Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare

“I feel myself diminished, parts of me spiralling away into the darkness, that which is good and honest and true-If you hold it away from yourself long enough, do you lose it entirely? If no one cares for you at all, do you even really exist?”

Synopsis:

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, but 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…

Spoilers Ahead!

The first book in this series really took me on a whirlwind and the sequel was no different. It was full of emotional moments, oh my god moments, lovey-dovey moments and some chuckle-worthy moments for good measure. After the first book ended the way it did (my heart in bits) I knew that this one was going to take no prisoners and I was absolutely right, it grabbed me by the lady balls and swung me about until I had nothing left.

The love triangle is definitely in full-swing, we see Tessa and Jem getting closer and despite Will being a complete ass at the end of the first book, doesn’t deny the fact that he is head over heels for her. Love triangles are a difficult one for me. I don’t hate them by any means but they are a frustrating trope. I find it exciting that you don’t know who they will end up with but sometimes it can be quite uncomfortable to read especially when the two boys in question are BEST FRIENDS! Like can you imagine that in the real world? Excuse all the magic and demons and whatnot imagine THAT situation. No. Thanks.

The characters are a huge part of what I love about these books. The friendship between Will and Jem deserve a book of their own and Tessa is such a refreshing change from Clary (the mortal instruments). I also loved the more secondary characters, Charlotte and Henry being the most likeable people ever. Jessamine was a weird one, half the time I’m looking at the page when she makes a decision like is she for real? She was a character I so wanted to like but she didn’t half make it hard for me. We are also introduced to new characters, which I was not opposed to. Oh and can we all just take a minute for Sophie, she is amazing!

I realise though I have one slight problem with the trilogy, it is only minor for me and so didn’t hinder my rating but I find it slightly annoying that we have Tessa being all so new to the world and Will, the good looking, confident boy with all the secrets mirrors Clary and Jace for TMI and I’m not all that into it. I didn’t mention it in Clockwork Angel’s review, mainly because I forgot but I’m mentioning it now. At least I like these characters a lot more, that definitely redeems it but I guess you can’t get much more irritating than Clary.

Plot-wise I was pretty engaged and interested in what was going on but its the sub-plots that had my attention.

Something that I have to talk about is we now have a MARRIAGE on our hands. I love Will. Like I really love Will so when Tessa got engaged to Jem I was very conflicted. Don’t get me wrong Jem is absolutely precious so I wasn’t against the whole thing but my POOR POOR WILL. My emotions were all over the place, I didn’t know what to feel. And then to make my heart break even more when Tessa and will were arguing and he was proclaiming his love for her I DIED. DeHd. BuRiEd.

There was moments that literally made my heart swell aswell as shatter some of my favourites being Charlotte’s pregnancy (I love love love) and the romance between Gideon and Sophie, I am so here for it!!

Overall, this book had me up, down and all around, emotional turmoil does not even begin to describe what I was feeling. Was I excited to read on? Understatement.

My Rating…

I had to. I loved it. For me this tops The Mortal Instruments by a mile. Cassandra Clare completely got my heart with this trilogy and hit me right in the feels. I was beyond excited to reach the conclusion of the final book and find out what the fook was going to happen. So far I would definitely recommend this series.

City of Fallen Angels By Cassandra Clare

“There might not be so much of a difference between the side of Light and the side of Dark as you suppose. After all, without the Dark, there is nothing for the Light to burn away.”

Synopsis:

The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and – most importantly of all – she can finally call Jace her boyfriend. But her happiness has come at a price…

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.

My Thoughts…

Spoilers Ahead!

So, this is the fourth instalment of the mortal instruments and I have to say: it was amazing. I felt much more immersed in the plotline than the previous three books, I was slightly unprepared for the whirlwind this book took me on but I was completely thrilled by it.

Something that was very prominent for me that I would like to point outfirst is the love plots to this book. There was definitely development for quite a few relationships. Obviously, we see a lot of Clary and Jace and I’m here for their relationship but my focus was not really on them. SIMON SIMON SIMON. It was so funny and so infuriating reading his scenes with Isabelle AND Maia but when it all came out it was so so so good. I’ve always been a Simon and Isabelle shipper so going into the next books I was incredibly excited to see their progression. And you can’t mention love with the mortal instruments without everyone’s treasures: Alec and Magnus. I love everything about them. I’m a big fan of young adult fantasies with a strong love element and this couple don’t disappoint. I was routing for them till the very end! One of my highlights of the book was:

“You could give me the past,” he said a little sadly. “But Alec is my future.”

This book lacked any teary eyed moments. There was no scenes that destroyed me emotionally , which I wasn’t too fussed about because to be honest I wasn’t expecting any necessarily but definitely in the next books I was hoping for something that would just break my heart. Is that weird? Tell me you get this? Like, you know it’s a great series when it shatters your soul.

