At the end of last month I posted my March in Review a few days early (on the 25th I believe) and I actually finished two of the books I said I started in that time. So by the end of March I actually finished eleven books.
10) Clockwork Princess- Cassandra Clare
My Thoughts Here
11) Grave Secrets - Kathy Reichs
Books I Finished This Month (All one of them!)
I've been super busy with school projects so next month I am sure I am going to read more books!
1) City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
A fun reread after finishing the Infernal Devices series last month.
Books I Started This Month
1) Pushing the Limits - Katie McGarry
2) Peter and the Starcatchers - Dave Barry
3) Terrier - Tamora Pierce
I'll be making another post soon about my book haul this month so look out for that as well!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Friday Reads #3
This idea was a hashtag stared on Twitter, and someone brought it into the blogging community. I've seen it featured by Bunny Cates on her Youtube channel.
This Weekend I'll be Reading
1) Terrier by Tamora Pierce
I can't believe I haven't read this yet because Pierce is one of my favorite authors! I just have never picked it up, but I'm loving this book so far! I want to snuggle up and read this book all night....maybe I'll do that. =D
2) Pushing the Limits - Katie McGerry
I've heard great things about this book and so far I really like it! Only about 100 pages in but right now I'm enjoying the duel point of view.
I can't believe I haven't read this yet because Pierce is one of my favorite authors! I just have never picked it up, but I'm loving this book so far! I want to snuggle up and read this book all night....maybe I'll do that. =D
2) Pushing the Limits - Katie McGerry
I've heard great things about this book and so far I really like it! Only about 100 pages in but right now I'm enjoying the duel point of view.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Top Ten Tuesday - One Day Late!
Top Ten Books I had to Buy but are STILL sitting on my shelf.
Top Ten Tuesdays are created by: The Broke and the Bookish
Sorry this is late! Yesterday was a little crazy!
- Seraphina - Rachel Hartman I heard so much buzz about this book and I even pre-ordered it but I still have not picked it up to read it!
- Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern This is another book that I heard a lot about and picked it up because of cover appeal but I have left it sit for probably six months now.
- The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson I've never read any of Maureen Johnson's books and I'm dying to read this one but when I started it the story didn't grab me. I need to give it another go someday.
- Fallen - Lauren Kate After I bought this book I read a stinging review and now I'm hesitant to pick it up. I need to get over it and just enjoy the book.
- Peter and the Secrets of Rundoon - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson I bought this book because I needed it apparently but I still haven't gotten around to reading the series again.
- Terrier - Tamora Pierce I picked this up when Border's was closing which was ages ago and I still haven't read it. I just started it and I'm loving it but leaving a Tamora Pierce book sit is probably one of the dumbest things I'll ever do.
- Bright Young Things - Anna Godbersen After this dissapointing finish of the Luxe series I shouldn't have needed this book but I thought I did. Now I can't make myself read it.
- Inkdeath - Cornelia Funke This book's story is similar to Peter and the Secrets of Rundoon
- Through Wolf's Eyes - Jane Lindskold This is one of the first books I ever bought with my own money and it was a bit beyond my reading level at the time. I never went back and finished it. Someday....
- Halo - Alexandra Adornetto I wanted this book so badly but when I bought it I stuck it on my shelf and it is still sitting there!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Clockwork Princess - Review
by: Cassandra Clare
Description from Goodreads: Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy?Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. Clockwork Princess is the third and final book in the Infernal Devices Series. It is a prequel series to The Mortal Instruments Series also by Cassandra Clare
So far this series has hit all the right spots for me. A character, Tessa, was thrown into a world that you have to learn about with her. Even though I know about the Shadownhunter Universe, this set of Shadownhunters and the London Institute is a whole other ballgame. Victorian England (history student here) is one of my favorite periods of history and I love the description and detail that this story continues to lay out. The same things always happens to me in Cassandra Clare books though. I struggle to get through the first half of the book then read the rest in one sitting. Don't ask me why, because I love her stories regardless of this. I just get stuck in the middle. That did not happen in this book. Instead of getting stuck I found places I could the book down because I had to put the book down. It was late and I needed sleep and I wanted to enjoy the book rather than plow through it. I found places where I was like, Something big is going to happen soon, but I'll wait until tomorrow to read that because if I don't go to bed right now I'm going to die of exhaustion tomorrow. This book is action packed from start to finish. Moments that you think are going to be quiet get interrupted by important and exciting scenes.
