Blurb:
Magic is dangerous - but love is more dangerous still.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray arrives in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters , a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn even deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by - and torn between - two best friends and quickly realises that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.
Clockwork Angel is the first book in the Infernal Devices series, a prequel series to The Mortal Instruments. Set in Victorian times, it is an action-packed story of love, identity and friendship.
It focuses on sixteen year old Theresa "Tessa" Gray, who on her way to join her brother, Nate, is captured by "The Dark Sisters" who subject her to lessons on her mysterious ability. She is rescued by two Shadowhunters - Will and Jem - and then the real adventure begins.
Just like the characters in The Mortal Instruments, the characters are sexy, firey and just amazing. Tessa is vunerable and innocent, but at the same time, she's strong and, dare I say it, just a little independant for the Victorian times. And I love it, really love it. The two love interests, Will and Jem are completely different, but they're both so perfect for Tessa in their own ways. Will is the perfect bad boy in my blue-eyes-and-dark-hair loving head, while Jem is sweet and nice and the 'ideal' husband for any Shadowhunter girl in the Victorian age. The supporting characters, Charlotte, Jessie, Henry, Agatha, Sophie and Thomas add another layer to the story - that of how important family is - even if they aren't of blood and add to the complications of being in love in the Victorian times, and Magnus Bane, the eccentric warlock from The Mortal Instruments makes various appearances. I think I prefer him in the 21st century, not the 19th. The main villian, the Magistar, and his associates, are clever, creepy and keep the plot moving forwards all the time, even in bits that other people might find boring.
The writing of course, is very similar to The Mortal Instruments but it is obvious by the dialogue that Clare has spent time researching how Victorian people think and, most importantly, speak.
Rating: 10/10
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Review: HALO by ALEXANDRA ADORNETTO
Blurb:
Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel the warrior; Ivy the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone - especially herself...
Halo is an enchanting novel that will draw you in and keep you hooked, but there will be times when your addiction may be broken.
The plot centres on three angels: Bethany, Gabriel and Ivy, and their mission to save the human race from the dark forces that are trying to take over their mindsets. This means that they have to become human as well, hiding their true forms away. This is what first got my attention and made want to keep reading - I wanted to know if they achieved their goal, but then it changed when Bethany and Gaberial enrol at the local school. She meets Xavier and at first their relationship is a well-written subplot, but after a while, it just makes the novel turn into an angel version of Twilight (which I hate), taking over the plot with Bethany's ceasless thinking about Xavier - instead of the mission, which as far as I was aware, was meant to be the main plot - and neediness. Even when something major happens, which is kind of spoiler-ish, so I won't say what - she's being needy and, to be perfectly honest, quite annoying.
The lead character, Bethany, is quite sassy and cool to start off with, but like I already said, as the novel goes on, she becomes needy, desperate and annoying. She is definitely not on my list of awesome female lead characters. The supporting characters, Gabriel, Ivy and Molly, one of Bethany's new friends, are a whole lot cooler. Xavier, the love interest is gorgeous and totally amazing, and I can understand why Bethany swoons over him, but there's a time and place, you know!
The novel is told is told in first person from Bethany's point of view, which is really good because you get to see the strangeness and excitment from being on Earth and human experiences 'first-hand'. But, yes, I'm bringing this up again, she gets really annoying when all she talks about is Xavier, Xavier and Xavier
Rating: 7/10
Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel the warrior; Ivy the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone - especially herself...
Halo is an enchanting novel that will draw you in and keep you hooked, but there will be times when your addiction may be broken.
The plot centres on three angels: Bethany, Gabriel and Ivy, and their mission to save the human race from the dark forces that are trying to take over their mindsets. This means that they have to become human as well, hiding their true forms away. This is what first got my attention and made want to keep reading - I wanted to know if they achieved their goal, but then it changed when Bethany and Gaberial enrol at the local school. She meets Xavier and at first their relationship is a well-written subplot, but after a while, it just makes the novel turn into an angel version of Twilight (which I hate), taking over the plot with Bethany's ceasless thinking about Xavier - instead of the mission, which as far as I was aware, was meant to be the main plot - and neediness. Even when something major happens, which is kind of spoiler-ish, so I won't say what - she's being needy and, to be perfectly honest, quite annoying.
The lead character, Bethany, is quite sassy and cool to start off with, but like I already said, as the novel goes on, she becomes needy, desperate and annoying. She is definitely not on my list of awesome female lead characters. The supporting characters, Gabriel, Ivy and Molly, one of Bethany's new friends, are a whole lot cooler. Xavier, the love interest is gorgeous and totally amazing, and I can understand why Bethany swoons over him, but there's a time and place, you know!
The novel is told is told in first person from Bethany's point of view, which is really good because you get to see the strangeness and excitment from being on Earth and human experiences 'first-hand'. But, yes, I'm bringing this up again, she gets really annoying when all she talks about is Xavier, Xavier and Xavier
Rating: 7/10
Friday, 27 May 2011
Review: JUNK by MELVIN BURGESS
Blurb:
Junk = heroin = bliss = despair = a love story you’ll never forget.
Gemma wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, somehow, finally, you have to come down.
When it first came out in November 1996, Junk attracted a lot of controversy for its drug, sex and prostitution filled plot, but I consider it to be a gritty, well-written novel that adults are just scared of.