What this book didn’t lack however was some nail-biting, piss-myself out of shock and excitement moments. It was filled with scenes that had me anticipating the next books and what would be the consequences of all these actions. From the whole Simon gobbling Maureen to the revelation of Kyle being Jordan it was soooo gripping! I can’t mention pissing myself without mentioning that last scene. We all knew Sebastian was going to turn up again but to end like that? SHOOK.

I wasn’t a fan of the addition of Lilith. Idk I just didn’t like her as a villain maybe we don’t see enough of her but she just wasn’t interesting to me and considering she’s all evil and might she was put down considerably easier than expected.

Overall, this book definitely had me excited to read on with this series. In my opinion Cassandra Clare definitely raised the bar with this one!

My Rating…

I think this book is my favourite one so far! This series is trash for teenagers, it has all the elements that we crave and I’m lapping all this good shit up to be honest. This one definitely raised my expectations for the next books!

Keep reading xoxo

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Plenty of humans are monstrous, and plenty of monsters know how to play at being human.

Synopsis:

This is the exclusive collectors edition hardback with bonus features inside because we are fancy on this blog.

Victor and Eli started out as college roomates – brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in one another. A shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death-experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horrible wrong. They become EOs, ExtraOrdinaries, leaving a body in their wake and turning on each other.

Ten years later Victor has escaped from prison and is determined to get his revenge on the man who put him there, aided by a young girl with the ability to raise the dead. Eli has spent the years hunting down and killing every EO he can find, convinced that they are a crime against God, all except his sidekick, a woman whose power is persuasion and whom he cannot defy. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the arch-nemeses have set a course for revenge – but who will be left alive in the end?

My Thoughts…

V.E. Schwab never fails to disappoint! Having already read the Darker Shades of Magic trilogy I definitely went into Viscous with high expectations, safe to say my expectations were met if not exceeded. The first thing I want to talk about is the characters. She has crafted such interesting characters that had me incredibly eager to read on. Without sounding to cliché there was so many layers to all of the characters and you never quite know everything about them. Victor and Eli, being main characters clearly show this, whether you love or hate them both leave you with so much intrigue. One of my absolute favourite characters despite her being a villain was Serena, she was so fascinating, I couldn’t help but love the whole bitch role, she honestly a whirl wind, a storm within herself, a force to be reckoned with and a complete bad-ass. Sydney and Mitch also were enjoyable to read, I cannot wait to see how they (especially Sydney) progress in the sequel.

The actual plot I found very enjoyable, I had just finished a very long series so coming out of it I wanted something to prevent me from falling into a slump and would grab my attention, which I certainly got. This book definitely gave a superhero vibe through out that I loved, if you however are not in to that sort of thing I don’t necessarily think you should be giving this a read. This is a twisted tale about friendship and bitter betrayal and I struggle to put into words how fucking good it is. The plot, the characters, the interactions, the absolute crazy shite that Victor and Eli come out with will leave you at a loss for words. You cant help but appreciate Eli’s intelligence all while wanting to punch him in the face for being so ignorant. The juxtaposition is mind boggling. Not to mention his idiocy makes you root for Victor even more, as far as anti-heroes go: I. am. all. For. Victor. You 100% will question his intentions and his true nature but your hope for him to be good and win is completely overriding your questions about whether he’s absolutely bonkers.

It was such a rollercoaster, a very dark, winding, slightly unhinged rollercoaster but I suppose those are the best kind. Maybe not the best but the most thrilling. It was amazing to read, the writing itself was easy to get through. I was never bored or confused and nothing was longwinded. The way we jump between the past and the present in each chapter was particularly enjoyable.

My Rating…

I mean there is nothing really else to say. Five out of five because it was AMAZING. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone! I’d recommend it to a half dead relative just to maybe convince them that they may develop some weird ability, they probably wouldn’t like me too much after but it’s all shits and giggles.

P.S. I do usually post on Sundays but I have quite a busy weekend so enjoy the early post you don’t know how lucky you are.

Keep reading xoxo

Fairyloot Unboxing: February

Sorry about this post being slightly later than usual but hey ho! I haven’t actually got a schedule for when I am posting so maybe I should sort that out. As you can probably tell today’s post is going to be an unboxing of the February Fairyloot box! This month’s theme is Beast & Beauty and I was super excited to receive this one! On the right is a picture of the box with just about everything in it. I had already looked at all the contents so this was me trying to neatly, I’m using that word in the loosest sense, put everything back inside.

So, first we have a very VERY large wall tapestry designed by Sweet Sequels. It features a dancing scene between Belle and the Beast, it is absolutely stunning! Considering I’m not ten foot tall (5’1 incase your wondering) I couldn’t get a picture of the whole thing but I got a little snap of the cute couple, the best part in my opinion.

