January Wrap-Up

    Hello everyone!  It's been awhile and I apologize, but with school back in session for the Spring semester, I haven't had much time to get to post.  I've also decided that, because I have rarely stuck to my TBR each month, I'm going to try not posting a TBR each month and just do a wrap up.  That way I don't have to read something I don't feel like reading and I can still write about the books I did manage to read each month.  I will occasionally do a "My Favorites" list each year at the end of the year, or a "Most Anticipated Releases" each month, but we'll see what my schedule allows.  That being said, I read a whopping 4 BOOKS last month guys!  I knew I would have a lot of time to read over the winter holiday and I'm proud of staying in time with my reading goals for the year.  Here are the books I ended up finishing last month.

(goodreads.com)

    Tales from Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, etc.:  I have had my eye on this book for at least a year, but didn't have an e-reader to read the electronic copies, so I had to wait until the hardcover edition was released.  It was totally worth the wait!  Although there was no discernible plot and the story moved a bit slow at times for my taste, I really enjoyed getting to know this new version of Simon as he struggled through his training at the academy.  I really liked the side characters as well, especially my Scottish BFF George.  If you've been following me at all, you'll know I've been on somewhat of a Scottish kick since I finished Outlander.  The ending was a bit surprising because it was so abrupt.  I feel that because the book is supposed to be a bunch of short stories put together that the ending might have been different if this was a traditional book.  My favorites parts were towards the end as well as those that included the Herondale children.  I felt like they could have done a lot more with the characters with a few extra pages.  Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

   










    Passenger and Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken: These books were amazing!  Duologies are my new favorite thing; they are so concise with their story lines but they still pack a huge punch when it comes to plot.  In this short series, we follow Etta, who is a violin prodigy readying herself for her concert debut when she is unceremoniously shoved (literally) into the world of time traveling by a family who wants to use her to get a valuable object that her mother has hidden.  This story was a whirlwind full of traveling, history, adventure, romance and manipulation.  I honestly had no idea what was going to happen until the end and I really liked that I couldn't guess the chain of events.  Etta was a great protagonist and Nicholas is my precious cinnamon roll and they are straight up couple goals.  I loved that I started off not feeling too kindly towards certain characters, but ended up liking them in the end.  There was a lot of character development, especially with the female characters spread across the story.  I also really liked the ending Bracken gave her characters because it felt real and not rushed at all.  The whole second book moved a bit slower for me than the first, but I liked the result.  Full marks at 4.5 out of 5 stars!

(goodreads.com)

    The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi: This book wasn't even on my radar until I saw the cover of the second book by this author and saw that they were related.  Maya is our main character and she is cursed by the stars to have death follow her wherever she goes.  Although Maya favors reading over marriage and other female duties, her father makes a bargain with a neighboring kingdom for her hand.  Maya and her new husband Amar rule together over Akaran, an otherworldly realm where anything seems possible.  Maya soon realizes the fate of the world is in danger of plunging into eternal darkness and it will be up to her to save not only her kingdom, but also her husband from falling into the wrong hands.  This story reminded me so much of ACOMAF that I was instantly hooked by the synopsis.  I guess this book was based loosely on an Indian myth about the realm of death and a different take on the Persephone myth (obviously because it isn't Greek).  The imagery in this book was stunning, the way the author paints each scene as if you are looking out at crumbling ruins, lush forests, or an elaborately decorated castle.  I really liked the Night Bazaar and all the creatures that utilize that space.  I'm really excited that her next book is going to be released next month, so I can follow more of her characters.  I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

    There you have it!  I read a lot of great books last month.  This month is actually shaping up to be just as good.  With all these snow days we keep getting here in New England, I suppose I'll have many more opportunities to read in the coming weeks.  What are you reading this month?  What are some books you can't wait to get your hands on this year?  Let me know in the comments below.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

December Wrap Up and January TBR

    Hey everyone!  Welcome to 2017!  I thought it would never get here, but here we are.  I'm proud to say that I stuck to my reading goals for the last month of the year.  I'm trying to stay realistic when it comes to reading goals for the coming year and I think 40 books is a reasonable goal to set for myself.  I'm confident that I'll be able to stick to this while completing my Spring coursework.  That being said, here are the books I finished during the month of December.

