Book Review: Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Release Date: 31st August 2010

Publisher: McElderry Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 476
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2014 RC and 2014 SSC

Summary from Goodreads:

"In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...."

Review:
** Spoiler Alert: Read at your own risk**

Overall, I rather enjoyed this. As to be expected, I've been trying to compare this with Clare's other offering, The Mortal Instruments. And whilst I probably enjoyed this one more than City of Bones, it gets a lower rating because overall, this pretty much followed a path a would have expected. 

- Pros -

• I really liked the majority of our characters. Tessa seemed a bit uptight at the beginning, but I liked how she turned out in the end. Will, whilst I actually don't like him as a person, I do enjoy reading about him. Jem, as his name implies, is a pure gem. And then there's also Charlotte, Henry, Jessamine, Sophie and Thomas, who I all liked for varying reasons
• Many interested questions were brought up, that I'm eager to get the answer to. Why exactly does The Magister want Tessa? How exactly did Tessa come to be? What exactly happened will Will's parents and this Cecily person? Questions like these are the type that urge me to continue reading a series on, and I definitely will be reading this series to figure it all out. 
• I appreciate the twists and turns. Whilst I wasn't entirely surprised by everything that happened, Tessa did truly surprise me at the end. I honestly thought she had stabbed herself, and what made it even more surprising was beforehand I thought there was no way she could stab herself, since she's a main character. And then she kinda did, and it surprised me. And I like being surprised. 
• I liked this more than City of Bones. I read City of Bones sometime last year, and whilst I quite enjoyed it, it didn't live up to the hype for me. This, however, I found more enjoyable. I think I just liked the character's more, and adding a historical setting never hurts for me. 

- Cons -

• Whilst I appreciate the twists and turn, I wasn't entirely surprised by them. The identity of The Magister, for example, didn't entirely surprise me. Whilst I was a little surprised when it was finally revealed who it was, I knew it couldn't have been de Quincy, because that came out way too early in the story to be true. It also didn't entirely surprise me when Nate flipped on Tessa, because betrayal happens all the time in books. And when I compare the big reveal of The Magister to the big revelation at the end of City of Bones, well, it just doesn't compare.  
• I didn't like it when Will acted like a complete and utter ass. The way he treated Tessa was downright disturbing. One minute he's showing her affection, the next he's lashing out at her. And he was unbelievably cruel to her at the end, which we all know he did for some sort of reason, but nothing warranted treating her like that. There were so many times that I just wanted to tell Will to STFU or GTFO.  

Overall, I quite enjoyed this read, and I will be continuing on with the series in the foreseeable future. If you had the same problem I had with City of Bones not living up to the hype, I highly suggest giving this series a go. 

Book Review: Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1) by Christopher Paolini

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1) by Christopher Paolini
Release Date: 1st February 2002

Publisher: Random House
Format: eBook
Pages: 452
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 EBC, 2013 GVR, 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Goodreads:

"One boy . . .

One dragon . . .

A world of adventure.

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. 

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands."

Review:

At first, this book bothered me. In fact, thinking back on it, this book still bothers me a bit. I may have loved the plot and the characters, but there were some things that hindered my reading experience.

Firstly, the writing style. It's a given that what with this being a children's book, that the writing style is going to be simplistic. And at the beginning, this was very, very obvious. I wasn't sure I'd be able to read 450 pages of short paragraphs consisting of He did this. Then he did that. Someone says somthing. Then they did something else. That's what it felt like, and it was painful. Luckily, as the story progressed and the plot became more detailed, that seemed to stop, or become less noticeable.

Secondly, I had issues with the relationship between Eragon and Seraphina. It felt like instalove. I know that there is supposed to be an amazing bond between a Rider and his dragon, what with the dragon waiting for the right person to turn up before they even hatch, but I just didn't buy it. Maybe it's because I'm still not sure over what time period the events in this book took place (was it a year or so?), so I didn't feel that there was any natural progression there. Either way, their bond annoyed me at times.

