July Wrap-Up 2016

I AM BACK FROM MY HIATUS AND I AM SO FREAKING HAPPY!!!! Life is back to normal and the stress is over from my mother’s birthday party (which she had a great time btw)! I MISSED EVERYONE ALL SO MUCH!! How are you? What’s new? Anything I should know about? Lol.

Well July is over and that means another monthly wrap-up *starts dancing*
I read a total of 4 books and let’s get right into them! (side note: if you click on each photo, it will take you to the goodreads page)

1. Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare ★★★★★
   Paranormal, YA, Steampunk
   I have a review full of .gifs here
   
2. November Rain (Bad Bloods #1) by Shannon A. Thompson ★★★★.5
   Urban Fantasy, YA, Post Apocalyptic
   I have a review here
   
3. The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace ★★★★★
   Poetry
   I have a review here
   
4. Addicted to you (Addicted #1) by Krista Ritchie ★★★
   New Adult, Romance
   This is the only book I don’t have a review for, I will try to get one up this week but no promises.
   

June Wrap-Up 2016

Another month over! AHH! This month aka Shadowhunter month, I read a total of 3 books.

1. City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare ★★★★
   Paranormal, YA, Urban Fantasy
   
2. Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare ★★★★.5
   Paranormal, YA, Steampunk
   I have a review for this book here
   
3. Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare ★★★★★
   Paranormal, YA, Steampunk
   I have a review for this book here
   
   Overall, I feel like I had a good reading month despite all the madness that’s been going on in my personal life lol. I’m happy I enjoyed the books I read. Happy reading everyone!

Clockwork Princess – Spoiler Book Review

Title: Clockwork Princess (Book Three)
Series: The Infernal Devices
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Steampunk
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Again, this will be a spoiler book review because it’s the third book in a series. Plus I suck at non spoiler book reviews for sequels.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Danger and betrayal, love and loss, secrets and enchantment are woven together in the breathtaking finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices Trilogy, prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

My Initial Thoughts Right After I Finished:

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE AFTER READING THIS TRILOGY???!!!!

My Thoughts Now That It’s Been A Few Hours Since I Finished:

• 
• 
• I am legit sitting here with tears in my eyes because I can’t believe its over. I am the type of person that when people tell me I’m going to cry over a book, I don’t cry. However, I’ve been a sobbing mess since I finished this one.
• That epilogue broke me into so many pieces. They all had their happy endings and the fact that it all connects with The Mortal Instruments…it’s really beautiful.
• I felt like Tessa, torn between the two, Will and Jem. I came to love Will in book 3. He’s such a beautiful person. I was really in shock with Jem becoming a Silent Brother but that epilogue changed my life.
• I NEED MORE!!!!
• The Herondale’s, Lightwood’s, and Fairchild’s persist once again and that makes me so happy.
• Cassandra Clare is a beast, she did an amazing job with this book.  The writing was beautiful and the plot was delivered.
• My baby Sophie becoming a Shadowhunter and got married with Gideon!!! Cecily and Gabriel! I SHIPPED THEM SO HARD!!
• I shipped everyone to be honest.
• This book is very quotable
• My heart broke for Will when he felt the rune for his parabatai disappear. I cried so hard because I thought like Will that Jem had died.
• Jem, oooooooo my Jem!!!
• Magnus Bane!! Although we didn’t see much of him, he was so important. He must feel like he was reliving everything again in TMI. Magnus is such a beautiful person.
• CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I freaking love that cat.
•  Tessa, she’s so strong. I love her.
• The female characters in this trilogy is so important and still relate to our time and women rights and what we go through as females.

I can’t really say much anymore except that this is now one of my favorite trilogies and I loved everything about this book. I will definitely continue with part two of The Mortal Instruments and the rest of the Shadowhunter world.

All the stories are true

Clockwork Prince – Spoiler Book Review

Title: Clockwork Prince (Book Two)
Series: The Infernal Devices
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Steampunk
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This will be a spoiler review because it is a 2nd book in a series.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

My Initial Thoughts Right After I Finished:

I WAS A SOBBING MESS AFTER READING THIS BOOK!!!!!!! I was freaking out for all my precious babies: Charlotte, Henry, Tessa, Jem, Will, ALL OF THEM!!! I didn’t want anything happening to them. I was so scared.

