YA Friday, PA authors' edition - COLD KISS by Amy Garvey

 

Over the next month, I'll be featuring some Pennsylvania authors in my YA Fridays!  I plan to culminate the series with another giveaway, possibly of a signed book or books, so stay tuned in October.. 

Today's feature:  

COLD KISS by Amy Garvey (Sept 20, 2011, Harperteen, for ages 12 and up).   Visit her blog!

Source: advanced reading copy from publisher


Synopsis (from the publisher): It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.

Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants—what she must do—is to bring Danny back.

But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.

Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her—and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.

But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought—even if it means breaking her heart all over again.

Why I Liked It:  The voice is fantastic!  When I met Amy recently (she lives in my hometown!) she told me that although she's been writing adult romance and mysteries for years, her voice is really a YA voice.  And I believe it. This is powerful writing by an author at the top of her form.  Amy Garvey's writing is so precise and expressive that I could see every scene clearly in my mind.

The details jumped out at me, making Wren's story feel hauntingly real.  I found myself completely accepting her ability to bring Danny back to life.  And the fact that he was... different was chilling. This is a horror story as much as a love story.   I read this in one sitting, on a cool, rainy day, so it was the perfect shivery atmosphere. 

I loved that all the women in Wren's family have the power to tap into the earth's energy, and that they all manifest it differently.  And I loved Wren as a character, and ached for her having to make that difficult decision.  Gabriel was also an intriguing character and provided much-needed hope for Wren.

And, hey, you've gotta admit, the cover's fantastic!

What fantastic YA novels have you read this month?