Pushing those aside, I did enjoy the plot and the characters. Although it became abundantly clear that this novel was almost entirely a set up for the rest of the series, I still enjoyed the storyline. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but I think once Brom and Eragon teamed up, thats when the plot became interesting. We learnt about the history of the Dragon Riders, we follow Eragon as he learns how to master his powers, and, interestingly, we're told the basis of the entire series storyline through a fortune teller. 

And lets not forget about the characters. Eragon at times was a bit painful, but overall I thought he was a strong protagonist. I adored Brom, even if I hated how he mysterious he was sometimes. Loved Murtagh, he's pretty cool, and I didn't see the twist involving his character coming. Any other characters who I'm sure will be prominent in the following novels appeared too late for me to form any concrete opinion about them, aside from just liking or disliking them in general. Already I like Arya, just because Eragon does, and for the same reasons I don't like the Twins. I'm interested to hear more from them as the series progresses.

Overall, whilst this was mostly filled with backstory and setup for the rest of the series, I really enjoyed it, and I'll definitely be checking out the sequel. 

Book Review: The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel #6) by Michael Scott

The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel #6) by Michael Scott
Release Date: 22nd May 2012

Publisher: Random House 
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 509
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY, 2013 OTS and 2013 BSR

Summary from Goodreads:

"The two that are one must become the one that is all. One to save the world, one to destroy it.

San Francisco:
Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel have one day left to live, and one job left to do. They must defend San Francisco. The monsters gathered on Alcatraz Island have been released and are heading toward the city. If they are not stopped, they will destroy everyone and everything in their path.

But even with the help of two of the greatest warriors from history and myth, will the Sorceress and the legendary Alchemyst be able to defend the city? Or is it the beginning of the end of the human race?

Danu Talis:
Sophie and Josh Newman traveled ten thousand years into the past to Danu Talis when they followed Dr. John Dee and Virginia Dare. And it’s on this legendary island that the battle for the world begins and ends.

Scathach, Prometheus, Palamedes, Shakespeare, Saint-Germain, and Joan of Arc are also on the island. And no one is sure what—or who—the twins will be fighting for.

Today the battle for Danu Talis will be won or lost.

But will the twins of legend stand together?Or will they stand apart—one to save the world and one to destroy it?"

Review:
What a fitting end to this series. It was action packed, it had twists and turns, and everything came to a head. The prophecy was fulfilled, our questions were answered, and everything wrapped up pretty well. When it comes down to it, this was just a solid ending to a series I was well invested in.

When it comes to this novel, what I've said in the reviews for the preceding novels in the series still applies here. The story is action packed, the chapters are short and to the point, and the constant change in POV keeps you interested. Our character's are still the character's that we know and love, but they've grown and matured, and they're finally here, at the end, playing their role in fulfilling the prophecy.

And that ending. It was perfect. And, I totally wasn't expecting it. Yes, I knew that the prophecy would be fulfilled - that we'd have one twin to save the world, one to destroy it. We've known that the entire series. But then, WOAH, DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING. If you've read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about. I think the whole issue with Sophie and Josh's parents distracted me from thinking about that character, and how they'd play them into the story. Kudos to Scott - you played that one well.

When it comes down to it, this is a solid end to a solid series. It had all the elements we loved in the first 5 novels, answered all our questions, and also didn't have a cop-out ending where everything ended hunky-dory for everyone - we had a solid, and unexpected, ending, which I'm still thinking about days after reading it. I know this review may not be the most insightful thing, but if you haven't read the series, read my (short) review for The Alchemyst, and then see if you'd like to give it a go. And if you're midway through the series, and aren't sure about sticking with it, hopefully this review convinced you to keep at it, because I really think this final instalment is worth the read. 