My Thoughts Now That It’s Been A Few Hours Since I Finished:

• CAN WE DISCUSS THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN CHARLOTTE AND HENRY?!?!?!?! I WAS LITERALLY SOBBING!!!!!!!
• My heart is literally torn between Will and Jem. I am team Jem but ugh I feel for Tessa.
• WILL!!!! He never had that curse and ugh I feel so bad for him because his heart got shattered right after he had gotten the good news that the curse was a fluke.
• I love how Cassandra Clare portrayed these characters, I felt all the emotions.
• Jessamine! WHY GIRL??? JUST WHY?!?! I was kinda rooting for you too but you just had to be sucked up with Nate and his dumbass.
• MY PRECIOUS BABY JEM!!!!!! I LOVE HIM AND I WISH TESSA FELT THE SAME FOR HIM!!! TESSA I KNOW YOU IN LOVE WITH WILL BUT FRIENDLY LOVE JEM!!! I SEE YOU BOO!!
• Heart eyes for Gideon and Sophie! I literally squealed when I read this.
• CECILY AT THE END!!! I FREAKING KNEW IT!!! I just knew she would find her way to the institute somehow.
• I had the biggest freak out at the end. I thought one of my precious babies was going to die but everyone was safe *big sigh*
• Where the hell is Mortmain?!?!
• Total shock with Benedict Lightwood and his traitor ass, I was so not expecting that at all.
• I have no complaints about this book, it was freaking great!!!

Clockwork Angel Book Review (Non-spoiler)

Title: Clockwork Angel (Book One)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Steampunk
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Took me forever to finish this book but I really enjoyed it more than the first book of The Mortal Instruments.

Synopsis of 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…

My Initial Thoughts Right After I Finished:

I NEED THE SECOND BOOK. WHY WOULD THE EPILOGUE FINISH LIKE THAT? HOW DID PEOPLE WAIT A YEAR FOR THE NEXT ONE?!?!?

My Thoughts Now That It’s Been A Few Hours Since I Finished:

• If you don’t want to read The Mortal Instruments, you don’t have to. I feel like this series is great enough to read without TMI. The author describes things in the Shadowhunter world that would make sense for a person who hasn’t read TMI.
• I loved the female dynamic in this book. I feel like we have way more female characters in this first book vs. City of Bones and I loved the interactions. Except for Jessamine, there’s always a Jessamine somewhere.
• The author’s writing is a lot better in this book. I feel like she matured in her writing with Clockwork Angel. I also feel like you can tell that she did her research for this setting in 1800s London. The descriptions and the way I saw everything in my head was amazing.
• Team Jem. Listen I don’t have a ship yet because I feel like everyone is discovering themselves in this book but I don’t like Will and he better pull heaven on earth in Clockwork Prince to get me on his team.
• I loved seeing how Cassandra Clare didn’t ignore the way women were treated back in the 1800s but also how she made it very clear that within Shadowhunters, women were equal (sorta but don’t want to spoil).
• I loved how the plot was a total surprise for me, I didn’t expect anything!
• Clare makes you feel for these characters. Charlotte, Tessa, Henry, Jem, Will, Jessamine, Sophie, Thomas, just all of them!!! I want to hear all their individual stories. While reading you get some of their stories but I know there’s more to that. Hope

I’ve already started Clockwork Prince. Have you read this book? What did you think?

Thursday Quotables

Welcome to Thursday Quotables! A meme hosted by Book Shelf Fantasies. This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

This weeks quote is from my current read, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.

“One must always be careful of books,” said Tessa, “and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”

Currently Reading

Before I get into this can we just admire this beauty:

Annnnnd I’m back!

Okay so I’m currently reading Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare and I’m about 31% into it according to Goodreads. I am really enjoying this book a lot more than I did City of Bones. I’m comparing them because they’re the first book in a series that are set in the same world.

A lot of people who personally know me have told me that I would love this trilogy way more than The Mortal Instruments. Let’s see if that’s true.