Next, we are onto the enchanted rose inspired cup or “sparkly tumbler” as they so very fancily put it in the spoiler card. It has the enchanted rose on one side and then a quote from Beauty and the beast on the other. It was designed by Taratjah and KDP Letters. I love it, I’m a HUGE fan of the colour gold and anything that sparkles so I was very pleased to see this.

The third item is a Ceramic Trinket Dish, which they have never before included, for putting your little jewellery bits in. It is in fact on my bedside table with some of my jewellery bits in. The dish has a quote from Beauty and the Beast and was designed by Drop And Give Me Nerdy, it is SO cute.

We also have, well me not you, well maybe you, who knows, a Tea With Mrs. Potts Roll-On perfume (vegan), which is made/designed by Little Heart Gifts. The scent is sweet tea and vanilla and it has certainly grew on me. I usually wear quite floral perfume and this is very much vanilla, something that I would really like as a candle but it is still very nice all the same.

Next this box featured an Enchanted Rose Enamel Pin, designed by IceyDesigns. This is so cute and believe it or not by first ever bookish pin!

How gorgeous is this Belle art print though? Ahh sooo pretty! This was designed by @amaretta_ . Next to the print is what looks like a book mark featuring City of Brass on.

Fairyloot have been featuring collectable Tarot cards in their boxes in December, they are currently doing the A Court Of Thorns and Roses series, which I am very happy about. In this box Mor and Rhysand were featured, they are so pretty. All the artwork for these cards were done by Emily Haynes. I am very excited to receive more of these cards.

The book featured in this box this month is A Curse So Dark And Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. I predicted this book and was so excited to get it and this cover is absolutely stunning! The spine of the book is holographic and oh my god I am obsessed. It may be one of my favourite covers ever. On the left of the book you can see February’s Fairyscoop and on the right we have a few things. How cute is the little signed bookplate? We also have a large bookmark (that is a bookmark right?) with the book cover on. The Fairyloot bookmark with the theme art on, I LOVE the theme art. Finally, an art print inspired by the book itself, designed by @kf1n3.

Overall, this box has been amazing, I am so excited to keep receiving Fairyloot. Definitely worth it!

Keep reading xoxo

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) by Cassandra Clare

Yes. Yes. Yes. It is what I am sure you have been waiting for… the last Goodreads review I will be posting on here. I do actually have a couple more but I think the time has come to stop with that. So, here it is: the last, the final, the ever amazing Goodreads review.

“One must always be careful of books,” said Tessa, “and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”

~This review will have a non spoiler section and a spoiler section further on, there will be a warning before the spoilers.~

I really really enjoyed this book, it was so fun and interesting and has made me ALOT more excited to read on about the shadowhunter world.

This book does however include a love triangle, a trope that many love and many despise. If you fall into the despise category I would advise to STAY CLEAR of this because it is a huge part of the storyline.

I have to say I pretty much liked all of the main characters and a lot of the interactions were so enjoyable to read. I also thoroughly enjoyed the time period it was set in, I found it so interesting to read, particularly how the treatment of people (especially women) differs to nowadays.

We follow our main girl Tessa, who I have to say is ALOT less annoying then Clary thank sweet baby Jesus, and her coming from America to London and her discovery of the shadowhunter world and everything in it. We also get to see her development with her own abilities and she meets a bunch of interestig characters; the good, the bad and the fookin weird.
We get to see her experience romance, action, magic and betrayal dun dun duuuuun.

I gave this book a four stars because I liked it a lot but there wasn’t enough OH MY GOD moments, so I am definitely anticipating that for the next two books but I have really high hopes!

~Spoilers~

So, this book took me on a journey and I was loving every minute!
I would first like to point out that I LOVE that Tessa LOVES books, I think that brings abit of joy to everyone involved.
Tessa, Will and Jem. The love triangle is pretty evident and extremely significant to the story. Obviously we have to have a Will, that arrogant ass hole that we all just love and to be honest I was so shipping him and Tessa throughout most of the book even though Jem is literally the nicest boy ever (kind of hate myself for it but oh well). BUT when we got to the end of the book and Will said some things to Tessa, YOU KNOW WHAT I’M ON ABOUT, I was like FUCK NO. I was rooting for him so bad to let his walls down and ughhhh he was just so horrible. I honestly don’t even know what to do like he’s gonna have to do some serious making up. I’m in some SERIOUS turmoil at the moment.

Send help.
Anyway back to the actual plot.

We see Tessa discover and develop her powers because she’s part Warlock, I’m very interested to find more about her though because we definitely haven’t heard the full story.
We see her come into the institute and meet the whole gang: Charlotte, Henry, Jem, Will, Jessamine, Thomas, Sophie and Agatha.
Also I hope Jessamine gets some well needed character development because I want to like her but my God it’s bloody hard like I do at some points and then others I’m like really bitch?