Afterthought: Who exactly was the Enchantress? Each book was title referred too one of the main characters, but I couldn't figure out who the Enchantress was supposed to be. My first thought was Perenelle, but she's the Sorceress. Was it Virgina Dare? Any ideas?

Book Review: Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee
Release Date: 23rd May 2013

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 282
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Goodreads:

"It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again."

Review:

At first, I thought this book was exactly what I was expecting - a girl fighting for survival, teaming up with an angel, and against all odds, they work together and even start to like each other. The plot, albeit there were some things in there I wasn't expecting, was pretty much going to way I expected it to. And then BAM, in the last 100 pages, we turn the dial up 1000, shit gets real and so much happens that you're just left mindblown.

So lets talk about the first 150-200 pages or so first. For me, this went pretty much as I expected it to. Whilst I haven't read a post-apocalyspe book before, when you take that away, you're left with a plot that you've read before. Two enemies, a girl and an extremely attractive guy, are forced to work together. They might not get along, but the hurdles they have to get over brings them together, and eventually, they start to like one another. It's a story you've read before. And that disappointed me a bit, because I had heard such good things about this book, and so far, it wasn't living up to my expectation.

And then the last 100 pages happen, and so much gets thrown your way that you just don't know what to do with it. And the creep dial is turned to the max, with some pretty creepy ass stuff going on. Can I just say, exploring the angel's world in the second book is going to be pretty interesting - I need to find out what's the deal with all the children! The end of this book is just so good, I don't understand why the beginning had to drag. Maybe it's just me, and the fact that I read a lot of these books, but the plot at the beginning could have been a bit stronger to match the ending. Either way, the ending brought this home and brought what I was thinking as a 3.5 book up to a 4.5. I'd love to give it a 5.0, just for that ending, but with a weak beginning I just can't. 

Moving away from the plot, everything else worked. Being my first post-apocalypse book, I found exploring the new world, the world of the angel's, very interesting. And our characters were interesting as well. Whilst I think Penryn is your stereotypical heroine, Raffe was fascinating - he's definitely not what you'd expect an angel to be like. And let's not forget Penryn's mother. Her illness fascinates me, and I think it has a lot more to do with the angels - hopefully more on her will be revealed in the books to come.

So overall, this is definitely a book I recommend. If you had the same problem as me, and thought the beginning wasn't anything spectacular, stick with it - because that ending if just too good to miss. 

 

Book Review: Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) by Laini Taylor

Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) by Laini Taylor
Release Date: 6th November 2012

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 513
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is--and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?"

Review:

**This review has spoilers! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself). Read at your own risk!**

Ahh this series. It just gets better and better - which means I'm super excited for the final instalment next year (I mean, who isn't?!?). It's just soooo good guys.

Right, so onto the book. Now that Karou knows all about her past, she's travelled to Eretz to help the chimaera with their new rebellion against the seraphim. On the other side, we've got Akiva grieving over the loss of Karou, and as punishment for everything he's done, he forces himself to continue fighting the seraphim's battles. 

From there, a range of events occur, ranging from the terribly sad, to the downright awesome, to crazy moments where shit goes down. And every single thing that happened in this book, I absolutely loved. The story went places that I wasn't expecting, this occurred that I could never have predicted, and I absolutely love that. These days, predictability in books can be an issue, so it's always refreshing to come across a book that doesn't fail to surprise you. 

There were a multitude of POV's in this book, which I'm always a fan of since they usually keep me extra interested in the story. We got to hear from Zuzanna, Akiva, various chimaera and seraphim, but I particularly liked reading about Karou and her POV, now that she has her chimaera memories. It was interesting to see how Madrigal influenced her personality and decisions - how she had this fierce need to redeem herself with the chimaera because of Madrigal's actions, and also this overwhelming desire to do Brimstone proud because of what he did for her, in both her Madrigal and Karou life. It was interesting to see how she managed her chimaera and human sides.

Overall, everything I loved about the first book was carried through in the second. I absolutely love this series, and I couldn't recommend it enough. 

