Review: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

I don't quite get the hype with this series.

Given all the love it gets, I was expecting to be blown away, but the first book left me mad while the second left me "meh". I was hoping City of Glass would make me see what was so ah-mazing. Picking up where City of Ashes left off, it sees the Shadowhunters heading "home" to Idris, where the fate of their world is being decided as they try to figure out how to deal with Voldemort Valentine and his demon army. As the final chapter in a trilogy (though more books were added later - which kinda annoys me in itself, but that's another story), City if Glass is naturally more epic, action-packed and conclusive than its predecessor - which is why I was all the more surprised that it, too, left me feeling..."meh".

Don't get me wrong, it's a page-turner alright, and enjoyable enough. But, y'know, I've had better. The language is fine, but it can get repetitive, and while I think the characters are great in theory, they did a bunch of things in this book that had me doing this:

Jace in particular was driving me batty; the boy's got issues, and I sympathise, but one of his most attractive qualities is his strength and a few of his actions in this - though they were probably supposed to show his selflessness and bravery - ultimately came across to me as weak and wallowing. And once again the WTF plotline persisted and put me off when I should have been turned on. Overall, I was satisfied with this as the ending to the series, but unfortunately I just don't love it as a whole - no matter how much I really, really want to.

Rating: 3.5/5

Spoilery Talking Points

• I know I've complained about it before but I still can't get over the incest thing - especially that it was dragged out over TWO WHOLE BOOKS. It's not that I object to incest in general (in book form, that is - in actual general, I definitely object); it's the way it was used as the sole source of tension in Jace and Clary's relationship, to add a level of forbiddenness that otherwise wouldn't be there - only to have a "lol, jokes, you can totally make out" sprung on them at the last minute... It just felt manipulative and cheap.
• The whole two Jonathans thing also felt kind of contrived. But I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of Sebastian...
• I don't see why this series needs to be extended beyond this book - though there were a few unfinished threads in the end, there was ultimately a strong sense of closure. Still, I was interested to read City of Fallen Angels and see how Jace and Clary played out after finding out they aren't related - until I read the blurb about how Jace is all distant coz he dreams of killing her or something and... I just can't. I can't do it. Not now, at least.

Eye Candy
The same as City of Bones and City of Ashes, plus... 

Matt Dallas as Sebastian

Adam Lambert as Magnus

Malese Jow as Aline

Fine Print
Genre: Young Adult/Urban Fantasy
Published: 2010
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Get It: Book Depository

Bookish Fun: Young Adult, The Movie

I don't know how I feel about Diablo Cody. Sometimes I think I love her, other times I want her to crawl back to the stripper hole she bounced from. When she first hit the scene with Juno, I loved her - and the movie - in theory. The concept appealed to me, and some of the lines were hilarious - but the delivery was just so forced and it was so self-consciously clever that, after I got over not being one of the cool kids obsessing over it, I had to admit I didn't actually like it that much. Then along came Jennifer's Body, and I LOVED the concept and loved the stars (except Megan Fox - but she was playing a demon so that worked for me), and was disappointed to find that it, too, felt way too forced and self-conscious. On the other hand, I think The United States of Tara is nothing short of amazeballs.

So it's with some trepidation that I'm getting excited about Cody's next project: Young Adult, directed by Jason Reitman and starring Charlize Theron (who I love), Patrick Wilson (who is cute) and Patton Oswalt (who is hilarious). It's about a Young Adult author (natch) who gets divorced, has a breakdown, heads back to her hometown, tries to get back with her (now married) high school sweetheart and forms an "unusual" bond with another former classmate. It sounds kinda fun... and how cool is the poster?!

Here is what some real YA authors told MTV about the film (or, at least, about the first still that's been released):

"That is pretty much what I look like RIGHT NOW. Minus the dog." — Ally Carter

"I'd say that while a lot of the YA authors I know work at home in an outfit like Charlize is wearing there (sweatpants and a ratty shirt) most of us wouldn't go out in public like that, not even to fly! YA authors are a pretty stylish group—you have to be when you're always interacting with teens. However I really can't judge her for the Hello Kitty shirt. I have a Hello Kitty toaster. And I would definitely see this movie just because I can't think of another film or TV show where my profession is depicted at all!" — Cassandra Clare

