Review: City of Lost Souls

City of Lost Souls
By Cassandra Clare
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Series: The Mortal Instruments

Description:
The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.


No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?

Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.

And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series

Review:
There was so much going on in this book.  It wasn't hard to follow but sometimes I wished they would put them together, it was almost like four stories in one.  Don't get me wrong I loved the first few books and I love Cassandra's writing and her mind is just fabulous.  but this book dragged a little for me.  I started it on the 11th and I just finished it.  It just didn't keep my interest as much as I wanted it to.  At least not until the end of the book.  And let's just say - I don't believe the series is over yet. Although I'm ready for a really great ending perhaps a wedding or something (and no I don't mean Luke and Jocelyn lol). 

Anyway let's do a quick recap on what happened in the book with each character, so brief I won't spoil it, I semi promise lol.

Jace - as we left off in the last book he was missing, and so was Sebastian.  Turns out they are bound together where if one gets hurt the other bleeds etc etc.  Which is never a good thing because obviously everyone wants Jace to survive.  How will they break that bond? Will Clary and Jace finally be together, because really that's all we want.  I mean those moments in the first book when they thought they were related yes it was weird but darn it if they didn't belong together you know!

Sebastian - he is still evil. Ha.

Clary - she's fighting for her man.  She is one kick ass girl that's for sure.  She befriends Sebastian trying to make him believe that she is with them just to get close to Jace and get him back.  She has to constantly remind herself that this is not her Jace, this is the other Jace. My heart goes out to her for sure, but she can handle it.  Dealing with her brother is not an easy task. 

Simon/Isabella They still haven't professed their love for each other, I don't know what they are waiting for but they are taking too long.  Although I think Isabelle is breaking down a little and letting Simon in, baby steps and all.  Simon yet again plays a major part in the ending and he's adorable and so very loyal.

Alec/Magnus: Alec is still hurting about Magnus being immortal and him growing old and not being with him forever.  I think Alec needs to grow up and appreciate what he has, until it's gone. 

Maia/Jordon: hearts/hugs/kisses yeah!

Overall:  This book was good but again it lagged a little.  I think there is toooo much story going on, maybe bring it back down to the main characters or where everyone is together and every other paragraph isn't about a different character in the book.  Focus :-) But alas I did like the book regardless because it is Cassandra Clare and it is the Mortal Instruments.  I can't wait to see what happens next and hope that Team Good prevails!

Cover: It's not my favorite really but that's probably because I still picture Jace with Dark hair in my mind LOL.  Although I've seen the cast for the movie - so far only for sure is Jace and Clary.  Tell me what you think, will they do the roles justice? Movie comes out next year!!!! I love it when great books become movies.

Can you picture it?

Have you read the book?  What did you think of it?

Review: The Clockwork Prince

The Clockwork Prince
By Cassandra Clare
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Series: The Infernal Devices

Description:
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, though 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.

Review:
So I literally just finished the book moments ago and I could not wait to put my thoughts down as quickly as possible.  I have loved everything I have read by Cassandra Clare and this book did not disappoint.

We are back in the magical under wold of Victorian London where the London Institute now continues their search for the Magister.  If you've read the last book you know that Nate, Tessa's brother was deep in cahoots (yes I said cahoots) with the Magister and they all got away last time.  In comes the Lightwoods who question Charlotte's authority and demand that the Magister be found within two weeks or the institute should be deemed his.  In starts the adventure...

Here's a quick synopsis of each character I will try not to give too much away because you should really read the book and see what you think, but it was fabulous.  I'll start with minor characters and work my way up.

Henry - still as absentminded as always but in this book he seems to be a little more on the emotional side, with expressing his true feelings for Charlotte and they have a really cute moment together in the book towards the end.

Sophie - she is the maidservant and seems to play a slightly bigger role in this book, she falls for someone but I won't say who.  She does help in the Institutes success in depriving the Lightwoods of the honor of taking over the institute.

Nate - continues to be a selfish bastard and in the end he tries to redeem himself but really it's always just about himself.