Book Review: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R.R. Martin

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R.R. Martin
Release Date: 16th June 1999

Publisher: Harper Collins
Format: eBook
Pages: 752
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY, 2013 EBC and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"In this thrilling sequel to A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin has created a work of unsurpassed vision, power, and imagination. A Clash of Kings transports us to a world of revelry and revenge, wizardry and warfare unlike any we have ever experienced.

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel . . . and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles."

Review:
**This review has spoilers! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself). Read at your own risk!**

Everything I loved in the first book is delivered in this great sequel, and so, so much more. Lets take this one step at a time.

Firstly, along with the characters we all know and love, we're given two new narrators - Theon Greyjoy (who we've met before) and Davos, a knight (?) who serves Stannis Baratheon. This takes our narrator count up to 9 (those of you who have read my review for A Game of Thrones will know we had 8 narrators in that book). The range of narrators just makes this novel so much more interesting - not only do you get to see everything, but you get to know these characters much more so than if we had one narrator. Plus, you'll come to love (almost) every character, each for their own unique reasons.

With the range of narrators, balancing how much we hear from each one can be tricky. We need to know the full story, and some parts of that can only be provided by one narrator, so the balance is crucial. I think it's done pretty well, but I do wish that we heard more for Danaerys. I want to hear more about her dragons! And I'm eagerly awaiting the day that she makes her strike and begins the war to reclaim her throne. That will be some enthralling stuff. 

The plot itself is a solid follow on from what was established in the first novel. For a rather long novel, I was surprised that I did feel like the story lagged at all; the plot itself really was quite solid. Whilst I did find that I got weary with the story the more I read, that was more to do with the length of the novel itself, rather than the plot. Whilst I wish that maybe the books were just a little shorter, I don't think that could have been achieved - I think this book covered everything it needed to, none of which could have been left out. Each character's story forged ahead at a solid pace, and I am really looking forward to picking up the third novel to see where it leads them. If the TV series is any indication, I'm going to need to prepare myself. 

Book Review: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin
Release Date: 1st December 1997

Publisher: Bantam Books
Format: eBook
Pages: 864
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY, 2013 EBC and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones."

Review:

It's been quite some time between reading this book and actually writing the review, so let me keep this short in order to actually get across what I really want to say.

I loved this book. I had no doubt that I wouldn't. For years I've had people telling me to read the series, or watch the TV show. I really do want to watch the show, but before I want to read at least the first two novels in the series. So I finally got around to reading A Game of Thrones, and I wish I had read it sooner.

I think what I enjoyed the most about this book was the number of different narrators it had. There were no less than eight different narrators, each having their time to shine (some more than others). Sometimes, when employing this technique you run the risk of having some chapters more interesting than others. But that didn't happen here. Everything was interesting, from Jon Snow at The Wall, to Eddard Stark in Kings Landing, even the chapters with Sansa, which I did find painful at times just because I found Sansa painful. 

I quite enjoyed everything about this book - the plot, the setting, the characters - everything! Can't recommend this book enough.

Book Review: Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard
Release Date: 1st January 2013

Publisher: Amulet Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 370
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own."

Review:

I think I loved everything about this book - but I don't find that particularly surprising. Around about the end of last year, reviews for Splintered started popping up in the blogosphere, and there was not a negative review in site. When I found out it was a retelling of a classic story, I knew I just had to read this.

Splintered is the twisted retelling of the classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. In the novel, we follow our heroine Alyssa (and her crush Jeb) as she travels to Wonderland to break the curse that's been haunting her family ever since little Alice fell down the rabbit hole all those years ago. And what ensues is definitely not something you'd be expecting. 

