Tag: Paranormal (Page 36 of 51)

BOOK REVIEW – City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)
by Cassandra Clare
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

**In no way is it my intention to diss on the author’s integrity, just wanted to put forth the idea that there are some questionable ideas she has with this series-nothing more. Her writing is otherwise addicting**

There was so much going on in this novel it made my head spin. It’s hard to wrap my head around everything that happened, which makes this a particularly hard review to write.

Clary is adjusting to the fact that the world as she knows it does not exist and that things are much more complex than she ever could have imagined. She starts to realize that while she longs for the normal life she once had, she can never truly get it back-everything is different now. She is an important part to this alternate universe she was never aware of and is begining to embrace and further her knowledge.

Simon is pursuing her more heavily, pushing their relationship farther than it has ever gone.

He is also still recovering from the incident in the previous novel, making him a little bolder than he once was. I have to admit-he annoyed the living snot out of me for most of this story. I just wanted him OUT OF THE PICTURE-whatever that meant. Near the end, of course, my feelings changed-yes, I’m fickle apparently. People can mature, and more so, they can realize something and do with the knowlege what they want. In his case, it matured him and helped his character development along nicely.

Alec and Isabelle were great. I really liked their part in the story and always liked when they were around. I loved that we got to see Alec in some scenes WITHOUT a scowl this time around-it did wonders for his character in my eyes. And Isabelle…well, I always loved her character. Bitchy or not, she always has something witty or funny to say, much like Jace’s character. She’s fierce, loyal, and surprisingly, very loving.

And finally Jace. We got to see a lot more of Jace, and a lot more with just his perspective and what was going on with him. He is such a deep character, and I really do like him a lot. He is so loyal and has so much love in him, he just never got to use it as a child and that is the saddest part of this story (aside from the author using any indication that incest is acceptable in this series…I find that creeptastic..and excrutiatingly sad). I think it’s clear he has daddy issues and that’s why he is snippy most of the time. It’s justifiable. Whenever he enters a scene, I know 9 times out of 10 I am going to laugh, so I always enjoy the story more when he is involved.

I wish Clare would just drop this plot problem and move on with it already. Obviously something is amiss with it, and I’d rather not have to keep waiting for the inevitable to happen. Please let it go! I want some Jace/Clary action! And no…I don’t revel at the idea of incest, I just know enough about the series from others that this idea doesn’t fool me. I don’t think she’d have so many loyal fans if this series ultimately ended on an incestual (is that a word? Well, it is now) note. I just don’t buy it. That’s right-I’m not buyin’ what she’s sellin’. So let’s hope for some plot revelations in City of Glass, because I can’t wait for more action, romance and drama to unfold.

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BOOK REVIEW – City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)
by Cassandra Clare
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

What a fun, exciting read! I was utterly consumed with COG and was driven nearly mad when I had to put it down. The story takes place in Idris making for a refreshing setting and story line.

So much happens that it’s almost overwhelming to think of writing a review. Another problem? I most definitely started City of Fallen Angels immediately after finishing COG two days ago, so my recollection of the story is foggy, that mixed feeling when you read two books so close together. Whoops.

Things have finally come to a head for every party involved. Clary and Jace, Simon, Alec and Magnus, downworlders and shadowhunters, etc. I felt a sense of triumph on more than one occasion. Everything that we could possibly question about the past two installments is addressed, and more than we could imagine is thrown our way-not overwhelmingly so, though. What I loved most is the amount of peril laced through each page of the story.

Nothing was an easy fight. So many times we readers become engrossed into a story only for it to end up falling short and dissappointing us. It happens more often than not, sadly, and I didn’t feel let down with the end of COG. It was tied up happily enough that we could go on with our lives if we so choose to, but it also left enough wiggle room to continue the series. What did Clare decide to do? Obviously she decided to keep truckin’. While I have read that some people wish she would stop here, I have to say I disagree. Yes, there is such a thing as leaving a story alone while you’re ahead, but I can’t help but feel a little sad at the thought of never reading about Jace and Clary again. I don’t normally become so invested in a longer series-I generally lose interest quickly, but not with TMI. Clare writes the stories so you get a little of what you WANT, but not as much as you NEED.