I didn't realize how much I cared about everything in this series until I started reading this book. When you get the book you want to read to find out who Tessa will really end up with. This was the focus at the end of Clockwork Prince and I was completely focused on that when I tore open the package this book came in. In the process of getting to that moment you realize how important everything about the story is. Who is Tessa? Where did she come from? What happened to her parents? Why does Mortmain want her? What does he need from her? Will Jem survive his illness? How will it affect Will and Tessa on their own and how will affect their feelings if Jem dies? I didn't even realize I needed to ask these questions until Cassandra Clare began throwing me the answers. This worked out great because the book ended up being a great balance between romantic tension and other important plot points.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. Clockwork Princess is the third and final book in the Infernal Devices Series. It is a prequel series to The Mortal Instruments Series also by Cassandra Clare
*Disclaimer - This is free of any major spoilers for Clockwork Princess,
but I do talk about the first two books in the series so be warned.*
So far this series has hit all the right spots for me. A character, Tessa, was thrown into a world that you have to learn about with her. Even though I know about the Shadownhunter Universe, this set of Shadownhunters and the London Institute is a whole other ballgame. Victorian England (history student here) is one of my favorite periods of history and I love the description and detail that this story continues to lay out. The same things always happens to me in Cassandra Clare books though. I struggle to get through the first half of the book then read the rest in one sitting. Don't ask me why, because I love her stories regardless of this. I just get stuck in the middle. That did not happen in this book. Instead of getting stuck I found places I could the book down because I had to put the book down. It was late and I needed sleep and I wanted to enjoy the book rather than plow through it. I found places where I was like, Something big is going to happen soon, but I'll wait until tomorrow to read that because if I don't go to bed right now I'm going to die of exhaustion tomorrow. This book is action packed from start to finish. Moments that you think are going to be quiet get interrupted by important and exciting scenes.
I didn't realize how much I cared about everything in this series until I started reading this book. When you get the book you want to read to find out who Tessa will really end up with. This was the focus at the end of Clockwork Prince and I was completely focused on that when I tore open the package this book came in. In the process of getting to that moment you realize how important everything about the story is. Who is Tessa? Where did she come from? What happened to her parents? Why does Mortmain want her? What does he need from her? Will Jem survive his illness? How will it affect Will and Tessa on their own and how will affect their feelings if Jem dies? I didn't even realize I needed to ask these questions until Cassandra Clare began throwing me the answers. This worked out great because the book ended up being a great balance between romantic tension and other important plot points.
Another thing I loved about this series was its characters. Will, Jem and Tessa are central characters to this story and Tessa's story is what most of the action revolve around. Even so all the characters are important and made an impression on me. The Institute was like an army at times and I cared about the Sophie just as much as I cared about Tessa because of how well her character was developed. The characters in this book felt really well fleshed out to me and I cared about what happened to everyone. Tess is just a great heroine period and I love that during this series there are moments when she realizes she has to help herself just as much as the Shadownhunters have been helping her and she grows tremendously in those moments. Throughout the series you can see her grow and change from a frightened girl to a strong young woman. Her strength and courage are amazing and I really felt for her throughout this book and the series as well.
