City of Fallen Angels

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.
But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

*May Contain Spoilers*

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Newton taught us that and the world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders is not to be omitted. Cassandra Clare shares the consequences of upsetting the balance between light and dark in her fourth novel of the Mortal Instruments series, City of Fallen Angels.

Though Clary and Jace are the main characters of the series, this book focuses heavily on Simon Lewis, the vampire and Daylighter who bears the Mark of Cain. Simon is a troubled vampire who struggles to give up the life he knew as a human. He's protective, wonderfully sarcastic, and increasingly reliable. Coupled with the fact that no one can harm him without it returning on the attacker sevenfold, vampires and demons want him on their side, willing to use force if necessary. Simon has been a strong character, an even stronger influence on Clary, throughout the entire series. Readers will definitely enjoy the deeper look into this character that Clare offers. 

The novel begins with several story lines, all seemingly unconnected. Jace is having dreams in which he kills Clary. Clary and her mother, Jocelyn, are caught up in a mystery of dying newborn humans while she and Luke are planning their wedding. Meanwhile Alec is off traveling the world with Magnus and Simon is having trouble dating both Isabelle and Maia. To make things even more difficult, someone is, repeatedly, trying to kill Simon. Cleverly, Clare manages to connect all of the plot lines into one meticulously planned web which involves one of the oldest and Greatest Demons. If only Clary hadn't upset the balance by bringing Jace back from death in City of Glass...

All bets are off in City of Fallen Angels, as the lives of the shadowhunting crew are put on the line facing down a demon more powerful than Valentine ever was. Though even at the end, the story isn't over, setting up the next installment perfectly. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Cups

City of Glass

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.
As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

*Contains Spoilers*

Valentine has the Mortal Cup and Mortal Sword in his possession. He now only needs the mirror to summon the angel, Raziel, in order to fulfill his plan. But the Clave doesn't seem to want to listen to any sense involving what Valentine may or may not do, so Cassandra Clare leaves it up to the normal underage shadowhunting crew of Jace, Alec, and Isabelle with a dash of Clary in her novel, City of Glass. 

This installment of the Mortal Instruments is the trickiest, thus far, to further develop character connections due to the increased amount of deception. Though deception has been a major theme throughout the first two novels, it evolves into more of a force in City of Glass.Clary remains her stubborn, rambunctious, and always helpful self (Just a bit of sarcasm there). She is determined to save her mother and won't let anyone tell her to stay home, which does, almost unbelievably, end well. Readers will learn much more about Clary's maternal past, thus having a much more complete history to connect with. (Though, there still seem to be a few secret skeletons slinking around according to the Seelie Queen.)

As for the supporting cast, readers learn more about Jace, though most of it is a collection of lies. Clare eventually does unveil that he has angelic blood, not demon, and that he is really the descendant of Stephen Herondale (remember Will from Clockwork?), not Valentine. His bravery and courage shine as he faces down a newly introduced enemy. Simon is still the only "Daylighter," a vampire that can walk in the sunlight, and Raphael has a very large problem with it. Simon also has a chance to show his bravery and newly acquired vampire fighting skills as he takes his turn standing up for his friends, aligning the Vampires with the Clave. Alec finally comes out to his family, and the whole world, when he teams up with Magnus and kisses him quite publicly. It may have been a cheesy moment but I smiled none-the-less. Isabelle does what she does best and is brutally honest and downright badass when she needs to be. 

The plot of this third installation follows Jace and Clary as they separately head to Alicante, the City of Glass in Idris. While Clary is focused on saving her mother, Jace is focused on helping determine the next step of Valentine's plan. With more deception than ever before, Clare sets up a mysterious supernatural story that won't disappoint shadowhunting fans. But now that the epic of story of Valentine has come to an end, what do readers expect for the next novels of Miss Cassandra Clare?

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Teaser Tuesday (105)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers


City of Glass (p. 494)
   -Cassandra Clare

Valentine stared. "My lord, Raziel--there is no one else--"
But there is, said the Angel. There is your daughter.

City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments #2)

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

*May Contain Spoilers*

Cassandra Clare delivers everything a reader could hope for in her second installment of the Mortal Instruments series, City of Ashes. She picks up directly where she left off in City of Bones and carries readers away into her invisible city of Shadowhunters, demons, werewolves, vampires, and magic. 

The focus remains on Clary, whose life was turned upside down when her evil father, Valentine, showed up ready to take down the Clave. As a main character in a series, Clary will certainly evolve as the story line continues. In City of Ashes, readers begin to see the evolution. Her naivete is slowly diminishing and her strength is definitely growing. Clary is becoming the epitome of courage and loyalty, two traits that readers will love. Nothing's better than a strong female character and Clary has her sights set on the label, though she still struggles with teenage angst and uncertainty. The bond established in the first novel solidifies in this sequel, pulling readers in with an undeniable force. 