(goodreads.com)

    Outlander was everything I hoped it would be!  I am also glad that I got the next three books in the series for Christmas so I can read the next few books at my leisure.  Jamie and Claire's story reads a lot like my favorite YA novels, so I enjoyed the pacing and the conflict.  The mixture of science fiction and historical content was absolutely entertaining.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well the TV series kept to the same story as the books.  I'm looking forward to starting again where I left off and watch the TV series simultaneously.

(goodreads.com)

    Crystal Storm is the fifth book in the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes.  Honestly, I enjoyed the change of pace from the last novel.  There was a set agenda and plot line which all of the characters adhered to.  I really enjoyed Jonas's story line much better in this book than I had in all the others.  I also really liked all the side characters, especially the hired guns accompanying Jonas.  I wish their stories were more developed, but maybe we'll learn more about them in the last book.  Probably not, but I'm sure the last book in the series is going to be BANANAS.

(goodreads.com)

    A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray was a great read for the beginning of winter.  It was dark, paranormal and full of back-stabbing teenage girls which is always a show.  As anticipated, I did enjoy the beginning of this series more so than the Diviners series.  It gets a bit confusing at times with the flashbacks and dream sequences, but overall I followed along just fine.  I really liked the Secret Garden-esq beginning of the novel and the Indian setting, which I wish they spent more time on.  I'm curious to see how the second novel expands on the first.

    January is going to be a good reading month for me I think:

(goodreads.com)

    Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and Robin Wasserman: I have been waiting to read this for quite some time and I'm happy to say that I'm enjoying it so far!  It's been so nice to see not only Simon's journey to becoming a Shadowhunter but also the children of the 1900s, including James Herondale, Matthew Fairchild and the other offspring of the Infernal Devices.  It just gets me even more excited for The Last Hours series coming out next year!  I'm about half way through at this point and I can't wait to see what else is in store for Simon and all the new initiates.

(goodreads.com)

    Passenger by Alexandra Bracken: I believe I've had this series on my TBR before now, but never found time for it.  My interests have been restored as of late.  I really enjoyed Bracken's dystopian series The Darkest Minds, so I was very pleased to find that she had a time-traveling series as well.  This story follows a young violin prodigy named Etta (LOVE that name) as she ends up on a mysterious ship with the power to plow through time and space like water.  Nicholas is a crew member aboard this ship and it will be his help Etta needs to find the mysterious object coveted by the Ironwoods, the notorious family hunting for Etta and her lineage.  This synopsis hooked me from the start and with the sequel coming out weeks from now, I can't wait to start this series.

(goodreads.com)

    Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon: After finishing the first book in the Outlander series, I immediately wanted to pick up the second installment.  I'm going to be honest and admit that I don't think I'll finish the book this month, but I can at least put a substantial dent in it in the coming weeks.  This book takes place directly after the events of the first where we see Claire and Jamie make their way to France in order to sabotage the Jacobite rebellion and prevent the deaths of many Scots.  I will be watching the TV series at the same time to compare and contrast both versions.

    There are also two novels coming out in the month of January that I would like to get my hands on:

(goodreads.com)

    Caraval by Stephanie Garber:  This new release caught my eye because of its similarities to The Night Circus, which I loved.  This story follows two sisters, Scarlett and Tella, as they make plans to escape their cruel father and attend a once in a lifetime nightly circus.  When Tella is kidnapped for the show, Scarlett is forced to find her or risk losing her forever.  This story sounds both mysterious and magical, so I can't wait to see if it meets my expectations.

(goodreads.com)

    The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova:  This new release has a steam punk-fantasy vibe that I couldn't look away from.  In this story we follow Ari, a clockwork engineer who specializes in black market organs in a society ruled by the Dragon King.  Eventually Ari encounters Cvareh, who is looking to restore his family's honor in the underbelly of Loom.  Both of them will have to venture to see the Alchemists of Loom in order to grant their deepest desires of vengeance and justice.  This book has a heist vibe to it, so I'm curious to see how the author incorporates the black market/planetoids/ rich-man-poor-man thing into this plot line.  Plus, that cover is stunning!

