Waiting on Wednesday (4): Thief's Covenant by Ari Marmell

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which we showcase upcoming releases we are anticipating.


Thief's Covenant (A Widdershins Adventure)
by Ari Marmell
Date Available: February 14, 2012

Goodreads snyopsis:

Once she was Adrienne Satti. An orphan of Davillon, she had somehow escaped destitution and climbed to the ranks of the city’s aristocracy in a rags-to-riches story straight from an ancient fairy tale. Until one horrid night, when a conspiracy of forces—human and other—stole it all away in a flurry of blood and murder.

Today she is Widdershins, a thief making her way through Davillon’s underbelly with a sharp blade, a sharper wit, and the mystical aid of Olgun, a foreign god with no other worshippers but Widdershins herself. It’s not a great life, certainly nothing compared to the one she once had, but it’s hers.

But now, in the midst of Davillon’s political turmoil, an array of hands are once again rising up against her, prepared to tear down all that she’s built. The City Guard wants her in prison. Members of her own Guild want her dead. And something horrid, something dark, something ancient is reaching out for her, a past that refuses to let her go. Widdershins and Olgun are going to find answers, and justice, for what happened to her—but only if those who almost destroyed her in those years gone by don’t finish the job first.

Why?


 Female Thief + political intrigue + gods + dark past + something horrid + action= huge amounts of awesomeness! Nuff said.

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Burn Bright (Night Creatures #1) by Marianne de Pierres

Burn Bright (Night Creatures #1)

By Marianne de Pierres

Available in Aus and NZ, US residents can attain it from www.fishpond.com

Pages: 316

Format: Paperback

Source: www.Fishpond.com

★★★ 3.5/5

Goodreads Synopsis:

Into a world of wild secrets and deadly pleasures comes a girl whose innocence may be her greatest strength. 

In Ixion music and party are our only beliefs. Darkness is our comfort. We have few rules but they are absolute . . . 

Retra doesn’t want to go to Ixion, the island of ever-night, ever-youth and never-sleep. Retra is a Seal – sealed minds, sealed community. She doesn’t crave parties and pleasure, experience and freedom. 

But her brother Joel left for Ixion two years ago, and Retra is determined to find him. Braving the intense pain of her obedience strip to escape the only home she’s ever known, Retra stows away on the barge that will take her to her brother. 

When she can’t find Joel, Retra finds herself drawn deeper into the intoxicating world of Ixion. Come to me, whispers a voice in her head. Who are the Ripers, the mysterious guardians of Ixion? What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? And what happens to those who grow too old for Ixion? 

Retra will find that Ixion has its pleasures, but its secrets are deadly. Will friendship, and the creation of an eternal bond with a Riper, be enough to save her from the darkness? 

Listen well, baby bats. Burn bright, but do not stray from the paths. Remember, when you live in a place of darkness you also live with creatures of the dark.

My Review:

Dark, sensual, intoxicating...these are the words that describe Burn Bright. 

Welcome to Ixion, an island without rules. We are introduced to Retra, a girl from an extremely sheltered community who sets out to Ixion to find her brother who left a year earlier. Therefore, she is unlike the rest of Ixion's occupants. She is the innocence in a world of darkness. She doesn't want the drugs, clubs, and sex, yet she does feel herself being drawn to the Island and a few of its inhabitants. There is Markes, the first guy she's even had feelings for and Lenoir, the dangerous leader of the Ripers. While I don't understand the importance of Markes, he wasn't very well developed, I must say that I was extremely intrigued by Lenoir in a weird way. Dark, dangerous, sensuous Lenoir. However, he too was left in the dark. Neither was extremely well developed.


  The descriptions of the Ixion itself were extremely stimulating. It was mysterious, daring and both scary and beautiful at the same time. 

 However, what interested me most about this book was the story itself. I was intrigued with the world of Ixion and the story behind it. There is more going on in Ixion than meets the eye. Who are the Ripers? Who/what are the Night creatures? What happens once you get to old for Ixion?

Sadly, these questions are what made both love and hate the book. I was really engrossed because I wanted to know the answers to these questions. However, I don’t think a single question was answered. When it ended I had about a bajillion questions! Not only the ones mentioned above but how did Ixion come about? Who is the Ruzalia? How can she travel through the Spiral? How did the gangs start? How do they get in touch with Ruzalia? How did anything come to be?! What kept me so interested were these burning questions! That’s the only reason I wanted to keep reading! But sadly, I think only one thing was answered, and this “answer” just brought on more questions. However, this does make me want to run out and get the second book just to see if it will tell me anything. Now you see my dilemma:/ 

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed it. It was….intoxicating to say the least. The story itself was incredibly interesting, not to mention Ixion, but my interest in this dark world couldn’t surpass all of my burning questions. Will I continue the series? Yes! I want to know what happens. However, I hope that we learn more in the next installment. 


