City of Lost Souls (Cassandra Clare)

Title: City of Lost Souls

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Length: 534 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Book five of the Mortal Instruments series: Sebastian kidnaps Jace and threatens world destruction. Clary goes undercover, and Simon/Magnus/Isabelle/Alec provide back-up.

Jace is smoking on this cover.

In short: started like, eh? Ended with AHHH! And there were a few WTFs in the middle. Not the best yet, but definitely worth the read, because as readers, we ultimately need to know what happens!

I think my main problem was the time lapse between when this book came out, and when I had read the other books. I was confused for a large portion of the first half, trying to remember all of the characters and their convoluted relationships with each other. Not to mention piecing together where the Clockwork characters come in (I do NOT like what you’re implying Cassandra!). So fair warning, reread the other books in the series first.

And while it was also a little confusing how the narrative jumped time/space/place/narrator throughout the book without warning, I did like that this kept things interesting. Things certainly are heating up romance-wise with all these characters! One final thought: Cassandra, I love that in your novels, adults just seem to get in the way. Way to give your young characters some freedom- I love this about YA. 

Fallen (Lauren Kate)

Title: Fallen

Author: Lauren Kate

Publisher: Delacorte

Length: 464 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Luce has been sent to Sword & Cross boarding school, a place for screw-ups, after an incident she can’t quite remember that left her last boyfriend dead. The one bright spot at her new school is the mysteriously handsome Daniel Grigori. But he’s avoiding Luce like it’s his job, while Cam, another mysterious boy, won’t leave her alone. Literally overshadowing Luce's attraction to these boys is the dark shadows that have always followed Luce around, and which seem to becoming more prominent.

Let's review this Pro/Con style:

Pro: Star-crossed lovers, and a dark, handsome boy who is both hot and cold.

Con: The dark, handsome Daniel seems to be hot and cold for no reason. What’s with the mood swings, buddy?

Pro: I liked Luce’s female friends at Sword & Cross. They were all pretty hardcore.

Con: Luce herself was waaaay too passive. (“These boys like me so I’m just gonna do whatever they say.” Terrible idea, Luce, terrible idea.)

Pro: Quick read with more books in the series to follow. Definitely worth a read to find out more about Daniel and Luce’s shared past.

Con: This book raised a lot of questions (presumably to be answered in the following books).

I can only hope Luce grows a backbone and Daniel is explained in the upcoming books, which yes, I will probably read. 

The Iron King (Julie Kagawa)

Title: The Iron King

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Length: 363 pages

Rating: 2/5

Meghan Chase never thought herself ordinary, never seeming to fit in with the rest of the world, ever since her father mysteriously disappeared when she was six. But she never imagined she was extraordinary, burdened by the density that comes with being the secret daughter of a mythical faery king. When her brother is kidnapped, she discovers her true identify and is launched into an adventure that challenges all that she knows about the world and herself. Aiding Meghan against the mysterious evil are an untrustworthy cat, her prankster best friend who was a faery all along, and an icy, gorgeous faery prince.

I had trouble getting into this book. Nothing ever goes right, ever, and there’s no variation or anticipation when the worst always happens. The tone was dark and brooding, and Meghan wasn’t a strong enough character to pull me out of the gloom. Puck (best friend) and Ash (prince) were bright spots but like everything in the world of faeries, they had an intangible alien strangeness to them that kept me from completely liking them. It was all very Alice in Wonderland-esque but without the positivity that comes with the power of imagination. Meghan feels powerless to make any sort of impact and I felt powerless as a reader. However, I did keep reading, as I wanted to know why Meghan was so special, if she could rescue her brother, and if something significant would happen between her and Ash.

Overall, worth the ninety cents procured in late fees at the library (this review was also a factor in why I kept reading), but at not enough to make me read the rest of the series. Have a disagreeing opinion? Tell me below!

Nightshade (Andrea Cremer)

Title: Nightshade

Author: Andrea Cremer

Publisher: Philomel Books (Penguin)

Length: 452 pages

Rating: 4/5

Yep- another book in a series. I was at Barnes and Nobel the other day, casing the teen section for new reads and noticed that nearly all the best sellers are part of a series. Made me wonder: is this just a way to sell books, the standard for YA books right now, or something else entirely? Let me know your thoughts below!

Calla is leader of her shape-shifting wolf pack, destined to marry sexy alpha wolf Ren to unite their packs so that they can continue guarding their Keepers’ sacred sites. But then she breaks all the rules and saves Shay, a human boy, who makes her question all that she knows about her history, her pack, and her heart.