The Mortal Instruments plot continues and deepens when Valentine steals the second mortal instrument, the Soul-Sword, from the Silent Brothers. Jace believes that Valentine is preparing for a ritual that will allow him to control an army of demons. No one wants that to happen but no one will believe Jace, foreshadowing dark times for our favorite Shadowhunters. Meanwhile, Simon is becoming a Vampire and may die in the process, downworlders are being murdered, and everyone's speaking too literally for the truth to be found. It's left to Jace, Clary, Alec, and Isabelle to stop Valentine before it's too late and demons are under his rule, destroying the Clave and leaving the world unprotected. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

WWW Wednesday (87)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

          

01. Currently Reading:
City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare. Now that Valentine has the Mortal Cup, the first of the Mortal Instruments, he's after something else. Something that will allow him to build a demon army in order to attack the Clave.

02. Recently Finished:
Thursday Morning Breakfast (and Murder) Club by Liz Stauffer. Drugs, murder, and gossip. All in a small mountain town. Working together with the police, the Thursday Morning ladies may be able to crack the case and flush out the culprit upsetting their way of life.

03. Reading Next:
Lie by Rathan Krueger. A group of four very different women decide to escape their lives in hopes that they can help their friend overcome a crisis. A novel that tells a story and shares the author's viewpoint on female characters in modern fiction.

Teaser Tuesday (100)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments Book 2) (p. 149)
   - Cassandra Clare

"You know," he said, "I have a feeling that that's going to be the case whether I get myself killed or not."

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1)

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...

*May Contain Spoilers*

Cassandra Clare creates the Shadowhunter legacy with the opening novel of the Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones. A novel full of surprises, characters to love as well as hate, and a promise of much more to come. After reading the Infernal Devices series, I knew this would immediately be on my reading list. Though the prequel series was written after City of Bones, and the writing style has definitely evolved, the excitement I had to read this book was definitely warranted. 

Clarissa Fray is an un-average teenage girl. Even if she doesn't know it. When she first develops the Sight, she's intrigued and confused that she is able to see things that mundanes aren't supposed to be able to see. When she learns that she is a Shadowhunter descendant, what she can now see becomes a little clearer. Clarissa is a wonderful beginning character. She's naive, but courageous. Open, but situationally reserved. For a character that is guaranteed to evolve into something much greater, Clarissa is easily relatable and trustworthy. Readers will enjoy seeing the real world through her eyes. The world that has hidden secrets living in plain sight. 

The plot of City of Bones introduces Clarissa and the Shadowhunting world side-by-side. As Clarissa discovers innate characteristics and her blocked memories resurface, the world around her simultaneously changes in a co-existing evolution. Clare does a fantastic job aligning Clarissa's growth with the unveiling of the world's truth. With the kidnapping of Clarissa's mother, she now a has a purpose to aid the Shadowhunters in retrieving the Mortal Cup: a cup that creates Shadowhunters from mundanes. A cup that her mother stole and hid from an enemy. A cup that could be traded for her mother's life. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

WWW Wednesday (82)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

          

01. Currently Reading:
Beyond the Gardens by Sandra Lopez. A novel about a girl who leaves what she's known behind to attend college to study art and animation.

02. Recently Finished:
Tangled by Emma Chase. When a womanizer finally meets his match he'll do anything to get her. Even if she's engaged.

03. Reading Next:
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Been waiting to start the Mortal Instruments series and I think it's definitely time!!

Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #1)

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...

*May Contain Spoilers*

Cassandra Clare introduces the world of Shadowhunters with her novel, Clockwork Angel. When one woman is kidnapped and introduced to her ability to Change into other people, she discovers there is much more darkness to the world than she could have ever imagined. 

Tessa Gray is the main character of this historically supernatural novel. Readers will enjoy her taking the lead to save her brother and help the Shadowhunters in any way she can to keep the people of London safe. Though she isn't a fighter, Tessa is courageous, brave, and focused. She is loyal to her brother and tries to ensure that she pulls her weight in this Institute against evil. Readers will connect with Tessa through her journey to discover herself. With this new knowledge that she is supernatural, Tessa struggles to define who she is, a universal plight. 

The plot follows Tessa's arrival in London to the finding of her brother. Along the way, she learns of her ability, is tortured, rescued, introduced to the underworld of London, and helps fight off the Pandemonium Club. The story is created with a blunt writing style and wonderfully sarcastic dialogue. Readers will definitely enjoy the action, the mystery, and the sword-sharp wit of the character cast. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups