City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare

All right. I finally got to reading The City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare. So I shall tell you about it!

            Jace is gone. He disappeared off the roof, as did Sebastian, the night Lilith was killed. It just so happens that Sebastian was, in fact, never dead, and he and Jace are connected, both physically and mentally. When one of them gets hurt, the other feels it, too. Jace will do whatever Sebastian wants because Sebastian is the more dominant of the pair. So, Clary sneaks away to be with Jace and Sebastian and takes with her a faerie ring that will help her communicate telepathically with Simon so that she can foil their evil plan or something like that. Meanwhile, they are all having relationship problems: Alec is questioning the possibility his and Magnus’ future together, Isabelle doesn’t know how to tell Simon how she feels, Jordan wants to get back together with Maia and he doesn’t know how she will react, and Clary is struggling to stay with this Jace-who-is-not-Jace. There’s a whole bunch of relationship drama in there.

            Okay, so my favorite character of this book was Sebastian, I think. Either him, Magnus, or Simon, but I feel like everyone loves the last two, so Sebastian it is. I don’t know why I like him so much. While reading, I kept picturing him and Clary standing over a burning world on a mountain or something, wind blowing through their hair, two perfectly beautiful and powerful people commanding an evil army, and I wanted to be Clary. Now, I’m not saying that I want the world to burn or anything, but I don’t know, the image in my head just seemed cool. And I didn’t really get the feeling that Clary and Sebastian were brother and sister, they felt more like love interests for some reason. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. Also, everyone just kept saying that he doesn’t have the ability to feel anything, but I think that he does, so Clare didn’t do a very good job of convincing me that he was just a big ball of evilness.

           

            Moving onto Clary. At times, Clary seemed really whiny and bratty, like a little kid. At others, she just seemed kind of stupid, while at others, she was okay. She definitely isn’t one of my favorite female protagonists, at all, and Jace isn’t one of my favorite male protagonists, either. I guess he wasn’t exactly himself in this one, but he was a little funny when he was being cocky and making jokes. But that was it.

            Okay, I did not like the ending of this book one bit. It has something to do with Alec and Magnus (the only couple I actually like in this book), but I’m not going to tell you any more than that because then I would be giving stuff away and that would be not good. This fifth book was definitely better than the fourth, but I think Clare should have stopped after the third one because it all went downhill from there.

            There were times when the story was a little slow and I was like, “Okay, just skip these characters and go on to more exciting stuff.” I found myself skipping ahead a lot, then having to force myself to go back and actually read it, so the story didn’t exactly captivate me the way it should have. Okay, well it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but it wasn’t as good as it should have been.

This book was okay. 3 Smileys!

Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls #3) by C. C. Hunter

Well, I started reading The City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare, but then I didn’t feel like it, so I read Taken at Dusk by C. C. Hunter instead. It is the third book in the Shadow Falls series.

            This story picks up where the last one left off: Kylie is meeting her adoptive grandparents, Derek is still mad at her, and Lucas wants her more than ever. There’s someone else that wants her too, though: Red, Mario’s “evil” grandson that wants to make Kylie his bride. And Kylie has a new ghostly friend that doesn’t remember a thing about her life, but Kylie knows that she must help this ghost because she feels connected to her in ways that she has never felt for a ghost before. This, plus Kylie is still trying to figure out what she is, as well as what powers she has.

            Okay, well, this series is interesting, but there I think that it is a little too relationship based. Kylie has someone that wants her dead, but her biggest concern is who to go out with. It’s a little ridiculous, but maybe relationships are a priority for most teenagers. I don’t know because I am not normal in any way, so I could be judging her a little harshly. I think that overall, Kylie’s priorities are a little out of order.

            As far as plot goes, I think that it was fairly entertaining. The mystery was good and I did not see the ending coming at all, so it kept its sense of mystery until the very end. But the worst aspect of this book was the love triangle. It was really frustrating because Kylie was like, “I choose him!” but then the second she sees the other guy, she’s like, “Oh, wait, never mind, I like him better!” And then the guy she swears she doesn’t like says, “I am in love with you!” and she’s like, “I’m confused!” This girl is always so darn confused.

            This book was like being on a freaking emotional roller coaster ride. Kylie had so many emotions at the same time that it was exhausting. And when I felt she should have a little more emotion (it was at a really sad part and I was devastated, but maybe I shouldn’t have liked the bad guy so much…whoops…) she had hardly any.

            Despite the bad things I said about this book, I still liked it. It was a fluffy read and if you’re just looking for something entertaining, then I encourage you to read this series.