Warning: For mature YA 

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Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1) by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1)
by Kiersten White
Published: Sept. 1, 2010
Pages: 335
Format: Hardback
Source: Library





★★★★★ 5/5 bleeping stars!


Goodreads Synopsis:
Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.


My Review:


Oh, bleep that was good. 


This book was so much fun from the very beginning! And I mean that literally. I read the first page and I was already laughing!


I've found my new book BFF. I absolutely adore Evie! She would be so much fun to hang out with!  She's got a great narrating voice and is just so sarcastic and humorous. I was pretty much laughing continually through this book thanks to her. She's a lover high-heels, fashion, drama and all things pink. Not to mention she's got a taser. But not just any taser. A bedazzled, pink taser named Tasey....yeah, cause she's just that cool. I just had to add in this quote to show how awesome Tasey is:

“Bud, my self-defense and combat skills teacher, was still trying to get me to learn knife fighting. ‘Silver knives! Painful and sometimes deadly to nearly all paranormals!’”

   “’Tasey!’ I countered. ‘Hot pink and sparkly!’”
-Evie

See! See how awesome she is?!?! Where can I get a hot pink, bejeweled taser?!? I'd be the high-heeled terror of the city with that thing! She is the perfect mix of kick-butt and girly...yeah, we could totally hang.

Now to the men (cause, ya know thats totally why I read ;D). Lend is adorable. I love him. I really do. He's honorable, loving, and caring. He's amazingly sweet, and kind and he's the kinda guy that you want in real life. But this isn't real life, so give me Reth! Deliciously dark, dangerous, and intoxicating Reth. Oh, he may not have been in there that often. but goodness! And I don't normally go for blondes ;)

  And where's the sparkly vampire? The nice faerie? HA! No such things! Yeah, take all those nice, fluffy things you think about paranormals and just get that outta your head before you read this. Pop culture lied to us! Sparkly Vamps don't exist! though, thank goodness because thats just not normal :/ and don't even get me started on faeries! Fairy godmothers?!? Whatever! 

If you couldn't tell from my review above, I absolutely love this book and I can't believe it took me so darn long to read it! Heck, I loved it so much I went out and bought the sequel immediately! And if y'all haven't read it yet then y'all need to get y'alls rears in gear and head on to the bookstore (that was a lot of y'alls in one sentence so you know I'm serious)! Stat! Cause it was just that bleeping good. 

P.S. Read the book in order to understand the bleep thing. Its pertty funny! A nice incentive to get you to read it, huh? :P

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The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1) by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1)
By Rae Carson
Available Now
Pages: 424
Format: Hardcover
Source: B&N



★★★★


Goodreads Synopsis: 
Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.


My Review:
*I’m writing this review quite a few months after I read it so I hope I cover everything :D 

Characters: 

The Girl of Fire and Thorns is a beautiful coming of age story with a main character that goes from self-pitying to being determined and resilient, trying to find her place in this captivating world. 

I read the Girl of Fire and Thorns because it came highly recommended. However, after reading just a bit, I almost didn’t finish it because I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. You see, Elisa is the self-pitying, no confidence type of girl. Constantly bashing her body (she’s overweight) yet doing nothing about it. Actually what really bothered me was the fact that she was fat because that was how she dealt with her problems. Something I can’t relate too. For me, instead of complaining about it, do something about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had those days where I starts bashing on myself, but I’m a naturally happy person and I’m alright with how I look. Instead of complaining about it, I’ll work hard to change it and make myself feel better. Now, that’s just me. However, I can see how many girls would relate to Elisa, but for me, it was a bit hard at first. 

She also didn’t see how important she was. You see, she is the carrier of the Godstone, a stone that is in her naval (creepy, I know) placed there by God which is pretty important by most other people's standards. However, she herself thinks it is pointless and that she is not the right person to carry it. Start the constant complaints. Again, not my cup of tea, but I wanted to see where it went. 

However, don’t let what I said earlier stop you, because I came to love her! Although she may think she isn’t important as the carrier of the Godstone, there are many that realize her importance. Heck, one man even kidnaps her because he thinks she’ll be his people’s saviour. And on this journey (that she eventually willingly goes on) she learns about herself and how important she is. 

