Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Genre: YA Fantasy

Copyright: September 2001
Pages: 336
Book Source: HarperTeen & NetGalley

Synopsis:

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.

Review:

Everyone knows that bringing back a loved one from the dead cannot end well but Wren obviously missed that chapter in Stephen King's Pet Cematary. All jokes aside Cold Kiss is much more than a zombie story, while Wren has some pretty substantial paranormal abilities, fundamentally this is a tale of love, loss and redemption. 

Having been through the grieving process myself, losing my baby daughter and more recently my mum I connected with Wren and her utter devastation over the death of her boyfriend Danny; the overwhelming desire to return things to the way they were, to talk with, laugh with, kiss, love, to touch the one you love with all your heart, again. Probably a good thing I didn't have Wren's powers as I'm not quite sure I wouldn't have done the same thing in the face of such overwhelming heartache.

I loved how the author gave us Wren & Danny's backstory, it provides the reader with an intimate view of their relationship & gives credence to Wren's actions. Amy Garvey does a brilliant job exposing the depth of Wren's grief, her inability to let go, her slow realisation that Danny is a husk of his former self, her desire to take responsiblity for her grievous mistake and her growing desperation to make everything right. Other's have said what was Wren thinking? Why would she do something so selfish? I think that's the point, she wasn't thinking, she was reacting to a grief so encompassing it was crushing.

I didn't think much of Wren's mum but maybe there's more to be discovered about her reasons for silence. I liked caring, down-to-earth Gabriel and the fact that Wren had someone to confide in as she began to unravel although I'm not sure I saw the need for him to so quickly step up as her next romantic interest. That aside, I'm looking forward to finding out more about Gabriel's clairvoyancy and watching Wren & Gabriel's relationship develop over time.

A haunting, hopeful, beautifully written story with a touch of  'creep' factor.

Hopefully questions will be answered and loose ends tied up in the follow up to Cold Kiss. Not too sure when the sequel is due for release.  Anyone know?

Want to know more about Amy Garvey? ~ check out her blog All Made Up