Also, for those who have read the Infernal Devices trilogy, we start to see the mention of more and more of the names from it. Herondales (yyaaaayyyy!!), Lightwoods, Brother Zacariah, etc. I LOVE that. I LOVED TID and as I am reading the next installment, COFA, more and more is being said about them. It gets me so excited and I start smiling like a loon. Thank God Magnus was present back then, because we wouldn’t get these cute reminiscent thoughts throughout the novel without him.

I’m not sure what my review was even about or if it even made sense, but the point is, I loved this novel and it was the best in the series yet. It is on-the-edge-of-your-seat good, and the romance was sweet and exciting. So for those of you who haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?

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BOOK REVIEW – City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)
by Cassandra Clare
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

GAH! That ENDING! That ending will be the undoing of me. What is it with authors and these cliffhangers?? I swear..if it wasn’t for the fact that book 5 is on my ereader as we speak, I’d go mad. *Long sigh* Ugh Ugh Ugh.

I don’t know what was going on with the first quarter of the novel, I don’t. I feel like I was an outsider rather than a part of the story. It was so foreign to me for Simon to be on the forefront-like, as in every scene was from his POV for a LONG stretch of time. Somewhere along the way, though, the story came back to me and I wasn’t so much of an outsider looking in anymore. I was a living, breathing character like the rest of them, watching from the sidelines as if I had a hand in the adventure. I became invested and intrigued again.

Once I was, I again, couldn’t put it down.

I liked the pace of the story. Now that the truth is out in the open, everything is in a whole new light and totally relatable, making this a favorite whereas I just couldn’t give the first two installments anything more than 4 stars because of the supposed “untruth”. I just could NOT get past that in COB and COA, but now I am totally for Jace and Clary, and can’t get enough of them. Maybe that’s why I am rating this so high whereas others are rating it lower than all the others. I just feel that nasty weight lifted off my shoulders and I can just enjoy what’s going on in the story and not whether they’re going to commit incest or whether there is a loophole. For me, that was what consumed COB and COA, because I just wanted to get past it.

Clary. That drive she feels? I get it. I UNDERSTAND it. The passion and loyalty she feels for Jace…the urgency? I can totally and finally relate to her after 3 or 4 books and I LOVE it. I can FINALLY get on board with this chick. She gives off emotion that makes you want to help her or sympathize with her, unlike in the previous novels where it was all just talk-just words. Words can’t make me obsess over a book. ACTIONS and EMOTIONS are what make me swoon, and that is why I love Jace. He has never been anything less than passionate.

The tortured hero bit….some say it’s overdone in romance….but not me. I eat that shit up. The tortured boy/man who has a weakness for whom he loves..yea, well the overused tortured hero bit is a weakness of mine and a total favorite. Hell yeah, I can live with that storyline. Keep it comin’. I devour it.

And Simon…oooohh Simon. How you have developed. I am now an avid fan of yours. Many times the author feels the need to drag out the love triangle bit, making one guy pathetic and grovel all the time. I can’t say she didn’t pull the love x 3 thing a bit too long in TID, but here in TMI, Simon is moving forward and he has great contenders to choose from. I really enjoyed him in COFA.

So to sum up-a great romance with oodles of drama, suspense woven into every chapter, Simon’s interesting love-life, tortured hero, tortured hero, tortured hero (Oops! Did I say that already?), a creepy villain, a return, and a pretty cool ending. I retract my earlier statement-these endings are f***ing awesome. So to those who didn’t enjoy COFA- that sucks, but I really enjoyed it and found it to be one of my favorites in the series. I personally can’t wait to start the LAST novel available to us until 2014…and I can say with absolute certainty that it will probably end with a doozy as well. 🙂

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BOOK REVIEW – City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5)
by Cassandra Clare
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

One spoiler for those who haven’t read COFA…

So…this one took me a while to finish. I’m not sure if it’s because I read so many TMI books so fast or if something in the story just didn’t do it for me. I do have to say that I didn’t have this problem with any of Jennifer Armentrout’s long series so I might have just rushed reading these instead of taking it easy after the awesome third novel.

