Book Review: City of Heavenly Fire

ΕRCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID. 

I am coming.
Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance?  Quoted from Goodreads

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I'll be honest, I had some issues with the way The Clockwork Princess ended (mostly good, but a few things that really bugged me) so I was a little nervous going into this book to see if it was even worth reading books 4, 5, and 6 of the series when I enjoyed the way book 3 ended so much, and I did end up liking it.  I felt like this book sort of brought the series back up to where it was in the first three.  We get a lot more action and a lot less angst (of course there is some angst.  This is a Cassandra Clare book, after all).  

So what made this book stand out from all the others so far?  First: Jace and Clary's relationship.  Everything is just so much better here.  Yes, (and warning, there are some spoilers for the last book if you haven't read it, so be careful) they can't touch each other for a good portion of it, but their relationship is solid.  The indecision and doubt that we get in the five previous books is gone, so while they still have problems, they work together much better as a team.

Second: Action.  This book has an amazing prologue that completely sucks you into the story and never lets up.  We get deception, murders, war, kidnappings, and as evil a villain as you could desire, all of which leads up to a climactic ending.  I'll be honest, I was expecting more deaths (don't worry, we do get a few) and destruction, but I felt like it was still an satisfying conclusion, and enough bad things happened you never knew who exactly was safe.

Third, Cameos and the Clave. There are a lot of really fun cameos from the Infernal Devices (Tessa and Clary have a fun little conversation), so the books tie in well together. As for the Clave, I love that they're supposed to be good but  kind of evil at the same time.  It lets you totally see why Valentine was able to gather so many followers against them.  At one point, I was ready to overthrow them myself, which leads into my next point.

Warning. If you're thinking maybe I'll just finish up this book then take a little break from Cassandra Clare's novels for awhile, think again.  This book totally sets up her next series.  The prologue is all Emma Carstairs.  We periodically get chapters from her POV throughout the book, and there's even a pretty emotional cliffhanger ending for her part of the story.  Aaaaaaaaaaaah!  

As far as Clary, Jace, Simon, Sebastian, Isabelle, Alec, Magnus, Jocelyn, Luke, Maia, etc. goes, this is a pretty good ending (I'm not saying they all live, I'm just trying to give you all the people who get a POV in the story).  Things aren't perfect, and I'm betting they'll make small appearances in in the next series, but it ends really well.

So are these last three books worth it?  I'd say yes.  It's another fun adventure full of the characters you know and love.  It also ties into the ginormous universe Clare seems to be building, and it's fun to get all these connections. I'm giving it a strong 4 stars, with potential to being bumped up half a star later depending on how I feel in six months.  And I will be reading Lady Midnight when it comes out next year.  With the introduction to fiery, little Emma and all her problems, it would be impossible not to.

Book Review: Shadow Falls Series

 One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs . . . Quoted from Goodreads

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This is a hard series to review.  It started during the vampire craze, when every book had to have it's obligatory love triangle, and that shows.  It's not really anything new , but for what it is, it's a fun read.  I mean, I read all five books, which is saying something.

First for the things I liked.  I love Kylie's girl friends, as in friends who are girls.  Whether it's the best friend she left behind or the two new ones she found at camp, I loved their relationships. They were always there for her, while having enough of their own drama to keep everything interesting.  I mean, Della got her own novella (and maybe a spinoff series?).  Plus, they act like teenage girls.  They have silly moments, fight, and get jealous, but then are back to being friends again.

I liked Holley and Burnett. They're good leaders, have their own problems, yet have time for Kylie.  They don't sit back and expect her to defeat the evil whatever.  They also have their own cute relationship.

What I had a problem with?  Well, Lucas and Derek. Not that they both don't have their shining moments, but the drama dragged out way too long.  I mean, Kylie was still agonizing over them in the fifth book.  I was so tired of that particular drama by then, I sort of had to force myself to slog through the parts where she agonized over her torn feelings. 

Second, not enough action.  I get that these books all have some kind  of mystery.  Kylie is warned by a ghost or has to complete that ghost's unfinished business, all of which is connected to her, but the ghosts aren't all that helpful, thus the mystery.  Oh, and there's the mystery of Kylie's supernatural species.  All in all that is good, but it was almost all buildup with very little climax.  The action chapters at the end were too short.  While the mystery built up and there were plenty of mild cliffhangers along the way, the ending wasn't ever as grand or scary as I wanted it to be.

