REVIEW: Clockwork Prince

CLOCKWORK PRINCE

by Cassandra Clare

Pages: 498

Publisher: Walker Books 

Publication Date: December 6th 2011

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.

**Spoilers for anyone who hasn't read Clockwork Angel**

After reading Clockwork Angel I moved straight onto Clockwork Prince, as in I literally put down one book and picked up the next like it was the next chapter. This book delves deeper into the history and reasoning behind the Magister’s vendetta against the Shadowhunters, leaving our three favourite demon slayers intertwined in a long and perilous story that will have you turning the page faster myself if I came face to face with a Shax Demon. 

After the events of the previous book there were more questions left unanswered than answered. For example why did Tessa's brother turn so easily to the Magister's side? Why does the Magister hate the shadowhunters so much? And most importantly what the hell is Will's problem? Like seriously... the scene in the attic with Tessa and himself made me see red! Clockwork Prince is set to answer all of these questions and more as we once again join Tessa, Jem and Will as they continue on their quest to keep the ones they love safe and the world they know from falling part. However, with the Clave fighting tooth and nail to demote Charlotte from the head of the institute and the unlikely alliance with the Lightwood brothers the journey these characters are about to find themselves on is going to be anything but easy. 

WARNING INNER FANGIRL ACTIVATED 

I cannot understand how someone can create such an in-depth and intricate world of well crafted characters and heart racing story arcs. Seriously! Cassandra Clare I tip my metaphorical hat to you and your sheer brilliance. I thought that after the fast paced nature of Clockwork Angel this installment of The Infernal Devices would struggle to keep up but I don't know why I doubted you. From start to finish the story wove itself into a maze of mystery, action and challenges that would push our these characters to their absolute limits. There were moments in this book that actually had me in tears and others that had me laughing so hard I looked like a crazy person but from start to finish I could not put this book down. 

Overall this is shaping up to be one of my favourite trilogies of all time. Whether you are team Will or team Jem this book gave you everything you could possibly want. With the introduction of new characters and the uncertainty of old ones we are pulled into the world of Shadowhunters and Downworld yet again and are left begging for more. Roll on book 3!!

REVIEW: Clockwork Angel

CLOCKWORK ANGEL

by Cassandra Clare

Pages: 481

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 

Publication Date: August 31st 2010

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...

This book has been sitting - untouched - on my bookshelf for longer than I'd like to admit. However, after I FINALLY got around to reading City of Heavenly Fire I found myself needing more from the Shadowhunting world. Now, as much as I did love the Mortal Instruments series, and I did adore it,

The Infernal Devices captured my heart in a way the previous books just fell shy of. I don't know if it was the magic of London in the late 19th Century or the characters themselves but once I'd read the first few chapter Tessa, Jem and Will had firmly become my favourite characters from any Shadowhunter book.

Clockwork Angel, like I mentioned before, is set in the late 19th Century - 1878 to be precise. It is predominantly the story of Tessa Grey, a teenage girl fresh off the boat from New York. However, on arrival in England she finds herself captured by a couple of warlocks and this sets her on a journey she couldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams. In the hunt for her missing brother Tessa finds herself thrown into the world of Shadowhunting and Downworld as she discovers who she really is and the mysteries of her own origins. From start to finish Clockwork Angel is full to the brim of action, adventure, romance and humour. 

Okay so this book, as stated above, has easily become my favourite shadowhunter book. There is something about the story line of this book that captured my attention from the very beginning. It is fast paced and keeps you on your toes, never knowing what the author has in store for these characters next. The appearance of characters such as Magnus Bane and other familiar faces are a welcome touch and the new characters introduced are just as witty, well crafted and loveable as any we've come across before. 

Now, I read Tales From The Shadowhunter Academy BEFORE this trilogy so I already had an insight into these characters history after the events that unfold in The Infernal Devices and I have to say seeing how these stories interlink and evolve was not a disappointment. I fell instantly for Tessa, Jem and Will and routed for them the whole way through. I adored the personality traits that connect family name - example Will Herondale is just as lovingly arrogant and defensively broken as his one-day relative Jace Herondale - and I found this only added to the rich depth of the story. 

