The Coldest Touch

By: Isabel Sterling

Narrated by: Katie Koster, Kristen DiMercurio

“Vampires going to high school, but make it queer. Sterling delivers a fresh, thoughtful take on beloved paranormal tropes with a delightfully bloody romance.” —Mara Fitzgerald, author of Beyond the Ruby Veil

From the author of These Witches Don't Burn comes another paranormal romance for fans of Richelle Mead and Stephenie Meyer.

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?

Critic reviews

"A haunting LGBTQ+ paranormal romance that is sure to keep readers emotionally invested." —Booklist

"Exciting and endearing." —Kirkus Reviews

"This cleverly subverts genre expectations with sardonic humor and quippy snark. Those craving more vampire fiction in high school settings with a romantic twist have found their next read." —BCCB

"The characters’ rich backstories and authentic teen voices make this book an enjoyable ride through the genre." —SLJ

"Sterling’s world will appeal to readers who appreciate atmospheric and emotional paranormal romance; through alternating dual voices, she offers a gentle, sapphic romance and a nuanced exploration of identity, power, and consent." —Publishers Weekly

"Sterling raises the bar with this wonderfully sapphic paranormal romance! Both thrilling and heartfelt, The Coldest Touch is a brilliant addition to the world of vampire lit, sure to leave readers thirsty for more." —Jennifer Dugan, author of Hot Dog Girl and Some Girls Do

“Vampires going to high school, but make it queer. Sterling delivers a fresh, thoughtful take on beloved paranormal tropes with a delightfully bloody romance.” —Mara Fitzgerald, author of Beyond the Ruby Veil

Awesome story

Everything is great. Plot, characters, and such. Some cliches but well done none the less. My favorite is the vampire has feelings. It makes the usual cold mystery fall away leaving plenty of room for emotion and romance.

A great story!

The author does a great job writing believable teenagers and a fascinating supernatural world.

Full of emotions and action.

I have never read a book that made me laugh and love a ex boyfriend as much as this. it's full of aaction, emotion, and comedy gold.

Another Story Well Done

There is a style to Isabel Sterling that pulls me in and jars me at the same time. Her witch books were the same. This isn’t bad because I have now experienced her published books and find myself waiting for the next one. The grating part is the out of control teen and their emotions, and yet, that could be just a reflection of how I was as a teen that truly gets me.
This storyline was well done in the sense that it wasn’t all pink roses and petunias- there were some serious decisions to be made and losses where I thought YA books wouldn’t venture into.
Worth the read/listen.

Read/listen to this book, follow this author.

I've been waiting for this book for months. Not only do I love this author but I love both these narrators. It was fantastically done all around. Fun tidbit it was released on my birthday and it was the perfect present.

Anyway the character development and character arcs where the best part for this, though the plot and descriptive writing was done wonderfully too and the humor was well crafted and well placed.

I liked that Whiteness wasn't the default in this book, it really irritates me when authors only define the race of non-White characters as if whiteness should be assumed for everyone else.

I liked there being an non-binary character and that it wasn't something that was over explained. I loved that there was a bisexual guy, that almost never happens unless a is specifically book about m/m relationships and even then it's rare.

I do not generally read vampire novels. I was super into vampire fiction when I was a teenager longer ago than I want to think about, and since then I've avoided them, but I liked this take on them. The description of the book alone probably wouldn't have caught my attention had I not listened to another book by this author and been totally hooked on her writing.

Read/listen to this book, follow this author. Trust me it'll be worth it in every way.