    There you have it!  I'm hoping to get to either one of the last two books before the end of the month, but we'll see how it goes.  This list, as always is subject to change on a whim, but thus is the uncertainty of reading habits.  What are you guys planning on reading this month?  What were your favorite books of 2016?  Let me know in the comments below.  As always, I remain your faithful correspondent.

March Wrap-Up

    Hello all!  I know, I'm not posting on a Tuesday or Thursday, but I felt that it was necessary to post my March wrap-up before we got too far into April.  I had meant to post last week, but wanted to finish one of my books, which didn't end up happening.  Although I didn't reach my goal, (again), I will keep trying for three (maybe shorter) books each month until I get it.  Determination!  I've been busy with finishing up my first semester of online library school as well as helping my little sister take care of my new nephew, so it's been hard to find time to read before 11pm.  I'm looking at taking less classes next semester and hopefully that will give me more time to read.  Everyone has to make time for themselves and I've been sucking at that lately, so I'm making a conscious effort to take breaks and breath from time to time.  So without further ado, let's get into the books I read last month.

(goodreads.com)

    As I mentioned in my last post, I had started Prudence by Gail Carriger at the end of February but didn't finish it to put it in the February wrap-up.  Although this book was short in comparison to other books I've read, it took me a lot longer to get through than I thought it would.  This book followed Prudence, who is the daughter of two of the main characters from Gail Carriger's original series Soulless.  Pru is tasked with a mission to India, traveling on a floating blimp, to retrieve a rare tea leaf for her adopted father.  I'm going to reiterate that I should have read this series before the sequel series because I felt lost sometimes with the world building and mentions of seemingly important people who were introduced before.  I also felt like Soulless would have given me some much needed background information on terminology and the older characters, although I don't think it would've added too much to the plot.  Overall I enjoyed this book and I can see why some people really like the humor involved.  For me, it was so close to the humor involved in The Infernal Devices, but not enough for me to laugh out loud.  The story line didn't grab me necessarily and, like I said, I didn't understand what was going on at times.  I thought I would like it more than I did, but I gave this book a 3 out of 5 stars just the same.  I may try to read Soulless instead of continuing on with this series for now, just to see if it helps.

(goodreads.com)

    The second and last book I finished was my most anticipated book of the year, which was Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare.  THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD.  It was a little over 700 pages of drama and Shadowhunters and conflict left over from the events of City of Heavenly Fire.  I actually almost did a full spoilery review on just this book because I had SO MANY thoughts upon finishing it, but decided against it.  That being said, there will probably be minor SPOILERS in this review, so if you haven't read Lady Midnight yet, you've been warned.  This book takes place 5 years after the Dark War and the events of The Mortal Instruments series and follows Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn as parabatai at the Los Angeles Institute.  We get to learn more about the Blackthorns and how they've been getting on since their oldest brother Mark was taken from them and became a member of The Wild Hunt, a special group of fairies tasked with riding around the world in search of war and death.  I felt so many feelings towards Jules and Emma during this book.  Jules because he had to take responsibility for way more than he should have and Emma for living off of revenge for a good portion of her life.  Emma reminded me a little of the Herondale boys, Will and Jace, because she's an excellent fighter and only marginally witty.  Jules was DEFINITELY more like Jem in the sense that he had a more calculating mind and loved to lose himself in his art.  Also, the way he usually had to chase after Emma so she wouldn't hurt herself.  I loved seeing that dynamic again in this series because I miss Will and Jem SO MUCH.
    ALSO JEM.  Jem is officially back to being Jem again in this book and we don't see him as much as I wanted, but at the end of the book we get hints that there's more to this story line that includes Jem and Tessa, so I'm betting we'll get to see them both more in the next books.  The flashbacks to Emma and Jules parabatai ceremony KILLED ME, watching Jem retreat outside because he couldn't handle everyone talking about their parabatai bond.  I love seeing all the nods to TID, but it's still a fresh wound in my mind.  Speaking of Will, the fact that Kit seems to be a lost Herondale made me scream.  I knew he would be important, because we kept going back to him during this book, but I didn't expect that.  I feel bad for him too because he's been taught his whole life not to trust Shadowhunters, (much like Will was with his parents, who fled that life).  Plus Kit's poor father being torn in half right in front of him has to scar him for life, right?  Anyway, I'm looking forward to them exploring this plot throughout the other books.
    The tension in this book is OFF THE CHARTS.  Sexual tension, family tension, EVERYTHING IS TENSE and I loved it!  The drama totally added a new layer to the story and I found myself getting beyond frustrated with some of these characters as they attempted to maneuver around each other and their feelings.  I could also understand where everyone was coming from and why they were so guarded.  Cristina was a GREAT addition to this cast of characters and I loved that she also had an air of mystery about her.  She also appreciates Captain America and the Hulk, so she wins in my book.  There were plenty of cultural references in this book, which were accepted and understood by almost everyone, as opposed to TMI.  They explained that it was because of their location, Los Angeles, that they were exposed to things like pop culture, vehicles, etc.  I totally get that and it was a great way to explain their knowledge of driving and computers and things that the New York institute lacked.  Basically I found nothing really wrong with this book and I'm already dreading the wait for the second because Lady Midnight ENDED ON A CLIFF HANGER.  I didn't realize it was at first and had to re-read the last page and I STILL don't really get what's going on, so if anyone has any thoughts or opinions, please enlighten me.  The last thing I'll say, (because this review is super long, so I apologize), is that a lot of other people who read this say to read Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy before reading Lady Midnight because the novellas set up to the events in Lady Midnight and have important information, so I will be reading Shadowhunter Academy ASAP.  Easily this book earned it's 5 stars all around.

