"Cold Fury" by T.M. Goeglein

Release Date: July 24th, 2012
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 313

From Goodreads: "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."

When I first read the synopsis of this book I knew that I had to get my hands on a copy- everything about it sounded intriguing, a kick-ass heroine, a budding romance, a fast packed story line and the likes of. Then when I started reading it and I learned that it has a subtle paranormal element to it I fell even more so for this book (as I am a totally paranormal junkie)- the paranormal-ish element seemed so realistic, potentially the most realistic/ least far-fetched paranormal element I have ever read in a book before, and I found that it fit seamlessly within the feel of this book- it wasn't just there for the sake of being there, like some other books, it actually impacted and shaped the story line, making it better than I think that it would have been had it not existed.

So much was thrown at Sara in this book and she took everything in stride and kept a strong head on her shoulders the entire time. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the Al Capone aspect to it- like with another book that I recently read and enjoyed that incorporates the story of Capone into it's plot (Aimee Agretsi's "Illuminate") I thought that it was extremely interesting and educational without feeling like it- all of the information surrounding it was seamlessly intertwined with the remainder of the book and not once while reading it did I feel like overwhelmed (or underwhelmed) by it.

That being said, my biggest complaint about this book was the 'budding romance', I'm not entirely convinced that the promise of it was delivered upon (admittedly I am a HUGE romance fan and I have actually started to find that I have difficulties getting through a book if it doesn't have some sort of romance to it)- unlike the paranormal element I don't feel like the romance was a necessary element, I do feel like it was there simply for the sake of being there and, in all honesty, I think that I would have preferred if hadn't existed because then I wouldn't have felt disappointed by the lack of it. Additionally, I sort of felt that the ending lacked resolution- however, I can slightly forgive it as this is the first book in a series.

All in all, there was literally never a dull moment in this book- I was on the edge of my seat the entire time while reading it. I think that because of this this book will appeal to both male and female readers, despite having a female lead (think "Divergent" level intensity/ action and adventure). I think that this is an amazing debut from Goeglein and I cannot wait to see what is thrown at Sara next.

Rating: 9.5/10

I received this book from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.