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The Coldest Touch
Elise Beaumont is cursed. With every touch, she experiences exactly how her loved ones will die. And after her brother’s death—a death she predicted but was unable to prevent—Elise is desperate to get rid of her terrible gift, no matter the cost.
Claire Montgomery also has a unique relationship with death, mostly because she’s already dead. Technically, anyway. Claire is a vampire, and she’s been assigned by the Veil to help Elise master her rare Death Oracle powers.
At first, Elise is reluctant to work with a vampire, but when she predicts a teacher’s imminent murder, she’s determined to stop the violent death, even if it means sacrificing her own future to secure Claire’s help.
The trouble is, Claire and Elise aren’t the only paranormals in town—a killer is stalking the streets, and Claire can’t seem to shake the pull she feels toward Elise, a romance that could upend the Veil’s mission. But as Elise and Claire grow closer, Elise begins to wonder—can she really trust someone tasked with securing her loyalty? Someone who could so easily kill her? Someone who might hold the key to unraveling her brother’s mysterious death?
Claire Montgomery also has a unique relationship with death, mostly because she’s already dead. Technically, anyway. Claire is a vampire, and she’s been assigned by the Veil to help Elise master her rare Death Oracle powers.
At first, Elise is reluctant to work with a vampire, but when she predicts a teacher’s imminent murder, she’s determined to stop the violent death, even if it means sacrificing her own future to secure Claire’s help.
The trouble is, Claire and Elise aren’t the only paranormals in town—a killer is stalking the streets, and Claire can’t seem to shake the pull she feels toward Elise, a romance that could upend the Veil’s mission. But as Elise and Claire grow closer, Elise begins to wonder—can she really trust someone tasked with securing her loyalty? Someone who could so easily kill her? Someone who might hold the key to unraveling her brother’s mysterious death?
375 pages, Paperback
First published December 7, 2021
264 people are currently reading
20525 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Sterling
6 books1,703 followersIsabel Sterling is a master coach and author of sapphic romance for teens and adults. Their novels include These Witches Don’t Burn, This Coven Won’t Break, The Coldest Touch, and the forthcoming With All My Haunted Heart. She lives with her spouse and fur-babies in Central New York, where the winters are frigid, the summers are too hot, and autumn is perfect.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,292 reviews
October 21, 2022
Helou, where is the book two?
Want to read
November 18, 2020from the author's twitter: 'a lesbian vampire is hired to recruit a human girl with the power to see the death of anyone she touches. murder and romance ensues' also they team up to stop a killer.
basically isabel sterling is giving us sapphic vampires. everyone say thank you isabel sterling.
I also talk about books here: youtube | instagram | twitter
basically isabel sterling is giving us sapphic vampires. everyone say thank you isabel sterling.
I also talk about books here: youtube | instagram | twitter
June 10, 2023
Mega przyjemna książka, chociaż brakuje mi kilku elementów jak np większy opis szkolenia.
Chętnie przeczytałbym 2 tom bo można fajnie pociągnąć historie
Chętnie przeczytałbym 2 tom bo można fajnie pociągnąć historie
April 7, 2022
Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I did have to DNF this at 17%. I went into this SO EXCITED because it was marketed as sapphic twilight (which I guess was there). What bothered me about this and made me stop reading it was the blatantly forced diversity. There are multiple examples of this:
“Across the polished mahogany table, a Korean American girl pushes her pesto risotto around with a spoon”
“Grace, a white girl with light brown hair that falls all the way to her lower back, nods.”
“‘I wouldn’t bother,’ says a voice behind us. A Black boy, not the one from the homecoming photos, steps into view”
"Coach Cochrane, a white man in his forties with dark hair streaked through with gray, appears from his office"
AND THE ONE THAT FRUSTRATES ME MOST:
“Maggie, a petite Korean American girl with dark hair that falls past her shoulders, stands near the stairs that lead to the school's grand entrance.”
THIS IS HER BEST FRIEND SHE'S TALKING ABOUT. MAGGIE IS SUPPOSEDLY HER BEST FRIEND FROM 6TH GRADE?? WHO THINKS THAT ONCE THEY SEE THEIR BEST FRIEND THEY'VE KNOWN FOR YEARS???
The diversity rep is so forced it literally doesn’t even make sense. It’s only provided this book with bad representation and bad writing.
Every single time a character speaks their name and race are mentioned.
There is a right way to add diversity and representation into books and this was not it. Mentioning a character's race every time they speak does not make a book diverse. I literally could not take it anymore and had to DNF.
WHICH UPSETS ME BECAUSE I WANTED A SAPPHIC TWILIGHT SO BAD. But this is what I got.
These are just my thoughts but I'd love to hear your opinions as well!
Unfortunately, I did have to DNF this at 17%. I went into this SO EXCITED because it was marketed as sapphic twilight (which I guess was there). What bothered me about this and made me stop reading it was the blatantly forced diversity. There are multiple examples of this:
“Across the polished mahogany table, a Korean American girl pushes her pesto risotto around with a spoon”
“Grace, a white girl with light brown hair that falls all the way to her lower back, nods.”
