Book Review: City of Ashes

Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Pages: 453
Read it in: 3 days

Summary: Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breath-taking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

LC's Take:

Holy crap-- seriously guys-- you NEED to drop everything you're doing and GO READ this series like, pronto! No pressure or anything. I'm just saying. It is totally rocking my socks off-- I really enjoyed City of Bones, the first in The Mortal Instruments series, and City of Ashes has just sucked me in even more. From the world-building to the characters to the storyline, I am so hooked into these books!

One of the things I love most about this series so far is that it keeps you on the edge of your seat, not knowing what to expect next. In City of Bones, we were thrown an absolutely crazy plot twist towards the end, so I knew going into City of Ashes ANYTHING could happen. And Cassandra gives just enough info away that you're begging for more, but not quite enough that you ever stop guessing as to what will come next. For this reason, City of Ashes was definitely a page-turner!

So this second book continues the story of Clary, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Simon warring against the evil Valentine, to save the powerful Mortal Instruments and make sure Valentine doesn't gain ultimate power to destroy all Downworlders-- vampires, werewolves, faeries and warlocks. Along the way, they team up with Magnus Bane again, Chief Warlock of NYC, the Queen of the Fairy Realm, and others to battle against the demons that Valentine has summoned to wipe out anyone he thinks is "impure" and ruin the Clave of Shadowhunters who live to keep a balance between everyone. In the last book, Valentine was after the Mortal Cup which gave him the power to turn humans into zombie-like Shadowhunters who would kill at his will. In this second book, Valentine is now after the Mortal Sword, which he can turn evil with the blood of 4 Downworlder children and then raise a demon army to follow his command.

I don't want to give too much away because it's really something you need to read and discover for yourself, but there were lots more surprises in store for the reader-- for example, the Faerie Queen makes mention that Valentine had used Clary and Jace as science experiments long ago. Now Clary is discovering that she can write out new and powerful runes that no one else even knows, and Jace can fly off buildings completely unharmed and fight off more demons than any other Shadowhunter. It's almost like Valentine tried to turn them into powerful weapons, and they are only now finding out what they are capable of...

I really love how Clary's character develops in this one, and the dynamics that play out between her and Simon, and her and Jace. Yes, it's a love triangle, but it's totally different than any other love triangle out there-- sometimes in disturbing ways, if you know what happened in the first book! But I am like 99% positive that Clary and Jace's "relationship" is going to turn out to be completely different than what it seems to be right now. (Otherwise, um... eeww. Haha.)

If I could change ONE thing about this book, it would be that more took place in the other worlds, like Idris. We hear about them all the time, and I am dying to actually GO there and see what these worlds are like! I do love the Institute but I think the story should move away from New York City for a change and go out into new places-- just a personal thought!

So I am all ready to get into City of Glass now, and can't wait to continue this crazy ride that Cassandra Clare has begun. If you love action and adventure and plot twists that keep you guessing, I would definitely recommend starting this series. Trust me, there is a reason they are so popular!

~Cover Talk~

I love this cover. I think I like it even more than the first-- the colors are just so awesome, I love how Clary's bright red hair stands out against the dark blue backdrop of the city sky, and I just love Clary's pose-- she looks like such a bad-ass Shadowhunter, and this is just the way I would picture her being-- really strong, defiant, and brave. So yes, really fantastic job on this cover!

LC's Rating:

Total awesomeness and totally entertaining. City of Ashes had everything that makes you want to keep reading a book-- action, adventure, crazy plot twists, characters you connect with and a romance you can't help but get caught up in!

Book Review: City of Bones

Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Series: The Mortal Instruments #1
Release Date: January 1, 2007
Pages: 485
Read it in: 4 days

Summary: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

LC's Take:

Wow. I just need a minute here.

**Whew!** OK, I think I'm good.

Yup, that is pretty much my reaction to this book. So much happened and the ending was so crazy that I don't even know where to begin, but basically, City of Bones rocked! It wasn't perfect, but it had that energy and "special something" that just leaves you craving more.

So I can't really explain much of the plot since I don't want to give anything away, but the story starts out with Clary and her friend Simon who are at a club one night. Clary witnesses a murder that no one else can see and before she knows it, she is being pulled into a paranormal world of "Shadowhunters" who kill demons. Along the way she also finds out there are vampires, werewolves, faeries, and all kinds of other creatures-- and that the darkest and most dangerous of these has kidnapped her mother.

