The City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I expected a lot out of this book with all the hype is has received. I liked it but I wasn't blown away or anything like that. (Note: I did read this via Audio Book but it does not effect the book itself)

Characters- Clary is the reason for the missing star. She annoyed the heck out of me almost all the book. She asked the dumbest questions and is surprised to hear the answers. It's common sense. Also when she first started seeing supernatural things she was spooked, that's understandable. What wasn't understandable was that she remained confused and would not stop complaining. Actually scratch that. She did stop complaining when she talked about Jace. This girl really annoyed me. Now onto the wonderful Jace. Jace is a shadow hunter and is super mysterious. I really enjoyed his dialogue. He's so charming and smart with what he says... If only the book was in his head, not Clary's. Alec... jdfjeigfieijef. I freaking loved Alec. My biggest reason is that he's gay. Before you get all 'hey it's not right to stereotype' let me explain. Being gay in a community against it takes an immense amount of strength. I'm gay as well so I know that life can not be easy for him. Other then that he is really antisocial and secretive. Just like Jace but I like Alec better. Simon was an interesting one. I really liked him and he had me laughing out loud at times. He's just a bundle of fun. That is until he acts like a 'foolish mundane'. The whole Simon is a mundane so he's just an obstacle annoyed me. What made me even angrier is that he acted foolish right after they said something. It's like he was trying to prove them right for some reason. Isabelle wasn't anything special. She was just there... She had a few good lines but she will most likely be forgotten soon. Lastly we have Magnus Bane. He was cool. He pulled off being a warlock, that dude made it look awesome. He's so cleaver and funny. Plus his serious side showed at the end. I hope there's going to be more of him.

Romance- It wasn't spectacular but it had some nice twists to it, expectantly at the end of it. Without spoiling anything I want to say this Romance is something the whole FAMILY can enjoy, BROTHERS and SISTERS. (:

Setting- Good old New York City. I really liked that church thing that they met in as well.

Story- I can't. It was all just way too confusing. All those downworlders and other types of creatures were just too much to keep up with. I seemed like the author was trying to create a unique world of monsters but in my opinion she failed. It explained it all way too quickly and sloppily. Disappointed. I liked the whole Rune system though but again they are too hard to remember. Why couldn't of there been pictures in the book or something? Authors do it all the time to help the readers but no, we were left in the dark. Now the plot itself was okay. The beginning was WAY to predictable but I can forgive that. It all had a nice flow to it and did not let me down.

Conclusion- It was all so weird. Random surprises were everywhere... It was awesome.

Misc.- I will continue the series eventually... For Alec <3

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Great words spoken by a deceptive man

"I cannot live without books." - Thomas Jefferson

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)

Frostbite by Richelle Mead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing Sequel, definitely had a lot more character development.

Character- Rose is different. She is showing a darker, edgy side of herself and I loved it. Lissa was actually kind of entertaining this time. With Christian is her life she seems a lot more appealing and enjoyable. That brings us to Christian. I loved him in the last book but I thought he needed more development and I got my wish. I learned so much more about him and I like him even more now. I loved Mason so much in this book. He was HILARIOUS. That and his loyalty to Rose were breathtaking. Dimitri... Uhhh where to start. I still love him so so much but I was telepathically yelling at him the whole time. He is so arrogant and he never learns. Maybe that's why Adrian was keen to getting close to Rose. Adrian... My favorite character by far. Mysterious and charming are the two best words to describe him. He is also very determined to get what he wants, Rose. Lastly Mia. She was very nice. She wasn't amazing but this time she played a bigger part and I respected her for her every choice. I would like to see more of her though.

Romance- Love Triangle once again... but somehow I can't ever stop loving it. Rose feels so powerfully for Dimitri but he obviously won't love her back due to pride issues. Mason would do anything for her but she knows that she could never love him. That leaves the sneaky Adrian. Adrian is definitely not scared to share how he feels and welcomes Rose with open arms. Too bad Rose is busy being a hot mess in the romance department.

Setting- Starts out in Vampire Academy but soon moves to a ski resort. No complaints, loved it.

Story- Rose is slowly finishing up her senior year. She leaves with Dimitri to go take a test and is horrified to find a house full of Mori killed by Strigoi. This horrible event ruins winter plans so the academy comes up with a compromise, the students and their families get to go on an extremely protected ski trip. Rose is revealed, she gets a chance to relax. This feeling doesn't last long though, soon there is another attack and everyone is put on edge. Some students leave to get justice for the people who died... This is where the trouble begins.

