City of Bones, Cassandra Clare, Simon Pulse, 485 pages

(Dec. 4) So when I first read this book back in 2007, I thought it was good but because of the twist between the two main characters I put it back. I mean, ugh, and how could I continue with the series? It was just too upsetting. I like a good love story, I like happy endings.

And so for the next two years I ignored the really amazing covers of the next two books. Kept telling myself to stay away.

Then Kristi, The Story Siren, convinced me to pick them up again.

And boy did I ever.

I couldn’t put them down. Seriously. I’ve finished all three books in like a week. And now I can’t wait for the “prequel” series, The Infernal Devices, to start coming out. Or the fourth “surprise” book in The Mortal Instruments series, City of Fallen Angels.

City of Bones has so much going for it, intrigue, monsters, warriors, normal people, the warriors call Mundanes. And of course that bit of romance I was talking about earlier, plus unsettling twists, adventure, and magic.

The main character of Clary, pulls you in and makes you feel like you are apart of the story. Each and every character is well fleshed out, relateable, and even funny in their own ways. That’s something I actually really enjoyed about the characters, the main ones and even a few of the secondary ones, they each had their moments of humour. Most of the time that’s focused in on one character. You know, he’s the funny one, usually the best friend of the girl (mc) and while Simon did have quite a few funnies, so did Clary, Jace, Alec, Magnus, Luke, and even Isabelle.

In fact, for my quotes section, it was so hard to leave some of them out, but for the sake of time and space I did.

So here they are, and if you haven’t read the series, I suggest you do so.

Right now.

Why are you still here?

Oh yea, the quotes. That’s why...

"How did you know I had Shadowhunter blood? Was there some way you could tell?"

"It seemed the most likely explanation."

"You guessed? You must have been pretty sure, considering you could have killed me."

"I was ninety percent sure."

"I see," Clary said. Her hand cracked across his face, a slap that rocked him back on his heels.

He put his hand to his cheek, more in surprise than pain. "What the hell was that for?"

"The other ten percent," she said. -Clary and Jace pg. 84-85

"You hate the Silent Brothers," protested Isabelle.

"I don't hate them," said Jace candidly. "I'm afraid of them. It's not the same thing."

"I thought you said they were librarians,"said Clary.

"They are librarians."

Simon whistled. "Those must be some killer late fees." -Isabelle, Jace, Clary and Simon pg. 158

Jace's grin was a white flash in the darkness. "It means 'Shadowhunters: Looking Better in Black Than the Widows of our Enemies since 1234.'"

"Jace--"

It means, said Brother Jeremiah, The descent into Hell is easy. Jace, Clary, and Brother Jeremiah pg. 179

"The other ten percent," she said. -Clary and Jace pg. 84-85

The Hourglass Door, Lisa Mangum, Shadow Mountain, 398 pages

(Oct. 23) I have to say I’m surprised that I haven’t seen more about this book.

I know that I read it a little later than most but it is amazing!

The concept of the story is mind-boggling. I read somewhere that a reviewer didn’t think this story was unique (I’m paraphrasing) and I could not disagree more. I think that once the story starts to fall into place and you start understanding what exactly is happening that you will be blown away as well.

The prologue is what hooked me. I wish I could share it with you here but it’s 6 pages long, but here is a snippet because I’m sure it will intrigue you...

He counts the days he lived before coming to this place-how many days in seventeen years? How many years in a lifetime?

It’s hardest to keep track of the time. Without light, without variation, all the days blend into one seamless stretch of now. He longs for teh uncertainty of the future.

The light hurts his eyes. The unexpected bustling of activity beyond the bars rattles through his ears like chains. He dares a glance, wills his eyes to focus.

Two guards run past his cell. One more trails behind them, a blanket clutched in his fist.

He knows he shouldn’t be interested, shouldn’t be curious. It will only make things worse, distract him from his counting. But he can’t help himself. He stands on his toes, pressing his face to the cold bars.

And then he sees her. All the numbers run out of his head like sand through a sieve. All the images in his eyes fade until he can see only her. His heart beats in uncountable rhythms.

Now tell me honestly that you are uninterested...didn’t think so...

I thought the story was well told, it was mysterious and romantic, kind of like Dante, the Italian exchange student that Abby, the main character, is struggling not to fall for.

There were many twists and turns and I loved, Loved, LOVED what you find out about The Door, later in the book. To me that was just so stinking clever of Lisa. Really truly imaginative.

I thought the characters, even secondary ones, were well written, the story kept me guessing all the way through to the end and I am usually able to pick up on the foreshadowing in most stories I read. But not this one. I went back and skimmed through it to find some quotes and fell upon some hints that I totally didn’t catch.

All in all I think this is an amazing story, I think you should run out and buy a copy, now, run.

I am really excited about The Golden Spiral, which is the second book in the series. It’s set to be released early May of 2010. So read this before then, I promise you’ll want to continue with these characters.

