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

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

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

City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare

This is a review from my Goodreads so bear with it. Also just putting it out there reviews that are not from Goodreads shall be a lot more organised!

I knew then that I hadn’t stopped believing in God. I’d just stopped believing God cared. There might be a God, Clary, and there might not, but I don’t think it matters. Either way, we’re on our own. – Jace Lightwood

Paperback, Aus Paperback, 415 pages Published 2015 by Walker.
The spines of this edition are everything.

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

I know, I know i’m incrediby late to the party but to be honest i’m not always for the hype. Diving into this book i’d heard alot of amazing things about this series as a whole but there was a variation with the first book.
Obviously there had been alot of great things said about this one but also the warning that it is abit slow, getting better further on in the series.
I have to say overall I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to continue with this series but i’m just not inlove with it… YET.
So I like it but I don’t love it.
It was just abit too predictable at times for me and there were quite a few situations were Clary annoyed the hell out of me, she was just a very damsel in distress kind of character, I’m hoping that changes throughout. So far I’m liking the plot and interested to see where things go.
Hopefully I will be jumping on the Cassandra Clare bandwaggon because I have heard SO MANY incredible things about her. Would I recommend this? I think I would, I can’t say for definite but it’s a nice introduction into a series.
3/5 stars, on the way but not completely hooked yet.

~spoilers ahead~

For me there were quite a few chuckle worthy moments, which I LOVE in a book, like if you can make me laugh we’re on to something! One of my favourite scenes didn’t play a role in the plot or anything but it was just a YES QUEEN type of moment.
Drum roll please…
Clary smacking Jace!! You know for that other ten percent, it was just so amusing to me, it reminded me off something I would do and we all love a relatable moment. All in all though Clary was pretty annoying at times. I thought there was going to be a part where she REALLY took control and grew abit as a person like don’t get me wrong she does stick up for herself but she near enough always needs saving. I’m really hoping for a bad ass moment soon.
Jace was a very enjoyable character, I mean who doesn’t love an asshole thats really a nice guy deep down? It was pretty easy to like Jace.
So the villain of the story… Valentine, I don’t really know what to make of him just yet other than being a very peculiar guy. He is also Clary’s mum’s husband. What I didn’t get is how Clary didn’t connect the dots that he was her father like she didn’t even wonder??
Slightly strange but hey ho.
Alec really grew on me, I can’t wait to see where his character goes!! SOOO SHIPPING HIM AND MAGNUS.
I was left wanting to know more about Isabelle, I feel like there is alot more to her but so far I’m loving her and her chioce of weapon… YES GURL.
Also quick mention for Simon, he had me laughing a few times. When he was mortified at what Clary was wearing was one of my favourites!! I loved his witty, sarcatic remarks throught aswell, definitely a highlight.
Moving onto to a lurrrve scene we see Jace and Clary kiss it out because who didn’t see that coming? I’m liking them together at the moment though (we do however find some disturbing information out but we will get to that in a minute).
Oh how I HATED when Jace was a complete ass to Clary like he was just nasty in an obvious awkward situation and oh poor Simon. This was another thing that annoyed me about Clary like HOW DID SHE NOT REALISE SIMON FANCIED THE PANTS OFF HER like come on girl whats going on??
‘”you really want to know what else it was my mom said about you?”… “She said you’d break my heart”‘
Literally the moment I realised Simon was too precious and needs to be protected at all costs!!
One thing I didnt’t expect was Hodge’s betrayal, I thought one was coming but I was thinking Luke rather than Hodge so this was a surprise and when that bloody bird attacked Clary I was like SHIT.
Ans then we had the big reveal at the end that Jace is actually Clary’s brother like WTF!! I realised abit erlier on that this was going to happen. When Luke was telling his story and he mentioned white-blonde hair I was thinking wait a minute… WTF.
I have a feeling it’s not going to be true though because there was a few things implying it was a lie but I just don’t see this storyline continuing like that’s abit messed up but i’m intrigued to see how it’s going to play out. I really don’t want to be shipping a brother and sister like nooooo thanks.
So yeah a decent book, not fantastic but major potential with this series.
Excited to see what comes next, hoping that I fall inlove!
What are your thoughts on this book and the series as a whole?

Keep reading xoxo