Title:City of Fallen Angels Author: Cassandra Clare # of Pages: 424 (paperback) Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance Rating: ★★★☆☆ Synopsis:The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend. But nothing comes without a price. Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.
Review: Well, this book took me longer to read than I expected. I really wanted to finish reading Great Expectations (which I haven't yet. It's hard to get into than I thought it would be), so City of Fallen Angels took the backseat as far as reading priority.
However, since I was reading this book at the same time I was reading Great Expectations, it was a bit of a relief for me to read it. Unlike Dickens' book, it was so much easier to read Clare's book. However, that does not change the fact that there were plenty of flaws that plagues the pages that make up The Mortal Instruments's fourth book.
For example, it doesn't even feel like Clary is the protagonist before. Simon became a leading character, but the other charcters also had their fair share of time in the spot light. There was so much drama; Jace is having relationship problems with Clary, Simon with Isabelle and Maria, Maria with Jordan, Alec with Magnus, etc. It's exhausting to read about.
There was a lot more interaction between Jace and Simon. This in particular is something that I didn't like very much because Simon turned into a nagging mother, asking Jace if he was okay. And JACE! I don't even know who he is now. Jace Wayland? Morgenstern? Herondale? Lightwood? I'm pretty sure it's not Morgenstern because he is not directly related to Valentine, but, then again, he was raised by Valentine early on. Does that make he a Morganstern? It's a puzzle of names that I'm not going to even try to figure out (although I'm sure I can Google it and some sort of explanation will come up).
So, yeah. I'm sure that if you hated this series, you wouldn't have read this far. So, to all the TMI fans, read this book. But if you don't like the series, don't waste your time. It's an okay book, I guess (do you feel my confidence in my opinion?).
Title: City of Glass Author: Cassandra Clare # of Pages: 541 (paperback) Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance Rating:★★★☆☆ Synopsis: To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.
As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?
Review: Well, I'm a little confused about everything. This is only the third book, right? It seems like Clare could have ended the series with this one. Most of the loose ends were all tied up...and people FINALLY started admitting their feelings for each other! ...Sorry, spoiler alert.
I think I hate the characters MORE in this book than the first and second books. I saw a lot more of their stupidity in this one. Magnus is my favorite character, though, and, surprisingly, I agreed with quiet a few of Jonathan's (the real one) views.
And OH MY GOSH I SO CALLED IT THAT JACE AND CLARY WERE GOING TO FIGURE OUT THAT THEY WEREN'T RELATED THAT IS SO AWESOME!!! I am really, really glad that Jace and Clary, Alec and Magnus, Jocelyn and Luke, and all the other couples got together. It was about time! This is exactly why I think that this should have been the last book. Everyone's happy together and Valentine's dead. Where else can Clare go from here?
So, I'm starting to dislike TMI again. I don't dislike it to the point where I'm going to knock off a star because there was some stuff that I still enjoyed, but if the next books don't improve, I might have to.
If you LOVE TMI and haven't read this book, READ IT!!! If you already hate it to the point where you want to rip it into a million pieces...for your sanity, stay away from this book.
Yes, if you haven't guessed it already, I went to see the movie. Why? Because I was bored and had nothing better to do with my life. And I really wanted to see it.
Despite the fact that, in my review, I showed cleared distaste for many components of the book, I had very high hopes for the movie. When a story is in the form of a book, the reader is the one interpreting the story, making the scenery, characters, etc. in his or her mind based on how the author describes it. But on the screen, it's someone else's interpretation of the story. It's going to be different, even slightly, from the movie.
I was shocked. Everything seemed exactly the opposite. In the book, I hated Clary with a burning passion and loved everyone else, especially Jace. But in the movie, I LOVED Clary! Jace seemed like he was trying to be hot or something (I really hated his hair). Everyone else was just a bunch of background characters. Nothing important.