Still, it's a fun series. It's probably a solid 3 stars for me through all three books.  Maybe it just tried to be a little bit too much of everything.  I mean we have vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, shape-shifters, fairies, and a super secret new paranormal species all rolled up into one. Still, it's a fun read, and the series is over, so you can enjoy all the books at once without having to deal with horrible cliff hangers that leave you begging for the next book.

Saturday Shorts: The Queen's Army

It is time. The boy must leave his family to serve in the Queen's army. To be chosen is an honor. To decline is impossible. The boy is modified. He is trained for several years, and learns to fight to the death. He proves to the Queen—and to himself—that he is capable of evil. He is just the kind of soldier the Queen wants: the alpha of his pack. Quoted from Goodreads

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Yes, I know I've raved a lot about the Lunar Chronicles (Cinder and Scarlet) lately, but this was anther wonderful surprise.  It's labeled The Lunar Chronicles 1.5, which makes sense, but I discovered it after I read Scarlet, and I enjoyed it just as much because it was a bout a character I cared about from that book. 

It's a short novella, but there are so many reasons to like it.  First, we get to see the queen from her people's POV. We experience how far she is willing to go to create her army, and what she does to those selected.  

Then we get Z's coming of age story.  It's rather dark and bleak watching him fight for his humanity when they're literally turning him into something else, but it's also fascinating.  You can't help but like and sympathize with him, especially when he seems like one of the only ones who is bothered by what the queen did to them.  

Anyway, you need to read this book. It's an excellent compliment to Cinder and Scarlet, and we get to see the origin of "the big, bad wolf." It's absolutely4 stars for me. If you love the Lunar Chronicles, you have to pick this up, and if you're just thinking about reading this series, this is a great introduction (though it's more a lead in for Scarlet than Cinder).

Book Review: Scarlet

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner. Quoted from Goodreads

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After Cinder, I had really high expectations, while trying not to have high expectations. Cinder proved how good Marissa Meyer is at retelling fairytales, but I didn't know how the trend would continue.  I mean, she introduced a bunch of new characters, while maintaining all the ones from the previous book. Luckily, she pulled this off with flying colors.

First, I love Scarlet and Wolf.  In the beginning I didn't care about them that much.  It was Cinder's story I was invested in, and I felt they were sort of interlopers  forced into the story to make it fit the conventions of another fairy tale instead of continuing the story she already had going.  But as the story continued, I grew to love them. Scarlet was strong and brave, everything you expect, contrasting with Wolf, who wasn't what I anticipated at all. When you put a character in that is essentially the big, bad wolf, there are certain expectations that come with that.  He defied all of them (except maybe in looks), and was more adorable because of that.  

I love the way their story mirrored the Little Red Riding hood version, while being as unique and different as Cinder was from Cinderella.  Plus, all of her characters are distinct.  Scarlet wasn't another Cinder with red hair, Wolf was nothing like Kai (or the rather delightful Captain Thorne).  So even though we bounced around between the characters, I never once got confused about whose head I was living in.

I love Iko as a ship. She was funny in the first book, but putting her in a ship (one with a naked lady on the side) was just one of those fun twists I didn't expect but thoroughly enjoyed.  I also really grew to like Captain Thorne, and can't wait to see exactly who/what he ends up becoming later (I have my guesses, but we'll see how good I am). Then there's Cinder and Kai.  No, we don't get quite as much of them as in the previous book, but their story is still gripping, and I didn't feel cheated by the new characters at all.

Plus, we get more of the delightfully evil Lunar Queen and her diabolical plots to overthrow earth.  She really is an excellent villain.  Even Kai, who is the Emperor of one of the six Earthen countries, is intimidated and browbeaten into doing what she wants (and not because he is week, but forced into an impossible situation).  We get to see more of her plots unfold in this book, and with every page, I grow to hate her just a little more.  

Basically, you need to read this series.  It's fun, full of adventure, and one of the best adaptions out there.  This is a wonderful 4.5 stars for me (again).  Now I'm suffering with  the rest of the masses until next year with the release of Cress.  Already I'm counting down the days. Now here's the preview in case all my gushing didn't convince you to read the book.