“‘I wouldn’t bother,’ says a voice behind us. A Black boy, not the one from the homecoming photos, steps into view”
"Coach Cochrane, a white man in his forties with dark hair streaked through with gray, appears from his office"
AND THE ONE THAT FRUSTRATES ME MOST:
“Maggie, a petite Korean American girl with dark hair that falls past her shoulders, stands near the stairs that lead to the school's grand entrance.”
THIS IS HER BEST FRIEND SHE'S TALKING ABOUT. MAGGIE IS SUPPOSEDLY HER BEST FRIEND FROM 6TH GRADE?? WHO THINKS THAT ONCE THEY SEE THEIR BEST FRIEND THEY'VE KNOWN FOR YEARS???
The diversity rep is so forced it literally doesn’t even make sense. It’s only provided this book with bad representation and bad writing.
Every single time a character speaks their name and race are mentioned.
There is a right way to add diversity and representation into books and this was not it. Mentioning a character's race every time they speak does not make a book diverse. I literally could not take it anymore and had to DNF.
WHICH UPSETS ME BECAUSE I WANTED A SAPPHIC TWILIGHT SO BAD. But this is what I got.
These are just my thoughts but I'd love to hear your opinions as well!
November 10, 2023
THIS!! My god this is exactly what I needed rn, sapphic paranormal romance?? It was just perfect! The right amount of drama, a really good slow burn, just the whole thing was so satisfying! I love them so much the stupid idiots I had such a good time!!!
The rep in this book was really good too I really loved reading it and I’m now dying to read more from this author ahhhh!!
The rep in this book was really good too I really loved reading it and I’m now dying to read more from this author ahhhh!!
February 25, 2022
To start off with this review, I would like to say: I love it when cats are given posh human names, like Richard. That is all.
Now onto the review! What really sold me was the premise and sapphic vampires, because let's be honest, we don't see a lot of sapphic vampire books, especially in the young adult group. I liked the small-town atmosphere, which gave the novel a foreboding feeling and heightened the stakes. However, I found the pacing to be inconsistent. It would be fast-paced one second and really slow the next, it distracted me from the story. I was waiting for something to happen one second and then everything happened all at once the next.
In terms of the ending, it was not necessarily bad but it was predictable. Considering the stakes surrounding Elise and Claire's 'mission', I would have expected the plot to get really dark.
I wasn’t feeling any chemistry between Elise and Claire. I liked them separately as characters but their romance did not feel believable. It almost felt insta-lovey (especially from Claire's side), one of the tropes I don't like. However, I liked their interactions with the side characters, especially with Wyn. If Sterling were to write a spin-off about Wyn, I would happily read it because they are one of the most interesting characters in the book.
Overall, it was a fun read but I was not entirely hooked. But I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a vampire story with a diverse cast of characters!
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Now onto the review! What really sold me was the premise and sapphic vampires, because let's be honest, we don't see a lot of sapphic vampire books, especially in the young adult group. I liked the small-town atmosphere, which gave the novel a foreboding feeling and heightened the stakes. However, I found the pacing to be inconsistent. It would be fast-paced one second and really slow the next, it distracted me from the story. I was waiting for something to happen one second and then everything happened all at once the next.
In terms of the ending, it was not necessarily bad but it was predictable. Considering the stakes surrounding Elise and Claire's 'mission', I would have expected the plot to get really dark.
I wasn’t feeling any chemistry between Elise and Claire. I liked them separately as characters but their romance did not feel believable. It almost felt insta-lovey (especially from Claire's side), one of the tropes I don't like. However, I liked their interactions with the side characters, especially with Wyn. If Sterling were to write a spin-off about Wyn, I would happily read it because they are one of the most interesting characters in the book.
Overall, it was a fun read but I was not entirely hooked. But I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a vampire story with a diverse cast of characters!
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 6, 2023
definitywnie 4,5✨🥹
to było cudne i jest równie piękne w środku, jak i na zewnątrz (ofc mówię o naszej polskiej okładce!)💘
historia, która poza mrożeniem krwi w żyłach i wciągnięciem czytelnika od samego początku, daje również mnóstwo ciepełka i porusza💖
[Najzimniejszy Dotyk - We Need Ya]
to było cudne i jest równie piękne w środku, jak i na zewnątrz (ofc mówię o naszej polskiej okładce!)💘
historia, która poza mrożeniem krwi w żyłach i wciągnięciem czytelnika od samego początku, daje również mnóstwo ciepełka i porusza💖
[Najzimniejszy Dotyk - We Need Ya]
March 21, 2023
To była ciekawa historia, ale jakoś nie za bardzo byłam w stanie przywiązać się do bohaterów
🫴🏻 Czy ktokolwiek z Was, chciałby móc widzieć za każdym razem gdy kogoś dotknie, w jaki sposób ta osoba umrze?
🫴🏻 Właśnie ten straszliwy dar ma Elise Beaumont. Po tym, jak jej brat umarł, mimo, że dziewczyna wiedziała jak umrze, ale nie mogła nic zrobić i temu zapobiec, postanawia za wszelką cenę pozbyć się tej zdolności.