Even though a lot of the book for me was a tad on the predictable side one thing that really wasn’t was Nate’s betrayal like idk if it was just me that didn’t see it coming? It just hit me and I was like NO WAY. Lawwwd it was so juicy.

So, when all the shit did hit the fan and everyone was tricked and it was just the girls, Nate and Thomas left in the house I was like this is so not going to end well.

Obviously it didn’t.

Poor Agatha, I mean I wasn’t too hurt by her death because she wasn’t a character we got to see really but oh well, what did hit me was Thomas. I was so not expecting to feel as sad as I did. I think it was the whole being inlove with Sophie and then saying to Will that he wasn’t a shadowhunter, it all just hit me in the feelings.

When Tessa was threatening to stab herself, ofcourse I didn’t want her to die but the way she was so willing and just acted like a bad bitch I was like YES GURL.

Also need to mention Jem. Like he deserves the world. He is too precious. What I can’t get over though is he is literally DYING. Like are we going to see him die? Will it be in the books? I don’t know whats going to happen to him let alone the relationship with him and Tessa. I just don’t know how I feel about it all.

The whole romance has maybe kind of taken over the other plotlines for me to be honest at the moment but I’m not mad.
I can’t wait to read on with this series, I’m loving these characters so much already!
I have enjoyed this first book more than the first two books of the mortal instrument series (the third was pretty damn good so idk).

Which series did you prefer and why?

Keep reading xoxo

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3) by Cassandra Clare

Ahhh once again this is a Goodreads review so beware!! After this there is only ONE more Goodreads review so. Get. Excited.

She supposed they were imperfections, these marks, but they didn’t feel that way to her; they were a history, cut into his body: the map of a life of endless war.

Showcasing my paperback edition. It’s actually so easy for the cover and spine to crack and look rough.

~There will be a non-spoiler section and a spoiler section further on, there shall be a warning before the spoilers don’t worry.~

YES YES YES.

This was definitely the step up, the ooomph I needed to really get me more invested in this series. It was alot more gripping and fast-paced. Action, arguments, love and all that gooood stuff were stuffed in here

.
So, this is the third installement in The Mortal Instrument series and this is where it is at so far, it went down.
My expectations had definitely lowered after reading the first two due to them just not meeting them but this has got me starting to see what the hype is about.
We got to meet some new characters and I connected more with the characters that we have already met. I received some answers that I wanted and a well needed confrontation. There hasn’t been a full on sob worthy moment for me yet but I’m patiently waiting for one!
Overall, this has made me excited to continue on with the series, although I am reading Clockwork Angel first because apparently that is the best way to read them.

4/5 stars, I thouroghly enjoyed this one.

~Spoilers ahead!!~

We got to meet Luke’s sister!! I haven’t formed much of an opinion of her to be honest she seems like someone that could be likeable but there were too many other things that had my attention. BUT hearing that she was ashamed of Luke due to what happened to him was irratating like wtf that’s your brother?

We learn that Simon can walk in the sun because he drank Jace’s blood because he’s got more angel blood in him or something idk what’s gonna happen with Simon in the next books but I’m excited to find out.

OH MY LORDDDD when Clary walked in on Aline and Jace God I felt for her like reading the build up to that moment I was like oh no oh no oh no, the tension was running high!!
AND THEN my heart literally cracked when Jace was being a complete ass to her and telling her to go home I was reading like wtf are you doing? Pissing all over her parade mate. And then she was like your just like Valentine I was like OMG NO SHE DIDN’T. God it was so horrid yet so good.
Then we got that all good confrontation and she was throwing plates and then herself at him God I loved that, it was so needed.

Then he took her to the manor where they discovered that angel guy (pretty sure the name is Ithuriel but if it isn’t don’t crucify me) and then that angel guy died but before he died he showed them some pretty pictures. But enough of that, when that angel guy died the manor went down with it AND bloody Jace and Clary were lying on the grass only just nearly getting it on!!! At this point they were still brother and sister so I was reading it like I don’t know whether to be on board with it or not (totally on board). Obviously it couldn’t end happily and they had a little huff with each other and resumed their moods. They return to Alicante only to find the city on fire. Yeah great.

OMFG NOW THIS PART I WAS LIKE NO. NO. NO. NO. Before I get into it I best mention my feelings on Sebastian because he’s a new one. At first I was kind of rooting for him to be a good character like I did not ship him and Clary at all but I was boarding his train as a character. And then little things started to happen and I was like oh just great he’s gonna turn out to be an asswipe. I was correct. Right but Jesus Christ I thought he fully killed Isabelle I was like no, no way this is happening. But it was just a cheeky death scare. I LOVE Isabelle so thank the high heavens she’s not dead.

My heart when Magnus said he loved Alec. Oh I actually adore them I cannot wait to see where those two go like so far those two are my number 1 ship.