Overall I couldn't recommend this book enough. It has everything you could wish for from a Shadowhunting book and so much more. There wasn't a dull moment from start to finish and I will continue to state that the first installment of the Infernal Devices is set to make this - in my opinion - the best shadowhunting series to date. I know I'm a little late to the game with this one and most of you have probably already read it, so if you have let me know what you thought and if not I can not stress how much you need to read it... like story what your doing and go get it now! 

REVIEW: An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters & Denizens of Downworld

AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOTABLE SHADOWHUNTERS & DENIZENS OF DOWNWORLD

by Cassandra Clare
Illustrated by Cassandra Jean

Pages: 208

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: November 3rd 2016

A very special anthology that's a must for all fans of the Shadowhunter novels!

Featuring characters from Cassandra Clare's international best-selling novels from the Shadowhunters world including The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices, this anthology showcases beautifully illustrated portraits from Cassandra Jean – creator of The Shadowhunter Tarot – alongside never-before-known details from Cassandra Clare about all your favourite characters.

So this review will be kept short but sweet! I won this book is a Maximum Pop! Books giveaway on twitter as part of a shadowhunters bundle and I have to say I'm a little in love with it! I've been on a bit of a shadowhunter binge recently and this is the perfect little companion book for all Cassandra Clare fangirls.

An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters & Denizens of Downworld is a beautifully illustrated account of all your favourite characters from the shadowhunter books. It is split into 5 sections, The Infernal Devices, The Last Hours*, The Mortal Instruments, The Tales From The Shadowhunter Academy and The Dark Artifices, with each part showcasing amazingly drawn portraits and snippets of never before seen facts on the characters. It helps put a face to the name - if your imagination needs a bit of help that is - and it is a wonderful companion to the best selling series.

Overall I would wholeheartedly recommend giving this a read if you, like myself, have a soft spot for the shadowhunting world.

*The Last Hours is Cassandra Clare's next shadowhunter series which is said to be a sequel to The Infernal Devices. CLICK HERE for more information on the upcoming trilogy.  

REVIEW: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

TALES FROM THE SHADOWHUNTER ACADEMY

by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson & Robin Wasserman

Pages: 651 paperback

Publisher: Walker Books

Publication Date: May 4th 2017

ISBN: 1406373583
Received From:  Walker Books

Ten illustrated stories following the adventures of Simon Lewis, star of the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments, as he trains to become a Shadowhunter. Simon has been a human and a vampire, but after the events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, he isn't sure who he is any more. When the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever this Simon might be... Join him on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy’s illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. The series features characters from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, Dark Artifices and the upcoming Last Hours series.

Holy Moly this collection of short stories makes me so happy I'm struggling to put it into words. Simon Lewis is my favourite character from The Mortal Instruments series and after the way in which City of Heavenly Fire finished I didn't know what to do with myself. Even though this is a book consisting of 10 short stories, when read together it feels like one and I was enthralled from the very first page... reading about simon packing for Shadowhunter Academy was just hysterical! 

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy is set over the course of two years. In these years Simon enrols at the Shadowhunter Academy, his name known by pretty much everyone (not that he remembers what he did), as he is taken on the path to Ascension. Each story reveals a little bit more about some of our other favourite characters as well as keeping us up to date with all things Simon. From learning about Jace's family past to really seeing how the circle began to discovering what happened to Helen and Mark Blackthorn after the Dark War. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy is a fangirls dream and not one story disappointed! 

With a new book comes new characters and the students of the Academy was just as entertaining as our pervious protagonists. I instantly fell in love with George, Simon's very Scottish and very muscular roommate who is, in short, the Scottish version of Simon. Their little sarcastic conversations made me smile throughout every story and the way in which they made each other better shadowhunters warmed my heart. 