Flashback Friday: Darkest Powers Trilogy

 With the release of Kelly Armstrong's The Rising (the conclusion to her Darkness Rising trilogy) this week, I thought I'd do a quick review of her prequel/companion trilogy, Darkest Powers, which I loved.

Saying that, I guess you know the end from the beginning.  I mean, I loved this trilogy, but I was also really lucky.  For me, Kelly Armstrong's books go better when you read them all at once.  While I didn't do that with the Darkness Rising, (I read the first two at once, then had to wait a year for the third one), I did get to do it with Darkest Powers, and it totally paid off.  Here's the thing about her books, they really read as one.  Sure the end of the first and second books have a climax, but they aren't built up to that climax in particular.  They're all about being chased, kidnapped, shot at, dealing with mysterious powers, (and relationships), coming of age, etc., which makes for a really exciting read, but you need that third book to wrap up the ending and give you some kind of satisfying closure.   The good news is, all three books are out, so you can read them 1, 2, 3, without having to suffer any kind of wait.

Okay, so I should probably add a quick recap of the story. Chloe sees dead people . . . well dead everything. She gets locked up in the Lyle House, where she meets other paranormal teens and discovers she's a necromancer (aka, she raises the dead and can talk to ghosts). Okay, I'm going to spoil the first book here, but it's pretty obvious from the beginning, the Lyle house is bad.  She, along with a few of her friends (and enemies) break out and go on the run.  Chases, betrayals, animated corpses, werewolves, witches, sorcerers, and other craziness ensues, all while they try and figure out who they can trust and how to use their emerging powers.

Yes, these books are exciting, and the tension grows from book to book, but what I love most about these series are the way the characters grow.  Take Chloe, the protagonist of our story.  She starts out as a cute, fluffy blond whose biggest rebellion is dying a stripe of her hair pink.  By the end she's taking on seriously bad people and making life and death decisions. Basically she grows up, and despite all the paranormal stuff happening around her (and a little bit because of it) her growth is genuine.  Same with Derek.  He goes from no social skills, to . . . limited social skills. And then there's Tori.  I hated her in the beginning, and at the end, well she's still not my favorite character, but I love who she's becoming, and that she gets her own character arc.

Then there's Chloe and Derek's relationship.  That is probably my favorite.  It's very much a beauty and the beast sort of thing, and I'm always a sucker for those sort of stories.  Plus it's refreshing that the boy isn't drop dead gorgeous at first sight.  He's anything but, and while he does improve throughout the books, he's looks aren't his main selling point. It's how he and Chloe interact, the way they make each other better people and the way that is consistently shown throughout the books that make me love this relationship. Plus, he's a strong, memorable character.  You never wonder what he would do in a given situation or that he's the one speaking. He is utterly distinctive and stands out well against too many bland prince charmings.

So should you read these books?  Absolutely. It also helps that these characters make an appearance in The Rising, so while you don't need to read this trilogy before The Darkness Rising one, it helps. As for me, I would give the first book 3 stars, the second 3.5, and the third 4.5. I thought they just got better and better.

Book Review: Clockwork Princess

THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy. Quoted from Goodreads

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that no one emotionally tortures her characters (or her readers) as much as Cassandra Clare.  Really, this book is emotionally exhausting.  It's not that these are the most tortured characters in the world.  I can think of plenty that have far worse situations--Edmond Dantes (the Count of Monte Cristo) languishing in prison while his father dies and his fiance marries another man, Fantine, abandoned, forced to give up her daughter and finally dying as a prostitute after sacrificing everything for her child, etc.--but you can't read these books and not ache for the characters and what she puts them through.

I'd love to talk about Tessa, Will, and Jem, but I'm not quite sure how without spoiling things.  As far as their characters go, I really like all of them. Each of them is tortured in their own unique way (immortal, cursed, and dying), and I admire how each one handled their situation. Cassandra Clare put them in possibly the most horrible love triangle I've really ever read, which I think was kind of her point (and I suppose you could argue it's one of the most triangle triangles I've ever read, which is sort of what makes it so heartbreaking) and think she handled the ending really well. 