I still love the Jace/Clary dynamic. Jace is so devoted to Clary and she loves him with a fierce passion that draws you in and keeps you there.

I love Jordan and Maia and Simon and Isabelle. I can even safely say that I now love Alec’s character and his new found vulnerability. These characters have grown and shaped into such fun people to read about. They banter and get themselves into precarious situations that are hard to tear away from. Even Sebastion-I like a good villain. He is beyond creepy and crazy, so we get a little insanity added to the story as well. I know that’s weird…liking a villain and all…but I do. He was the only thing that kept the otherworldly situation interesting for me.

Which leads me to my next point…I just couldn’t get into the otherworldly plot. Maybe it was the constant change of setting, but more than most likely, it was the idea that Jace was, once again, not himself. I mean, how many times do we have to toy with Jace’s mind? Yea, steal him away, add some peril to the story, but quit making him all….not Jace. I LOVE plot twists and romantic yearning for the other (Save me, save me, I’ve been taken! or We are in different places, but I yearn for you! or I’m supposed to kill you muahahaha), but enough with Jace losing his free will. Much like the brother/sister scenario, the free will bit is being a tad overplayed and it becomes boring or not as exciting.

Certain things happen that made me cringe, made me applaud, smile, laugh, and do the happy squeal. The ending was awesome (the way I wish it all would have been paced), and I loved the club scene. It was beyond gross and disturbing, and I found it to be highly entertaining. So much happens that I couldn’t possibly recap, but overall I can’t deny that this series (generally/most of the time) excites me, and I have grown to love all the characters-even the villains. So I can’t wait for the 6th novel to come out, and the wait/anticipation will be good for me. Bye TMI, until 2014…..

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BOOK REVIEW – Crescendo (Hush, Hush #2) by Becca Fitzpatrick

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Crescendo (, )
by Becca Fitzpatrick
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

There isn’t much more to say than what was already said in my Hush, Hush review, in the negative sense. Many of the same problems were present in this second installment. But that is understandable since it is, in fact, the same author. There were some things that were better, though. So I will just review on what I liked and what I didn’t.

What I liked: Despite the romantic turmoil throughout, I have grown fonder of Patch. He genuinely cares about Nora and he did his best to look out for her. I can identify with the jealous boyfriend type-only to an extent. If he is dating or screwing around with someone else, that act doesn’t fly nor is it cute. I love the creepy factor in these books.

It tends to be an undertone to each story and the scenes in which dangers lurk really get to me. It seems every time I get under the covers to read, one of those creeptastic scenes pop up and I have to look around a little in the dark room. Oh sure, I read all day with none of those scenes and then-BAM! Right when I get in bed, something that freaked me out would happen ha. And Detective Basso-FINALLY he listens to Nora. I couldn’t have been happier that he started doing his JOB. ‘Nuff said. I loved Nora’s badass demeanor when it came to Patch (i.e. There is a scene with his Jeep at the beach that I LOVED). Yes she was jealous, bitter, sad, and angry, but she also took action so many times I couldn’t help but to chuckle and agree with her actions.

What I didn’t/don’t like: Again, Vee has gotten better, but she still has this annoying quality that she needs to drop. She did improve, but not enough. I hated the fact that Patch was hanging out with Marcie incessantly. It was sickening to read about and he is just horrible with words to help explain himself when confronted….or worse, maybe he just didn’t care enough. This is all explained and went over at the end, I just can’t get over how I felt as the story unfolded. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t resolved, (for those diehard fans who might be reading this) I just had a very hard time digesting these sequences in the story. Again with the unrealistic-ness…so many conversations and scenarios are just full of crap. Not the paranormal or otherwordly parts mind you, but the damn dialogue, inner dialogue, or lackthereof.

I don’t know if this even counts as a review, but I felt shoddy not at least saying something about the book. I feel incomplete after I finish something and then don’t talk about it a little bit. So to finish up I will just say that I bet the third installment will be good and I am anxious to read it after a couple other ARCs I received first.