One more thing that I really liked about this book, the prologue wasn’t even touched upon in this book. I’m assuming it will be explored in the next two, (I’m pretty sure it’s a trilogy) but as mentioned in a previous post I’m annoyed with prologues that tell you everything about the story before you even open to page 1.

Well done Lisa! Kudo’s to you. I am waiting with baited breath.

And now, since I gave you that snippet of the prologue, I’m not going to add any quotes down here.

Hush, Hush, Becca Fitzpatrick, Simon & Schuster, 391 pages

(Oct. 17) I’m not even exactly sure how to begin this one...words seem a bit inadequate. To say that I loved it would be an understatement. Maybe not the understatement of the year...but maybe close third.

Let’s start with the cover...in Becca’s acknowledgment section she thanks James Porto for “a cover that blew away my expectations.” I’d have to second that. What an awesome cover. It tells you enough without giving too much away. Just like the Prologue. I have recently read some books (I’m sure you’ll know em when you see the reviews) that were very enjoyable but the whole story (slight exaggeration) was right there in the prologue. Why would I want to read the book? I did. And still enjoyed them, but it was a bit annoying.

Speaking of annoying, did anyone else find Vee that way? I mean I liked her alright, but there was just something about her that bugged me. I think it may have been the fact that she seemed like a true friend sometimes and like someone who was friends with Nora just because, other times. Am I making sense? Maybe not. Now that could just be me and the way I took some of the conversations between the two of them. Like the camping trip. But I haven’t seen much if any complaints about Vee in other reviews I’ve read.

The story was a pretty awesome one. I liked the fact that Becca brought in The Book of Enoch and some other information about the fallen angels, like Nephilim. I’m glad she did her research because it was more believable that way. The one thing that I thought was a little...underdone...I guess that’s the word I’m looking for...and this might be a bit spoiler-ish so skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to know...is the whole save a life/guardian angel thing. It just seemed too simple for me. But then when I think about it...I guess because the fallen angels are no longer good, saving a life wouldn’t be in their thoughts? Maybe that’s why none of the fallen’s knew about it. I guess that makes sense, but like I said it still seemed too easy.

I’ve read that some people think Patch was too mean to Nora, after reading the story I really wonder why? He didn’t seem mean to me at all, not, I guess, how I was assuming with all the comments about it. He just seemed like he was taunting her to get her attention, to get her to think about him when he wasn’t around. I mean, that’s what guys do when they like a girl, right? Revert back to 5th grade. And where he didn’t pull her hair or anything he was that mysterious guy who smolders when he looks at you. Makes you hot and blush because you can just imagine what he’s thinking. Or can you?

Overall I thought it was awesome. I’m really excited for Crescendo which I’ll have to wait a full year for. *sigh* Oh well. I’ll reread Hush, Hush to tide me over.

Great job Becca! Really glad you got the writing class and not the Japanese cooking class.

Tell your hubby we all appreciate his listening skills and forthought. :)

Now one of my favourite things, if you are new to the site I always try and give you a couple quotes from the book that I enjoyed...

I had my eyes pinned forward, but I heard the soft glide of his pen. He was writing, and I wanted to know what. Ten minutes of sitting together didn’t qualify him to make any assumptions about me. Flitting a look sideways, I saw that his paper was several lines deep and growing.

“What are you writing?” I asked.

“And she speaks English,” he said while scrawling it down, each stroke of his hand both smooth and lazy at once.

“Religion?” I asked more firmly.

Patch dragged a hand thoughtfully along the line of his jaw. “Not religion...cult.”

“You belong to a cult?” I realized too late that while I sounded surprised, I shouldn’t have.

“As it turns out, I’m in need of a healthy female sacrifice. I’d planned on luring her into trusting me first, but if you’re ready now...”

and I’ll stop there because if I give any more I’ll be giving too much away. I loved each and every interaction between Patch and Nora. Literally. Great chemistry Becca, amazing book.

Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev, Feiwel and Friends, 352 Pages

(Oct. 10) If I loved Graceling and The Hunger Games I L O V E Eyes Like Stars.

Lisa Mantchev has written a book that I think I’ll re-read multiple times throughout the years.

I have to say that the “reason” I bought the book was the cover. I’ve heard many people say similar things, and I’m sorry to be redundant, but for me it’s true. I went into my local bookstore and saw the cover, was drawn to it, thought it sounded interesting enough to buy, but didn’t. I went back again, and again, and again over I think a week and a half.

I mean LOOK at it! It is amazing. Blue hair, pert little nose, full lips, awesome top, the glowing fairies.The illustrator is Justin Chan, go check him out. livepage.apple.com He’s pretty amazing and I can’t wait to see what the cover of the second book in the series, Perchance to Dream, will look like.

Finally I bought the book and I think I had it read in a day or two.

The only thing that I can say negatively about it, and it’s not Lisa’s fault, is that I didn’t understand all of the “theatre speak” like the scene changes and who belonged to what play. Again, my fault. Not hers. BUT, that being said, it didn’t take away from the story at all. I think if you understand theatre you may have an edge in reading this, but it is easily accessable to all.

