Cold Fury by T.M. Goeglein

Reading Level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 313 Pages
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Narration: First Person: Sara Jane
Genre: Contemporary/Paranormal Twist
Challenge: Paranormal Challenge
Source: ARCycling

The Cold Fury Series:
Book One: Cold Fury
Book Two: Flicker & Burn (7/13)
Book Three: Unknown

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Jason Bourne meets The Sopranos in this breathtaking adventure

Sara Jane Rispoli is a normal sixteen-year-old coping with school and a budding romance--until her parents and brother are kidnapped and she discovers her family is deeply embedded in the Chicago Outfit (aka the mob).

Now on the run from a masked assassin, rogue cops and her turncoat uncle, Sara Jane is chased and attacked at every turn, fighting back with cold fury as she searches for her family. It's a quest that takes her through concealed doors and forgotten speakeasies--a city hiding in plain sight. Though armed with a .45 and 96K in cash, an old tattered notebook might be her best defense--hidden in its pages the secret to "ultimate power." It's why she's being pursued, why her family was taken, and could be the key to saving all of their lives.

Action packed, with fresh, cinematic writing, Cold Fury is a riveting and imaginative adventure readers will devour.

My Review:

I didn't see that coming.....at all! At first, I was a bit skeptical as to if I would enjoy this novel, because as all of my regular readers know, contemporary books aren't my cup of tea. Although I admit, I probably shouldn't be too quick to judge considering the fact that I can count all the contemporary books I've read on one hand alone. With that being said, if you know any really good, fast paced contemporary reads, feel free to recommend them to me! I'm definitely open to new suggestions, because I'm trying to get over my silly prejudices and take a step outside my comfort zone. Anyways, I digress. Cold Fury was a package of pure epicness confined within the boundaries of ink on a page. Although I did have a hard time getting sucked into the novel and reaching my equilibrium, it was nothing but fast paced action and nail-biting suspense once I did.

Sixteen-year old Sara Jane Rispoli was an admirable protagonist who wasn't afraid to kick ass when necessary or stand up for others who had the misfortune of being bullied just for being different. Her Italian heritage and background intrigued me, and I enjoyed spending my time learning about her culture and reading the Italian phrases thrown in now and then. Of course, since I'm not fluent in Italian, I can't tell you if the phrases were used correctly or not, but I did understand the gist of it, which was all that mattered to me. xD I was also pretty shocked to learn after reading the book that this completely believable, albeit slightly boyish, protagonist was written by a male author. It's a hit and miss in these situations, but T.M. successfully accomplished what he was going for. An independent, courageous, female lead who is as tough as nails, yet still has a sensitive girlish side that has her insecure moments when it comes to talking to guys, something all of us girls can relate to.

I really could've done without the romance. The majority of YA books are enhanced once the romance is intertwined with the plot, but there are a few exceptions that don't need relationships to stand independently on their own. Since that's coming from an action junkie's perspective, I guess that statement wouldn't hold true for those who favor romance over action. The relationship between Sara and Max was just...weird. It wasn't love at first sight......but love at second sight, which doesn't make it much better in my eyes. It seemed as if they jumped right into a relationship with each other like they already had one to begin with. Sorry, but just because you exchanged a few encouraging words at a party a couple years ago doesn't make you soul mates. The other problem I had was the love interest himself. Sure...he was nice, but that's all I really got from him. I never felt any sparks between them, just a constant annoyance that there had to be a romance added in the first place.

The pacing was erratic. In the beginning few chapters, I was interested in learning how Sara's family worked, judging her character based on her everyday, mundane decisions, listening to the cute little conversations between her and her younger brother, Lou, who I wholly adored. But then....the flashbacks from present to past began to grate on my nerves, and I soon found myself wishing that the author would just stick to one period of time, instead of hopping back and forth between the two. It became confusing, and I had trouble discerning what was happening, what had already happened, and what was to come. 

However, once I got used to T.M.'s slightly eccentric writing style, I slowly started becoming more and more immersed in the danger filled world T.M. created. Once I reached the half point mark, I was completely hooked! Another point I wanted to make, there were tons of movie references in this novel, movies that I had never heard of before and therefore couldn't relate to. If your a fan of classic or older movies filmed in the 1900s, you'll probably connect more with this book than I did, but to me, it was boring, and I just ended up skipping them altogether.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It took a while to get into, but once I did, it was nothing but smooth sailing from there! The romance didn't feel realistic enough and progressed way too quickly for my tastes, but it wasn't gag or bang-my-head-on-a-table worthy. Even if your not a huge contemporary fan, like me xD, I would still recommend this novel to you, because it does have a sort of paranormal twist to it. Nothing to the extent of vampires or werewolves, something a little more subtle, but no less extraordinary. 

Heroine- 4.5/5
Action- 3.5/5 Pace increased once 
I hit the half point mark.
Romance- 2/5
Totally unnecessary.
Writing- 3/5
Some of the explanations were difficult to understand. Present to past changes annoyed me.
Overall- 4/5