(goodreads.com)

    Lastly, I started A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab and I'm currently half way through.  I desperately wanted to finish this before the end of March but didn't anticipate it being as long as it is.  I got this book in the mail as a pre-order BEFORE Lady Midnight and chose to read Lady Midnight first, so I guess it's my own fault.  I'm thoroughly enjoying this book so far and I'm anticipating the second half to be much more intense than the first, so I'll give you guys all my thoughts come April.

(shadowhunterstv.com)

    I did want to mention Shadowhunters again just to talk about the season wrapping up this week.  MALEC was last week's episode and OHMYGOD!!  I think they broke the Internet because that episode was probably the best they've done so far.  I agree with some people who say that Malec hasn't had adequate relationship development, but the kiss was a long time coming, so it was much appreciated.  It would have been great if Alec and Magnus had been meeting in secret, like they did that first time Alec stayed behind at Magnus's flat to have drinks, but they've literally had no contact that wasn't met with hostility from Alec, so I wish they had explored Alec's real feelings more.  I really loved Ragnor Fell in this episode, so it's a bummer that he died so soon.  Despite the fact that he wasn't green, the actor did a really great job at portraying the Ragnor I could picture from the books.  He also had great chemistry with Magnus.  Clace has moved to the back-burner as of their sibling reveal, which readers know is only temporary.  I'm curious to see how they'll end the season because I honestly have no idea what will happen.  Jocelyn is partially to blame for Jace knowing his true parentage, so if they finally wake her up in the finally, they may reveal the hoax as well.  The poor actress who plays Jocelyn has had almost no screen time this season, so I doubt they'll keep her dormant for much longer.  On the other hand, I can totally see Jace leaving with Valentine at the end of this season, believing it's his true path, and the second season is spent trying to find him.  This would be a riff on Jace and Sebastian's escapades in the second half of TMI.  Either way, I don't think they will drag the brother-sister thing out too long because almost the entire viewing audience knows it's not real, so why bother?  If they brought it too far into next season, it would get frustrating.  I'm hoping they use the second season to take everyone's criticisms into account and improve, now that they know they have another shot.

    Ok, so those should be all my thoughts.  What do you think of Shadowhunters season 1?  What are your predictions for season 2?  They've stated that Sebastian wouldn't be happening until season 3, (if they got that far), so what does that mean?  What did you think of Lady Midnight?  Let's discuss in the comments.  Tune in later this week as I'll attempt to list a doable TBR for April.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

March TBR

    Hello again!  Welcome back.  As promised, I've returned to give you my March TBR.  It's not impressive by any means, but they are books I'm looking forward to reading, so let's get started!