After this point, I grew to love Elisa. On her journey she became a strong woman that learned that if something bugged her, she had to change it instead of complaining about it. However, what made her relatable and understandable was the fact that this change wasn’t instantaneous. Many things over the course of her journey started to slowly change her and give her confidence. She will never be as skinny as some of the other women, but she can get to a weight that she’ll be happy with. She is also incredibly intelligent and strategic, something that was ignored in her home because she was the second daughter. However, she comes to learn to use her intelligence which helps her a great deal throughout the story (You go girl!!). 

Each person in the story changed Elisa in some way. There were many good people in this story that loved Elisa even when she didn’t love herself. Her first love interest helped her so much. Although I wasn’t in love with him, I grew to care for him. He was amazingly sweet and loved Elisa for who she was which in turn helped her realize just how important she was. 

However, I want Hector. He may not be in the book that much, but there’s just something about him. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for him ;)

Plot and Pacing and Worldbuilding: 

Although this book starts out slow, it comes to a steady pace after a while. Not to fast, not to slow. Just perfect so that I felt like I was on this journey with her. The plot, while not constantly exciting with a ton of battles and fighting (which is normally how I like my books), it was still engaging. So if I like battles and action, why did I still give it 4 stars? Because all of the stuff that did happen, all those little battles helped Elisa come to love herself which is something I’ll always be happy about. Go self-confidence!!

The world building was excellent! I felt like I was there with the characters. She didn’t go into too much detail, but just enough so that you could feel like you were actually going on the journey with Elisa. 

Now, there is one thing that really creeped me out throughout the story. The Godstone…what?! In her naval?! I don’t think that's exactly….normal. Lets just say this creeped me out quite a bit, specially at the end! It just sounded painful! And is this a religious book? Yes and no. While it make many references to God (Godstone), its not a specific religion. Connections can be made, but its not necessary. This religion is the religion of this fictitious world. 

Don’t expect a happy ending. And for me, I loved it. Nobody’s life is perfect and I don’t like when author’s make it that way. In order for it to be realistic, there’s gotta be death and sadness. Now, the story isn’t over, and its not like it’s a depressing ending or anything. Its just not a perfect one either. Elisa goes through hard times, but she pulls through anyway. I can’t wait to join Elisa again on her continuing journey of self-discovery. 

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In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren is which we showcase books we won/bought/borrowed this past week. 

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis- Bought at B&N

 I can't wait to read A Million Suns!!! *squeeee*! I absolutely LOVED Across the Universe!! However, I'm debating on whether or not to re-read it...I kinda can't remember all that happened :/ but it wouldn't bother me if I had to cause it was that amazing!

Blood Song (Lharmel #1) by Rhiannon Hart- Bought from fishpond.com

I'd heard some pretty good things about this book and it sounded really interesting so I had to find it...little did I know it was an Australian book, one that wasn't yet available over here in the USA. Thats when I heard about www.fishpond.com (not sure from whom :/) that will ship the books over here and voila! Here it is and I can't wait to read it! 

The Warrior Heir (The Heir Chronicles #1) by Cinda Williams Chima- Bought at a local used bookstore

OMG!!! I have found the best place ever!!!!! Hardcover books for 5 dollars? Heck, some were even only 1 dollar!!!! crazy, right? Oh, I'm in heaven :D I absolutely looooove Cinda Williams Chima's Seven Realms series (The Demon Kind (#1), The Exiled Queen (#2)) so I hope I like this series too :) 

What'd y'all get in your IMM's? Have you read and liked/hated any of the books I've received this week? 

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Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu

Legend (Legend #1)

By Marie Lu

Available Now
Pages: 305
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gift
★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

My Review:

…I’m warning y’all now that I’m about to go all Gollum on y’all….myprreeeccccioouss….*cough cough*. Sorry, but it’s just that freaking good.

This book was absolutely stunning. I honestly don’t even know how to write this review! This book was full of heart-pumping, non-stop action! From the very first chapters, I fell in love with these absolutely amazing characters. And Day’s last chapter!? So heartbreaking!

If anyone has seen the show Bones, then y’all will know what I’m talking about when I say that Bones is who June reminds me of. She a child prodigy. She is intuitive, calculative, blunt, factual and observant just like Bones. However, she could also be compared to Sherlock Holmes. She notices everything. Details about everything are constantly going through her mind. Though, not only is she amazingly intelligent, she can also kick your butt. Literally. I absolutely love her. She might be one of my favorite female characters ever. As Day said, she is “coolly logical and fiercely defiant” and I absolutely love her for it.