Jest również Claire Montgomery - dziewczyna, której śmierci Elise nie może przewidzieć, bo… już nie żyje. Została ona wysłana zza światów jako pomoc, jednak nic nie jest takie proste jakby mogło się wydawać - do tego dochodzi wizja Elise, jaką jest morderstwo i wtedy już bez względu na cenę i brak zaufania, chce temu wszystkiemu zapobiec.
Nie zapominajmy o najważniejszym - uczucia, którymi zaczynają pałać do siebie bohaterki również mogą dużo namieszać.
🫴🏻 Cieszę się, że takie lektury jak ta powstają. Mamy tu romans wlw w fantastyce, który myślę, że może kupić niejednego czytelnika 🤭 Co jest w tym najlepsze? Że właściwie po fantastyce możemy spodziewać się dosłownie wszystkiego, a zaskakująca książka młodzieżowa z ważnym tematem, przełamująca uprzedzenia, może pomóc niejednej osobie zobaczyć w tym… po prostu siebie. Wspiera, edukuje, a to wszystko wplecione jest w historię, przez którą się po prostu przepływa. Ocean pełen różowych, najpiękniejszych kwiatków, które śpiewają melodie, że każdy zasługuje na własny głos.
Bardzo dobrze spędziłam przy niej czas - jedyny minus, który właściwie jest takim moim małym uszczypnięciem to za mało było tu o osobach bohaterskich - chciałabym móc je ciut lepiej poznać, żeby mocniej się przywiązać, bo bohaterowie są dla mnie w historii praktycznie najważniejsi i odgrywają znaczące role w tym czy historia mi się spodoba, czy nie. Ale jestem absolutnie pewna, że ten tytuł może trafić do wielu osób jako jeden z ulubieńców!
7/10
🫴🏻 Czy ktokolwiek z Was, chciałby móc widzieć za każdym razem gdy kogoś dotknie, w jaki sposób ta osoba umrze?
🫴🏻 Właśnie ten straszliwy dar ma Elise Beaumont. Po tym, jak jej brat umarł, mimo, że dziewczyna wiedziała jak umrze, ale nie mogła nic zrobić i temu zapobiec, postanawia za wszelką cenę pozbyć się tej zdolności.
Jest również Claire Montgomery - dziewczyna, której śmierci Elise nie może przewidzieć, bo… już nie żyje. Została ona wysłana zza światów jako pomoc, jednak nic nie jest takie proste jakby mogło się wydawać - do tego dochodzi wizja Elise, jaką jest morderstwo i wtedy już bez względu na cenę i brak zaufania, chce temu wszystkiemu zapobiec.
Nie zapominajmy o najważniejszym - uczucia, którymi zaczynają pałać do siebie bohaterki również mogą dużo namieszać.
🫴🏻 Cieszę się, że takie lektury jak ta powstają. Mamy tu romans wlw w fantastyce, który myślę, że może kupić niejednego czytelnika 🤭 Co jest w tym najlepsze? Że właściwie po fantastyce możemy spodziewać się dosłownie wszystkiego, a zaskakująca książka młodzieżowa z ważnym tematem, przełamująca uprzedzenia, może pomóc niejednej osobie zobaczyć w tym… po prostu siebie. Wspiera, edukuje, a to wszystko wplecione jest w historię, przez którą się po prostu przepływa. Ocean pełen różowych, najpiękniejszych kwiatków, które śpiewają melodie, że każdy zasługuje na własny głos.
Bardzo dobrze spędziłam przy niej czas - jedyny minus, który właściwie jest takim moim małym uszczypnięciem to za mało było tu o osobach bohaterskich - chciałabym móc je ciut lepiej poznać, żeby mocniej się przywiązać, bo bohaterowie są dla mnie w historii praktycznie najważniejsi i odgrywają znaczące role w tym czy historia mi się spodoba, czy nie. Ale jestem absolutnie pewna, że ten tytuł może trafić do wielu osób jako jeden z ulubieńców!
7/10
December 7, 2021
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
4.5/5
I really hope there will be a sequel!!
The Coldest Touch is a YA supernatural urban fantasy story that centers on two teenagers: Elise, a girl with strange powers to see how people die when she touches them, and Claire, a vampire who works for the Veil, a mysterious supernatural agency. Elise just wants to be a normal teenager, but after her brother dies and she develops mystery death powers, she feels like her world is crumbling. Claire is out for vengeance against her maker, but before she can be granted that she has to teach Elise to use her Death Oracle powers so Elise can begin working for the Veil.
I loved this book so much!! It was so much fun and I need more queer supernatural books like this. I loved seeing Elise and Claire's relationship develop. The death oracle powers were so cool and I loved all the training Elise went through. Besides that, there's also a murder mystery going on. There are definitely darker aspects to this book, but I loved every second of it.
I really would like to know more about the Veil, and what exactly they all do to protect supernaturals. I also want to see more Death Oracle powers, bc it was the coolest part of this book! I also loved all the diversity in the book. Wynn is my favorite nonbinary vampire ever and I need more vamps like them!