This was an easy-going read. I'm not really sure what that means, but that's what I feel, so..... 3 1/2 Smileys!

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead

Oh. My. God. I just finished The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead and I am literally hyperventilating. THIS BOOK WAS SO AMAZING AHHHHH! I want the next one so badly! That is why it is a tragedy that this book just came out three days ago and I am already done reading it. Do you know how long I’ll have to wait for the next book? Probably over a year! That will be pure torture. 

            The Golden Lily picks up where the first book, Bloodlines, left off: Sydney is going to school with Jill, Eddie, and a new addition, Angeline. Adrian now has his own apartment, but it is being used for experimenting. Dimitri Belikov and Sonya Karp have come to see what it is that cause people who have been restored from a Strigoi resistant to changing back into one. And Sydney is taking a dive into the dating world, going out with her “perfect match,” Brayden, who is a genius and exactly like Sydney. Meanwhile, Sydney’s teacher is trying to force her into using magic even though it is against everything she believes in and there are vampire hunters trying to kill Sonya because they still think she’s Strigoi. Sydney must deal with all of this and stay caught up on homework. It should be easy, right?

            The hands-down best part of this book is Adrian. He is amazing and he is in my top 3 favorite characters in a book. He might even be #1. He is hilariously funny. I seriously burst out laughing at least 20 times from something he said. I like how no one really expects much from him and they think that he’s just some lazy loser, but he is actually really fantastic, smart, and caring. Plus, he’s good-looking, which never hurts either J Sydney is also a good character and she’s funny too, but not as funny as Adrian. I could really relate to Sydney and Mead did a really fantastic job developing all of her characters, much as she did in the Vampire Academy series (which is another treasure).

            The plot was splendid and I liked how it focused on Adrian sometimes (are you surprised?), but not too much. It was part action, part romance, and part mystery, which I think is a good combination. I also liked how Sydney began questioning the Alchemists (frankly, I would have questioned them a lot sooner) and lightened up around the Moroi. I thought Sydney was a lot more enjoyable in The Golden Lily, but I also liked her in Bloodlines.

            Okay, well, I don’t have anything else to say about this book other than it was FANTASTIC. If you haven’t read Bloodlines, do so immediately. If you haven’t read the Vampire Academy series, then read that one sooner than immediately because it is really awesome and you really should read that series before this one because they overlap. SO READ VAMPIRE ACADEMY THEN READ THE BLOODLINES SERIES. IT WILL BE THE BEST DECISION OF YOUR READING LIFE.

I LOVE THIS BOOK AND THIS SERIES SO MUCH! 5 Smileys!

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

When I heard the name of this book, I wanted to cringe. Guilty Pleasures. I mean, really? Could you name a book something sleazier than that? I don’t think so. Regardless of the name, it was actually quite a good book and it wasn't even dirty, either, though I heard it gets a lot worse, so beware if you continue on with the series. For the interest of keeping my mind pure, I don’t think I’ll continue on, but this first book was pretty entertaining.

            Meet Anita Blake: animator, vampire hunter, and overall badass. Recently, there have been a string of murders and the victims just happen to be of the vampiric nature. The most powerful master vampire, Nikolaos, wants to find out who the murderer is and stop his killing spree in its tracks. The only person that she trusts can find him is Anita. Now, Anita is less than willing to help her sworn enemies, the vampires, but the vampire master cajoles her into accepting a deal that she really can’t refuse. Along the way, Anita must pair up with unlikely friends to defeat the enemy that she never even saw coming.

            First, I shall talk about the writing. The writing for the first couple of pages was horrid. The sentences were short and simple and couldn’t hold my attention. I was about to give up on the book after the first five pages. Fortunately, I persevered and made it through the first couple pages and her writing gradually got better, as if she needed to warm up her writing skills. As the story continued, her prose flowed much more smoothly so that I was not cringing at the end of every sentence.

           Now, for the characters! Anita was pretty awesome. She could fight and still look pretty while she was kicking butt. She knew how to use weapons and she had a lot of connections with people in high places. Overall, she was one powerful girl, which I can appreciate. And Phillip. I know that Phillip was a stripper and supposedly a “bad guy” (at least at first), but I loved him. He reminded me of a little puppy and he was just adorable, so he was my favorite character. I also liked Jean-Claude, Anita’s new vampire “master” (it’s a long story), even though he isn’t really in the book all that much.

            I thought that the plot of Guilty Pleasures (ugh, that name! Why the heck would she ever choose that name for this book, it’s just terrible!) was intriguing. It was a mystery and I was pretty proud of myself for figuring out the mystery before Anita did, but it was still a good mystery because it took me a really long time to figure it out and I really didn’t see it coming.