There were couple of things that annoyed me about this series and about this book specifically. There is a lot of love going on. Sometimes I felt like characters were forced together or it was insta-love. At times it felt like characters were introduced and you could tell there was going to be a romance happening between them. It was frustrating in a way especially because there was already so much tension and romance going on between Will, Jem and Tessa. Compared to their relationship that had been developed over three books, I thought some of the new relationships felt a little shallow. It was really only one instance that really bothered me. That happens in YA though so I wasn't overly upset by it. The other thing that really stuck out to me was that Gideon and Gabriel Lightwood had names that were so close! At times it interrupted the flow of the story because I would get confused about who was who and which brother was doing what. In the other books I never noticed it, but they are more involved in the story this time so it was much more confusing.
Overall I really loved this book and I thought it was a great end of the series. I am already hooked on Cassandra Clare's writing and cannot wait to see what she does next. I would definitely recommend the series! I do like this series more than the Mortal Instruments, but that might just be because I love this historical period.
Let me know what you thought of this book!
Clockwork Princess Rating- 5/5
Series Rating -5/5
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Top Ten Tuesday:
Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger
Top Ten Tuesdays are created by: The Broke and the Bookish
1) Elseware - Gabrielle Zevin
I loved this book and it was one of the first books that I read over and over. It was one of the books that helped me discover my love for reading.
2) Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
I really enjoyed Twilight before it was a series and a movie franchise. I reread Twilight so many times when I was in high school that my book is falling apart. It was also a book that helped me get into reading and start looking for new YA books to read.
3) Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I love to read this book and I just enjoy it because I catch something new everytime I read it. Its a great book for the beach which is where I reread it every year!
4) Alanna; The First Adventure - Tamora Pierce
I checked this book out of the library at school over and over again because we only had the first two so I loved these first two so much. Finally when I was older I could read the whole series and I still love it.
5) Trickster's Choice - Tamora Pierce
This was one of the series that reminded me how much I loved Tamora Pierce after I had forgotten about her! Still love her writing and her stories.
6) PS: I love you - Cecelia Ahern
I loved this book so much more than the movie. I read it because I found out it was a book before it was a movie so before I watched it I wanted to read this. It is a fabulous read that made me laugh and cry.
7) Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater
This book got me back into paranormal YA without fearing another Twilight! Super good!
8) The Confessions of Fitzwilliam Darcy - Mary Street
This adaptation got me started reading all kinds of adaptations about classics. Its one of the best I've read and I really like it.
9) Obsidian - Jennifer Armentrout
I read this book in a night and it was fabulous. I love this series as well.
10) Inkheart- Cornelia Funke
Always loved this idea that stories could actually come to life and come out of a book so this story was always one of my favorites!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Friday Reads #2
This idea was a hashtag stared on Twitter, and someone brought it into the blogging community. I've seen it featured by Bunny Cates on her Youtube channel.
1) The Night Has Teeth - Kat Kruger
I have just started this book, only about 10 pages in, and I don't really have an opinion on it so far. It seems like an interesting premise though! Werewolves and Paris!
2) Peter and the Starcatchers - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
I've read this book before and am currently rereading the series. I'm convinced I never finished the second book for some reason and I have purchased the third book. Therefore, I need to read these first two again before I start the next book. (Only about 50 pages in but its cute so far)
...and if I end up not being in the mood for those two I'm also in the middle of The Two Towers and A Weekend with Mr. Darcy. I'm sure I'll find something to read today and this weekend!
Happy Friday! What are you reading?
This Friday I'll be reading
1) The Night Has Teeth - Kat Kruger
I have just started this book, only about 10 pages in, and I don't really have an opinion on it so far. It seems like an interesting premise though! Werewolves and Paris!
2) Peter and the Starcatchers - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
I've read this book before and am currently rereading the series. I'm convinced I never finished the second book for some reason and I have purchased the third book. Therefore, I need to read these first two again before I start the next book. (Only about 50 pages in but its cute so far)
...and if I end up not being in the mood for those two I'm also in the middle of The Two Towers and A Weekend with Mr. Darcy. I'm sure I'll find something to read today and this weekend!
Happy Friday! What are you reading?
