city of glass
after royally sucking at blogtoberfest, i am back with an actual book post! here’s my excuse: i was thrown into a new project at work against my will, which stressed and annoyed me to no end that i didn’t even have the focus to look at words in a book. the timeline totally fits–i started the project at the end of september which equals one actual book review in october (lame!). the tides turned eventually and i have been greatly rewarded 🙂 no more project and no more going to work .period. BECAUSE I AM WORKING FROM HOME!!! well, sunday is officially my last day going into work (as long as my karma holds up and doesn’t curdle or anything). this means LOOOOOOOOOOTS of time for reading…hehehehehehehehe!!!!
so, let’s talk about the book that took half my life to read, shall we? it! was! really! great! the ending to clary’s adventure was spectacular. this third and last book of “the mortal instruments” series was a little more adult (that demon was so trying to rape that girl!) but it pumped some adrenaline into the story. it helped set this book apart and establish it as one of the better grand finales i have read.
so much is revealed, especially jace and clary’s origins. i already had an inkling about jace from the second book but i still managed to be surprised. you’ll see, i just don’t want to give anything away. we see idris and alicante, a grand battle with demons, actual angels (ithuriel’s story is just gut-wrenching and raziel’s appearance is AWESOME!). clary’s mother is back in action and you’ll burn right through the chapter on her backstory. and valentine’s true evil is exposed with what he did to jace, clary, and a smoldering new guy. dear sci fi/fantasy genre, why are you so good to me? this last book has officially cemented me as a fan.
movie notes: where?!
city of ashes
i have the weary lightheadedness that comes from reading nonstop for hours on end, all day. as is my ritual, i spent my saturday at work finishing my book–work shmurk i say. can i get a resounding “hell yeah!” to how entertaining this series is? i am referring to “the mortal instruments” series of which i have finished the second book. there was so much more delicious development of the characters in this one and lots of sticky plot twists.
city of ashes
there was extra stuff on faeries and vampires of which some very interesting plot developments came (i’ll just go ahead a rub simon’s name all in that). and of course there was more exploration of the “flowers in the attic” syndrome affecting jace and clary. and would you believe? their relationship seemed questioned in this book, as if maybe they aren’t related after all!! the seed of doubt is unmistakably planted by the faerie queen, the inquisitor, and a side story about a woman who killed herself when she was 8 months pregnant. not to mention the almost constant declarations that jace and clary have no resemblance to valentine….hhmmmm…it’s a conundrum. i may pop over to walmart to buy the last book tonight.
i thought there was a lot more graphic violence in this one (but hey, the more the merrier) and more outrageously horrific situations that were quite expertly described. it’ll hit you right from the start <<enter the silent brothers>>.
i saw that the badassness of certain characters was cranked up a huge notch. and speaking of badassness, i would like to present this tasty tidbit of my favorite whip-wielding shadowhunter:
not that traditional princess behavior was like isabelle at all. isabelle with her whip and boots and knives would chop anyone who tried to pen her up in a tower to pieces, build a bridge out of the remains, and walk carelessly to freedom, her hair looking fabulous the entire time.
movie notes: pop on over to mindful musings for some sweet news!
city of bones
a goody
looky looky, sarah found a gem! finally, a book that i really truly enjoyed. AWESOME AWESOME fantasy! it’s truly amazing to me when authors take a fresh perspective on the same mythological characters known to everyone. this is the first book in the series “the mortal instruments”. the author cassandra clare introduces her own fantasy concoction of “shadowhunters” with their badass rune markings who are the coolest things since sliced bread. i thought the plot was pretty unpredictable, although not as expertly done as j.k. rowling. clare might have foreshadowed a tad too much since i was able to guess a few events right before they happened. the continuity of the story flowed pretty flawlessly which lent for smooth reading.
city of bones
one of the things that i really appreciated was the main male character, jace. finally!!! we no longer have a gorgeous-beyond-belief, smooth-talking, great-at-everything guy who steals our heroine’s heart. jace is cool, arrogant, proud, and brutally honest–and these are the characteristics that are surprisingly attractive! he doesn’t feel the need to coddle the girl that he’s attracted to like she’s a delicate flower…probably because the girls in this book are blade-wielding, rune-wearing, ass-kicking demon slayers! and don’t worry, it’s not cheesy, more mystical and magical than anything.
obviously, i would recommend this book to everyone, especially if fantasy is your thing. this one is well done. i cannot wait to get my hands on the next 2. oh, and stephenie meyer gave her stamp of approval if you care about that–it’s right smack in the middle of the dang cover.
movie notes: ……..
the bookend. 