            Well, that’s all I can think of to say about this book right now because it is 1:45 in the morning and I am tired. Have a fantabulous day/night! 

Guilty Pleasures (*shudder*) was an entertaining read! 4 Smileys!

Cinderella and Zombies by Emily Casey

I’ve always loved the fairytale of Cinderella. I mean, every girl wants to be swept off her feet by a prince, right? Well, this girl just happens to be really good at killing zombies. And so is the prince.

      Prince Kent loves to fight. He loves to help his people and be at the front lines, defending his kingdom. His father, on the other hand, wants to keep him safe and sound inside the palace walls. He also wants Kent to gent married. Immediately. When a gathering of the kingdom’s eligible women turns into a bloody war against the attacking zombies, Cinderella may be the only one that can save the day. She knows how to kill zombies and she has done so before. Cinderella and Prince Kent must team up to save the kingdom and the day.

      Hands down, the best part of Cinderella and Zombies was the heroine, Cinderella. She doesn’t really care what other people think of her and she is not afraid to stand out of a crowd. She was strong and killed a zombie even when a soldier wouldn’t. He weapon of choice is the throwing knife and she has awesome aim. I mean AWESOME. But she can also use other things to kill zombies, such as a glass slipper. She was an amazing heroine that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about. Prince Kent was also an entertaining character because he really cared about his people and he was incredibly brave, so that makes him all right in my book. He’s also a prince, so that’s a plus too.

      I really, really loved this rendition of Cinderella because I love zombies and Cinderella is a strong individual with larger problems than getting a prince to marry her. Also, in this book, Cinderella’s family wasn’t mean towards her, which is not traditional, but I liked it much better.

      If you’re looking for a fun, fast read, I would definitely recommend this book. It had action, a great heroine, and a dash of romance. Amazing!

It was an awesomely fun read! 5 Smileys!

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Holding Grave Mercy in my hand for the first time, I was quite terrified. It’s over 500 pages and it takes place in the 1400’s. I usually hate books that take place in the past, but this one was about an assassin, so I thought I’d try it. And boy, am I glad that I did.

            Ismae Rienne has been abused by men all her life. Her father beat her, then he sold her to another man that also beat her. Not to mention that she was unwanted in the first place: her parents tried to kill her while she was in her mother’s womb with a poison that left her grotesquely scarred. The reason that she did not die was because she was a daughter of Mortain, the god of Death. As a child of this god, Ismae was bestowed with amazing gifts, including the resistance to poison: poisons had no affect on her and she had the gift to create poisons, as well. At the age of fourteen, she was led to a convent that served St. Mortain and that taught her all of the necessary skills she needed to become an assassin. The French had invaded Brittany and there was much government upheaval with the recent death of the duke. The new duchess is in grave danger and it is the convent’s duty to help her. So, with the help of the duchess’ half-brother, Duval, Ismae must find out whom to trust and save the duchess’ life, as well as her country.

            This book was unlike any other I have ever read, and in a good way. It was fast-paced and entertaining; there was never a boring moment. Although this book took place in the 1400’s, I could still understand the language and it was not hard. Also, it did not go into excruciating detail about the things that would have taken a lot of time during this time period, such as horse rides, boat rides, and numerous other activities; it glanced over the boring things and just mentioned them in passing, while describing the exciting parts in much detail.

            Ismae, the main character, was awesome. She could take care of herself in a time where women were completely dependent. She was looked upon with respect, even though she was not noble-born, and she could kick anyone’s butt. She was strong and she thought for herself; she did not blindly follow the orders of the convent and she did not blindly trust. Overall, she was a strong female protagonist that did not rub dirt in the face of feminism.

            Duval, the male lead, was also a splendid character. He was chivalrous, as many men were in the 1400’s, but he also did not baby Ismae. He trusted her to be able to take care of herself and did not think that she was weak just because she was a female. He also shows really deep compassion for his half-sister and he is noble in the best way possible. He may have appeared to be the knight in shining armor, but Ismae was really the one who saved him, and he was okay with that. He was not ashamed of needing help and he did not act all macho about it either, which was respectable. Overall, he is awesome.

            I loved every part of this book, from its supporting characters to its plot; everything was very entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I must say that the ending was phenomenal. This is the only book where it is from Ismae’s point of view, so it needed to wrap up nicely, which I found it did. I was completely satisfied with the ending and it made me feel happy. I have literally never been satisfied with the ending of a series or a stand-alone book, but this one was fantastic! As proof of its awesomeness, I read Grave Mercy in two days. 549 pages in TWO DAYS. If that doesn't mean that it was fantastic, I don't know what does.