So, we find out that the person Simon has been locked up with (oh yeah Simon got locked up lol) was the one and only Hodge. Jace and the rest of them got Simon and Hodge out of the cells only for Sebastian to kill Hodge, I think because Hodge was going to tell them some important info.

Max. The poor guy. I wasn’t distraught with this death or anything, we didn’t get to see him all that much but still, awww.

From morbid to excited. I LEGIT THOUGHT SIMON AND ISABELLE GOT IT ON. I love them together, I ship them way more than Simon and Maia buttttt definitely the wrong time to be doing THAT

.
“There is no pretending,” Jace said with absolute clarity. “I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there’s a life after that, I’ll love you then.” MY HEART.

Jocelyn came back, idk what her role is gonna be in all this, she’s just kind of there. Was cute though when her and Luke declared their love for each other. Awww.

We finallyyyyyyy found out that Clary and Jace weren’t related (who would have guessed) so now I am openly, proudly and fully aboard their ship. So, Sebastian is actually Jonathan and Jace is Stephen’s son and the Inquistor’s (Imogen) grandson and Valentine cut him out of his dead mothers belly. Interesting.

Alec and Magnus KISSING infront of EVERYONE was the highlight of the book.

Is Sebastian dead? That is the question, somehow I think not. Valentine is though so that’s good because he bored me, Sebastian seems like a much more interesting villain.

The ending of this actually felt like the ending full stop to be honest it was weird. Like there was unanswered questions and things but I guess I mean I have no problem jumping into Clockwork Angel because I wasn’t left on a cliffhanger or anything, which I have to say I’m actually grateful for.
I’m so excited to see what happens next when I get around to jumping back into the series!!

Keep reading xoxo

Alice (The Chronicles of Alice #1) by Christina Henry

This is a Goodreads so as you may have gathered from previous reviews it. Will. Be. Messy.

“That is true,” Alice said. “I could never understand you.” She would never comprehend the need to hurt those who never hurt her, the need to hate for the sake of hating. She never wanted to rule over others in fear.

I do love this creepy cover! I don’t know if you can see but I tabbed this book with pink paper tabs. Don’t judge my basicness, I have evolved.

~This review will have a none spoiler section and then a spoiler filled section further on,(there will be a warning before the spoilers) enjoy!~

Honestly, I was quite underwhelmd with this book. It’s not a bad book but it’s not particularly great either. I didn’t know what I was quite expecting going into this, I was excited to read something abit different, a dark, twisted retelling of Alice in wonderland. I enjoyed parts of the book and I appreciated the writing (although at times I did think it was pretty basic) and was delightfully disturbed at parts but overall I guess I just wasn’t hooked.

I did enjoy the concept of the story being told after Alice went ‘down the rabbit hole’. It was really interesting to see how Henry executed it. The story was dark and creepy, which I think was done pretty well, at parts I was deeply unsettled (in a good way).

The ending though… didn’t do it for me it wasn’t an OMG moment, it isn’t something that’s going to stay with me, I’m not going to be thinking about it in a couple of months, it was pretty boring. There is a second book that continues this story and I’m not going to be fighting people at the book shop to get it.

If you are thinking about reading this book it’s an average reads with some enjoyable parts.
3/5 stars because it was decent. You may love it but I just wasn’t captivated. In my opinion, this book isn’t a necessity, you won’t die if you don’t read it but it’s by no means a bad book.

Trigger warning: this book doea include things such as rape, which may upset you as a reader, if so this book isn’t for you.

~Spoilers ahead~

So, we start off seeing Alice in a hospital for the mentally ill where she is confined to all in all a crappy room. She is basically being called crazy because after escaping from the rabbit (bad bad guy by the way) she can’t remember everything that has happened to her and when your daughter comes home spouting nonsense about an evil rabbit the first thing your mum would do would be to lock you up in a mental hospital, right?

Inside this mental hospital she becomes friends with Hatcher (a murderer but a nice guy really) next door. I honestly thought Hatcher was going to turn out to be evil but he stayed good to Alice throughout the book, thank God! I couldn’t have Hatcher killing Alice on me. I found their relationship abit odd, I didnt hate it but at times I was slightly confused.

Anyway, we see the hospital getting burned down and Hatcher and Alice’s escape.

Plot twist!

It’s not just them that escape but the Jabberwocky!! Who, they now need to go and defeat. Not only that but Hatcher is a seer and so is magically linked to the Jabberwocky and can sense when it’s close which sends Hatcher abit (a lot) loopy.
Hatcher in general is just abit (a lot) loopy and when you anger him he tends to ‘see red’ and kill you, spectacular I know!

The first important stop is Chesire’s house.
I found him a very intriguing character and wished there was more actual interactions with him, I found myself wanting to read more about him.

After some strange trickery from Chesire we then see Alice and Hatcher meet up with the caterpillar and my word the caterpillar’s home was a distubing scene. Basically a brothel.

