Monday 28 March 2011

Review: THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF GLASS by CASSANDRA CLARE

Blurb:

Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide to fight with the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders – or against them. Meanwhile, Jace and Clary have their own decision to make: should they pursue the love they know is forbidden?

City of Glass is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series, and is in the same sexy, dramatic and addictive vein as the previous two – City of Bones and City of Ashes.

The plot begins a few weeks after the events of City of Ashes. There is the continuation of the romantic subplot that has been going on since City of Bones, but the focus of the main plot, which is set in Idris, the home of the Shadowhunters, is on whether or not the Shadowhunters should fight with the Downworlders (vampires, warlocks, faeries and werewolves) against Valentine, who is trying to change the world of Shadowhunters to something that he thinks is a better world, or against them completely. By the end of the book, it is revealed what the Clave, the Shadowhunter government, decide to do, and whether or not they follow through with the plans they have made.

The characters are still as sexy, fierce and amazing as they were in City of Bones and City of Ashes. Especially Jace, of course. Can you tell I’m in love with him yet? Clary and Simon are still one of the perfect examples of friendship for me, and Alec and Isabelle are still ultra-fantastic supporting characters, as are Luke, Magnus and Jocelyn. There is another villain added to the mix – teenager Sebastian. He is equally as clever, manipulative and vinvidictive as Valentine, and makes the perfect sidekick.


I am going to be completely honest here. I couldn’t find anything wrong with City of Bones at all. Not even the beginning or the end!


Rating: 10/10

Monday 21 March 2011

Announcement

This is an announcement that there will be no more Music Mondays or any other posts related to writing for a while. This because I have had to have a writing hiatus until I finish and hand in all of my uni coursework. There will still be reviews though, so I'm not abandoning you completely, don't worry! :)



Review: THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF ASHES by CASSANDRA CLARE

Blurb

Haunted by her past, Clary is dragged deeper into New York City's terrifying underworld of demons and Shadowhunters - but can she control her feelings for a boy who can never be hers?

City of Ashes is the second book in The Mortal Instruments series, and is just as sexy and enthralling as City of Bones.

The plot continues pretty soon after the events of City of Bones, and this time the focus is on the relationships between Clary and Valentine and, what seems to be prominent, between Jace and Valentine. This is set against the backdrop of Valentine trying to turn another of the Mortal Instruments - the Soul Sword - so that he can use it for his own means. Whether or not he succeeds is revealed by the end.

Clary is still as down to Earth and sassy as she was in City of Bones, but there seems to be another layer of her personality revealed by the end - the determined, 'fighting' layer. Jace is still unbelievably sexy and charming, and I must confess that I think I am falling in love with him. Alec and Isabelle are still adding another layer to the romantic subplots that were introduced in City of Bones, and the adults, who now include Maryse and Robert Lightwood, Alec's and Isabelle's parents, add a touch of 'real life' that this series' teen audience can relate to - something that confirms this series' ability to become a future fantasy classic.

Just like City of Bones, there was only one thing that annoyed me about City of Ashes. But it wasn't the end this time, it was the beginning. There is a prologue that irritated the hell out of me because I thought that the events in it could've been revealed slowly in the rest of the book.

Rating: 9/10









Monday 14 March 2011

Music Monday: 14th March 2011

This week's song is Umbrella by Vanilla Sky.





I picked it because I think it fits Carlo perfectly. :)

Sunday 13 March 2011

Review: THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES by CASSANDRA CLARE

Blurb:

Clary Fray is seeing things: vampires in Brooklyn and werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistibly drawn towards a group of sexy demon hunters, Clary encounters the dark side of New York City – and the dangers of forbidden love.

Firstly, I must confess that at first I thought that this would be a paranormal romance novel. How wrong I was. City of Bones turned out to be a sexy tale of identity, war and fantasy. Though I don’t know if that’s the best order to put them in. The romance is only a subplot and not the stereotypical sort of forbidden love either, which made me very happy, though it is kind of twisted. But then again, I love it when creative people show the signs of having twisted imaginations.

The story actually focuses on Clary (short for Clarissa) Fray who, when on a night out with her best friend, Simon, she sees two armed boys following another, who has gone into a store room with a girl. These three teenagers turn out to be Jace, Alec and Isabelle. And from that moment onwards, everything changes for her, and we join her on her journey of identity and magic…

The characters are equally as sexy as the plot, especially Jace, who becomes Clary’s love interest. The other teenage characters, Simon, Isabelle and Alec, add a layer of complexity to the romance subplot that makes for enjoyable reading that seems to be hard to find in a lot of urban fantasy/paranormal YA romance novels lately, and the adult characters, Jocelyn, Luke and Hodge, add another layer of complexity to the overall plot. But the complexity works because it is written in such a way that by the end of it, it’s as clear as a new mirror. The antagonist, Valentine, is sinister and clever – a ‘perfect’ villain for such a sexy, sassy novel.

The novel is written in third person, mostly from Clary’s point of view, occasionally from others. It is sassy and clever, just the sort of voice I love in YA when the MC is a girl, but it still has a touch of magic about it that keeps me reading – if it wasn’t a fantasy, I might not have liked it unless it fitted the character – especially when it came to descriptions. The way Clare describes places especially creates vivid images in my mind that seem so darkly magical and fantastic. This is definitely a strong point of hers.

There was just one problem I had: the end. I’m not going to spoil it for anybody, but let’s just say, if it was me, I’d have got rid of the last chapter.

Rating: 9/10


Monday 7 March 2011

Music Monday: 7th March 2011

This week's song is Unbreakable by Fireflight.




I picked it because it fits Will perfectly at the moment. And that is all I am saying. ;)