Rep: white questioning-bisexual female MC, white lesbian female MC, Black bi/pansexual male side character, Black female side character, white nonbinary side character, adopted Korean American female side character.
CWs: Abandonment, alcohol consumption, blood, child death, death, grief, murder, violence.
4.5/5
I really hope there will be a sequel!!
The Coldest Touch is a YA supernatural urban fantasy story that centers on two teenagers: Elise, a girl with strange powers to see how people die when she touches them, and Claire, a vampire who works for the Veil, a mysterious supernatural agency. Elise just wants to be a normal teenager, but after her brother dies and she develops mystery death powers, she feels like her world is crumbling. Claire is out for vengeance against her maker, but before she can be granted that she has to teach Elise to use her Death Oracle powers so Elise can begin working for the Veil.
I loved this book so much!! It was so much fun and I need more queer supernatural books like this. I loved seeing Elise and Claire's relationship develop. The death oracle powers were so cool and I loved all the training Elise went through. Besides that, there's also a murder mystery going on. There are definitely darker aspects to this book, but I loved every second of it.
I really would like to know more about the Veil, and what exactly they all do to protect supernaturals. I also want to see more Death Oracle powers, bc it was the coolest part of this book! I also loved all the diversity in the book. Wynn is my favorite nonbinary vampire ever and I need more vamps like them!
Rep: white questioning-bisexual female MC, white lesbian female MC, Black bi/pansexual male side character, Black female side character, white nonbinary side character, adopted Korean American female side character.
CWs: Abandonment, alcohol consumption, blood, child death, death, grief, murder, violence.
December 23, 2021
3 stars. This was just fine. Really cool plot about a Death Oracle and a vampire but the execution wasn’t the best. The characters of Elise and Claire were okay. I found that I didn’t care about them one way or another. I didn’t hate them but I wasn’t that into either of them.
There are a lot of plot holes and things left unresolved in the end. And the diversity in this was the most forced and awkward thing I’ve read in a minute. None of it was natural and every character in this was described by their race which pulled me out of the story every single time. It felt like it was done just to win some cool points from book twitter or something. It was just so phony to me. The writing isn’t bad though and it’s paced really well which makes it a quick read. I can’t say that I was ever bored while reading this.
Three stars because it was entertaining but I have yet to really like a book by this author. I don’t think Sterling’s books are my things because I've yet to read one that really hit the mark for me.
There are a lot of plot holes and things left unresolved in the end. And the diversity in this was the most forced and awkward thing I’ve read in a minute. None of it was natural and every character in this was described by their race which pulled me out of the story every single time. It felt like it was done just to win some cool points from book twitter or something. It was just so phony to me. The writing isn’t bad though and it’s paced really well which makes it a quick read. I can’t say that I was ever bored while reading this.
Three stars because it was entertaining but I have yet to really like a book by this author. I don’t think Sterling’s books are my things because I've yet to read one that really hit the mark for me.
August 19, 2023
It gets better toward the end, cus it's ending
Want to read
May 22, 2020May 22, 2020: The book has just been announced and I can't wait for this lesbian vampire story OMG!
January 9, 2024
Trzyma poziom.
November 11, 2021
Actual rating: 3.5
Thanks to Edelweiss and Razorbill for providing me with an early copy. The book comes out on December 7th.
“I didn’t know it was possible to miss someone who’s in the same room as you.”
For anyone who was waiting for something like Carry On but with sapphics, here is a book for you. The story follows a girl named Elise who has an unusual gift. By touching people she can see the way they will die. Elise is haunted by her brother’s death and the fact that she saw how he will die but she couldn’t do anything to save him. That’s why now she avoids touching other people. That is until she meets Claire. Claire is a vampire who was assigned by the vampire council to help train Elise’s power in order for them to achieve their goals. Because Claire is a vampire Elise is now able to touch someone without fear of seeing their death. Together they are trying to discover what or who stands behind mysterious murders that have been happening near them.
First, what drew me to this book. Look at that cover!! Brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same!!! Beside the main two characters who are sapphics, there is also a non binary side character and a pansexual side character. I like that the story approaches all these identities by not making a big deal out of them. There isn’t any homophobia or usage of wrong pronouns. The writing style was solid, it’s simple and it was easy to understand what’s going on. I liked the characters and would love to learn even more about them. The friendship dynamic was really cute and I loved how supportive Elise’s friends were.
I didn’t really like the romantic aspects of the book as much I guess. For a story that heavily relies on a premise of a romance between vampire and human girl, I wasn’t sold completely. To me there wasn’t that much chemistry between Elise and Claire. I got a little annoyed with Claire because almost every time they had bigger things on their hands Claire was making it all about her and Elise and how Elise wouldn’t reciprocate her feelings and so on. There is also the very obvious “age gap” between them despite Claire still being stuck in a teenage body. I could get behind that but I feel there was an attempt to constantly justify that by reminding us Claire was turned into a vampire as a minor so there’s this thing which makes it that her brain wasn’t fully developed yet so she isn’t an adult.
I also just expected something more from the story. The basic premise should be Elise training to learn how to use her gift but that somewhat happened in the deus ex machina way especially at the end.