And Day….If June won’t take him, I will! Bold, brash, and daring, yet so amazingly loyal and noble and honest. He’s been through so much pain but still puts his family first. Extremely intelligent, agile, and brave, I absolutely fell in love with him. I think June described him best when she said he was “a beautiful mystery”. So true. Seriously, he is a definitely a book boyfriend!

The plot was full of non-stop action that read like a movie-script. Honestly, this book would make an amazing movie. I was constantly on the edge of my seat and I did not want to put it down. This book was so heartbreakingly beautiful. Action, mystery, murder...what more could you want? This is such an emotional thrill-ride! Even though this had the generalized dystopia of a corrupt society, it was still unique in its content. I just can’t stop gushing about it!

I absolutely loved the writing. Both Day and June's POV's seamlessly blended together, allowing the reader to truly understand these characters and their emotions.

My review does not do this book justice. Not even in the slightest. That is how amazing this book is! It is a book full of heart-pumping action, but also has a heartbreakingly beautiful side to it. I almost didn’t want to finish it because I know I have to wait so long for the next book in the series! If I could give this book more stars, I definitely would. Please,please read this book. Marie Lu did an amazing job on her debut novel and the next book in the series can’t come fast enough.

Truth truly will become Legend.

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Review: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

The Demon King (Seven Realms, #1)
By Cinda Williams Chima
Available Now
Pages: 506
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis: 
This novel marks the first giant step in a momentous fantasy journey orchestrated by Cinda Williams Chima, the author of the popular Warrior Heir series. Its two chief protagonists are ex-thief Han Alister, an impoverished commoner, and Raisa ana'Marianna, the headstrong Princess Heir of the Fells. The Demon King brings them together, creating part of a volatile mix of action, magic, and danger. Empathetic characters; wizardly attacks.


My Review: 
Mrs. Chima, your my new best friend...I freakin loved this book! I honestly can't believe I waited this long to read it! While the book starts off kind of slow, its important for the set-up and background of the book but it turns into a book of heart-pounding action, wizards, magic, danger, and amazing character. This book is a must read!

I fell in love with the characters! Princess Raisa is a strong, independent, headstrong girl learning to be the best she can be. She a stubborn girl that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Amon....well he's a soldier and I must admit I am a sucker for a man in uniform ;) He's an extremely sweet, honorable, and respectful man who really cares for Raisa. Then there is Han...I'm not sure who I like better! Han is a reformed thief but not exactly a bad boy. He only did what he had to in order to take care of his family. he's a honorable thief...if that makes any sense. This book really delves into his past and I look forward to learning even more about him in the books to come. I must say, the big reveal at the end was surprising (well, who he came from that is).

I am a huge fan of alternating POV's so I absolutely loved this book for it. It really allows the reader to learn all about the characters. And even though it was 3rd person, it was so well written that you really could feel along with all the characters.

The world-building was excellent! I could picture everything about the world (the map helped) and I could really get into it! The author has a way with details that make you feel as the characters do.

The plot was extremely interesting! Between all the action and adventures, this book constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps your heart pumping! All of the characters stories flowed together and intertwined so effortlessly!

Overall, this is a truly excellent book. It is ripe with action, love, political intrigue, twists, turns and betrayals. I definitely recommend this for anyone who is a fan of fantasy and I personally can't wait to read the next two books! 

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Review: Lockdown (Escape from Furnace #1) by Alexander Gordon Smith

Lockdown (Escape from Furnace #1)
by Alexander Gordon Smith
Available Now
Pages: 273
Format: e-book
Bought
★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis: 
Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.


My Review:

….all right, that is just creepy on SO many levels. But in a good way! If there is such a thing as good creepy. Bleak, harsh, and down-right depressing, yet sooooo good!

This book but was amazingly disturbing but kept me so interested! I was constantly on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding. The plot had so many twists and turns and it was just so intense! Everything was just so unexpected!

Even though this book is from a guy’s perspective, don’t think its just for guys.This kid was an awesome narrator who was believable and relatable. Although this book was a bit “out there”, the characters made it believable because they acted like anyone would if they were in that situation. The main character wasn’t an automatic “tough guy” who could handle anything. Don’t get me wrong, this guy was tough, but he still had emotions and was scared out of his wits. He freely admitted he was a pee in his pants kinda guy and who wouldn’t pee in their pants while in furnace?! Heck, I would! And that ending?!?! You can’t end a book like that!!! Cliffhanger alert! Need second book NOW!