Also a moment just for the Walrus. Vile. Vile. Vile
Stealing women and eating them WHILE he rapes them, (we later find out he was eating them to uncover whether they were a magcian or not as he was trying to steal their power because he was meant to buy Alice who, PLOT TWIST is a a magician as well as the Jabberwocky).

Back to the caterpillar, their conversation was interesting, we got to find out the story of Hatcher and how he actually worked for the rabbit in exchange for protection for his wife and later his dauhter against the big bad world.
That turns sour because their daughter, Jenny, is that stunning that the rabbit has Hattie, the mum, raped and murdered and the daughter stolen away to far far away. Just the usual thing you do to pretty girls.
Alice then being the bad ass she is gives the caterpillar the knife to the throat. Fully deserved!

Next stop the walrus. I wasn’t happy with these scenes. The walrus was bigged up throughout this book to be some big, scary character and in my opinion he went down way to easily. No tension. No suspense.
I get he wasn’t the main villian so perhaps not alot went into his storyline but he was a big obstacle in the way of their ultimate goal but it seemed like Alice and Hatcher had no issue of ridding themselves of the him.
It wasn’t even that their plan was made to be unrealistcally perfect or anything, I think it was just too short. I would have liked the walrus to put up abit more of a fight.

We then finally get to encounter the rabbit, who turns out to be some frail, old man because Alice took his eye out (when she previously went down the rabbit hole), taking his magic with him due to this magical knife she used (WHICH IS WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR TO DESTROY THE JABBERWOCKY ONLY ALICE THREW IT IN THE RIVER AGESSSSS AGO).
Not much to say about the Rabbit except he was abit weird. Again they seemed to roll right through him – onto the Jabberwocky.

I was sooooooo happy when Alice faced the Jabberwocky alone, Hatcher had been referred to as her protector throughout the book so seeing her able to take on this main villian alone was so pleasing to read.
However, again this villian was portrayed as an incredibly powerfull, ultimately evil type of baddy but Alice, who couldn’t even control her powers properly turned him into a BUTTERFLY. I don’t even know what to say. Amusing? Bizzare?

The ending really was quite predictable, similar to a fairy tale ending but it did set up for the second book nicely.
The adventure to Hatcher’s daughter, which I assume will be the main plotline in the sequel.
It felt like eveything was too much of a picture perfect ending and I needed something to grab me and make me want to pick up the next one and although this book had some good aspects unfortunately I just didn’t have that something that I needed.

A decent read but nothing spectacular.

I’m interested to see how other people found this book and if you picked the second book up what are your thoughts?A dencent book with some enjoyable disturbing scenes, a good read but not really a “go get it now” type of read.

Keep reading xoxo

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

This is a review from my Goodreads page so be warned it is most likely to be slightly chaotic.

“You are mortal; you age; you die,” the queen said dismissively. “If that is not hell, pray tell me, what is?”

Paper back edition, the same as the first and the rest of the series I have. Look how messy my tabs are!

~This will have a non spoiler section and spoiler section further on, there shall be warnings before the spoilers don’t worry~

So, this is a tricky one for me really because there isn’t a whole bunch to say.
This is the second book in the mortal instruments series andddd it was… alright. I have heard such AMAZING things about this series and the hype surrounding it was crazy so maybe I went in with my expectations a little too high. It’s not bad by any means it just wasn’t incredibly gripping.

However, I have heard that the first two books were slower and they do get better so I’m definitely continuing clinging to my hope that this series will grab me by the balls at some point. It is okay so far i’m just waiting for a sweep me off my feet kind of moment.

The rating for me? 3/5 stars because I’m liking it but I’m not completely sold so far.

Have you read the series? If so what are your thoughts on this book?

~Spoilers ahead!~

What I do really love about this series so far is the humour between the characters! Starting off with Alec losing his shit “mostly extinct… IS NOT EXTINCT ENOUGH”, like how random but how bloody amusing. I’m really starting to love Alec, his character is so interesting and developing really nicely, I’m excited to see where he ends up.

We have a little smooch scene with Simon and Clary, and I’m just NOT. FOR. IT. I don’t ship them at all but I do love their friendship.

OMG PAGE 138 when Alec’s hand was on Jace and Magnus coughed and I could just picture him thinking HELL NO BIATCH, oh I just loved it, chuckle worthy moment. I can’t wait to see more Magnus and Alec!

The back and forth between Jace and Simon is comedy gold, definitely some of my favourite character interactions! I really appreciate little moments like these in books, mixing this with other elements and you really are onto a winner! One of my favourite moments was when Jace was like “I knew you wanted to kiss me” , like wtf ahahaha.
Speaking of kissing that whole seelie court scene JESUS CHRIST like I genuinely don’t know how to feel about this situation, it was quite uncomfortable to read but I just couldn’t stop, not going to lie I weirdly liked it, oh well. It’s also so obvious that they are just not related. I don’t believe it at all.