So far I’m loving the female characters and how Cassandra makes a point that although this is set in the 1800s, women in the Shadowhunter universe are equal as men. And the Shadowhunter men treat the women as such.

I’m loving the writing in this book and the setting so much! I feel like I’m there in London in the 1800s wearing these beautiful dresses.

So no complaints as of yet.

Have you read this trilogy? What did you think? And if you also read The Mortal Instruments, did you read it by publication date?

Currently Reading

Hey everyone so I wanted to update all of you on what I’m currently reading. I’m more than halfway through City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. This is the third installment to The Mortal Instruments series. So far I’m really enjoying it and I’m hoping to finish the book tonight so I can start The Infernal Devices.

I’m so happy that I can say I am apart of the Shadowhunter universe. Even though I’m only on the third installment but like I said I’m enjoying it!

In my opinion:

• Clary isn’t as annoying as Jace
• Umm Simon!!!!!! Omg I so wasn’t expecting his transformation. I thought he was going to be another Matthew from The Vampire Diaries
• Sebastian…I knew not to trust that guy
• MAGNUS IS 700 YEARS OLD. HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!
• I’m still waiting on Cassandra Clare to be like “SURPRISE THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS AREN’T RELATED”….then I can deep sigh

Cross fingers that I can finish this book tonight.

City of Bones Book Review (Non-Spoiler)

Title: City of Bones (Book One)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy
My Rating: 4 out 5 stars

I have finally read the first book of this series!!! Finally! Finally! Finally! And when I finished City of Bones I wondered what the heck took me so long because I really enjoyed it.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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…

My Initial Thoughts Right After I Finished:

WAIT HOLD UP. HOLD THE **** UP!!!!!
NO THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. CASSANDRA CLARE WHY WOULD YOU GIVE ME THIS PLOT TWIST?!?!??!?!?!?!?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!

My Thoughts Now That It’s Been A Few Hours Since I Finished:

• I thought the book had a lot of info-dumping when it came to the world, which I actually didn’t mind at all because there was a lot of dialogue and explanations. I grasped the world quicker with the info-dump rather than play a guessing game as to how things go about in this world. And I love me some major dialogue between characters, where the character is explaining all types of stuff.
• Was the plot somewhat predictable? Yes, the majority of the plot was predictable except for that ending, that ending caught me off guard. However, the predictable plot didn’t bother me because I was thoroughly enjoyed this world and it’s only book 1 out of a 6 book series. This story can really go anywhere at this point.
• I understand Clary can be a little ridiculous and at times I was like “STFU, what is wrong with you?…omg you’re such a child”…honestly though, I’ve read WORSE characters than her plus she’s a teenager with raging hormones who just got her world flipped upside down in the matter of hours. So I can surpass her.
• Loved how much I laughed out loud in this book. I LOVE BOOKS THAT MAKE ME LAUGH!!!
• I need more female characters and female friendships, I hope I get to see that in City of Ashes (Book Two). I’m not ignoring Isabelle, yes I know that she exist. However, I feel like I’ve seen Isabelle’s character in other books. You know the “don’t need anyone, I’ve been here before you, I’m a bad ass and you’re not, oh you’re such a human” type of character. I wanted to see more between Isabelle and Clary. The ending of the book gave me hope that maybe there will be a friendship between these two sometime in the near future.
• LGBTQ – YES YES YES!!!!!!!! LOVED ALL OF IT!!!! Alec baby I support you!
• The Setting? Takes place in NYC. I live in NYC and I want to thank Cassandra Clare for being so on point with EVERY LITTLE DETAIL of New York. I’ve read books where it takes place in NYC but Cassandra Clare definitely takes the cake for being spot on with locations and whereabouts.
• Characters? I like all the characters. They’re all unique and different in their own way but all mesh together perfectly.
• I absolutely loved the idea of having Nephilim, Demons, Vampires, Werewolves, Fey, Warlocks (pretty much all paranormal creatures) in one book. It was really well done.
• Will I be continuing this series? YES!!! I already started the second book.

Have you read this book? What are some of your thoughts? Let me know so we can discuss!!