As I've said already, I loved everything about this book - and I mean everything. I loved our three main characters; Alyssa, the strong heroine, Jeb, Alyssa's crush, and Morpheus, Alyssa's childhood friend and guide to Wonderland. I liked how these three main characters interacted, with Jeb and Morpheus basically representing the two worlds (our world and Wonderland) and in doing that, being polar opposites. It was interesting to see different sides of Alyssa become more pronounced when she was around one or the other. And Alyssa herself was a great female protagonist - I mean, she was so determined the break her family curse in order to save her mother, how could you not love her?

And the retelling of a classic - my word, Howard did an amazing job taking Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and building upon it to create this fascinating read. All the main characters you know - the Red Queen, the Caterpillar, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter - have been taken, but they've been twisted into these new, more gruesome characters, and I absolutely loved it. However, my favourite part of this book has to be the plot itself. This was an unpredictable read for me, and I didn't see that twist at the end coming, at all. Even after the 'tests' were revealed, I still couldn't see the vitally important connection between Alyssa and a certain Wonderland character. That twist at the end, and that final battle, brought the story to a satisfying end, and left it open for future sequels. All in all, this is a story that I loved completely and wholeheartedly, and I would recommend it to anyone.  

Book Review: The Crystal Cave (The Arthurian Saga #1) by Mary Stewart

The Crystal Cave (The Arthurian Saga #1) by Mary Stewart 
Release Date: 6th May 2003

Publisher: Harper Collins 
Format: eBook
Pages: 494
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY, 2013 EBC and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myridden Emrys -- or as he would later be known, Merlin -- leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon . . . and the conception of Arthur -- king for once and always."

Review:
For a start, I feel like the name of this series is misleading. For a series named 'The Arthurian Saga', the elusive Arthur himself isn't even born until the end of this novel. Since this story follows Merlin, from his young childhood up until his role beside Uther Pendragon and the birth of Arthur, I feel like this series should be called 'Merlin's Chronicles' or something like that. But, maybe in the second novel, we'll have more of an emphasis on Arthur himself.

That aside, I really enjoyed this book. It took a while to get into at first - Merlin's childhood wasn't all that interesting, and I didn't feel like much was happening. When it all changed for me, I think, was after Merlin's first experience in the crystal cave and that vivid vision he had. There was action, things were happening, it was getting interesting. And then I feel that the book basically continued on the same heightened wavelength right until the end. Every little plot point was interesting, and it all tied in really well with all my preconceived ideas about the characters - I think we've all heard of Merlin before, and I found that I particularly liked the way Merlin was portrayed in this novel.

Overall, a solid read. Maybe there was a bit too much emphasis on Merlin's early childhood for me, but I do understand why it was there - we saw some interesting tidbits about Merlin's family and his powers, things that we needed to know. In the end, I felt like the story was wrapped up pretty well, and I'm not dying to get onto the next novel, but I'm sure I will at some point or another.  

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor
Release Date: 5th June 2012

Publisher: Little Brown Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 418
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?"

Review:

My lord, this book. This. was. amazing! The fact that I'm quite tired right now may be contributing to this, but I don't have words to describe how good this book was.                                        This was my reading process: 

Just go and read this book. Seriously.

Book Review: Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy #1) by Leigh Fallon

Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy #1) by Leigh Fallon
Release Date: 4th October 2011

Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 342
Rating: 3.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS and 2013 ODY 

Summary from Amazon:

"Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction."

Review:
Oh god this book. I really wish I hadn't wasted my time on this, because it really wasn't good. Granted, it did pick up towards the end, but I can tell you now I won't be continuing on with this trilogy. 

This just. wasn't. good. At the beginning it was just weird. A guy and a girl can't stop staring at each other. Then, they decide to get together. Then comes an onslaught of new information, which took me a while to digest. All during this stage, the book isn't any good. The story doesn't make any logical sense - at all. Then, eventually, the story picks up. I would say around about the moment when they travel abroad (I can't even remember which city they travelled to), that's when things picked up a little in terms of the fantasy storyline. The romance - not so much. 