When Clary was yelling at Jace telling him she wished Simon was her brother I actually got abit emosh! I felt like it was kind of written off though because he took her “sickening” comment extremely bad. I didn’t like that. He could have been more a whole lot more understanding, she thinks your related how is she meant to feel?
Then we got a death scare. Simon, Simon, Simon. Like you have got to be KIDDING ME I was like hell no this is not about to happen. Ofcourse, it didn’t actually happen because authors love to give you a little death scare and then miraculously bringing them back to life or somehow they didn’t actually die. I don’t know if you can tell but I’m very split when it comes to killing but not really killing a character off. Aslong as it doesn’t happen multiple times I really don’t mind but if it doesn’t it honestly getting annoying.

Jace jumping about the place like a flippin kangaroo was pretty cool, we all knew he was special but I wonder how all that’s going to play out along with Clary’s magical power.

AND THEN WE GET ANOTHER DEATH SCARE FROM SIMON. I understand a death scare. I even sometimes like a death scare BUT twice in one book. The book is not even big. NO. No thanks. Wasn’t here for it.
Oh yes, Simon is no longer Simon, he is now vampy Simon. I can get on board with this idea, I’m intrigued to see where he is going. This being the reason I wasn’t too bothered about the first death scare because it had a PURPOSE to the plot line but the second death scare for me just didn’t really serve any purpose.
OMFG the conversation between Jace and Clary at the end was so FRUSTRATING! I was like yes she’s going to declare her love for him despite their situation and then he INTERRUPTS and is all like oh you were right like NO SHE WASN’T WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? And then Clary JUST WALKS OUT. NONONONO you don’t do that you say listen here Jace mate this is what I want. AHHHH.
I mean I guess it does build more tension and gets me excited for when they do actually have THAT conversation which will hopefully be in the next book.

P.S. I’m also still waiting for Clary to be less annoying, feel free to tell me when that is!

I’m hoping book 3 will pick up more and grab hold of me because it definitely has the potential to really get me invested. It has all the teenage cringe and problems mixed with this magical world which does get me excited. I just need some real twists and turns, something unexpected. So, on with the next book!!

Keep reading xoxo

Fairyloot Unboxing

Hey Hello Hi.

Today’s post as you can probably tell is going to be the January Fairyloot unboxing! Fairyloot is a subscription box for Young Adult fantasy lovers that features around 5-6 bookish items related to the theme and then of course the exclusive Fairyloot edition book.

This is actually only my second box from Fairyloot so I’m pretty much a new subscriber but I had been wanting to subscribe for a while previously. Honestly, this subscription just seemed right up my street so I am incredibly excited!

This months theme is *drumroll please* … Unbreakable Bonds!!

Let’s get straight into it then. So this is what the box looks like, the spoiler card has the theme art on (how gorgeous), which is done by Fairyloot’s official artist, @taratjah.

So, first we have this exclusive Dregs hair band, which is inspired by The Dregs in Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. It was designed by Fictiontea Designs. Ahh I haven’t read Six of Crows YET (I know shoot me). I do have the book though so its just getting around to it, I have the collectors edition and its sooooo stunning. I cant wait to get around to it (I want to read Shadow and Bone first though). This hair band is so cute and thank Jebus because I’ve been needing one so I’m super happy!

Next we have some Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from The Tea Leaf Co, which is inspired by The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson and the characters on the front are Lia and Pauline (if you didn’t notice). Now this is definitely an item I can get on board with! I have tried it and I can say it tastes bloody fantastic. Again I haven’t read The Remnant Chronicles but again it is on the long list of books I would like to pick up soon.

FAN GIRL MOMENT. Will and Jem candle? YES FOOKIN PLEASE. This is an exclusive Will and Jem candle by Geeky Clean, inspired by the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. The scents is tea and sage, I really like the smell, its quite strong and smells really fresh. I have read the first two books of the Infernal devices trilogy and after I finish City of Lost Souls the last book is the very next I am picking up. I. CAN’T. WAIT.

How cute is this? This is an exclusive Lip Balm by Book and Nook. It’s inspired by the friendship between Jules and Arsinoe in Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. The lip Balm kind of smells like Palma Violets but when actually on the lips feels quite minty fresh so Idk what’s going on there. I have read the first two books in this trilogy and I do have the third it is just a matter of getting around to it. I love Arsinoe but to be honest I actually wasn’t the hugest fan of Jules. This Lip Balm is cute though.

Fairyloot are now including collectable tarot card theme trading cards in their boxes and the first set is inspired by A Court of Thorns and Roses! This month they have sent out Feyre and Azriel (at first I thought it was Ryhsand but the spoiler card rectified that and I am now aware that it’s my baby Azriel). I’ve read the series (obviously) I love the series (obviously) so I am very happy with the inclusion of these cards and what a good idea in general anyway?