Each story had a cameo from characters we've gotten to know over the course of previous books and my favourite had to be Born To Endless Night where we see Mangus and Alec appear at the Academy. These stories fill in some of the blanks and was probably one of my favourite Shadowhunter books to date. It was funny, it was full of adventure, it had love and friendship. In short it was pretty much everything I could have possibly asked for. 

Overall Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy has a very special place in my heart. It seems my favourite character's story resolved and made me smile the whole way through. The ending, much like City of Heavenly Fire did break my heart. In fact it torn it into a thousand little pieces and then stomped all over it again and again but the fact that it coursed so many tears (no exaggeration) meant that the writers did their job perfectly. They made me care for these characters as if they were my friends and that in my opinion is what a great book is all about.

**I received this book as an ARC from Walker Books to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**

City of Lost Souls

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary (From Back Cover)
Jace is now a servant of evil, bound for all eternity to Sebastian. Only a small band of Shadowhunters believe he can be saved. To do this they must defy the Clave. And they must act without Clary. For Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace's soul. Clary is willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?
What price is too high to pay, even for love?

Review
Book number five is The Mortal Instruments series. It's also the penultimate and most recent instalment of Shadowhunters and Downworlders. I'm not going to lie, after being a tincey disappointed in City of Fallen Angels I was reluctant to even read this one. However, I'm glad I did, even if it was a little slow getting off the ground.

Lets start with the plot... This book takes place two weeks after the last one finished, the Clave are up in arms about Sebastian and Jace's vanishing act and have been working non-stop to find them. However, downworlders are being killed and the wardings are being disabled taking the Claves focus away from finding the love of Clary's life. And if there's one thing we can count on is that when Clary is told to stop she's going to push forward and break about a million laws along the way. There are several other underlining plot stories going on, mainly to do with the love lives of the characters in the book as well as delving a little deeper into the Fearie and Vampire worlds.

There's a HUGE focus on the character's love lives in this book, I think the only character not getting some was Mrs Lightwood. Maia and Jordan get closer in this book and so does Simon and Isabell. Simbell, is quickly becoming my favourite coupling, I think this may have had something to do with Simon reciting the entirety of Star Wars to her as a bedtime story! Alec and Mangus are on thin ice and Alec's new connection with the warlocks ex Camille isn't helping matters.

It wasn't until about half way through the book that it started picking up. I think that the lack of Jace, however winey he may be becoming, hinders the first part of the story. Give the reader what they want and all that.

Overall it was an okay read, and the character's and story are developing nicely. Although I'm not loving these books as much as I did when I started them. I hope the last instalment, City of Heavenly Fire (out later this year), has something more to offer than the last two books and answers some of the questions left unanswered so far. I'll be pretty damn annoyed if it doesn't!

City of Fallen Angels

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Summary (From Back Cover)
Clary is back in New York and life is good: she's training to be a Shadowhunter and is finally able to call Jace her boyfriend. But nothing comes without a price, When Jace inexplicably begins to pull away from her, Clary is forced to acknowledge that she herself has set in motion a chain of events that could lead to the loss of everything she loves. Even Jace.

Review
Like the second book I found myself a little disappointed in this instalment. The only thing I can think of is that after loving City of Glass my expectations were raised and, inevitably, it just fell short. In the past we've had a strong focuses on the Shadowhunters and the werewolves but in this book it's all about the vampires, or more specifically Simon. The mark of Cain may have saved him in the last book but it's turning out to be a right pain in the butt, especially if you get on the wrong side of him! That's not even mentioning the fact there are dead Shadowhunters turning up around the city. Valentine may be long gone, but as the old saying goes, there's no rest of the wicked.

The obvious threats are revealed pretty early on in the book, which include a new vampire - who is in fact a VERY old vampire - called Camille Belcourt. She's the 'rightful' leader of the Manhattan vampire clan, however, isn't exactly welcome at the moment. This is where Simon comes in, she thinks if she turns up with the Marked Daylighter, they'll all simply revert back to following her. But when is it ever that simple? Simon has to decide where his loyalties lie and come to the realisation that he's no longer one of the humans, he's going to out live everyone he cares about. So can he really afford to abandon the vampire community?