It was a fun read but I’m sad I didn’t enjoy it a lot more.
Review also posted on my my blog.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Razorbill for providing me with an early copy. The book comes out on December 7th.
“I didn’t know it was possible to miss someone who’s in the same room as you.”
For anyone who was waiting for something like Carry On but with sapphics, here is a book for you. The story follows a girl named Elise who has an unusual gift. By touching people she can see the way they will die. Elise is haunted by her brother’s death and the fact that she saw how he will die but she couldn’t do anything to save him. That’s why now she avoids touching other people. That is until she meets Claire. Claire is a vampire who was assigned by the vampire council to help train Elise’s power in order for them to achieve their goals. Because Claire is a vampire Elise is now able to touch someone without fear of seeing their death. Together they are trying to discover what or who stands behind mysterious murders that have been happening near them.
First, what drew me to this book. Look at that cover!! Brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same!!! Beside the main two characters who are sapphics, there is also a non binary side character and a pansexual side character. I like that the story approaches all these identities by not making a big deal out of them. There isn’t any homophobia or usage of wrong pronouns. The writing style was solid, it’s simple and it was easy to understand what’s going on. I liked the characters and would love to learn even more about them. The friendship dynamic was really cute and I loved how supportive Elise’s friends were.
I didn’t really like the romantic aspects of the book as much I guess. For a story that heavily relies on a premise of a romance between vampire and human girl, I wasn’t sold completely. To me there wasn’t that much chemistry between Elise and Claire. I got a little annoyed with Claire because almost every time they had bigger things on their hands Claire was making it all about her and Elise and how Elise wouldn’t reciprocate her feelings and so on. There is also the very obvious “age gap” between them despite Claire still being stuck in a teenage body. I could get behind that but I feel there was an attempt to constantly justify that by reminding us Claire was turned into a vampire as a minor so there’s this thing which makes it that her brain wasn’t fully developed yet so she isn’t an adult.
I also just expected something more from the story. The basic premise should be Elise training to learn how to use her gift but that somewhat happened in the deus ex machina way especially at the end.
It was a fun read but I’m sad I didn’t enjoy it a lot more.
Review also posted on my my blog.
August 2, 2022
This was my second most anticipated book of the year and let me down big time, but it's nothing new. 2021 was the same. I'm planning to read this month Love Somebody, my most anticipated too, but it already has mixed reviews, so my hopes are not too high anymore.
(Spoiler alert: I dnf'd it.)
But back to this book.
It was not bad, but I couldn't connect to the characters and I got bored too many times. Close to the end I had only read the dialogues.
The story was interesting enough, but it could have been better with stronger writing.
I am glad the vampires are coming back, tho.
(Spoiler alert: I dnf'd it.)
But back to this book.
It was not bad, but I couldn't connect to the characters and I got bored too many times. Close to the end I had only read the dialogues.
The story was interesting enough, but it could have been better with stronger writing.
I am glad the vampires are coming back, tho.
May 17, 2021
MORE! QUEER!! VAMPIRES!!!
November 15, 2022
The fact that one of the two main characters is a lesbian vampire saved this book
May 31, 2023
3,75/5
bardzo przyjemna lektura do której jak podejdziecie z oczekiwaniem lekko głupiej młodzieżówki z wlw reprezentacja to się nie zawiedziecie
bardzo przyjemna lektura do której jak podejdziecie z oczekiwaniem lekko głupiej młodzieżówki z wlw reprezentacja to się nie zawiedziecie
Want to read
March 10, 2021✨ You can read an excerpt here on Penguin Teen!03.09.2021: OH MY GOD THE COVER REVEAL HAS MURDERED ME AND NOW I AM A SHELL OF A HUMAN
5.27.2020: Isabel announced Twitter "A lesbian vampire is hired to recruit a human girl with the power to see the death of anyone she touches. Murder and romance ensues."
I need this. Now.
Blog | Twitter | Pinterest
December 18, 2021
So December feels like a weird month to read a YA Vampire novel, but back in October I marathoned Isabel Sterling's witch series (These Witches Don't Burn, This Coven Won't Break) and absolutely was into the world she created in those book. So I was very excited when she had a new book about Vampires out and I was interested in the paranormal world she created here.
The Coldest Touch is about Elise Beaumont and Claire Montgomery. Elise has recently been cursed with the ability to see how people are going to die by touching them. She hates this especially as it arrives right after the death of her brother. Claire is a Vampire and is sent to help Elise control and master her powers so that the Veil (a Vampire leadership group) can ally with Elise. Elise is skeptical of Claire's place in her life but they are forced to team up when another paranormal force is going around murdering people Elise knows.
There's a lot to like about this book. This is an independent book from Sterling's witches series, but I do really like her agility to build supernatural worlds that exist in our modern one simultaneously. It's very immersive and just makes it really fun to read and imagine.
Elise and Claire are both really cool and nuanced characters. Both are imperfect people and have had a hell of a past, and watching them come together was very touching. I really liked the character work seen in both of our mains.