I absolutely loved Clary because she actually had a **gasp!** personality and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She was strong, witty, honest and down-to-earth. While she was vulnerable, she could also stand on her own two feet and defend herself in a fight. No wimpy, wishy-washy character, Clary was also not "too" overdone to the point of being annoying or mean. And as the story went on? I only liked her more and more!

The other characters had just as much of a unique personality as Clary and this made all of them memorable-- they all had their own stories and struggles. Isabelle is the stuck-up and snotty beautiful vixen who turns out to have a sweet side. Her brother Alec was extremely stand-offish to the point of being violent, but then you learn that he is in a really desperate situation. Simon, Clary's best friend since childhood, has a dorky sense of humor but has secret feelings for a certain somebody. And Jace? Oh Jace, where to begin... I didn't like him at all but I think I'm going to as the story goes on! And even though I thought he was a mean, self-centered, egotistical jerk who treats Clary like crap, I thought he was a really well-developed and complex character. I am looking forward to seeing how he changes in the next books.

I also really loved the interactions between Clary and Jace. Why? Because they couldn't stand each other. But then they also had this crush thing going on. And then something ABSOLUTELY CRAZY happens towards the end, and I was totally thrown for a loop-- you're just going to have to read the book to find out what happens! But anyways yeah, it was so entertaining to listen to them argue and squabble back and forth.

I think what impressed me most about this book was that the plot was so intricate and encompassed so many different things-- demon hunters, vampires, werewolves, faeries, different worlds-- but it was told in a simple and uncomplicated way. There were maybe a few isolated parts that got me a little confused, but considering how detailed this story was, it ended up coming across as intriguing, not convoluted. This makes me think that Cassandra Clare is a really awesome storyteller.

And oh my gosh the ENDING!! I won't say anything but seriously guys?! This was one of the CRAZIEST plot twists I have read in a long time! I'm still getting over it, not sure I believe it. I guess I am just going to have to high-tail it to the library really soon to pick up the next book in this series! Cassandra Clare has successfully sucked me into the Mortal Instruments world, and I am dying to find out what happens next. I think this is going to be a dangerously addictive series!!

~Cover Talk~

Well funny story about this book and it's cover-- first of all, yes I do think it is pretty awesome. But... at the same time, I felt kind of awkward carrying it around in public because it has a gigantic picture of a half-naked guy on it! No I'm not a prude, but I guess I was just self conscious that people would think I was reading some paperback romance novel... or worse haha. So when I was at Delta Sonic getting an oil change the other day, I was very covertly trying to read it and not let any of the guys at the garage see the cover! But yeah, I guess it's still pretty bad-ass, and I'm in love with the other series covers too.

LC's Rating:

Non-stop adventure and plot twists, City of Bones was one crazy book! Not to mention the characters were awesome-- not all of them were likable, but regardless they were all done extremely well. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the Mortal Instruments series!

Wondrous Strange: Book Review + Giveaway!

Author: Lesley Livingston
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Wondrous Strange #1
Release Date: September 22, 2009
Pages: 336
Read it in: 3 days
Source: The library

Summary: 17 year-old Kelley Winslow doesn’t believe in Faeries. Not unless they’re the kind that you find in a theatre, spouting Shakespeare—the kind that Kelley so desperately wishes she could be: onstage, under lights, with a pair of sparkly wings strapped to her shoulders. But as the understudy in a two-bit, hopelessly off-off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, wishing is probably the closest she’s going to get to becoming a Faerie Queen. At least, that’s what she thinks... In this fun, urban fantasy, Kelley's off-stage life suddenly becomes as complicated as one of Shakespeare’s plot twists when a nighttime trip to Central Park holds more than meets the mortal eye.

LC's Take:

OK, can we pretty please first take about 5 minutes to sit and stare at this gorgeous book cover?? **sigh**

Alrighty, moving on!

Wondrous Strange had all the elements of an awesome book-- interesting and likable characters, action-packed plot line, creative world-building,  heart-melting romance and quirky humor. This is the kind of book that I thoroughly enjoy reading, and I've already gone out and picked up the sequel!

Kelly Winslow is a 17-year old aspiring actress, trying to make it big in NYC. As an understudy in a (very) small off-broadway production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, she is struggling just to get by. But after the lead for the part of Queen Titania is injured, Kelly finally has her chance to be in the spotlight-- until a very strange night in Central Park changes her life forever. First, she meets a mysterious boy named Sonny Flannery, who happens to be a changeling from the world of fae who works for King Auboron of the Unseelie Court as a Janus Guard. Then she manages to save a kelpie (which resembles a gigantic horse) from a pond-- only to have the horse-creature reappear in her apartment! As Kelly becomes more and more entangled in the faery world, she learns a long-kept secret about herself and her true identity-- while becoming closer and closer to the changeling boy trying to protect her.