On the left we have an exclusive Fellowship Friendship woodmark inspired by The Lord of the Rings by Ink and Wonder Designs. How pretty is this design please? I love love love it! The quote on it says “There is some good in this world and it’s worth fighting for”. On the right we have the Fairyloot bookmark, which is included in every months box, it has this months art theme on.

How gorgeous is this?! This is an exclusive Raven Crew cushion cover by Monolimeart and KDP Letters. It features the artwork and quote from The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. The size is 18″ x 18″. I haven’t read this series YET but I am familiar with it and it is on my list.

These two items were also included. They are a Once & Future Postcard and The Black Cats Postcard. I’m not really familiar with either.

And here it is! The main item. The book of the month is Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye. This edition is a Fairyloot exclusive, it has lavender sprayed edges and is actually signed by the author. The character art was designed by @sallteas and I’m loving it! I’m not familiar with the book or the author but it definitely looks like something I would go for so I’m excited to get around to it, whenever that will be.

Overall, I am beyond happy with this box, everything looks to be really good quality and I’m loving all the items. I’m sooo excited for next month! Would I recommend Fairyloot? Yes!

Keep reading xoxo

Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst

Socialite. Were-Dragon. Thief. The only thing worth stealing is the truth.

Synopsis:

This is the Fairyloot edition. It’s sooo pretty and I’m in love with the art print!

Leading your first heist is a major milestone in Sky Hawkin’s family even more so than learning to talk, walk, or do long division. It’s a chance to gain power and acceptance within society. But stealing your first treasure can be complicated – especially when you’re a wyvern, a human capable of transforming into a dragon. Embarking on a life of crime is never easy, and Sky’s mission uncovers deep secrets about the mother who recently went missing, the real reason her boyfriend broke up with her, and a valuable jewel that could restore her family’s wealth and rank in their community. With a handpicked crew by her side, Sky knows that she has everything she needs to complete her first heist – and get back the people she loves in the process. But instead, she ends up discovering a dark truth about were-dragon society – a truth that is more valuable and dangerous than gold or jewels could ever be.

My Thoughts…

Spoilers Ahead!

Fire and Heist was a fun and entertaining read! I hadn’t heard anything about it previously so diving into this read I was slightly apprehensive, especially with the book being so short (290!!) and being under the impression that it was a stand alone. Like a Fantasy stand alone? Pure madness! I was impressed, I’m not going to be too critical with this read because I didn’t find it to be particularly bad and it doesn’t delve into sensitive topics. It was honestly just a quick light read and I really enjoyed it.

Sky is your typical teenage girl really (despite the OBVIOUS differences), I love having a sarcastic, snarky female lead so I was beyond pleased with her delivery. There was probably a few points were she annoyed me like I wasn’t there for her fawning over boyfriend, keep in minding I LOVE a good romance, Ryan (the love interest) gave me a bad vibe at first and even-though there wasn’t any plot twists and he was in general a good guy there was just something off about him. So, I couldn’t fully invest in the romance, which to be honest is pretty devastating.

As for other characters one of my favourites had to be Maximus! He was just fun to read, amusing, entertaining and didn’t take things to seriously, which I feel is pretty much a must. I found myself wanting to read more about the brothers. We don’t learn a great deal about them, I mean granted this book doesn’t even hit 300 pages so there isn’t really time for a lot of character development, background knowledge and worldbuilding so yes, it’s good for what it is but could there have been more? Absolutely! I didn’t get to have particularly strong feelings about any of the characters because there simply wasn’t enough of them.

I quite enjoyed the plot. It was a good idea, something that definitely caught my eye. However, again there just wasn’t enough of it. You just don’t see many short fantasy books and they aren’t usually stand alones either and to be honest there is probably a reason for it. Don’t get me wrong it was an entertaining, fun read but I couldn’t fully immerse myself in the world or dig my teeth in when I blink a couple of times, take two sips of a cup of tea and then BAM it’s over. You know what I mean?

The conclusion was your standard happy ending. Sky got her boy and her family and her family’s rank was restored. Overall, I was satisfied with the ending, no real plot twists but still, nice.

My Rating…

Originally my rating was a 4/5 stars and it still is that on my Goodreads. However, now that I’m actually discussing it it has gone down to a 3. This doesn’t mean “oh my god it was bad” it just means it was good but the more I think on it the more I realise I was expecting it to be better and my expectation is what was reflected in my initial rating. It was a good read though and I did enjoy it but there wasn’t enough and comparing it with other books I have gave 4s to, it just doesn’t make the cut. The ideas and potential of this book was huge but the execution while yes, it was decent and enjoyable, could have been better. I still would recommend for an entertaining, light read but if your looking for a book that is going to take you on a rollercoaster then this is not really the book to go to.

Keep reading xoxo