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Top Ten Tuesday #1
Top Ten Tuesdays are created by The Broke and the Bookish
Augustus is a fantastic crush worth character. I fall in love with him a little more every time. I'm not sure I could stand to take him away from Hazel though.
St. Claire - Anna and the French Kiss
The story line in this book is just as sweet as this boy is! I always imagined him as super handsome too and he knows all about Paris. What isn't there to like?
Jace Wayland (or whatever we are calling him these days) - The Mortal Instruments Series
Jace is that bad boy that you just do not want to be bad! He is just so attractive to me that I had a crush on him even though he is such a jerk in the beginning of City of Bones! The movie trailers have made me fall for Jace all over again though. It made me realize how much I need to read City of Bones again!
Will Herondale -The Infernal Devices
Especially after finishing Clockwork Princess I don't know how I couldn't swoon over him! Will is one of my favorite Cassandra Clare characters and I would love to ride around in carriages in Victorian London with him.
Ethan Wate - Beautiful Creatures
Ethan is a boy that is after my heart. His inner dialogue is so honest and it translates into what he does and says so often. He is an all around great guy and he is so protective of Lena! Ethan is one of my favorite narrators that I have read this year and I imagine it would be easy to crush on him if I lived in Gatlin.
Captain Wentworth - Persuasion
I have always loved Captain Wentworth the best out of Jane Austen's heroes I'm not sure why (probably because I this was my first Austen book). Even so, Wentworth is just so swoonworthy. I think I like him because, unlike Darcy for example, he had to make something of himself. He was successful!
Howl - Howl's Moving Castle
I wasn't sure what I expected from this book, but falling in love with Howl wasn't part of the plan. He is so good hearted (wink) wizard even while he is trying to convince you he isn't. Its all so cute that I just couldn't help but fall for him.
Sorry I don't have 10 characters! I didn't want to force it and I've only really picked up on reading again in the past year so it was difficult to pick out 10 really crushworthy characters.
10 (er..6?) Characters I would Crush on If I was also a Fictional Character
Augustus Waters- The Fault in Our StarsAugustus is a fantastic crush worth character. I fall in love with him a little more every time. I'm not sure I could stand to take him away from Hazel though.
St. Claire - Anna and the French Kiss
The story line in this book is just as sweet as this boy is! I always imagined him as super handsome too and he knows all about Paris. What isn't there to like?
Jace Wayland (or whatever we are calling him these days) - The Mortal Instruments Series
Jace is that bad boy that you just do not want to be bad! He is just so attractive to me that I had a crush on him even though he is such a jerk in the beginning of City of Bones! The movie trailers have made me fall for Jace all over again though. It made me realize how much I need to read City of Bones again!
Will Herondale -The Infernal Devices
Especially after finishing Clockwork Princess I don't know how I couldn't swoon over him! Will is one of my favorite Cassandra Clare characters and I would love to ride around in carriages in Victorian London with him.
Ethan Wate - Beautiful Creatures
Ethan is a boy that is after my heart. His inner dialogue is so honest and it translates into what he does and says so often. He is an all around great guy and he is so protective of Lena! Ethan is one of my favorite narrators that I have read this year and I imagine it would be easy to crush on him if I lived in Gatlin.
Captain Wentworth - Persuasion
I have always loved Captain Wentworth the best out of Jane Austen's heroes I'm not sure why (probably because I this was my first Austen book). Even so, Wentworth is just so swoonworthy. I think I like him because, unlike Darcy for example, he had to make something of himself. He was successful!
Howl - Howl's Moving Castle
I wasn't sure what I expected from this book, but falling in love with Howl wasn't part of the plan. He is so good hearted (wink) wizard even while he is trying to convince you he isn't. Its all so cute that I just couldn't help but fall for him.
Sorry I don't have 10 characters! I didn't want to force it and I've only really picked up on reading again in the past year so it was difficult to pick out 10 really crushworthy characters.
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