Jennavier Recommends: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Holly Black isn't your average teen/tween writer. She does gritty and creepy in a way that is awesome instead of exhausting. Her characters are deep and their problems are real. I was introduced to her through her Curse Workers series but you probably know her as one of the writing duo behind The Spiderwick Chronicles. I have to say that when I came to Coldest Girl in Coldtown it was with a bad case of book burnout. Reading one this good made me glad I’m still reading.

Black writes a lot of short stories. I discovered the original Coldest Girl on a long day snuggled in a B&N couch and hated leaving the world behind. Sadly the book, while sharing the title and a world, doesn’t share main characters. Madeline’s story was over by the end of the short so it’s up to Tana to reveal hers.

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.

Tana is a fascinating character. The game she’s playing is rigged against her and she still manages to win. She fights so hard to hold onto her humanity in a world that feels like it’s losing it’s own. The love that she feels for the people that matter to her, even the ones who’ve hurt her, is strong enough to overcome her challenges.

So what’s the reason I’m so surprised that this book worked for me? Admit it, you were waiting for it. This time it’s monsters. Me+vampires= nausea. I really, really don’t like vampires. Including them is a great way to dampen my interest. That being said I learned to be more tolerant of them in the recent craze. At this point YA vampires resemble household cats more then they do the tragic monsters of my teenage years, much less the creeptastic beings from before Ann Rice. Holly Black pulls off the creepy factor while asking fascinating questions about what it means to be human.

Warnings: First off, the ending is a little up in the air. I liked it that way and felt if fit the story better. If it’s something you can’t stand no matter what you might want to steer clear. Second, this is a dark book so there’s everything that entails.

This isn’t a perfect book. It’s an original, exhilarating, and thought provoking book. I hope if you read it you get the same joy out of it that I did.

P.S. Don't want to take my word for it? Here's another review that talks about how awesome the book is.

Jonathon Got a Job!

Jonathon's office will be in the top right hand corner

Happy News! My husband got a job. He’s been unemployed and ‘underemployed’ for the last two and a half years. Considering my health is bad so I can’t work that’s put a lot of strain on this little family. Luckily we’ve had plenty of help, blessings, and luck to get us through. Now we don’t have to worry about getting through- we’re there!



Jonathon’s going to be working for Judge Glenn Bronson as his law clerk. Judge Bronson is one of the ten judges in Philadelphia that focuses on murders. Yes, Philly has murder judges. Don’t worry, we’re not going to die tomorrow. It’s just a really big city.



You might be curious what he’s going to be doing. Wonder no more! This job means that he drafts opinions for the judge, conducts legal research, and drafts appellate decisions. It’s a cool opportunity because it gives him the chance to learn more about the law and to watch cases in action. It also means that he gets more chances to make contacts throughout the legal community, so hopefully he’ll be able to get another awesome job when this one ends. Yes, sadly, clerks are not permanent positions. Although the judge would probably keep him if Jonathon wanted to stay he’s expected to move on in two years or so.



You might be thinking this all sounds familiar. After all, hasn’t Jonathon been doing the same thing for the past two years? Since we moved here Jonathon has worked as a judicial fellow for Judge Minehart. The only big difference in his duties is that he’ll have more of them (quantity, not variety) and he’ll be paid. I’m pretty grateful for that last one! He’s also very qualified for this job. He’s already started training as- you guessed it- a judicial fellow until the position officially comes available on June 30th.



I can barely believe that this time in our life is over. I’ve very ready for the start of our next adventure!

When Good Intentions Backfire: The Truth About My Wordcount Goals

It wasn’t too long ago that I wrote a whole blog post on my system for accountability in my writing. In case you thought I was really together, think again. Turns out that my goals were keeping me from writing, or at least from writing well.

I can’t even remember how long it’s been since I started doing daily word count goals. I’m thinking a minimum of six years. I remember putting them all out on a calendar and being so happy thinking about how I would finish my book in a month/six weeks/three weeks/ two weeks/you get the picture. As you may have guessed I was a little *cough* overzealous with my word count goals. Given, I am a fast writer and when I’m really going I can get 5-8 K in a day. Sadly those days aren't the norm, especially when I have weeks of poor health. The pressure of a high word count goal on top of dizziness and exhaustion really stifled my creative drive.

So a few weeks ago I stopped. Just like that. I was addicted to the adrenaline rush that came from a goal I just had to complete. Somewhere along the way it went too far. I was exhausted by the struggle, not exhilarated. I’m still using my calendar idea but instead of setting certain expectations I just put a sticker on the day if I've managed to write.

It’s not just lowered expectations that I’ve benefited from. Since word count goals were so important my world building was really weak. In the first week away from word count goals I found myself going deep into the fabric of my world. Considering it’s a first novel in what I hope will be a long series it’s important for me to build a foundation. Sadly even a month ago I wouldn’t have bothered. I just couldn’t take the time away from new words to figure out what the house looked like, what the history was, or even how long my characters had known each other for.

I don’t know how long this is going to last for. I like being organized and having goals. Hopefully if my health improves or I sell a book I can find a way to set reasonable goals that I’m likely to complete. For now it’s just about writing.