First of all, Kelly was a wonderful, believable main character. She had a head on her shoulders and didn't let anyone lead her around or tell her what to do, which was a welcome change from some of the other ditzy and clueless Mary Sues out there in other YA books. At first she downright refuses to believe in the idea that faeries are actually real and she thinks Sonny is absolutely crazy when he tells her-- probably the reaction we would all have, right?! Her "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude totally won me over, because it seriously annoys me when the main character finds out something completely unbelievable and then unquestioningly accepts it in about 2 minutes. Kelly actually takes awhile before she's convinced, and when she does learn about faeries and how she is a major part of the faery realm, she doesn't flake out, but takes charge of her own destiny. LOVED Kelly!!

Sonny was such a wonderful male character, and I hesitate to call him a "love interest," because he was so much more than that. Genuinely sweet, romantic, and kind-hearted, Sonny was the epitome of dreamy and stood out from many other guys I've read about in YA books. I hate, hate, hate when the male love-interest acts all aloof-- or even worse-- treats the female protagonist badly, while all she does is fawn dotingly over someone who is emotionally abusive (See my rants about the Fallen series for more on that). Sonny and Kelly are thankfully different and also teenage angst-free. Their growing relationship was not only believable, but had me unable to put this book down. And trust me when I say, you will totally fall in love with Sonny like I did!

Wondrous Strange had a really good balance of both urban and fantasy story elements-- the faery and fantasy parts weren't so overdone that people not so into this genre won't like to read it. While the plot centers around faeries, there is not a lot of travel to the faery world, like you would see in a book like The Iron King, and almost everything happens in NYC and Central Park. I thought that there was a perfect blend of being both realistic and whimsical, and this book could definitely be read be many different kinds of readers! Finally, the duel narratives told from both Kelly and Sonny's POVs mixed things up a bit and added a unique twist. Overall, I really loved this book-- if you've had this one sitting on your shelf for awhile, go, go, go and read it!

LC's Rating: 

If you like books about faeries, Wondrous Strange is perfect for you!  More light-hearted than dark, this book was fun to read from beginning to end. You will love Kelly and Sonny, and be caught up in a whimsical story with beautiful world-building. Make sure this one is on your To-Be-Read list!!

Want to win a copy of Wondrous Strange? Enter below!!

• ONE lucky winner will receive their own copy of Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
• Contest ends on October 15, 2011
• Open internationally to wherever The Book Depository ships!

Book Review: Tithe

Author: Holly Black
Release Date: March23, 2004
Pages: 336
Read it in: 1 week (it was a busy week!)

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms -- a struggle that could very well mean her death.

LC's Take: 

Oh man, I loved this book! Despite my past attempts at reading books about fairies, this one knocked my socks right off. Tithe was dark, mysterious, imaginative and edgy. Yes, it deals with some difficult issues like alcoholic parents, sexual abuse, and blood sacrifice, (yeah, that's right) but it also has a beautiful and enchanting side to it-- and both of these sides fit together really well throughout the story.
  
Tithe was definitely a page-turner, not simply because there is a lot of drama, action and suspense going on from beginning to end; but also because the author actually took the time to give you the story background that you need in order to understand what's going on. Let me just say that-- from the perspective of someone who doesn't know much about faery lore and was beyond lost when reading Wicked Lovely-- I practically shouted "Hallajulah!" when Tithe gave me understandable explanations and plot depth-- I wasn't left wondering what on earth was happening, and was thus able to fully engage in the story. This-- added to the great deal that was invested in character development-- made reading this book very enjoyable.

The descriptive language that Holly Black uses is just breathtaking-- I was really impressed by how she uses words to paint very imaginative worlds and characters. In fact, she can  describe a scene out of fairyland just as beautifully as she can describe a scene from a run-down trailer park-- now that takes some talent! Likewise, the characters were fantastic. Kaye was an amazing female protag-- Holly Black knew just how to flesh out her character into a believable, three-dimensional person. Kaye is a girl you can absolutely relate to, because she is far from perfect (I hate flawless, cookie-cutter characters!) and she has been through hell and back-- her tough grittiness makes her appealing as a character because it boldly stands out against all those other wishy-washy, bland, wimpy chicks we seem to see a lot of in today's novels. (Also, she is described as an "Asian blond," and that is totally hott.) Honestly, it takes a lot for me to become truly invested in a main character, but in this case, I was hooked.