The side characters were compelling too even though we don't get as many details about them. I particularly loved Wynn, a nonbinary vampire and who often acts as Claire's older sibling, and Jordan- Elise's ex boyfriend.
I do have some issues with this book though, and I'm going to need to throw them under a spoiler tag because I don't know how to discuss them otherwise, but essentially I have some questions about how things happened to the characters that I didn't feel were explained, as well as the ending felt very unsatisfactory to me.
All in all I did enjoy this book. I like Sterling's knack for supernatural writing- it's really fun. Unfortunately this book just didn't work for me as much as her previous ones have. 2.5/5 rounding up.
The Coldest Touch is about Elise Beaumont and Claire Montgomery. Elise has recently been cursed with the ability to see how people are going to die by touching them. She hates this especially as it arrives right after the death of her brother. Claire is a Vampire and is sent to help Elise control and master her powers so that the Veil (a Vampire leadership group) can ally with Elise. Elise is skeptical of Claire's place in her life but they are forced to team up when another paranormal force is going around murdering people Elise knows.
There's a lot to like about this book. This is an independent book from Sterling's witches series, but I do really like her agility to build supernatural worlds that exist in our modern one simultaneously. It's very immersive and just makes it really fun to read and imagine.
Elise and Claire are both really cool and nuanced characters. Both are imperfect people and have had a hell of a past, and watching them come together was very touching. I really liked the character work seen in both of our mains.
The side characters were compelling too even though we don't get as many details about them. I particularly loved Wynn, a nonbinary vampire and who often acts as Claire's older sibling, and Jordan- Elise's ex boyfriend.
I do have some issues with this book though, and I'm going to need to throw them under a spoiler tag because I don't know how to discuss them otherwise, but essentially I have some questions about how things happened to the characters that I didn't feel were explained, as well as the ending felt very unsatisfactory to me.
All in all I did enjoy this book. I like Sterling's knack for supernatural writing- it's really fun. Unfortunately this book just didn't work for me as much as her previous ones have. 2.5/5 rounding up.
April 4, 2023
Ah, this sounded so good . . . .
Claire & Elsie are great characters in this sapphic paranormal novel, but I found the plot to be a little predictable and the romance to be forced. The representation seemed to be forced, too, with constant reminders shoved in everywhere that was possible to do so. 3.5⭐️ for this tale, which feels like it could've been so much more.
Claire & Elsie are great characters in this sapphic paranormal novel, but I found the plot to be a little predictable and the romance to be forced. The representation seemed to be forced, too, with constant reminders shoved in everywhere that was possible to do so. 3.5⭐️ for this tale, which feels like it could've been so much more.
May 9, 2023
ogromne rozczarowanie. ma pare luk fabularnych oraz nieścisłości. nie podobała mi się kreacja relacji między bohaterami. były one płytkie i powierzchowne. początek jest niesamowicie powolny i nudny, a zakończenie pośpieszone. romans głównych bohaterek rozgrywa się na końcowych stronach powieści i mogłoby być go o wiele wiecej!!!
June 30, 2022
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I received this arc on the third of December...and I'm only reading it now. I am truly awful but I thank Hodder & Stoughton for still giving me arc's!
I was truly hoping to love this as it has vampires, sapphics and murder mystery. However, it failed me in every way possible. The book is set in the present day of our world which made it easy to follow but this also made it seem that Sterling thought they could get away with doing the most shallow world-building. The paranormal aspect of this book does not hold up well as it is very poorly explained. There are terms used like 'The Veil' and 'Shepherding' etc., which Sterling choose to give little insight into as it appears they didn't understand how it fully worked either. 'The Veil' is the worst explained part of the book, which is disappointing since it is also one of the most prominent parts. It is supposed to be a government of vampires who set laws and control the paranormal but the book explores and explains little of it, so they have no real authority that the characters say they have. The two head vampires Luca Tagliaferro and Henri Guillebeaux are mentioned a lot but we meet one of them (Henri, if I recall) for all of one or two pages. This made the motivations of Claire, Delilah, Wyn and Elise very weak and vague as there was no tension. Furthermore, Sterling tried to expand on their already weak world by mentioning multiple bloodlines - most of which had no relevance to the plot, and therefore was useless. There were other paranormal and fantastical characters mentioned like witches and faeries but they also had no relevance or deep explanation. It's clear that the world falls apart pretty quickly due to the lack of substance and facts.
Stemming from this is the writing itself. This book is clearly written for a younger YA audience in mind - so, not me - which meant that many elements were written to be overdramatic which made the characters feel silly and incapable of handling things with maturity or individually. Characters got emotionally hurt without actually doing any thinking to understand the bare bones of a situation, so I found myself frequently annoyed with them. I also believe that the book would've suited a third-person narration instead of a first-person narration because the characters' thoughts felt useless to the main story, and it often made it feel like I was being told something instead of having it shown.