As far as our favourite star crossed-lovers, everything's peachy. At least it is for a grand total of five pages. Then it all pretty much turns to sh*t. Jace starts to pull away from Clary, which inevitably leads Clary into doing a whole bunch of things she shouldn't to try and figure out what's wrong. I hate to say it, but in this book I'm swapping teams. I'm getting a little sick of Jace and Clary. I wish Clare would simply let them be together and find a different threat to keep us interested.

A person to watch out for in the book is Kyle, he's Simon's band's new singer. I would name the band but I've lost count of how many different names it's had and honestly can't remember what it's currently called. Kyle's got some secrets of his own and when Simon's mum finds out he's a vampire it's Kyle who takes him in.

Overall this instalment was okay. Not bad, but not great either. I don't know if TMI was initially meant to be a trilogy, but the last book seemed to wrap everything up pretty nicely so going into City of Fallen Angels it feels a little forced. But, that doesn't change the fact Clare has a way of writing that makes you go through the emotional bingo.




There's no official book trailer or anything for this one, that I could find, but I did find this...

City of Glass

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary (From back cover)

Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide to fight with the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders - or against them. Meanwhile, Jace and Clary have their own decision to make: should they pursue the love they know is forbidden?

Review

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is by far by favourite of all the Mortal Instruments books so far. The story follows our favourite Shadowhunters and Simon to Idris, the capital of all things Shadowhunter and Valentine's evil plots come to a dramatic conclusion. You're introduced to some new character's that will both excite you and creep you out all at the same time. Not to mention a possibility of a whole new order to this magical world. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This book takes place in Idris, aka Shadowhunter home turf. It's been mentioned several times in the first two books but this time Clare takes us into it's old worldly streets. The Jace/Clary situation is still a main focus of this book, with Clary struggling to say no to Jace's continuing affections.

I don't really want to say much about this book as I feel too much will spoil it's constant plot changes. It's jam packed with exciting new characters, enchanting new settings and enough bombshells to satisfy the greediest of readers.

So give it a read my lovelies, you wont be disappointed.

City of Ashes

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Summary (From the back cover)

Haunted by her past, Clary is dragged deeper into New York City's terrifying underworld of demons and Shadowhunters - but can she control her feelings for a boy who can never be hers?

Review 

Before you go any further, do NOT read if you haven't read the first book as I will be dropping serious spoilers. 

Okay now that's out of the way, City of Ashes is probably my least favourite out of the series. I've tried to figure out why this is, and the only thing I can think of is it just wasn't as exciting as some of the others. Let me try to explain that better. 

With this book you get a deeper look into Simon and Clary's relationship as well as Simon in general. He's becoming a much more integrated part of the paranormal side of the story, not just Clary's sarcastic best friend. In fact you get a better look at the Downworlders in this instalment, and the inner workings of the Clave. In general I think my problem with it is it just seems to be a lot of setting things up and dropping little clues that will only really come together in the next book.

Now for all of you who have read the first book (which should be all of you, if you're still reading after I told you not to then you only have yourself to blame) we now know that Clary and Jace are brother and sister. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to stop Jace from wanting to do unspeakable things to her. Which of course leads to two character's fighting with their feelings for each other and trying to find a way to live with the fact they've fallen in love with their sibling. Although by the end of the book even I was rooting for them. Team Clace!  

The one thing this book doesn't disappoint on though is it's sarcastic wit! As ever the character's a sharp lipped and amusing from start to finish. My favourite quote from the whole book has to be this one liner from Jace...

"I make rude gestures at nuns."

Overall this book was a little unsatisfying, however important to the series it may have been. It just wasn't as gripping as I've come to expect for Clare. 

The third instalment, City of Glass is my favourite (I may have said that before), so do keep reading! 