Conclusion- Seriously though, it was awesome. So action packed and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I must warn you though... Death will play a big role.

Writing Style- Perfect. No Complaints. Amazing pacing and just enough descriptions. The romance was narrated awesomely as well.

Misc.- This series is so addicting. <3

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Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love drama and vampires so I thought I would enjoy this book. I was right. I wasn't great but now that the intro is over the the rest of the series is going to be great.

Characters- Rose is awesome. She is a strong independent woman and I love her already. She always does what she thinks is right and I respect her for that. Lissa kind of got on my nerves in the beginning. She is about the same age as Rose and she acts like she's 8. I grew to like her eventually but I'm still not a big fan. Dimitri... I love every second of him. He's just so amazing. Mia is crazy. She is so worried about fitting in that she will do some crazy stuff. You don't want to mess with her. I really liked Victor. He is a nice dude that is sick. I felt bad. Christian is so sweet. He has such a rebellious spirit that could get him in trouble but he doesn't care. They were all pretty cool.

Romance- SO FREAKING ANNOYING! As you can guess the romance is between Rose and Dimitri. The only problem is that Dimitri is like 7 years older than her. That shouldn't matter but he has to be stubborn and make it a big deal.

Setting- Vampire Academy (obviously). I really liked the school. It opened up a lot of possible outcomes. I agree with Rose though, It feels like a jail.

The Story- The Mori are mortal vampires. They need blood to live and can use magic involving the elements. They are sadly going extinct due to the Strigoi. The Strigoi are ruthless vampires that have no morals. They do whatever they please and they find Mori blood especially tasty. The main problem with the Strigoi are that they are immortal. The only way to kill them is with fire, decapitation, or a silver stake. The Mori aren't totally alone though. They have their guardians, the Dhampir. The Dhampir are a mix of human and vampire. They have the perfect qualities to defend the Mori. So that is what the Dhampir are meant to do. Protect the Mori for the rest of their lives. To me that seems selfish of the Mori. You can't tell people what they're meant to do for the rest of their lives, it's cruel. Rose is a Dhampir in training. She used to go to Vampire Academy with her best friend Lissa until they escaped. Lissa is not only a Mori but she is a Mori princess. Rose and Lissa share a bond that connects them. Rose can feel what Lissa feels and can sense where she is. Sadly this works only one way. Together they escaped the Academy and have been living on their own for 2 years. Sadly they are sent back and the Academy is not the same as it used to be. This time it has even more dark secrets awaiting Lissa and Rose...

The Conclusion- I loved it. Action, Twists, and Some serious romance. What else could you ask for?

Writing Style- Richelle Mead is very, very talented. She made such a perfect world with amazing characters. I cannot wait to read more of her work.



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Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book actually freaked me out. It was so dark and disturbing. People say it's scary how this one man's view of the future is so similar to our reality now... It's more than just scary. It is heartbreaking and sad. This book really puts society in the bad light that it deserves to be in.

The Characters- Montag is a cool person to read about. He's just so confused about everything and I felt so bad for him the whole time. He was just a very believable and average character that stops and thinks why. Clarisse, the new neighbor was lovely. She always asked the right questions and she saw hope where no one else saw it. I also really liked Faber. He was a scared little man that slowly came out of his shell in the name of what's right. The enemy in this story is ignorance and the firemen. The firemen are so scary. They're just so ruthless.

Romance- None. Love barley exists anymore in this world.

The Setting- The city in the 21 century. I liked it.

The Story- Books are disgraced. TV has replaced family. Anyone with books in their possession will be taken to an asylum. The books that they had will be burnt by the horrible firemen. Montag has always loved his job as a fireman. He loves the power of fire and loves to see things burn. He never asks questions. On his way home from work he meets his new neighbor Clarisse. She is a 17 year old girl that proves to be unique. Everyday Montag goes home to his wife Mildred. Mildred is a mess. She has an obsession with television, as do most people. She has 3 walls of screens and she desperately wants a fourth. TV is all she ever cares about. Montag starts to enjoy his talks with Clarisse more and more. She teaches him to actually look at the world and take it in. She starts to teach him to enjoy life. Montag has been doing something for a while and he doesn't understand why. He has been hiding books in his house! He soon questions the world he lives in and the fun begins...

The Conclusion- Very, very, very sad. There was kind of a cliffhanger which makes me angry because there's never going to be a sequel.