Okay, what’s up with all these books where two guys repeatedly throw themselves at the unassuming girl heroine? (Twilight isn’t the only culprit here) Does this ever happen in real life? Not in my real life…This complaint out of the way, the romance in this book is top-notch. Ren’s a total playboy who can’t keep his paws to himself. And hello, double-standard, Calla is supposed to stay pure until their union. Sexual tension ahoy as Ren is pretty impatient. Throw in Shay to the mix, and it’s like the equivalent of having Taylor Lautner with his shirt off all the time:

As with any paranormal story, there’s a lot of complicated history to wade through. But Cremer does a good job of revealing facts slowly, and then making Calla and the reader question all that has been revealed. Calla finally learns to think for herself rather than just accept what she’s always been taught. What is the real story behind the shape-shifters and the Keepers? I still don’t know- that’s why this book is only the first in a series! Overall, a good, thrilling read. 

A Conspiracy of Kings (Megan Whalen Turner)

Title: A Conspiracy of Kings

Author: Megan Whalen Turner

Publisher: Green Willow Books (HarperCollins)

Length: 316 pages

Rating: 4/5

  

The forth book of The Queen’s Thief series is from the perspective of Sophos, a character who befriended Eugenides in the first book, The Thief, and who we learned was kidnapped and disappeared in the third book, The King of Attolia. This is his story. Unlike the other books which follow Eugenides from close and afar in what I deemed “limited first person omniscient,” this book is from Sophos’s first person point of view. This narration style is a little more traditional to Young Adult fiction, and a great fit for this book. Whereas Eugenides hides a lot from other characters and the reader, Sophos is open and naïve and still learning. The reader can therefore learn with him, as he goes from scholar nephew of the king, to slave, to a king fighting to get his kingdom back. 

There’s a lot of strategizing going on in this book. If I ever need to take over a kingdom, I would study this book instead of Machiavelli’s The Prince. But surprisingly, I was never bored. I was invested in the characters, and I wanted them to succeed enough that I too began strategizing against those pesky Medes who keep trying to invade.

Even though this book was published more than ten years after The Thief, I could see definite foreshadowing and important themes from the first book carried out in this one. It’s amazing how interconnected everything is. And despite everything I learned reading the first three books, and my love for our hero, Eugenides, this book had me doubting him, because I also learned to love and admire Sophos. I guess it’s not easy ruling any kingdom! Amazing conclusion however- I could not have been happier. 

I would highly recommend reading the entire series from start to finish.

As promised in my last post about the series, I did ask the editor about the inclusion of a map, but alas, there was no response. So instead, I will leave you with this book trailer preview: 

Check out trailers for the others in the series at Megan Whalen Turner's website: http://meganwhalenturner.org/

                                                                                                                           

Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare)

Title: Clockwork Angel

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)

Length: 478 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

This is the most exciting/tense/keep you reading/eyes keep jumping to the bottom of the page to find out what happens next book I’ve read since The Hunger Games. And it’s just the prequel to Cassandra Clare’s famous Mortal Instruments series. You know a series is great when its prequel get a series! Although I have yet to read The Mortal Instruments series (the line for the first one, City of Bones, at the library is rather long, but after loving this book and learning the next one in the prequel series isn’t out yet, I requested the City of Bones audio book because its line was shorter. I don’t really like audio books, but that’s how much I liked this book).

Now to focus on the book at hand: Clockwork Angel, the first in The Infernal Devices series. Tessa Gray travels to London to find her brother, the only family she has left. But he’s gone missing and she’s kidnapped by the Dark Sisters, who teach her that she has the power to transform into another person. Because in this Victorian London, magic is real, populated by Downworlders like vampires and warlocks. The Dark Sisters work for the Magister, the shadowy leader of a nefarious The Pandemonium Club, who wants Tessa as his bride. Tessa escapes and takes refuge with a group of Shadowhunters whose duty is to rid the world of demons and protect humans. Among these Shadowhunters are the fearless and volatile Will, and his best friend, the calm yet hiding a deadly secret Jem. Naturally, Tessa would much rather marry one of them than the creepy Magister. Now Tessa’s on a mission to find her brother and take down the Pandemonium Club.

I thought I was over paranormal series for a bit. Turns out, I’m not. Tessa’s got the characteristics I like in a heroine: determination, hidden talent, small amount of wide-eyed innocence, spunk, and a great character arc through the book. The boys Jem and Will are the perfect compliments/foils to each other and to Tessa, and while there was a little romance, it was refreshing that the story didn’t revolve around it. While some of the plot twists were expected, Clare’s suspenseful writing kept me turning page after page, and I was still surprised quite often. And I was left with many questions and an overwhelming desire to read the next book!

If you’re looking for a new series, this is your book.