any false entries will be deleted.
—We at T3 are not responsible if a package is lost or damaged in the mail.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
See you tomorrow!

Vampire Week: Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Vampire Week is an event hosted here at T3 to celebrate the release of Holly Black's

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Click the banner for more information.

Title: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Series: Standalone
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Genre: YA Paranormal
Pages: 419
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher/BEA
Release Date: September 3, 2013
Rating: 5 cubes of sugar! All the cubes of sugar!
Buy: IndieBound | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

Summary:
Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.
(Taken from Goodreads)

Post-"taste" Review:
This is the vampire book I didn't know I wanted. Loved everything about it, and Holly's writing was exquisite. A must-read for vampire fans and non-fans alike.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest opinion. I was in no way paid for my review.*
Review: 
**Minor spoilers, but only for the first 4-5 chapters, which you can download as a free eBook from any retailer.**

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown starts off with the main character, Tana, waking up in a bathtub after a party. She goes into the living room, and finds the ravaged bodies of the other partygoers. Then she goes to find her shoes and phone, but discovers her ex-boyfriend tied to a bed, with a vampire chained at the foot instead. That's the first chapter. That's when I got sucked in. I know, it doesn't seem like enough, but Holly's descriptions and word choice made everything flow so nicely, I kept turning pages.

The rest of the book flowed just as well as the first chapter, even though the main storyline was broken up every so often by flashbacks Tana had of her mother (background: Tana's mother was infected when Tana was 10, and made it 37 days before Tana unlocked the door. She then attacked Tana in bloodlust, and was killed by her husband before she could do any real damage.) or other POVs. In fact, the flashbacks and POV changes enhanced the plot, as they should. I especially liked Gavriel's POV (the vampire chained to the bed), because while it was infrequent enough to keep much of him still a mystery, it did shed some light on an otherwise shadowy character.

The ending was superb! And the outcome at the end of the "final battle" was quite unexpected. I can't go into more detail without spoiling, so I'm going to leave it at that. I loved how all throughout the novel you could see that Coldtown was inspired by the short story of the same name, especially the very end. Reading those last 2-3 pages made my little fangirl heart go "YESSSSS!" Holly is quite an amazing storyteller, and I think this is my favorite of her novels, and most definitely one of my favorite vampire novels.

Today's other Vampire Week posts:
—A spotlight on Holly Black's book tour for Coldtown
—A "would you like to live an a cold town?" poll

See you tomorrow for more vampy fun!