The One About A Sapphic Vampire-Human Love Story: The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling

Hi friends!

I am proud to announce that I have been on top of reviewing all of my recent reads, and have a couple of book reviews ready to be published soon. This one is about a vampire and human, sapphic love story. I received this book as part of a FairyLoot box. I do love the idea of receiving not just one special edition book, but TWO (2) books in one box. The more books, the merrier.

Let’s get onto the book review!

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The Coldest Touch

by Isabel Sterling 

Edition: Paperback, 384 pages

Publication Date: December 7th 2021 by Razorbill

ISBN: 059335043X (ISBN13: 9780593350430)

Goodreads blurb:
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? 

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This book follows Claire, a vampire who works for a mysterious supernatural agency called the Veil. 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 will admit that I had not even heard of this book before I unboxed it from the FairyLoot box. My initial reaction to the synopsis was doubt– I am not really the biggest fan of vampires (never read Twilight btw! but I have watched all the films lol). Reading about vampires and other paranormal beings falling in love with a human has never really appealed to me. That being said, I was quite intrigued by idea of Elise’s (our non-vampire main character) powers. I thought the concept of being able to witness how someone would die is fascinating (and scary!), so I had high expectations to see how they would implement this in the story.

Aside from the romance plot line, there is also a murder mystery subplot going on– which we all know I loveeeee my murder mysteries, so I really enjoyed that aspect of the book and how it all eventually ties in together by the end. One thing I thought was slightly lacking is the explanation about how the Veil works, the history, and the how Death Oracle came to be.

There was a lot of representation and a diverse cast of side characters, which is always appreciated. These characters include: a white bisexual main character, white lesbian main character, a Black bi/pansexual male side character, Black female, a non-binary side character, and an adopted Korean American. I just wished that the side characters had more scenes and given more depth. Hopefully there is more to this world and we would have a chance to see these other characters’ stories. Speaking of spin-offs or perhaps a new book to add to the series, I would happily read a book dedicated to Wyn. I think they were my favourite character from the book and would love to see where their story takes them.

3 stars

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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Have you read any Vampire/Paranormal books? Any recommendations?

Let me know in the comments below!

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