    The first book I'm planning to read, (or finish), this month is Prudence, which is book one in The Custard Protocol series by Gail Carriger.  I already went into some detail on this book in my previous post because I'm currently in the process of reading it, so you can check out my thoughts so far down below.  I am enjoying it so far, but I can't wait to get to the other two books on my list!

(goodreads.com)

    A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab came for me in the mail yesterday, after pre-ordering it MONTHS ago.  The cover art is just as stunning in person and I literally cannot wait to dive into this book.  For those of you who aren't aware, this is the second book in Schwab's adult fantasy series, A Darker Shade of Magic, which follows the adventures of a magician named Kell and his friend Delilah Bard through alternative versions of London.  This book takes place four months after the dramatic events of the first book and Kell is left attempting to return to normal in his home of Red London as the kingdom prepares for a magical competition amid dark powers rising from a long-dead alternative universe.  This is one of the most original fantasy series I've ever read and I'm seriously invested in these characters, so I can't wait to see what happens in this next installment.  I literally have no idea what's going to happen, so I'm excited to find out for myself!  I mean LOOK AT THAT COVER ART THOUGH.

(goodreads.com)

    Lastly, but not least, I have Lady Midnight by Cassandra friggin Clare FINALLY comes out this month.  This is probably one of my most anticipated books of the year besides A Court of Mist and Fury.  LADY MIDNIGHT COMES OUT IN 5 DAYS GUYS.  5 DAYS!!!  Shadowhunters are back y'all, and they are in Los Angeles for this one.  This new series takes place five years after the events of City of Heavenly Fire from The Mortal Instruments series.  Emma's parents have been killed and she's still trying to figure out how when a long-lost family member returns at a price to help the Fair Folk regain what was lost to them in the war.  I'm already thoroughly invested in the Blackthorns and their predicament, not to mention the lone Carstairs giving me the Jem feels all over again.  I just can't wait to immerse myself in more of this world.  It's honestly an addiction guys.  I think I need help...

    Those are all the books I'm going to try to attempt this month.  I'm hoping I can get to all of them.  I've been having trouble keeping up with my reading, but I will definitely be plowing through those last two as soon as I can.  Also, at this point, I believe we're a little more than half way through Shadowhunters, so I'll try to post a review/recap at some point before posting my wrap-up for March, but I'm not promising anything.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

February Wrap-Up

    Long time, no see!  I know it's been awhile since I last posted, but I'm really glad I made the decision to cut back on blogging, (unfortunately).  It's bitter sweet because, obviously, I'd rather be writing about a ton of cooler things besides management techniques and reference sources, (OK, my reference services class is actually pretty neat).  That being said, I did want to make time to address the books I did get to read this month.  Sadly, it was still a little less than I had hoped, but I'm actually in the middle of a book right now, so I'll mention that one as well.  Then I'll sort of review what I think of Shadowhunters so far.  Let's get to it!

(goodreads.com)

    The first book I tackled this month was Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes.  This is the second book in the Falling Kingdoms series that I started last month.  I'm really enjoying this series and where it's going so far.  For some reason I can't place, I find Lucia to be annoying, but I'm sure that will subside eventually...  I'm also not one of those people who hate Magnus, (how can I possibly hate ANYONE named Magnus?!?).  I think he's just misunderstood; he's been physically and emotionally abused by his own family, so why wouldn't he be vengeful?  I am a bit disappointed that Magnus can't seem to hurt or kill anyone unless it's from behind.  I guess I was just expecting a little more effort from him, but I would still chose him over Jonas.  Jonas bugged me in this book and it was probably because he NEVER LISTENED to ANYONE.  A lot of people died in this book, so I'll be curious to see how the rest of the series unfolds from here.  I ended up giving this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    The second (and final) book I read this month was Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and it was a breath of fresh air for me.  It's so different than anything I've been reading that I was intrigued from the start.  I think I'm starting to experiment more with what the kids call "urban fantasy," which is what this is.  The book takes place in Prague, so I have no idea what Prague looks like, but it seems like the most beautiful place in Europe from the way Taylor describes the place.  I also like that our female characters, Karou and Zuzana are quirky, eccentric students living their own lives.  The way they talked to each other reminded me of the way I used to be in high school, so I loved that take on their friendship.  I also liked the romance, being very much star-crossed lovers.  Honestly, I can say that I didn't see anything in the second half of the book coming at all.  I knew something was strange, but I was totally blindsided by the reveal towards the end.  I'm curious about the other two books in this trilogy, so when I find time, I will definitely be finishing it.  I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars as well.