"Interestingly enough, it would not be unusual to see me in an airport wearing sweats and looking generally disheveled. Though I don't carry a pocket dog and know few YA authors who do. I would also be more likely to have a bag from Mrs. Field's, not Victoria's Secret. I like the premise of the film and I love Charlize Theron, so it will be interesting to see how the filmmakers portray a 'YA novelist.' Hopefully, it will include inside track details, like the fact that most of us wear our pajamas all day." — Kami Garcia

My Book Boyfriend: Lord Orville

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader, all about fictional boys who make us swoon. This week my book boyfriend is very vintage - Lord Orville from Evelina by Frances Burney. He's noble, lively, expressive, kind, caring, affectionate, chivalrous, handsome, rich... y'know, everything a true gentleman should be. He saves Evelina a number of times from iffy situations, and loves her in spite of (or perhaps because of) her often silly actions and social awkwardness. When I read the book a couple of years ago, I pictured Orlando Bloom as Lord Orville.


Swoon-Worthy Quotes

"'My lord,' cried I, endeavoring to disengage my hand, 'pray, let me go!'
'I will,' cried he, to my inexpressible confusion, dropping on one knee, 'if you wish to leave me!'
'Oh, my Lord,' exclaimed I, 'rise, I beseech you, rise! Such a posture to me! Surely your Lordship is not so cruel as to mock me!'
'Mock you!' repeated he earnestly, 'no, I revere you! I esteem and admire you above all human beings! You are the friend to whom my soul is attached as to its better half! You are the most amiable, the most perfect of women! And you are dearer to me than language has the power of telling!'"

"Pressing my hand affectionately to his heart, 'You are now,' (said he, in a low voice) 'all my own! Oh my Evelina, how will my soul find room for its happiness? It seems already bursting!'"

Pash, Pick or Pass: The Guys Of The Mortal Instruments

Time to play Pash, Pick or Pass - a game where we pick from a random book trio and say who we'd pash (and dash), who we'd pick for a relationship and who we'd pass on all together.

The Contenders
Having finally read the first three books in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare in the past week, I thought it was about time I featured the boys from the books. Note: I'm using the actors I pictured while reading, not who has been cast in the movie.

The badass smartass with a heart, Jace

The BFF-worthy nerd, Simon

The protective brooder, Alec

My Choices

Pash: Alec. OK, he's gay. But he's hot. And... that's all I've got.

Pick: Jace. I like his wit, strength and the fact that he's not afraid to show his sensitive side. He's a bit romantic, which is a bit noice.

Pass: Sorry, Simon, but you're way too whiney for me. Grow a pair, and then we'll talk.

Who would you pash, pick and pass out of this tasty trio?

Mag Monday: Lily, Donald and Ita

I am totally girl crushing on Lily Collins at the moment. She is just so gorgeous, seems really sweet and is making some great choices in her budding film career. I love this photoshoot she's done for ASOS magazine (almost as much as I love ASOS, which is apparently getting an Australian branch soon, woo!). The mag also has profiles on Simon Bird (hilarious) and Jim Sturgess (adorable), but I was most excited (sad, I know) to see an ad for the West End musical production of Ghost - I hope it comes to Australia! There's also a cute interview with Lily herself in the mag. Love, love, love her...

 

Another girl crush of mine is the amazing Ita Buttrose, who, at age 69, is looking freaking awesome on the cover of The Australian Women's Weekly this month. The Weekly isn't a mag I read regularly (in fact, I think I've maybe read it in full once), but I'm keen to pick this issue up, and not just for Ita - there are a few features that interest me, and I'm especially curious to read the interview with Daniel Morcombe's twin brother (so sad!).

On a lighter note, Donald Glover made me chuckle (as per usual) in this preppy shoot for GQ. So cute!

Review: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

I enjoyed this sequel a lot more than its predecessor, but it still irked me just a little bit.

Picking up about a week after the events of City of Bones, City of Ashes sees Clary and Jace dealing with (or rather, not dealing with) their feelings for each other while trying to figure out what the heck Voldemort Valentine is up to and who is behind the mysterious deaths of Downworlder teens (gee, I wonder).

The plot is well-paced and the writing is fine - though there were still a few inconsistencies (like the weather; trivial, I know, but distracting), and if I didn't get the message that Jace looks freaking angelic by the 96th mention of his luminous eyes/hair/jawline/nipples (not really, but almost), I definitely got it on the 97th. Still, I found myself more attracted to him this time round and I enjoyed the story a lot more, too - it was certainly hard to put the book down, and the characters stuck around in my mind even while I wasn't reading it.