The plot centres on two teenagers, David, more commonly known and Tar, and Gemma. They run away to Bristol, and the novel follows them as they take drugs, live in squats, become a prostitute and everything in between. At first, it is really engaging, but towards the end, my attention was starting to waver.
There are many characters, but the four major players – Gemma, Tar, Lily and Rob – are an interesting bunch. They are honest, brutal and real, which makes me think that this is the sort of novel that a lot of teenagers will be able to relate to, one way or another.
The novel is told in first person from the point of view of several characters, except for Chapter One, which is written in third person. This makes the novel slightly jarring, and at the end, where there were two points of view that hadn’t come at all before, I honestly thought it was kind of stupid.
Rating: 7/10
Junk = heroin = bliss = despair = a love story you’ll never forget.
Gemma wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, somehow, finally, you have to come down.
When it first came out in November 1996, Junk attracted a lot of controversy for its drug, sex and prostitution filled plot, but I consider it to be a gritty, well-written novel that adults are just scared of.
The plot centres on two teenagers, David, more commonly known and Tar, and Gemma. They run away to Bristol, and the novel follows them as they take drugs, live in squats, become a prostitute and everything in between. At first, it is really engaging, but towards the end, my attention was starting to waver.
There are many characters, but the four major players – Gemma, Tar, Lily and Rob – are an interesting bunch. They are honest, brutal and real, which makes me think that this is the sort of novel that a lot of teenagers will be able to relate to, one way or another.
The novel is told in first person from the point of view of several characters, except for Chapter One, which is written in third person. This makes the novel slightly jarring, and at the end, where there were two points of view that hadn’t come at all before, I honestly thought it was kind of stupid.
Rating: 7/10
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Review: THE DUFF by KODY KEPLINGER
Blurb:
Seventeen-year old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames him “the Duff”, she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
The DUFF is a sexy, honest story that kept me reading and that is a fine example that the best young adult novels are the ones that deal with real-life in a frank manner. The plot focuses on Bianca, who, after kissing him, starts a sexual relationship with her enemy Wesley Rush to escape the problems at home and with exes. But by the end, she realises that things aren’t as simple as she thought they would be at first. It is a witty, red-hot plot filled with so much tension that the first time I read it, I just had to keep on reading, just so I could find out what happened next, and at the end, my heart cheered!
Bianca is a sassy, cool main character that I really connected to. She is real and honest and amazing. Wesley, her love/hate interest, is a total asshole, but a sexy one at that, and I can’t help but root for him and Bianca. I just think they’re kind of perfect together, even though they’re both completely fucked up and crazy. Jessica and Casey, Bianca’s two best friends, are the sort of friends I wished I had when I was younger. They’re cool, funny, crazy and loyal. Toby Tucker, excuse the awful alliteration, is Bianca’s adorable, dorky love interest. And when I say he’s adorable, I mean he’s really adorable. Like, little lost puppy adorable. Bianca’s mum and dad are as equally as fucked up as the kids and add the edginess that makes this novel so honest and real.
The novel is written in first person from Bianca’s point of view, and I love her voice. It’s sassy, honest and even funny at times. The language used fits Bianca’s snarky, pessimistic view on life perfectly. And it helped me connect with Bianca, because I think I talk like that a lot of the time! And I’m sure there’s a lot of female readers who would feel exactly the same way!
To be honest, this is one of the few books that I couldn’t find any major flaws in. And just confirm, I can definitely see this becoming a future young adult fiction classic.
Rating: 10/10
Seventeen-year old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames him “the Duff”, she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
The DUFF is a sexy, honest story that kept me reading and that is a fine example that the best young adult novels are the ones that deal with real-life in a frank manner. The plot focuses on Bianca, who, after kissing him, starts a sexual relationship with her enemy Wesley Rush to escape the problems at home and with exes. But by the end, she realises that things aren’t as simple as she thought they would be at first. It is a witty, red-hot plot filled with so much tension that the first time I read it, I just had to keep on reading, just so I could find out what happened next, and at the end, my heart cheered!
Bianca is a sassy, cool main character that I really connected to. She is real and honest and amazing. Wesley, her love/hate interest, is a total asshole, but a sexy one at that, and I can’t help but root for him and Bianca. I just think they’re kind of perfect together, even though they’re both completely fucked up and crazy. Jessica and Casey, Bianca’s two best friends, are the sort of friends I wished I had when I was younger. They’re cool, funny, crazy and loyal. Toby Tucker, excuse the awful alliteration, is Bianca’s adorable, dorky love interest. And when I say he’s adorable, I mean he’s really adorable. Like, little lost puppy adorable. Bianca’s mum and dad are as equally as fucked up as the kids and add the edginess that makes this novel so honest and real.
The novel is written in first person from Bianca’s point of view, and I love her voice. It’s sassy, honest and even funny at times. The language used fits Bianca’s snarky, pessimistic view on life perfectly. And it helped me connect with Bianca, because I think I talk like that a lot of the time! And I’m sure there’s a lot of female readers who would feel exactly the same way!
To be honest, this is one of the few books that I couldn’t find any major flaws in. And just confirm, I can definitely see this becoming a future young adult fiction classic.
Rating: 10/10
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
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
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
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
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
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
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