(goodreads.com)

    The book that I'm currently reading is Prudence by Gail Carriger and it's the first book in her Custard Protocol series.  This series is actually Carriger's newest, having written The Parasol Protectorate series, the original series to which Custard Protocol is the sequel.  Prudence is the daughter of the protagonist of the original series, so I went back and forth for awhile to see which one I would read first.  Upon starting this book, I do wish I had read Soulless and the other books in that series prior to this one because it seems like this book just starts and doesn't explain how anything works regarding the world, people's personalities and actions.  Everything just seems expected, so I wish I had some tether to the original characters to make this one seem important.  I do enjoy the Victorian-century wit, very similar to that of The Infernal Devices, so that at least is familiar and enjoyable.  I'm not that far in yet, but I'm going to try to finish it soon so I can get into A Gathering of Shadows, which should be in my hands by tomorrow and Lady Midnight, which I should have hopefully sometime next week! (SQUEE)  I also grabbed Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard from my library before it went out on the shelves, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get into that with the other two looming over me.

OK SO SHADOWHUNTERS SHADOWHUNTERS SHADOWHUNTERS

    So I know I haven't updated my feelings about this show in awhile after my initial underwhelming reaction to the pilot, but at this point episode eight premiered tonight, (NO I haven't watched it yet and it's KILLING ME SLOWLY), and the series has improved greatly, in my eyes.  I think the way they're handling the plot twists and changes is admirable and they've been subtly adding more and more lines from the book, which is great!  My favorite characters, by far, have been Alec and Simon.  They are honestly the best people to play those two characters and they are always on point in personality.  It's like they were meant to be those characters.  I'm also really enjoying Magnus and all of his bedazzled glory, so I'm hoping Malec is worth the painstaking wait.

    There are two things that I haven't seen yet from this show that I think should have happened by now because they're extremely important to the books.  Although Jace has mentioned Demon Pox already, he has yet to play the piano!  I know this probably doesn't matter for some people, but his playing the piano is part of his softer side that Clary needs to witness.  It also ties him more to Will Herondale, which is extremely important to me, considering all the name dropping the show is doing from TID.  It doesn't seem like much, but I would just like to see Jace at the piano at least once please.  The second thing that is bothering me is that Clary has made absolutely no runes!  She actually seems to forget the ones she's learned so far, so what's up with that?  Clary's special ability is supposed to be her ability to create runes and have them work really well.  She almost seems like she has no idea what she's doing most of the time.  We also never saw her pick up the book and study any either, so I'm wondering how she's learning all of this stuff to begin with.  I'm still not 100% in love with the show yet, but it's steadily getting better for me, and that's all that matters.

    What do you guys think?  What do you think of the show so far? (we're already more than half way through!)  What's missing for you or what could they add from the books?  What do you hope to see from a season two, if it happens?  Personally, I'm praying for BROTHER ZACHARIAH Y'ALL.  Let's discuss in the comments.  Thursday I'll be talking about my March TBR.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

February TBR

    Hello all! So today I'm bringing you my February TBR.  As I discussed in my previous post, I will most likely not be posting more than twice a month at this point based on the way my course work is going, (I'm still behind, but quickly catching up!).  I may choose to post a little something regarding Shadowhunters if something crazy happens, but other than that, expect just a wrap-up and TBR from me each month.  That being said, I wanted to do something a little different for this month.  Since I have no idea when I'll be able to read again or what will be available at the library, (which is where I've been getting most of my reading material as of late), I wanted to list a few books that I may end up reading this month and in the wrap-up reveal which ones actually made the cut.  I know it's a bit unorthodox, but I feel like it's the safest way to post a TBR without disappointing everyone at the end of the month when they find out I went totally off script, (like I did in October/November with The Mortal Instruments...)  Since I'm sure that I can't make time to read more than two or three books at this point, here are four books on my radar for February.