BUT. I think one of the reasons I raced through it was because I was waiting for the resolution of a certain WTF plotline. A resolution that never came, leaving me extremely disappointed. In fact, if I hadn't already looked up spoilers and discovered that a resolution WAS coming eventually, I can't say I would have really enjoyed the book much at all. Overall, it brought up way more questions than answers, which I guess shouldn't have surprised me considering it's the second book in a series. But it made me super glad I had the next book handy, otherwise I have a feeling I would have been about 10 times more frustrated.

Rating: 3.5/5

Spoilery Talking Points

• I can't believe the incest thing is STILL being dragged out. It puts a serious damper on the steamy scenes. Boo!
• I thought the way Simon's transformation was dealt with was a little underwhelming. I mean, except for not being able to go in sunlight, it was like business as usual - and even that little speedbump is smoothed over by the end. There was no crazy thirst, no moping about on Simon's part - it was all just a little too easy. Unlike some other things (*cough*Jace and Clary*cough*).

Eye Candy
Same as City of Bones, plus...

Alexander Skarsgard as Valentine

Tyler Posey as Raphael

Adrian Pasdar as Luke

Bianca Lawson as Maia

Christina Hendricks as Jocelyn

Fine Print
Genre: Young Adult/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: 2008
Get It: Book Depository

On My Wishlist: Remembrance, Chemistry, Perculiar Children And Saltwater Vampires

On My Wishlist, hosted by Book Chick City, is a weekly meme that keeps track of the books we want! Here's what I'm currently coveting...

Summary: When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.  In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

Reviewer that made me want it: Lisa at The Garden of Books

Summary: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Reviewer that made me want it: Melissa at Books and Things

Summary: "New Hampshire high school junior Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet. Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she seem to get him out of her mind? Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, the pair of them soon find that fighting fate isn't going to be easy."

Reviewer that made me want it: I haven't actually read any reviews for this book yet, I'm just curious after hearing it's based on Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' (random, much?), so if you've read it I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Summary: He looked to the sky, praying for rain, a downpour, some sign from the heavens that he should refuse the abomination contained in that flask. But all he saw was the bloated white face of the moon smiling down on him…And the sky around it was cold and clear and black…They made their circle of blood. And only the moon witnessed the slaughter that followed. For Jamie Mackie, summer holidays in the coastal town of Rocky Head mean surfing, making money, and good times at the local music festival. But this year, vampires are on the festival’s line-up … fulfilling a pact made on the wreck of the Batavia, four hundred years ago. If their plans succeed, nobody in Rocky Head will survive to see out the new year.

Reviewer that made me want it: Nic at Irresistible Reads and Missie at The Unread Reader

Reading Icons: Shirley Temple

"When I was 14, I was the oldest I ever was. I've been getting younger ever since." - Shirley Temple

August in Review

Although the speed with which the year is flying by kinda freaks me out, I can't say I'm sad to see the back of August. It's not my fave month, and of course its end means spring is here! Of course, Mother Nature celebrated by making today even colder than the last few days of winter, but still - it's SPRING!

I read and reviewed...

• Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan.
• The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (my fave book of the month; I also watched the movie and will be posting my write-up in the next few days).
• Innocence by Kathleen Tessaro.
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (crossing it off my Books I Should Have Read By Now list).

I swooned over...

• The Princess Bride's men.
• Edward Rochester.
• Contemporary romantic guys.
• The men of Wuthering Heights.
• Sookie Stackhouse's non-vamp guys.
• Gale Hawthorne.
• Mr Darcy.
• Prince Lir.
• Jack Force.

I featured reading icons...

• Ava Gardner.
• Marlon Brando.
• Fred Astaire.
• Joan Fontaine.

I wanted to buy...

• Spineless classics.
• Altered books.
• Bookish tees.

Magazines I loved...

• Love and EW.
• Teen Vogue and Nylon Guys.
• W and Esquire. 
• BlackBook and Wonderland.
• Fine Taste.

Other fun stuff: I discovered the hilarious Tumblr Beel's Diareh; Listed my top five places to read as well as my top five 90s sports movies over at Children of the 90s; Defended Disney princesses at The Uniblog and had Crystal stop by to continue her series on Batman.

How was your August?

Note-worthy: When I'm Not Reading...

One of my favourite bloggers, Missie at The Unread Reader, invited me to write a guest post for her feature When I'm Not Reading... Check it out to find out some of my non-bookish interests (yes, I have one or two).