The Bane Chronicles

Okay for those of you who don't know Cassandra Clare has realised an eBook series that follows our favourite Warlock. I haven't gotten around to reading yet but I just wanted to make sure you lot knew it was out there. There are ten short stories in total, the first is called What Really Happened in Peru. I hope it's as exciting as I think it is, because she's mentioned Peru a couple of times in the Mortal Instruments books.

City of Bones

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary (from the back of book)

Clary Fray is seeing things: vampires in Brooklyn and werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistibly drawn towards a group of sexy demon hunters, Clary encounters a dark side of New York City - and the dangers of forbidden love. 

Review

This is one of those books that's been mentioned to me several times, so much so that I purposefully didn't read it because I feared it wouldn't live up to all the hype. However, when I saw the movie trailer I eventually gave into my stubbornness and cracked the spines of City of Bones. I then went on and read the whole series (so far) in a matter of weeks.

The story itself is about a young girl - Clary - who finds herself drawn into the mysterious world of monsters and magic that thrives in New York City. It's jam packed with adventure. With twists and turns that take you all over the city, introducing you to Vampires, Werewolves, Faeries, Shadowhunters and one rather swarve Warlock named Mangus Bane.

The character's are what make this book so enticing, they're sarcastic and witty and fit perfectly within the world Clare creates. You have the sarcastic Jace, a loyal (if not slightly cruel at times) Alec and Isabelle the seducer. There's Simon, the love sick puppy who's one liners will have you smiling all the way through the book and last, but by no means least, a rather stubborn Clary.
That's not even mentioning the stories villain Valentine, a rouge Shadowhunter who is believed to have died fifteen years ago in an uprising against the Clave.

Like many of it's YA predecessors you will be dragged into the love triangle we're all very much used to. The best friend verses the new, stunningly attractive mystery man. However don't let that put you off, as even though it has a slightly predictable feel to it at times you can't help but fall in love these characters. So pick a side, Team Simon vs Team Jace. The Unknown vs The Familiar. You decide.

City of Bone is just the first of 6 books, the final one to be released later this year. If you like the first give the other's a read, my favourite is definitely book 3, City of Glass. Were we get a glimpse of Idris, home of the Nephilim and the climax to Valentines story.

Official Movie Trailer for Mortal Instruments City of Bones:

Covers

They say not to judge a book by it's cover, but the only time i think that doesn't count is when it ACTUALLY comes to books. I hold my hands up, i'm guilty of only buying books with interesting covers. This doesn't always mean that they're going to be good but they always look nice on my bookshelf.
These are some of my favourite cover's from the last year. 

Pivot Point by Kasie West. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi. 

Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz & Michael Johnson. Taken by Erin Bowman. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

My To Read List

There are so many books currently lying unread and unloved around my house at the moment that i've actually put a ban on buying anymore. These are just a few that I'm rather excited about getting my teeth into.

The Clockwork Angel
by Cassandra Clare
For people who don't know this is the first book in Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series. The books take place in the same universe of Shadowhunters and Downworlders as her Mortal Instruments series. Although these books are set in Victorian England rather than present day New York City.
I hope that the characters in this book are just as feisty, sarcastic and stubborn as their predecessors, as I find that the people are what make Clare's books come to life.

Changeling

by Philippa Gregory
I have nothing but praise for Gregory's books and I am a huge fan of her Cousins War series. Changeling is her debut into the YA world and if it is half as enchanting and captivating as her Historical Fiction then we're in for a treat.

Sever
by Lauren DeStefano
This is the third and final book in The Chemical Garden trilogy. Set in a world where genetic engineering has gone too far and the females of the population die at 21 and the men at 25. This is the story of a young woman named Rhine as she's snatched from her life and sold to a man who intends to make her his third wife. A really exciting series thus far, can't wait to see how DeStefano concludes this story.

A New York Winter's Tale
by Mark Helprin
Now I know this isn't strictly a YA book but I'm looking forward to it non the less! I don't know about you but I'm one of those people who has to read the book BEFORE they watch the film and there's no way I'm not going to see Mr Farrell in this one!