Speaking of the characters, the protagonists, Claire and Elise, are said to have a F/F romance but I felt that it was the plot with the least weight to it (it really on takes effect in the last 15%). Sterling forces you to believe the characters have a romantic interest in each other, even though it's barely shown or hinted at in the majority of the book. This made the romance incredibly unbelievable and unnecessary. The extent of the romantic feelings is a kiss-of-convenience for plot purposes, and Claire's insta-love obsession with Elise and her "ocean eyes" (a phrase which was used one too many times). Going back to the romance being unnecessary, the book would've been ten times better without it because it would've allowed Sterling to strengthen Elise's character development by working on her issues with her ex (related to the plot), and the death of her brother. A romantic interest was not what Elise needed. Therapy was!
As for the plot, you can tell that it was Twilight/New Moon inspired, except way more boring and repetitive. The plot consisted of the same beats: Elise performed a spell, a murder happened, and then a new character would be introduced. This made the foreshadowing painfully predictable and I was right about 95% of my guesses. I know I should've DNF'ed this book after saying that but it was a very easy read that required little brain power. This did allow me to skim-read at times, so I may have missed some information...but who am I kidding? All I would've missed is the characters inner monologue repeating itself. The climax of the book was perhaps the most annoying part. Just before it, there was a key scene that was entirely skipped because Sterling conveniently switched POVs at the last second to avoid doing any world-building. Think of the moment as a character gaining a new power...we totally missed out on it, and it was extremely necessary to see for the plot.
Lastly, the awful representation in this book has to be discussed. It is filled to the brim with forced representation. Each time a new character was acknowledged, their name would be followed by their ethnicity and a vague (repetitive) description of their physical appearance would be given. When we first met Elise's best friend, Maggie, her name was followed by "a Korean American." Who's first thought about their best friend is their ethnicity? It was super uncomfortable to read. A similar issue occurred with gender. Through Claire's vampire powers (probably unexplained as I don't recall an explanation) she was able to determine someone's gender? And virtually every time they would be genderqueer...it's as though Sterling didn't know of any other genders.
This book was not good, and I am glad I read it so I can prevent others from wasting their time.
I received this arc on the third of December...and I'm only reading it now. I am truly awful but I thank Hodder & Stoughton for still giving me arc's!
I was truly hoping to love this as it has vampires, sapphics and murder mystery. However, it failed me in every way possible. The book is set in the present day of our world which made it easy to follow but this also made it seem that Sterling thought they could get away with doing the most shallow world-building. The paranormal aspect of this book does not hold up well as it is very poorly explained. There are terms used like 'The Veil' and 'Shepherding' etc., which Sterling choose to give little insight into as it appears they didn't understand how it fully worked either. 'The Veil' is the worst explained part of the book, which is disappointing since it is also one of the most prominent parts. It is supposed to be a government of vampires who set laws and control the paranormal but the book explores and explains little of it, so they have no real authority that the characters say they have. The two head vampires Luca Tagliaferro and Henri Guillebeaux are mentioned a lot but we meet one of them (Henri, if I recall) for all of one or two pages. This made the motivations of Claire, Delilah, Wyn and Elise very weak and vague as there was no tension. Furthermore, Sterling tried to expand on their already weak world by mentioning multiple bloodlines - most of which had no relevance to the plot, and therefore was useless. There were other paranormal and fantastical characters mentioned like witches and faeries but they also had no relevance or deep explanation. It's clear that the world falls apart pretty quickly due to the lack of substance and facts.
Stemming from this is the writing itself. This book is clearly written for a younger YA audience in mind - so, not me - which meant that many elements were written to be overdramatic which made the characters feel silly and incapable of handling things with maturity or individually. Characters got emotionally hurt without actually doing any thinking to understand the bare bones of a situation, so I found myself frequently annoyed with them. I also believe that the book would've suited a third-person narration instead of a first-person narration because the characters' thoughts felt useless to the main story, and it often made it feel like I was being told something instead of having it shown.
Speaking of the characters, the protagonists, Claire and Elise, are said to have a F/F romance but I felt that it was the plot with the least weight to it (it really on takes effect in the last 15%). Sterling forces you to believe the characters have a romantic interest in each other, even though it's barely shown or hinted at in the majority of the book. This made the romance incredibly unbelievable and unnecessary. The extent of the romantic feelings is a kiss-of-convenience for plot purposes, and Claire's insta-love obsession with Elise and her "ocean eyes" (a phrase which was used one too many times). Going back to the romance being unnecessary, the book would've been ten times better without it because it would've allowed Sterling to strengthen Elise's character development by working on her issues with her ex (related to the plot), and the death of her brother. A romantic interest was not what Elise needed. Therapy was!
As for the plot, you can tell that it was Twilight/New Moon inspired, except way more boring and repetitive. The plot consisted of the same beats: Elise performed a spell, a murder happened, and then a new character would be introduced. This made the foreshadowing painfully predictable and I was right about 95% of my guesses. I know I should've DNF'ed this book after saying that but it was a very easy read that required little brain power. This did allow me to skim-read at times, so I may have missed some information...but who am I kidding? All I would've missed is the characters inner monologue repeating itself. The climax of the book was perhaps the most annoying part. Just before it, there was a key scene that was entirely skipped because Sterling conveniently switched POVs at the last second to avoid doing any world-building. Think of the moment as a character gaining a new power...we totally missed out on it, and it was extremely necessary to see for the plot.