And then there was the kiss. I never realized how the kiss really played out until I saw it on the big screen. Every single person in the theater was cracking up (me included) when the sprinklers turned out. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go see it. You'll understand.
One thing I didn't expect was the humor. I knew from the book that there were a few clever/witty remarks that might pass as funny, but the movie is something else entirely. I laughed a lot more than I thought I was, and I probably laughed at some of the parts that weren't suppose to be that funny. But, hey, as long as I enjoy it, right?
The movie isn't my favorite. I think it could have been better. But I wasn't as bad I as feared it was going to be. Everyone should defiantly go see it.
Now, the other day, I made a stop on the way home to my local bookstore. Why? Because I knew I was going to see the City of Bones movie soon and that I'd probably want to read City of Ashes afterward. I rush over to the teen section and see a table stacked with Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices books.
Only to find that City of Ashes is missing from the stack. There was plenty of Infernal Devices books, about twenty copies of City of Bones, ten copies of City of Glass, and a few of City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls, but not a single copy of City of Ashes.
What's up with that? Obviously, everyone was like me and decided to pick up a copy of City of Ashes on the way home. So, I won't be able to read it anytime soon. Don't expect a review for it anytime soon.
But, yeah, after watching the movie, I have high hopes for the Mortal Instruments. Maybe I'll actually like Clary in the books to come. Writing styles are always improving, especially throughout a series. If you haven't seen the movie, go see it. If you have City of Ashes, give it to me!
Title: City of Bones Author: Cassandra Clare # of Pages: 485 (paperback) Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal Rating: ★★★☆☆ Synopsis: When 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 odd markings. This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons--and keeping the odd werewolves and vampires in line. It's also her first meeting with gorgeous, golden-haired Jace. 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 an ordinary mundane like Clary? And how did she suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....
Review:
ORIGINAL REVIEW - FEB 13, 2013 - 3 Stars
THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING!!! Or at least that's what I thought when this hit me on the head. Literally. From a really highly shelf. I already know this book is going to be a painful read.
[Insert image of cover here]
Alright, maybe the dude isn't COMPLETELY naked, but it's close enough. So, of course, I was interested. But after I stopped seeing stars, I saw a little quote that was *cough*inconveniently*cough* scrawled across the guys chest. "The Mortal Instruments series is a story world that I would love to live in. Beautiful!" -Stephanie Meyers, Author of Twilight. Wait, what? Did I really just seem a quote from Stephanie Meyers on there? ...oh dear, first impressions aren't going very well.
You know the saying; don't judge a book by a cover. So I flip it over. (NOTE: This picture is not mine!)
The summary seemed interesting I suppose. But what caught my eye was the two little quotes at the top. Who the heck is Holly Black and Libba Bray? I guess it doesn't matter that much, but what interested me was the word "sexy" in both of them. Sexy= a LOT of romance. "Why not?" Is what I thought as I walked up to the counter, book in hand. I went home as quickly as possible to read the book.
There must have been a misprint. Where in the world did the "sexy thrill ride" fly away to? Because, last time I checked, one measly kissing scene wasn't my definition of "sexy". Now excuse me as I rant about all of the stuff that I hated about this book.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Clary is a modest, strong main character that all reader can look up to.
...I know, I'm a really bad liar. Let me try this again. Clary is a stuck up little girl with an undesirable attitude and a know-it-all personality. You want proof? Well, if you insist.
""'Clancy keeps out the undesirables,' said Jace, herding her to one of the booths.
'He's a demon,' she hissed."
What makes HER think that she know better than Jace and the other Shadowhunters, who (reality check, Clary) are WAY more experienced? Just because Clary has Shadowhunter blood running through her veins doesn't mean that she's all great and mighty. Did Clare (ha, I just thought of something: did Cassandra Clare name her character after herself? They're names seem suspiciously similar) make Clary like this on purpose? Sure, I can appreciate a girl with attitude, but there are some personality traits that I just can't stand. And Clary has all of them. But what's even more baffling is that the other characters actually LIKED her! There's got to be someone that...strongly dislikes her as I do!