Then, the end was all very dramatic, and it was over. To be honest, reading this book just felt like I was going through the motions. I wasn't paying too much attention to the story, but just trying to get through it. I took this book to work the other day, when there was a lot of downtime, which was how I managed to finish this book without stopping midway - I read this book to avoid boredom, not really because I wanted to. 

Some people will love this story, but I just didn't. The fantasy aspect interested me, and this element of the story did go places, which is why I gave this book a rating of 3 instead of 2/5. But overall - I wouldn't bother if I was you. 

Book Review: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: 19th February 2008

Publisher: Simon and Schuster 
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 485
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY, 2013 BSR and 2013 GVR

Summary from Amazon:

"When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . ."

Review:
I'm not feeling over the moon about this book. Which is a shame, because I thought I would. But, from what I've heard, this book provides solid set up for the rest of the series, so I'll probably check out the second novel to see if it picks up.

I'm not entirely sure why I'm not in love with this book. I've tried thinking about different aspects of the book, but I can't pinpoint one thing that could have caused this. The plot was solid, the characters were likeable and the whole world of shadow hunters and demons was well set up. I just, I wasn't over the moon, and for that reason, I can't give it 5/5, which I was expecting to when I began with this book. Coming off from reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer probably doesn't help, because I loved that book so much. 

What I did like was that twist at the end (which I had in the back of my mind since about mid way through the novel, but it took me a while to actually put it all together). It changes your opinions about certain relationships. Well, at least, I hope it changes your mind about certain relationships, because if it doesn't, then I would be a bit worried. Overall, it is a good read, and I would recommend it. 

Book Review: Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross

Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross 

Release Date: 5th January 2012 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 352
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge

Summary from Amazon:
"The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world."

Review: 
I really, really enjoyed this book - much more than I expected to. and its kinda hard for me to explain exactly why. With the clarity of hindsight (that is, I've been too busy to get around to this review for a month or so), I can say that the novel isn't necessarily anything special. What I mean is, there isn't really anything I can pinpoint that sets this novel apart from the rest (I mean, romance with a bit of time-travel thrown in there, it's been done before). But there is just something about this book that made me enjoy it immensely. The plot was interesting and well thought out, and the characters were likeable and relatable. Just go and read the book....NOW! :D 

Book Review: The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #3) by Michael Scott

The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #3)by Michael Scott
Release Date: 27th April 2010

Publisher: Baker and Taylor
Format: eBook
Pages: 512
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2012 OTS Challenge 

Summary from Amazon:

"Nicholas Flamel's heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was destroyed by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of prophecy, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders.

But Nicholas grows weaker with each passing day. Perenelle is still trapped in Alcatraz, and now that Scatty has gone missing, the group is without protection. Except for Clarent—the twin sword to Excalibur. But Clarent’s power is unthinkable, its evil making it nearly impossible to use without its darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it.

If he hopes to defeat Dee, Nicholas must find an Elder who can teach Josh and Sophie the third elemental magic—Water Magic. The problem? The only one who can do that is Gilgamesh, and he is quite, quite insane. "

Review:
Just like the first two books, The Sorceress by Michael Scott doesn't disappoint. I'm pretty much loving everything about this series at the moment - the characters, the plot, the action, the mystery, everything is just so enthralling that I found it hard to put this book down at times.

What I think this book managed to do well is that it took a step up - there was more confrontational action, the characters were growing, and (finally) the evil guys were getting their just desserts. What Scott has also managed to do well is to ensure that you'll keep reading the series with all the little mysteries (Who is Dee's Dark Elder? What will happen to Scatty and Joan?), and that cliffhanger at the end (which really has me intrigued). My only problem with this book (and the series as a whole) now is that the line of monsters never seems to end. Honestly, how many of them can their be? We've already had more than an entire series would have, and I'm only half way through!
But, overall, I think this is a fitting 3rd novel in The Alchemyst franchise, and I'm looking forward to reading the next instalment.