That being said, and I won't give anything away so dont' worry, the ending was almost too perfect for me and heartbreaking all at once.  I had my ship, I knew exactly who I wanted to end up with Tessa, and, again, without giving anything away, I was really pleased with what happened.  At the same time . . . well I'm not sure how I feel about the epilogue.  I'll freely admit, part of it made me cry (though I really shouldn't be held responsible for any tears shed after 10:00), but part of it . . . well, can an ending be too perfect?  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I read the epilogue, but maybe next time I read the series, I might just stop at the end.  Despite all it's perfection and happiness, it sort of left me feeling sad. 

Despite all that, I really did love this book (see the 5 star rating below!).  I liked the action, the peril, the relationships between the characters. I especially loved getting to know Will's little sister Cecily. Everyone else in these stories has two books worth of anguish weighing them down, where she gives us a wonderfully fresh viewpoint.  Sure, she has her own issues with her brother and she didn't like Shadowhunters at first, but that's mostly over with at the opening of this book. I really appreciated her new perspective, seeing how she views everyone half from the outside, half from the inside. I loved Gabriel Lightwood for the same reason.  He has his own demons to carry, but it's nice to see things from a slightly different perspective.

And finally we solve the mystery that is Tessa. Sure, it's been explored in the first two books, but I loved discovering Mortmain's plan and why he needed her so desperately.  I also love how she uses her abilities to save her friends.  She grows up a lot from the girl in the first book, fresh off the boat from New York, and it's fun to see the person she's become.

I'm know there are tons of other things I'll think about as soon as I post this review that I want to add.  I'm still emotionally all tangled up in that world. I'm sure things will be clearer in a day or two, but I wanted to review this book today, give a whole first impression blog instead of a one-week-and-with-clearer-thoughts review later. This book is a wonderful 5 stars for me.  It tied the series up nicely, really leaving me with just one pressing question I'm sure I'll find the answer to later. All in all, this is a great series.  I love the time period, the characters, the relationships, the conflicts, and I'm sad to see it come to an end. 

Flashback Friday: The Clockwork Angel

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. Quoted from Goodreads

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Okay so this is going to be kind of hard for me to review without pulling a little bit of The Clockwork Prince in here too.  I'll try, but because it's been a year since I read this, I may blur the lines a little bit.  

First off, I should say I love this book.  I really liked Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments, but I love this series even more.  Maybe it's because I relate to Tessa more than Clary.  Maybe it's because there's no "incest" or the fact that I feel this love triangle is actually a triangle, not just two boys who hate each other in love with the same girl. Regardless, I love this book, and since the third book in the series comes out next month, I figure this would give you all time to read it if you haven't yet.

What I loved most about this book?  To begin with, Tessa.  I really like her voice.  She's thrust into a new situation and betrayed over and over again, but comes out on top.  It's not that she isn't hurt, but she doesn't turn whiney and play the victim like she could have. Plus she's a reader. I obviously read books.  I adore them, to be precise, so it's really easy to relate to her as a character. No, I cannot, unfortunately, turn myself into another person like she can, but she is easy to befriend and admire.

Then there's Will and Jem.  Like I said before, this is just about a perfect love triangle. Yes, I have my favorite, and I will admit I will be very put out if he doesn't end up getting with Tessa, but I love the way the whole love triangle was crafted.  First, neither of the two boys know the other is falling in love with Tessa.  Plus, they are best friends and would never want to hurt the other person, so it's one of the first books where I actually buy the love triangle label.  And it avoids horrible issues like the Author, Lancelot, Guinevere love triangle where she's married, so I really never felt any kind of sympathy for Lancelot and Guinevere's "epic love." It just comes across as extremely selfish and  stupid. 

Okay, sorry about that little side rant.

Finally, I enjoyed the semi-steam-punk, half Victorian world Clare created.  It was a great setting, with a really fun bad guy and mystery that they're all facing.   I also really like Tessa's personal quest to figure out what she is exactly and why the main villain wants her.

All in all, this is an amazing book.  If you loved the Mortal Instruments, this is a must read. If you didn't, or just sort of liked  it, I still say pick this one up. It avoids a lot of issues that bothered some people in the first series, and the new setting may just win you over.  All in all, this is a terrific 4 stars for me, and the Clockwork Prince earned 5 in my opinion.  Basically you have a month before The Clockwork Princess comes out, so check out this series. It's absolutely, amazingly worth it.