T. M. Goeglein
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Source: Publisher
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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.
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CATCHALL
I definitely struggled with Cold Fury. It wasn't the most amazing book I've ever read. And yet somehow I also really enjoyed it. I really liked a unique sci-fi concept that it has and the story was modern yet also historical. I definitely found it boring at many places like a lot of people, but despite this it was still an overall pleasant experience for me and I was excited when I finished it that there would be more.
THE HEROINE
SARA JANE RISPOLI
Sara Jane was kind of difficult to connect to. She's very in-your-face about things and isn't afraid to use violence something I'll probably never understand. At the same time, she'll stop at nothing to protect her family, which I think is most of us. She's also a boxer, and her passion for that is actually something I can understand because of my passion for dancing. I really admire that in her and it speaks well of her as a person. She also has the cold fury, and she isn't afraid to use it.
THE LOVE INTERESTS
MAX
Max is the boy that Sara Jane loves. She's determined to keep him out of the dangers of her life, even if it means pushing him out of her life completely. She wants to be with him, but not at the expense of his safety. He mostly seems pretty sweet, but he's also kind of oblivious. He doesn't really understand that something is wrong, and so he can't help her, even if her might want to.
TYLER
I actually doubt that Tyler will be much of a love interest, but he's kind of somewhat close to one and I am way too lazy to think of another header, so here he goes. He's been involved in the world of the Outfit for a long time and he really understands how it works. Sara Jane knows he might be able to help her, but she knows that she probably can't trust him, even though she wants to. I'm sure we'll see him again and I'm looking forward to further character development.
THE FRIEND
DOUG
Doug is written off at first as kind of an unimportant friend who doesn't do much. But he's actually a lot more than that, and I was pleasantly surprised. He's a very good friend to Sara Jane and he accepts her as she is, violence and troubles and crazy Outfit involvement and all. I love how he supports her the whole way through and doesn't ever try to back out.
THE PLOT
This book was boring at parts. I'm not going to lie. I really did struggle a lot of the time trying to stay focused because my brain really wanted to wander. At the beginning especially.
I liked the flashbacks because they told a lot of important background information. At the same time, they were really hard to read because they were pretty much info dumps. They weren't always interesting even if they were necessary. If I honest, I wanted to skim over them more than anything. I didn't. But believe me, I wanted to.
Other than that, it actually wasn't too bad. Not too much happened for the longest time. And somehow despite the action, I still felt bored a lot of the time, which was weird.
Even so, it was interesting and entertaining. I've honestly never read anything quite like it. I really liked the historical aspect, what with the Outfit and all and its history as well as its current and covert existence. That was actually really cool since it's a fun subject and not something I know a lot about.
And then, of course, the whole "cold fury" thing was crazy-interesting. It was vey science-fictiony but also really, really awesome. It seemed very unique and I don't think I've come across anything similar before. The Rispolis are special, and the cold fury is a large part of the reason why.
Honestly, this plot had its ups and downs. But in the end, I did really enjoy it.
THE ROMANCE
There wasn't much romance in this book. Sara Jane loves Max, but she refuses to let him into her life, so there's nothing to be done in that department. She insists on facing her problems without him and even when she has the chance she can't bring herself to tell him. I think this will be explored more in future installments, and hopefully that's something I can look forward to.
THE WRITING
The writing. Well, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It could use some work and it's not the best thing I've ever read. Still, it's also not the worst. I liked Sara Jane's voice, but it wasn't very developed. It didn't contribute much to her character. I liked it, but I think for the full experience I would need it to really be better developed. I thought, however, that the dialogue was excellent, and so was the style in general. Especially loved the flashbacks.
THE ENDING
The ending was definitely very unexpected. I really liked that it climaxed in action. It didn't feel cheap, and it wasn't a disappointment or boring. I really wasn't sure about how everything was going to end for Sara Jane but I was happy with the way it did! Things are far from over, but at least she has some more answers. Though I struggled with boredom throughout the book, the ending I think successfully pulled everything together neatly and left me wanting the next book badly.
WRAPUP
So while I didn't necessarily love Cold Fury, I truly did like it. There was enough action to keep me interested and it was definitely a unique concept. I will definitely check out the next installment eagerly, as there's more to be discovered and people to save. I would recommend it to those of you who like your reads intense and action-packed, suspenseful and maybe with a bit of mystery.
FINE.
***FINAL RATING: 2.60 RED ROSES***
