Cold FuryPublisher: Putnam, 2012Genre: YA ParanormalSara 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.
Sara Jane Rispoli has never wanted for anything. She has a loving family, a couple of friends, and a guy who seems interested in her. Then her life is turned upside down when her parents and brother are kidnapped and she discovers the family secret. The Rispolis are a key part of the Outfit, the Chicago mob! Jane has to go on the run not only from her family’s kidnappers but from a masked assassin, dirty cops, and her favorite uncle. She will find herself delving deeper into the family’s business. Armed with a gun, 90 thousand dollars in cash, and an old notebook, Sara Jane goes in search of her family. But all those things are nothing compared to the cold blue flame, the cold fury that ignites within her.
I have a thing for super badass heroines, and Sara Jane Rispoli is certainly in that category. She’s brave, smart, and not afraid to face things head on if it means saving her family. Jane is also a trained boxer, and can hold her own against any crazies that come her way. I loved her way of introducing us to characters. The descriptions are superb, because it’s a mix of description and anecdote that in just a couple of paragraphs we get a full 3D image of who the character is, what he/she wants, and how he/she is. However, even with the descriptions I still felt some of the characters could have been more developed.
There are two romantic interests Max Kissberg, a friend from school who likes Sara Jane, and Tyler Strozzini, the rich mob kid who flirts with her. I was very surprised by this element in the story, since I wasn’t expecting any romance in it. But I’m very happy with the choices, and it’ll be interesting how it develops as Sara Jane gets deeper into the mob world. There’s also a paranormal element which I also didn’t expect, and was totally blown away with the whole explanation.
Family secrets, suspense, and a whole lot of action, Cold Fury is the kind of story that unfolds like a movie. I could visualize every scene, every detail, and root for Sara Jane every step of the way. My only wish is that it had been written not in journal style, where Sara Jane is always referencing to ‘this happened’ and ‘if I’d known then’ and ‘at the moment.’ But maybe that’s just me, because I was expecting the story to develop ‘in the moment’ not as a recollection of Jane’s past weeks. But even like this, I still had a blast reading it!
*I received this book from the publisher*
Favorite Quotes:
~Corrupt Cops~
“Hey, wake up!” When I didn’t move, he gave my leg a shake. “Wake up, firebug! You and me are going for a ride in the squad car.” I remained still, my eyes squeezed shut, waiting for him to move closer, and he leaned in, saying, “Open your eyes, whatever your name is…Mary Jane…”
“It’s Sara Jane, asshole!” I said, sitting up and swinging an oxygen tank the size of a bowling pin. I caught him hard just above the ear, the tank-on-skull making a gong noise. He stared at me with a stupid look on his face, his mustache twitched once, and then he crumpled like a Chinese lantern.