Writing Style- This book was written back in 1953 so I didn't expect to understand most of it. I am glad to say I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there were some terms I didn't understand but the writing was just as awesome as authors these days.

Misc.- I read the special edition with the new intro and I loved the intro. It gave me the right mindset to fully enjoy the story. Love the title as well. I never knew paper burns at 451 degrees fahrenheit.

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The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There is a lot of hype around this book and I'm happy to admit that I enjoyed it a lot. I did have a few dislikes though.

The Characters- Perfect. Seriously though I loved each of them. Blue, our heroine was very unique. She always had a lot on her plate and she handled it very realistically. She was just a bundle of joy. Gansey was also a wonderful surprise. I loved the way he was like a father to his friends. He always meant the best but sadly his attempts almost always failed. Next we have Adam. He made me angry... very angry. He seemed like a wonderful person but he made all the wrong choices. Even though now that I think about it there is no right or wrong in his situation. He just kept stalling the inevitable. Still loved him though. Ronan wins my favorite character award by the end though. He is cleaver and hilarious. As much as I want to call him a prankster I sadly cannot. His haunting past and violent history with his brother leave him broken. It's as if life has lost any purpose for him. Truly sad but still very poetic. Noah is wonderful. I didn't see myself liking him at the beginning but he now has a spot in my heart (right next to the one reserved for Ronan). Blue's family seemed annoying at first as well. I was thinking "Oh boy, another flat, predictable family" at first but I actually liked them all pretty well.

The Romance- I can't... I just can't. There's just so much to say. I'll try to keep it short. From the synopsis we already know that if Blue kisses her true love he will die... well it gets worse. On Saint Mark's Day she sees a certain person meaning that she will either kill him or that he is her true love. Either way he destined to die so that sucks for him. Things go crazy from there. This book is big on the romance.

The Setting- Virginia, Maryland in a small town. Wasn't a big part in the story but it was in no way a bad setting. I just wasn't ever concerned with it.

The Story- I told most of the story in the romance section because that's where I thought it belonged... I do what I want *he he*. So "The Raven Boys" are students who go to this expensive private school. 9 times out of 10 they are usually selfish, rich jerks that you would want to avoid. Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah are all Raven Boys and they each have some serious back stories. I will now give you a taste of what each of their stories are without spoiling it. Gansey is the richest raven boy there is, or he's at least close to the richest. He does average in school and seems just like everyone else. But he has a secret that he shares with his friends. He has been looking for something desperately. Adam is different, there's no way you can't see that. He is probably the only Raven Boy that is struggling with money. What's even more shocking is that he is besties with Gansey, the richest Raven Boy. Even though Gansey offers to give Adam money he never accepts. He is determined to earn everything himself. I respect him for that. He also has some stuff going on at home as well, serious stuff. Ronan's story is depressing as hell so prepare yourself if/when you read the book. Ronan and his brother don't get along. I was being nice right there, they seriously hate each other's guts. After their father's mysterious death things went downhill fast. Ronan started to fail school and his brother kept acting like his father. It gets bad... Noah, the last of the main Raven Boys is weird to say the least. He's antisocial and has odd habits. He seemed pretty useless but just wait. Now onto Blue. Blue is in a family of all extremely gifted psychic but she sadly is not gifted like they are. The only gift she has is the gift to give people power which seemed useless to her. She accepts the way she is and aids her family in their job, to predict the futures of their clients. Her plain lifestyle is soon changed for the better(?) on St. Mark's Day.

The Conclusion- The climax was great and action packed. There was a cliffhanger but OMG... it was like out of nowhere. It just came out of nowhere and shocked me. The worst part is that there was only one sentience of details...

Writing Style- I have mixed feelings about Maggie Stiefvater. She is so creative and I always saw a picture in my head but it was just too much sometimes. I felt like she described way to many things at once. That just made the book unnecessarily longer.

Misc.- This is random but this book reminded me of The Outsiders a lot. That's a good thing. Now on to my favorite topic that I haven't mentioned. Adam and Ronan. I'm sorry but I just felt so much of a connection between them and I loved it. I think they would make such a great couple and I really want it to happen. Sadly it probably will not... seeing as how there are rarely any LGBT characters in books. I still have hope though. <3

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Fahrenheit 451 Got Me Thinking...

There's no such thing as a bad book. No matter how you felt about the story the words on the pages were created by someone's unique mind. They didn't just put words onto paper, they put a part of themselves onto them. No book should be wasted. Each is unique... Each needs love.