While this book is a horror book, I felt it had more of a suspense/thriller feel.

This book is ridiculously creepy on so many levels but don’t let that turn you off. It was an amazingly descriptive book that kept my heart racing even after finishing. However, it might be smart to read this book during the day. Just saying :) 

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Review of Cinder and Review slump (scarlet)

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)
by Marissa Meyer
Available Now
Pages: 390
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought from B&N
★★★★★



Goodreads Synopsis: 
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.


My Review: 

Cinder is a compelling re-telling of Cinderella with a sci-fi twist. A re-telling that I absolutely fell in love with.

Cinder is a great character that was determined to get her freedom. You see, Cinder is a cyborg, a person worth nothing in New Beijing. Her adoptive mother despised her as did one of her stepsisters. She didn’t know why she was what she was, she didn't remember anything before her surgery, but she did know that she wanted to get away from her “family”. I admired her heart and her hard-working attitude. She was spunky and sarcastic, yet honorable. 

Iko, her sweet android was a great addition. Her personality chip made her humorous and realistic and I'm glad that Cinder at least had a friend in her.

Prince Kai was absolutely endearing. He would never give up when it came to getting Cinder to notice him. I absolutely adored him and his charming smile. He was modest when he didn’t think he would make a good emperor, but he even proves himself wrong with his wisdom and love for his people.

Although this is a re-telling, it wasn’t what I expected. When I think Cinderella re-telling, I thought that the first half of the book would be about how she is mistreated, then she would go to the ball, meet the prince and live happily ever after with a few differences in there….WRONG! Honestly, If I hadn’t been told that this was a re-telling, I probably never would have even guessed. But don’t get me wrong, that made me love it even more! Meyer kept true to the basics of the story. Cinder is the mistreated daughter who is pretty much a slave and there is a prince, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Marissa Meyer takes the story on a completely new and unique path. There’s a plague, cyborgs, and a crazy queen from the moon. There’s action, adventure, and heart. And although there was one part of the plot I saw coming from the beginning, it didn’t bother me that I knew because I thought the idea was great! This new take makes for an absolutely stunning debut and I can’t believe I must wait an entire year for the next book.

Cinder is an extremely intriguing story of a cyborg Cinderella with more than one twist. It is a prime example of addiction. After reading this, I have come to the conclusion that it is unfair that I must wait a year for the next novel. It should be law that the authors must write and publish all of the books in the series at one time so that we, the readers, don’t have to suffer that awful thing called “anticipation”. 

Review slump:

Ever read a book and start a review and then look at the review and say "this is crap"? Well thats kinda where I'm at with Scarlet. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved it! I just can't seem to put that love into words without it sounding all....weird I guess. Normally, I don't have this problem, even with books I love. However, this one has just got me all messed up. I'll be doing something else and all of a sudden I'll start this amazing review in my head, but then I head to the computer to type it and either I can't remember it or it just doesn't come out right. *sigh* Hopefully I'll get a review up soon. 

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Clockwork Angel

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



Available Now


I recently finished Clockwork Prince and loved it, so I wanted to put up my review of its prequel first. 


Goodreads Synopsis: 
Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.




My Review:
It’s been quite some time since I’ve read Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instrument Series, but I have to say, I think I like the Clockwork Angel Series better. The plot, characters, and setting is much more interesting and developed than the other series.

When I first started Clockwork Angel, I was immediately drawn into the plot. This plot was more interesting and well thought out. Just when you think you may have figured something out, a twist in the plot happens that takes you completely by surprise. This book really kept you guessing and really keeps you interested. I absolutely loved it!

The characters, though, are what really made me love this story. I actually loved Tessa. She was still a “lady” but learned to trust her instincts and be brave in the face of danger and she could be just as much of a smart aleck as the boys when she wanted to be. But now to the love interests…Will and Jem…*swoon*. These boys were like light and dark, yet went so well together. Their relationship made this book really enjoyable. Will, the dark and handsome bad boy. I absolutely loved him, but you wanna know who stole the show for me? Jem. That’s right, I love Jem. He is so amazingly sweet and kind and always knows exactly what to say to make a gal feel better. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Will, with his arrogant and witty attitude, I just love Jem more. Every time he talked I just melted! And his history! OOoo I just love that boy! Honestly, he made the story for me. Forget Tessa, I’ll have him for myself!

Between an intriguing plot that really pulls you in and makes you want to know more, and the great characters, this book truly is amazing. However, there is a cliffhanger! Good thing the second book is already out :)

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