Role models, role models, role models. Tell me wants wrong with this quote:
"'Filters are for cigarettes and coffee...Two things I could use right now...' [said Simon]"
I think Simon said the quote, I can't remember. But that's not the point. This character is, what, sixteen? Seventeen? And he's talking about smoking? Not exactly what I want to see in a character. But I'm really anti-smoking, so that might just be me.
The story line was decent enough, though not exactly original. Sure, there were some unique ideas about the demons and all that, but the vampires and werewolf focus...not so much.
Ah, the stupidity.
"It was a long thin dagger in a leather sheath...'I wouldn't know how to use that-'
[Jace] rested it into her hand... 'You'll learn.' He dropped his voice. 'It's in your blood.'"
You have got to be kidding me. DON'T FRICKING HAND THE GIRL A DAGGER!!! SHE'LL POKE HER EYE OUT!
"The missing stairs baffled Clary. What did vampires have against stairs?"
I really don't think that the vampires got rid of the stairs because they hated them...I hate to be the one to break this to you, but, well, lets just have Simon tell you:
"'You're so stupid, Clary.''"
Couldn't have said it better myself.
And then there's the big reveal of Jace and Clary being siblings. That's just...gross. No. Please no.
Alright, maybe my mini rant was a little "over the top", but I had to get it out of my system. If you haven't read, give it a try. Some like it, some don't. I'll give Clare some credit since the first book is (in my opinion) one of the hardest books to write.
August 19, 2013 REVIEW - 3 Stars
I swore that I rated this book two star the first time I read it. I guess not.
I decided to give this book a second read because a) the movie is coming out the day after tomorrow and b) I thought that I was critiquing this book a little too much in my first review. And here I am! So, I'm going to address each point in my previous review, just to let you know how I feel about them.
Quotes on the back cover by Holly Black and Libba Bray/book's sex appeal
Since the time I first read City of Bones, I've obtained a different copy. This one no longer has the quotes about how "sexy" the book is (and I now know who Holly Black and Libba Bray are. Turns out they're not as unknown as I thought). So this is no longer a problem for me.
2. Clary's stupidity and supporting characters' stupidity
Yes, I still think that Clary is stupid, although not as much as I did the first time. While Cassandra Clare tried (I think) to make Clary courageous and wise, she turned out to be overdramatic and full of herself. Maybe it's just because Clare is still developing the characters. I'm not sure. I'll just have to read the second book to find out.
As far as the supporting character's stupidity, they're actually pretty awesome now. Jace (he still shouldn't have given Clary a dagger when she doesn't have any, Alec (except for the time when he was acting like a jerk. But he apologized for that, so I guess it's okay now), Isabelle, and Simon are loveable, although (spoiler alert!) the fact that they end up being all chummy with Clary at the end bugs me. But, like I said above, maybe Clary's personality will improve by the second book. Now, here's something I don't get; Magnus. Everyone seems to love him, but he's not THAT important in the story. I think he might do something awesome in the other books. Who knows? I don't.
3. Clary and Jace *WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!*
I think that Clare making Jace and Clary siblings was still a big mistake. They had chemistry (if you call one, LITTLE kiss chemistry. I still can't believe they only kissed once!), but now technically they aren't allowed to be together. How wrong is that? I can only hope that their relation to each other will improve in further books.
4. Recommendation/Other
So, since I could remember the book pretty well, I found the reread a little boring. The shock factor was lost on me, and I swore that I gave this book two stars before. I had already decided to give this book three stars when I realized that that was the exact same rating I gave it the first time. I didn't really want to give it four stars, so I just gave it three stars again. But know that it was better the second time than it was the first.
I do recommend it because it's not as poorly written as a lot of books out there. If you're looking for a good read, you might want to try this one. But beware of Clary; she'll either make it or break it for you. She lost the book two stars, after all.