This book was AWESOME! 5 Smileys!

Social Suicide (Deadly Cool #2) by Gemma Halliday

After reading Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday, I had to read the sequel, Social Suicide.  I must admit that I read this a while ago and just now realized that I never wrote a review for it, so I will try to remember it as if I just finished reading it minutes ago. This may prove difficult, but for you, I shall try! But I warn you that it may be rather short.

            After Hartley solved her first crime and brought the perpetrator to justice, she thought that she was going to have a normal school year, devoid of murders of any kind. But then when homecoming queen hopeful, Sydney, gets suspended for cheating, Hartley knows that she must get the scoop on this story for the school newspaper before anyone else can manage to dig up all of the dirty secrets. However, when Hartley goes to speak to Sydney, she finds her floating facedown in the pool with her laptop suspended in the water right beside her. Someone had committed “Twittercide” because she was tweeting while the perp pushed her into the pool with her laptop. Hartley suspects that her death has to do with where she got the test answers from and her suspicions are confirmed after another attempted murder. Will Hartley be able to find out who it is before she becomes a victim herself?

            Like its prequel, Social Suicide was a total mystery. I did not predict the ending at all and when you find out who the murderer really is, it chills you to the bone. It’s even more disturbing than the first one, which is saying something. I mean, how can anything be more disturbing than someone’s best friend killing her? Well, this one tops it, in a good way, of course. I adore Hartley’s point of view because it is very comical and true, and she actually sounded like a real teenager, which was different from a lot of books that I read. Chase is also cool; I like him. That is all I have to say. I told you that it was going to be a short review! Sorry!

            I would definitely recommend this book series to people who like mysteries and teenage drama.

It was entertaining. 4 Smileys!

Forgiven (The Demon Trappers #3) by Jana Oliver

Forgiven by Jana Oliver, the third book of the Demon Trappers series was freaking FANTASTIC. You know how most series progressively get worse with each new installment? Well, this series is exactly the opposite. With each book, my relationships with the characters grow and I come to love each one more and more, as it should be.

            Forgiven picks up with Riley Blackthorne and her father, master trapper Paul Blackthorne, being reunited once again. Of course, Paul is reanimated and has literally sold his soul to the devil. To make matters worse, a new kind of zombie demon has popped up that is nearly impossible to kill. Usually, Riley has the help of her frenemy, Denver Beck, but he is refusing to talk to her because he is mad at her for sleeping with the Fallen angel, Ori. Oh, and Riley made a deal with Heaven to save her ex-boyfriend’s life. All she has to do is prevent the coming war between Heaven and Hell. That shouldn’t be too hard, right? Right?

            I absolutely LOVED the characters in this book. They were all so realistic and I liked how Oliver spelled the words that they were saying in their accents like “ya” for “you”(Southern accent) and “verra” for “very”(Scottish accent). First of all, I loved Riley because I love the name Riley. But besides that, she was completely relatable. She was not fearless, but she overcame her fears when she had to. She was also brave when she had to be, but she occasionally freaked out, but in her situation, who wouldn’t? I know I would have done a lot more than just freak out. On top of all of that, she was really funny. Next is Denver Beck, and I adore both his first and last name. He is also really funny and he’s heroic, so he’s kind of cool. I like him even if I can’t really think of anything to say about him right now. Hmm.

Anyway, I liked the story line of Forgiven, as well. It was really surprising and I thought all of the events flowed together nicely; there was nothing that could have been taken out, then one could read the story just as easily without it; everything had its place, so I thought it was clever. Another note on the characters is that they did not fight a needless amount and they also didn’t fight over the stupidest things; they forgave (but did not forget), the way normal people would. So basically, the characters were like real people and not stupid. The supporting characters were entertaining and really added a lot to the story. I especially loved Master Stuart and Mort. The only people I didn’t like were the bad guys, but that’s what is supposed to happen (DUH) so that was good.

Overall, the Demon Trappers series is incredibly fun and I can’t wait for the next one to come out: Foretold, which comes out in August of 2012. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone and everyone. You will have a fun time reading not only Forgiven, but also the first two books, The Demon Trappers Daughter and Soul Thief. 

I LOVE this book and this series! 5 Smileys!

Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I love the Covenant series. And when I say love, I mean LOVE. I’d say it’s in my top two favorite series with the Divergent series. Anyway…

            Pure continues the story of Alex, Aiden, and Seth. Alex had just gotten home from being kidnapped, tortured, and nearly turned into a daimon when Aiden decides to tell her that he no longer wants to train her or even see her. But that was also after she told him that she loved him; yeah, that was a mistake. Then, the merry bunch must go to the council in New York so that Alex can talk about what happened when her mother captured her. However, before they could leave, there was a daimon attack on the Convenant that left some stunned and one dead (*sob*). After the attack, the merry bunch must travel to New York, where Alex begins her training and becomes closer to her second half, Seth. Alex tries to warn the Council of her mother plans, but will they believe her? Or try to ruin her life, instead?

            Okay, first I must say that this series is hilarious. It is by far the funniest series that I have ever read. Alex’s outlook is very comical and I really enjoyed seeing the world from her point of view, except for when her view included Aiden. He irks me because I could see connections between him and Edward from Twilight and I could also see a connection between Seth and Jacob. All I can say about that is that I sincerely hope that Alex ends up with Seth or I will scream. He is perfect and hilarious and I love him. End of story.          

            The plot was also incredible. There were action scenes slid into the story at exactly the right times and the romance was to die for. Well, some of it anyway. And I really enjoyed reading about Alex and Seth because they were hilarious together; one minute, they want to poke each other’s eyes out, the next they’re kissing. It might not sound so humorous, but believe me, it is. There was only one problem in this book: Aiden. Most girls who read this probably love him and are screaming, “I love Aiden, not Seth, you idiot! Aiden is so hawt,” while they read this review, but I don’t care. I guess I have a thing for the dark horse and the funny one and the relationship that can actually happen. But maybe that’s just me *shrug*.

            Regardless of my semi-ranting, definitely read this book, and if you haven’t read Half-Blood, then read that, too. Now.

Read this because it is AMAZING!! 5 Smileys!

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

As you all know (or don’t know) I am in love with Divergent. It is seriously my favorite book in the history of forever. Going into its sequel, Insurgent, I was so excited I thought my face was going to fall off (I don’t know how those two things are related, but they are. Somehow.). And it didn’t disappoint me. Yay for Veronica Roth! I must say that the sequel was not as good at Divergent, but then again, sequels never are, but as far as a sequel goes, this is one of the best ones that I have ever read.

            Insurgent starts off just moments after the first book ended (which I liked) with Tris, Tobias, Marcus, Caleb, and Peter all sitting on the train together. Dauntless has split into two, the loyal Dauntless and the traitor Dauntless, which close to side with the Erudite in the “war.” While society may be crumbling before their eyes, they must stay strong. However, Peter defects to Erudite and Tobias must put up with his abusive father, Marcus. Tris knows that the Erudite did not begin this war to solely overthrow the government. Marcus tells her that there was a piece of information that their leader, Jeanine, did not want to get out. But what could be so important that she would start a war just to contain it, and that both Tris’ mother and father would and did give their lives for? Tris must find this out, but she may have to go behind the backs of those she loves to do it and lie to those she loves most.

            First, I shall talk about the plot. It was amazingly awesome. It continued to surprise me time and again. There were a few moments when I could not even believe what was happening. This book stunned me and left me speechless. It was tremendous, awe-inspiring, astounding, breathtaking, and splendid (I just looked up synonyms for awesome. Teehee.). The plot twists were incredible and they added a lot of layers to the story. As always, Roth's writing was beautiful. There were profound realizations and incredible conflicts that her characters had to overcome, and she included dynamic characters.

            Tris continues to be awesome. Here are my reasons previously stated in my review of Divergent: “Tris is small and fragile-looking, but she can kick anyone’s butt. She never let’s anyone conquer her or affect her and she knows how to let go of bad memories. She also says things how they are. She is not disillusioned and she knows the truth about people, despite her sheltered upbringing. She is similar to me in this way, so I connected with her immediately. She is a realist; she doesn’t have some unreachable dream that she could never reach; she knows that nothing is perfect, yet she is content with what she has. Tris is definitely my favorite heroine of all time because, among other things, I can connect with her the most. However, she is also strong, she knows how to act in the presence of fear, and she never ignores the negative things to force herself to be happy. She also doesn’t ignore the negative aspects of herself. She knows who and what she is and she doesn’t try to change it. She is confident and strong and amazing.”

            Tobias is also still amazing, but sometimes the relationship problems between him and Tris annoyed me. Not so much so that it made the book bad, but I felt what Roth was trying to get me to feel: frustration, so I guess that’s good.

            There’s not much else I can say about this book because, as I said before, it left me speechless. So here I am, with little speech to give. But I must say that the ending was truly amazing and I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT BOOK AHHHHH I NEED IT NOW.

Divergent and Insurgent, as well as Veronica Roth, are amazing. 5 Smileys!