The main character is Bertie, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith, and she rocks. She was funny and self-depricating but also strong and sweet. There is a bit of romance, a bit of a love triangle. Kind of. It’s hard to explain.

The fairies are the ones from A Midsummer Nights Dream, and they also rocked. They seemed to be pretty great to have around for comic relief, but you knew they also really cared about Bertie. I think Cobweb was my favourite.

I loved all of the characters and there are many, but you don’t get lost, you know who is speaking because each one has such a unique voice, I seriously loved them all. Well...maybe not the director, he has somewhat of an agenda against Bertie. And maybe Hamlet was a bit arrogant...Okay, let me change that...I loved most of the characters and felt what I was supposed to feel towards others by the way they are written. Of course I am Team Nate.

I want to live at The Theatre Illuminata. Really I do.

It is a well written, well rounded story. The intricate storyline, I mean seriously, my highest compliment, it was so different. So unique, it blows my mind that she came up with this story.

Blows my mind!

I thought, just the way the different plays are intertwined, how she incorporates how they are in the Theatre and why they are there and the “outside” world.

I’m so stoaked for the next book. I think, if I remember rightly, it’s June 2010. It is taking too long to come out if you ask me. Sorry Lisa, I know you are probably writing your little heart out.

Oh, and Lisa is really sweet, too. Which is always nice. She responds to every message I post to her on FB and Twitter, and she thinks my daughters name rocks, which it does. :D

So I love her for that. Plus, she’s saving me a seat next to her on the “author-ess” bench for when I get off my duff and join her. How nice is that?

I highly, Highly, HIGHLY, recommend this series. Go out and get one.

I can’t believe I almost forgot...if you are just visiting for the first time then this is where I post some of my favourite quotes that don’t give too much away.

“If you make me spill this stuff on the stage,” she said, “I’ll squeeze you until your heads pop off.”

Berie looked up at Nate through the blue fringe of her bangs. “Will you help me?”

He nodded, “With my last breath.”

“I might as well make the announcement to the entire Company. They don’t need to get it secondhand through the rumor mill.”

“That’s th’ spirit,” Nate said. “Now go an’...er...do whatever ‘tis ye plan t’ do.”

“Thanks, Nate. Truly inspirational.” Bertie tossed him the rest of her doughnut and absconded with the wooden crate from under the refreshment table.

Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles, Walker & Company, 357 Pages

(Oct. 1) At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren’t exactly compatible elements. So when head cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, the results are bound to be explosive.

I have to admit I was a bit skeptical when I picked this book up to read. I’d looked at it a couple of times but decided I probably wouldn’t be that interested. I’m always worried about reading a book full of “teen speak”, just because I know me and I’d probably get bored and put it down.

That being said, I totally misjudged this book. It was amazing! I couldn’t put it down. And there was only one “ohmygod” moment. It was refreshing. It also had cussing throughout, which you will come to find I’m not a fan of. Not because I’m naive or whatever, I just usually find it not necessary to tell a story. It WAS crucial in this book. To make it believable, to make me see the characters as real people, in real life situations.

I also should mention that there are Spanish phrases throughout the book and although there were many times that I thought to myself either I really need to learn Spanish, or I really need to google that, I just took it in context hoping I kind of got what was meant and kept on. The fact that I can’t speak it didn’t detour me from continuing to read it or enjoying it.

The story kept my attention. It’s told in alternating chapters between the two main characters, Brittany and Alex. I really enjoyed that format for this story because I think if it had all been in Brit’s voice it wouldn’t have been as good.

I think my favourite character was Alex, because he is that bad boy that’s actually a good boy deep down. He cares a lot about his family, and friends. But he is also really smart and determined to be the first in his family to graduate high school.

Brittany is likeable, don’t get me wrong, she has a lot of guilt placed on her by herself, but also by her mom. She doesn’t have a perfect life even if she wants everyone to think so. She keeps a lot inside so no one can see it and I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs for her. Just to get it all out ya know? But by the end of the book I liked her a lot more. When she was finding herself.

I also liked many of the secondary characters like the chemistry teacher Mrs. P, Isa, and Paco, I liked what little we had of Doug too. I liked when he fell out of the window.

“What?”, you may ask, well I guess you’ll just have to go get your own copy.

I am going to be purchasing her first book, Leaving Paradise, as soon as I can get to the bookstore. Which may not be for a couple days yet. But, I suggest that you make Simone one of your picks if you’re out looking for a good read.

And now a few of my favourite quotes...

“Did I do anything stupid?” I ask.

Isa shrugs. “I’m not sure. Alex wouldn’t really let anyone get close enough to you. If you want to call passing out in his arms stupid, then I think you’ve managed it.”

All eyes are on me as I witness the vandalism to my motorcycle. They’re expecting me to be in a rage. After all, who would dare attach a pink tricycle horn to the handlebars and tape sparkling streamers from the ends of the handles? Nobody can get away with this s**t.

Except Brittany.

I want to know how to make this girl laugh. I want to know what makes her cry. I want to know what it feels like to have her look at me as if I’m her knight in shining armor.