My only caveat with this book was that I thought the dialogue in faery-world was at times a little forced (I don't like it when modern books use phrases like "verily I say" or whatever, it just sounds kind of cheesy/contrived to me). But really, that was my one and only little complaint-- and the rest of the dialog flows wonderfully and is very realistic (Side note: There are loads of F-bombs, just so you know, and I am super-happy I'm not the librarian who's gotten this one shaken in their face by some P.O.-ed parent lol). All in all, I give Tithe a high rating and cannot wait to read the next two books in this series!

LC's Rating:

Dark and edgy are the two words I would use to describe Tithe- it's not for the faint of heart! If you can handle the uncensored language and hardcore scenarios, this is an awesome story about fairies that stands out from the rest!

Book Review: Blue Bloods

Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Release date: March 27, 2007
Pages: 336

Summary: Schuyler Van Alen is confused about what is happening to her. Her veins are starting to turn blue, and she’s starting to crave raw meat. Soon, her world is thrust into an intricate maze of secret societies and bitter intrigue. Schuyler has never been a part of the trendy crowd at her prestigious New York private school. Now, all of a sudden, Jack Force, the most popular guy in school, is showing an interest in her. And when one of the popular girls is found dead, Schuyler and Jack are determined to get to the bottom of it.

Schuyler wants to find out the secrets of the mysterious Blue Bloods. But is she putting herself in danger? Melissa de la Cruz’s vampire mythology, set against the glitzy backdrop of New York City, is a juicy and intoxicating read.

LC's Take: 

I have to say-- even after being a little iffy about this book due to all the negative reviews-- I did enjoy Blue Bloods. The characters kept me amused, the plot kept me hooked from beginning to end, and the descriptive elements built up a world that I could definitely picture as I read.

I do have to say though-- even though I personally enjoyed reading this book-- I can also understand why there are so many readers out there who absolutely cannot stand it. In my case, those reasons didn't really bother me all that much. I felt like Melissa de la Cruz had a really good story here, and I give her credit for creating a unique twist with the over-done vampire genre-- however, I don't know if this book is completely targeted to appeal to the general YA audience, for the following reasons:

• There is an obscene number of references to fashion designers and brand names. Now I have to admit, I have a bit of a superficial side to me that goes a little gaga over things like Jimmy Choo stilettos and other high-end names from Vogue magazine, so I didn't mind all the fashion refs. However, if you don't give a crap about what brands characters are wearing, you might get annoyed by all the name-drops throughout the book. (Warning: there are tons.)
• On a similar note, there are lots of rich, pretty people in Blue Bloods. After all, Blue Bloods are the elite. If rich, popular, elitist, pretty people make you want to rip your hair out, once again, be prepared for a lot of upper-class drama.  
• Many (and I do mean many) liberties were taken with the historical parts of this book, which focused on the pilgrims coming to Plymouth in the 1620's. I thought it was creative of the author to include "letters" written by a certain woman (I won't give away who she is!) from the 1600's throughout the book-- it was a  unique way to connect the past with what was going on in the present plot. Luckily, American history is not really my area of expertise-- which is a good thing, because as you may know, I absolutely HATE when authors take liberties with history that I actually know a lot about.
• Relating back to my first two points, the plot itself is very Gossip-Girl-meets-Mean-Girls-meets-Paris-Hilton-meets-Cosmo-Magazine (Haha, how's that for a description??) Personally, I don't mind lots of fluff as long as the overall plot is keeping me interested-- and Blue Bloods did keep me interested. If you aren't adverse to teen drama and don't always take your reading too seriously, this should't be an issue for you either.
• Even though this book is technically about Vampires, there isn't all that much in the way of Vampire-ishness in this book (I don't think Vamps were even mentioned until about a third of the way through). I think this might be developed later in the series, but Book One was much more focused on drama than on the paranormal. For hardcore vampire fans out there, I think this could be a bit of a turn-off. But I still liked it. 

These are just some things to keep in mind before you decide to read this book. I do applaud Melissa de la Cruz  for taking a swing at a plot that was pretty difficult to pull off. I thought that she was able to take a story line that could have been extremely confusing and made it work-- I was eager to keep reading right through to the very end, and the cliff hanger in the last few pages made me wonder what will be happening next. Even though the characters didn't stand out, they were all still entertaining.