Lastly, the awful representation in this book has to be discussed. It is filled to the brim with forced representation. Each time a new character was acknowledged, their name would be followed by their ethnicity and a vague (repetitive) description of their physical appearance would be given. When we first met Elise's best friend, Maggie, her name was followed by "a Korean American." Who's first thought about their best friend is their ethnicity? It was super uncomfortable to read. A similar issue occurred with gender. Through Claire's vampire powers (probably unexplained as I don't recall an explanation) she was able to determine someone's gender? And virtually every time they would be genderqueer...it's as though Sterling didn't know of any other genders.
This book was not good, and I am glad I read it so I can prevent others from wasting their time.
October 5, 2022
j’ai un peu cringe parfois mais c’était vraiment chouette, bien fait et le plaisir de lire une romance mimi, lesbienne, avec des VAMPIRES est énorme
Read
July 27, 2023A girl who can tell how people will die by touching them meets a vampire girl who isn't mortal, and has no death. This is a great take on the classic 'American High School Vampire Romance' trope - so much fun!
April 8, 2023
ale to było dobreeeeee🦷🩸
April 5, 2023
Nie było to może coś super wow, ale bardzo przyjemnie spędziłam czas w świecie wampirów i śmiertelników!
October 26, 2021
I am once again so sad to not have liked a book. I really enjoyed the author's first duology (even if the first book was definitely the strongest one), so I hoped I would love this standalone as well.
Sadly, there's not a single thing I can save: the plot was basic and predictable, the characters flat and the writing style very simple and a bit cliché. I really didn't like the two main character's POVs, they felt very similar, probably because neither of them had any depth.
I liked the diversity, but that's not enough to save a book which is not enough fantasy, not enough contemporary and not enough mystery. I think the author needs to work on the characters a bit more and maybe in the edited version they will be more interesting, but as this ARC, I didn't feel for them. I always say that good characters, for me, can save a plotless or predictable book. If I fall in love with the character, I can close an eye as far as the story is concerned, but really they felt super fake and they had zero personality. I didn't even like the secondary characters, which is rare for me (they are usually my favourite).
Another thing I strongly disliked is the romance, which felt forced and not at all engaging.
Maybe vampires are not for me, but I think it's more the book's fault. Hopefully, someone else will enjoy this book more than I did. Maybe if you are new to the YA paranormal fantasy subgenre, you'll really like this.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an e-ARC.
Sadly, there's not a single thing I can save: the plot was basic and predictable, the characters flat and the writing style very simple and a bit cliché. I really didn't like the two main character's POVs, they felt very similar, probably because neither of them had any depth.
I liked the diversity, but that's not enough to save a book which is not enough fantasy, not enough contemporary and not enough mystery. I think the author needs to work on the characters a bit more and maybe in the edited version they will be more interesting, but as this ARC, I didn't feel for them. I always say that good characters, for me, can save a plotless or predictable book. If I fall in love with the character, I can close an eye as far as the story is concerned, but really they felt super fake and they had zero personality. I didn't even like the secondary characters, which is rare for me (they are usually my favourite).
Another thing I strongly disliked is the romance, which felt forced and not at all engaging.
Maybe vampires are not for me, but I think it's more the book's fault. Hopefully, someone else will enjoy this book more than I did. Maybe if you are new to the YA paranormal fantasy subgenre, you'll really like this.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an e-ARC.
September 26, 2024
This started off well for me with vampires and death oracles but slowly became less and less interesting. This is definitely a forgettable story, the relationship between Claire and Elsie was a bit immature, even for a YA book. I spent the last 1/4 of this book just wanting it to end.
There were parts of this I enjoyed and I thought Delilah and Wyn were good characters but even they couldn't save this book after all they were only side characters. I think this book was also a little out of my comfort zone, I like fantasy books with a little bit of romance but this was definitely a romance book with a slither of fantasy.
The notion that Claire is a vampire stuck at 17 so has heightened emotions was a good idea but I thought she was naïve considering how long she had been in the world, I mean yes your 17 but if you've been 17 for such a long time surely you still mature? I felt like some of the plotlines in this book weren't fully explored so by time I got to the end I was still left with questions.
There was really any big twists or shocking moments either - there was one twist but I think it was fairly obvious and pretty underwhelming. For me this was a below average read, but I think if you like 'younger romance' this might be for you.
There were parts of this I enjoyed and I thought Delilah and Wyn were good characters but even they couldn't save this book after all they were only side characters. I think this book was also a little out of my comfort zone, I like fantasy books with a little bit of romance but this was definitely a romance book with a slither of fantasy.
The notion that Claire is a vampire stuck at 17 so has heightened emotions was a good idea but I thought she was naïve considering how long she had been in the world, I mean yes your 17 but if you've been 17 for such a long time surely you still mature? I felt like some of the plotlines in this book weren't fully explored so by time I got to the end I was still left with questions.
There was really any big twists or shocking moments either - there was one twist but I think it was fairly obvious and pretty underwhelming. For me this was a below average read, but I think if you like 'younger romance' this might be for you.
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