City of Bones- Review

Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Source: Library

Goodreads 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.

My thoughts:

I read this book one day while my husband was working, ignoring the housework and errands that needed to be done.  I paid attention to my animals, but that was the only thing that could drag me away from this book.  I have read the Infernal Devices series, so I knew I had to go back and start this one.  I am glad I did!

I think the idea of the Nephilim is a very cool one~ I love this world that Clare has imagined.  It is pretty different that other worlds in other books, and I think it is very well thought out and written.  There are the Shadowhunters, werewolves, vampires, warlocks, fairies, anything you can think of in this book, but I think they are all blended into the story nicely.  

The romantic relationships in this book were the only things weird to me.  I love the character Magnus Bane, but I wonder about his age and his flirting with teenagers.  Maybe I have his age wrong?  And then Jace and  Clary! What! Read below the spoiler line for more on this, if you have read this book or series, or if you aren't planning on reading it.  

Other than those issues, I am excited to see where Clare takes this series.  It is an interesting world she has created, and I am definitely going to read on.  



~Spoilers~



Jace and Clare. Brother and sister. That can't be right, right? Would Clare really do that to readers, make a series where the main character love interest siblings? How do you keep that interest going for readers over a series, I mean, you can't really ever want them to get together?  I hope that it ends up being wrong. I feel that it will all be a hoax or a mistake or something, because I can't believe we would be led to this point for nothing. Right? Right? Lol.  Anyone else read this book or series?  What do you think?

Clockwork Prince - Review

Title: Clockwork Prince, Infernal Devices Book Two
Author: Cassandra Clare
Source: Read on Nook, courtesy of my husband

Goodreads Summary:

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

 My Thoughts:

I loved this book as much as the first, Clockwork Angel.  Something about this world appeals to me, with its supernatural creatures and hunters set in Victorian England.  This book reveals a few answers to mysteries, and creates a few more.  As a warning, this review will contain spoilers. 

The Shadowhunter crew and Tessa are still hot on the trail of  Mortmain, and while they diligently follow their leads, they never find him.  Following one of their leads, Will is shocked to see his sister, Cecily! Will has been operating under a curse that states death will come to any that love, or so he believed  - he is working closely with Magnus to to try to reverse it, as he is in  love with Tessa.  Because of this curse, he ran from his family, to protect them.  The event where he is cursed is a very good scene  in the book- you feel so bad for Will! And Magnus, what a great character.  His parts were few and there needed to be more of them.

I didn't feel bad enough for Will though; Tessa and Jem's relationship gets closer, and steamier. The whole book I was terrified that Tessa was going to break his heart! Tessa seems more mature in this book, however, and I liked where this plot went.  As for Charlotte and Henry, they reveal to each other the fears they had regarding the other's feelings, and are firmly, madly in love.  The best scene in the book is Henry's heroics in a tea warehouse.  Charolotte is my favorite character, small but mighty, mothering and strong. She has her own battles to fight in this book, and was up to the task.

Sophie and Jessamine have secret loves in this book. These two and their romances play pivotal roles in the plot of this book - you will have to read it to find out what happens there.

This novel ended on quite a cliffhanger- I can't wait to read the next in the series!

Clockwork Angel- Review

Title:  Clockwork Angel
Author:  Cassandra Clare

Goodreads Summary:

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still. 

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos. 

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. 

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

My thoughts:

I have to be honest- I was really excited to read this book, but then when I read more about it, I was hesitant.  I thought, how could all this be in one book and still be good?  I usually dislike having supernatural crossover with something like steampunk.  But, I was surprised - I loved this book, I could not stop reading it or put it down.  I read it cover to cover in one day.  It was a book that was thoroughly entertaining the whole way through.  It could be that the book I read before this one was the Sadness of Lemon Cake book, which while good, left me feeling a little down and depressed.  This book filled me back up with the fun of reading, reading just to enjoy and escape for a bit.

I loved all the characters, especially Will and the eccentric scatterbrained Henry.  He was probably my favorite of all. I have not read Clare's Mortal Instruments series, which is something I need to remedy, so I have nothing to compare this work to, but I thought this book was fabulous - Tessa was a strong character, and there are some twists and turns I am looking forward to reading about in the next book - which doesn't come out for months!!!

I loved this book, and for those of my friends who run and listen to books on audio, this has to be the next book you listen to.