Charlotte - stressed and running around trying to keep everything under control but everything is all over the place in her world.  She feels betrayed and just dumbfounded at how blind she could have been. 

Jesse - she continues to be a sad girl with desires that do not work out well for her.

Jem - Oh Sweet Jem, if you think about it he really did win out in the end but we shall see how he fares in the next book, for some reason I just don't see him lasting much longer with his illness but who knows maybe everything will turn around for him.

Tessa - She is still on the search to find out what she is.  She seems to be doing much easier with her powers but still there are so many unanswered questions for her that she just doesn't know what to believe anymore.  She just wants to know what she is.  Rumors have it that her mother was shadowhunter and her father is a demon but that cannot be as one has never been alive to prove it.  She is still torn between Will and Jem.  A decision was made but it was not something that she can fully go into wholeheartedly but I think she is doing it for the right reasons.  At least I'd like to think she is.

Will - Dear Will I heart you so!  Will ever with his tough facade, it begins to crumble more and more as the book continues.  He is so in love with Tessa but he's afraid of a curse that was put on him when he was 12 years old, that if someone loved him they in turn would pay with death, because of this he is cruel to everyone.  Magnus helps him find the demon to see exactly what can be done about this.  All I can say is my heart breaks for him - literally I feel it every time he looks at Tessa.  It's tragic and ironic and just heartbreaking. 
 
The Magister aka Mortmain - little more is discovered about him but he always seems to be just a step ahead of everyone.  He is still a mystery and still has yet to have been found ... where is he???
 
My thoughts - You should check out this series, it really does tie in with the Mortal Instruments, kind of like a back story.  Every time I read more and more of this series I can't help but think back to Mortal Instruments and what has played out in that series (and what is still playing out in that series).  Jace really is a Herondale! You must read it to get all the details and I cannot wait for the next book to come out.
 
So I did this review a little different then I've done in the past, please let me know if you like this fashion with updates on all the characters.  Thanks and everyone Happy Reading!! On to the next book.

Looking forward to 2012

The contest craze at Princess Bookie has started. Here's the first mini challenge:

Challenge: Write up a blog post telling me your top 5 books that you are looking forward to releasing in 2012. Be creative, you can use summaries, pictures, etc.

1 - Insurgent (Divergent, #2)
by: Veronica Roth
Release Date: May 2012

Product Description:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
 

2 - City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5)
by: Cassandra Clare
Release Date: May 8, 2012

Product Description:
In Book 5: City of Lost Souls, the Shadowhunters struggle to piece together their shattered world after a betrayal by one of their own leaves them reeling.

3 - Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)
by: Cassandra Clare
Release Date: December 1, 2012
 
Product Description:
In Clockwork Princess, Tessa and her companions travel all over the world as they race to stop the clockwork army before it's too late. As Jem's health worsens alarmingly and his friends search desperately for a cure, can Tessa choose between the two boys she loves — even if it means never seeing the other one again?

4 - The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
by: Melissa Jensen
Release Date: February 16, 2012
 
Product Description:
Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming romantic comedy

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that’s just fine by her. She’s got her friends— the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She’s got her art— and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it’s hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they’re dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?
 

5- Try Not to Breathe
by: Jennifer R. Hubbard
Release Date: January 19, 2012
 
Product Description:
A dark and provocative novel from the author of The Secret Year

Ryan spends most of his time alone at the local waterfall because it’s the only thing that makes him feel alive. He’s sixteen, post-suicidal, and trying to figure out what to do with himself after a stint in a mental hospital. Then Nicki barges into his world, brimming with life and energy, and asking questions about Ryan’s depression that no one else has ever been brave enough—or cared enough—to ask. Ryan isn’t sure why he trusts Nicki with his darkest secrets, but that trust turns out to be the catalyst that he desperately needs to start living again.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm "Waiting on":

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)
by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: December 6, 2011

Product Description: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
................................

I cannot wait for this book at all, there is just something about the characters that Cassandra Clare creates you just want to be in their world.  She had a great series with The Mortal Instruments, but with the Victorian era in the Infernal Devices it just brings a whole new level of excitement