And on that note-- if you are OK with reading a book solely for (mindless) entertainment and not much else every once in awhile-- then you might be able to enjoy this book, too. My advice? If you do decide to read it, just don't take it too seriously! It was overall just a fun book.

LC's Rating: 

A fun, different take on Vampire Lore, Blue Bloods is full of drama and intrigue. I applaud the author for taking a new direction with an over-worked theme, but at the same time, there's a lot in this book that might turn off its target audience. I personally didn't mind it, but be warned, this series isn't for everyone!

Book Review: Wicked Lovely

Author: Melissa Marr
Release Date: June 12, 2007
Pages: 328
Read it in: 5 days

Praise: "Riveting and dark: I love this tale of a smart, tough girl who walks the razor's edge between an ancient faery curse and her future!" ~Tamora Pierce

Summary: (Goodreads) All teenagers have problems, but few of them can match those of Aislinn, who has the power to see faeries. Quite understandably, she wishes that she could share her friends' obliviousness and tries hard to avoid these invisible intruders. But one faery in particular refuses to leave her alone. Keenan the Summer King is convinced beyond all reasoning that Aislinn is the queen he has been seeking for nine centuries. What's a 21st-century girl to do when she's stalked by a suitor nobody else can see? A debut fantasy romance for the ages; superlative summer read.

LC's Take: 

Sigh... OK, so I really, really wanted to like this book-- I had been so excited to get into the Wicked Lovely series! But honestly-- for whatever reason-- I just could not get hooked. In fact, it almost got (gasp!) DNF-ed. Let me explain:

When I first picked up Wicked Lovely I was pretty excited-- the cover is gorgeous and I'd never read a book focusing exclusively on fairies. However, I have to admit that I had some difficulties with it from the very beginning, simply because it starts right in the middle of the action with very little explanation for what the heck is going on: there's a girl named Aislynn and she's pretty freaked out because she sees faeries everywhere, but she can't tell anyone so she just tries to run away where they can't find her. (Ummm... OK.) Maybe it was so hard to follow because it felt like the author assumed the reader knows all about faeries, or "fey." Well, I don't know anything about faeries so I felt pretty out-of-the-loop for the first 100 pages or so. (They have "glamours?" There are fey courts? They're deathly allergic to iron or something?? Yeeeah, I felt clueless!)

For this reason, I found it kind of difficult to connect with the characters or get into the plot because I had no idea what was going on. The author seems to know a lot about faery lore, but the way she goes about telling the story left me totally confused. The writing seemed very clunky to me, and this made it hard to read quickly because I just couldn't stay focused. And to be completely honest, this just made me kind of bored with the whole book. I mean, if you don't get what's going on, how are you going to maintain interest in it?

There were definitely other issues I had with this book, besides not knowing what was going on throughout the first third of the story:

• I felt like the writing style was somewhat sloppy and it wasn't until around p.160 that I finally could get into the plot a little. Because of this, it was just really difficult to stay interested in what was going on.
• You know those incredibly annoying plot holes that you just can't get over as you're reading a book? Oh wow, there were so many here! One that stood out: One of the number one rules that Aislynn lives by is she can't stare at fairies because they can't know that she can see them. So how is it that the fairies are described down to the last detail from Aislynn's POV all the time? Isn't she supposed to not be looking at them?? Ahh! Logic!
• There wasn't much in the way of character development: Aislynn never had much of a presence in the story. I felt like things just happen to her and she passively reacts-- I couldn't connect with her on an emotional level at all. 
• There were definitely more than a few typos throughout the book which is always a turn-off, because it makes you think that the entire thing was poorly edited. Usually I can pass by a couple typos, but in this case, added to everything else that bothered me, my end impression was that it was just sloppily done. 

To be fair, there were some things that I liked about this book: The snippets from old 18th/19th century books about faery lore, published in Ireland, Scotland and England were very interesting to read at the start of each chapter, and it shows that the author did her research about the subject she's writing on (it just wasn't translated well enough so that I could understand it, too!) Also, Aislynn's love interest Seth? Yum-my haha :)

I don't want to totally knock this book just because I could not connect with it personally-- I think that while it may not be for everyone, there is definitely a reader base that will enjoy Wicked Lovely. I would say that if you love the subject of fairies, or you can follow a plot that isn't completely straight-forward, this may be a great book for you. Unfortunately, I was not a fan, but I know that there are many fans of this series out there-- so it may be worth a shot!

LC's Rating:

If you are into fairies and know a lot about fairy lore before you begin this book, you might be able to get into the story being told. However, if like me you don't know anything about this subject, you might be highly confused about everything going on!