(goodreads.com)

    Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes is the second book in the Falling Kingdoms series.  I read the first book last month and loved it, so I'm obviously going to continue with the series.  Without revealing too many spoilers for those of you who haven't read it or haven't heard of it, we left off in Falling Kingdoms with an uprising led by King Gaius, leaving Mytica in shambles as Gaius attempts to merge all three kingdoms into one, led by himself.  Rebel Spring takes place directly after the events of the first book, with Cleo imprisoned in her own castle, Magnus vying for his father's attentions, Lucia discovering her long-dormant powers and Jonas attempting to counter the effects of the uprising with his rebel group.  I'm really enjoying the action and alternative perspectives in this book, so I don't think it'll disappoint me.  I currently have this book with me, so it's likely that I'll actually read it as well.

(goodreads.com)

    Prudence by Gail Carriger is a brand new series for me.  It was recommended by a former staff member of my library and it seemed like my kind of book, so I thought I would give it a try.  This is the first book in The Custard Protocol adult urban fantasy series, which I believe will be at least a trilogy.  It just came out last year and takes place some years after the events of Carriger's first series, The Parasol Protectorate.  Carriger also has a young adult series starting with the book Etiquette and Espionage, which I may pick up as well.  The Custard Protocol series follows a woman named Prudence, (or Rue), as she embarks on a rather pointless journey to India to get tea.  She runs into some supernatural beings and a mysterious plot involving kidnapping along the way.  This series seems to have both elements of steam punk nature as well as supernatural elements, such as vampires and werewolves.  Throw in a Victorian era vibe and some wit and you've hooked me immediately.  Just from reading the synopsis, I'm having flashbacks to my Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series days, which were HILARIOUS, so I'm hoping for more humor than drama in this book.  I also have this book partially in my grasp, so we'll see if I can hold onto it long enough to read it.

(goodreads.com)

    Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is a book I've been TRYING to read for what feels like months now!  I originally made plans to read this book last month, however the person who currently has this book out from the library has yet to return it and has accrued a hefty late fee in the process.  Needless to say I requested it elsewhere, which means it should be in soon.  I've already blurbed this book, so I'll be brief.  It involves demons and angels, art students, magic and urban fantasy.  I've heard nothing but great things about this series, so I'm really eager to dive in!

(goodreads.com)

    Another book that I've been meaning to read sooner but couldn't get my hands on is Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan.  This book has been on my radar ever since I saw that beautiful cover grace my bookshelves at the bookstore where I worked this summer.  I've already read the chapter titles and they were hilarious, so I can't wait to see what the rest of the book has to offer.  This will be my first middle grade book since Harry Potter I think, so we'll see how I feel about that.  Also, I'm a little worried that I won't like the "young-troubled-boy-is-actually-a-descendant-of-greatness-and-gets-sucked-into-a-powerful-battle-against-his-will" trope that I didn't really enjoy in The Warrior Heir.  I'm hoping I can get more into this one since there are vikings, Norse mythology and Boston involved, as well as a lot more humor.  Even though I've never read any other books by Riordan, I'm excited to start my Riordan collection with this particular book.

    Alright, those are my tentative plans for reading in the month of February.  Like I said, I have some of these books already, but I can't hold them forever.  My studies obviously come first, so we'll see what I can make time for.  I really want to at least finish Rebel Spring, so anything after that is gravy as far as I'm concerned.  I also have more going on this month besides school.  My little sister is having her first child and her due date is tomorrow, (!!!!), so I'll be on baby watch this weekend.  I miss reading as much as I did this summer, so hopefully things will settle down soon!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Shadowhunters Review

    I hope everyone is having a good week so far!  I'm making an attempt to post at least once this week just so I feel accomplished.  As you all know, I've been eagerly waiting for the arrival of "Shadowhunters" on Free Form, which used to be ABC Family.  Unfortunately I didn't have time to post about it last night because I ended up watching not just the first episode, but the SECOND one as well!  I downloaded the new Free Form app on my phone in order to access the second episode, which they unlocked for those people who had the app.  I will be reviewing both episodes here while also letting you know what I did or did not like about the show so far.  If you haven't seen either episode one or two, be prepared for spoilers below.

(tmisource.com)

    I'm going to start off with the negative because I feel like it's easier to pick out what I didn't like than what I did like.  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed watching this show and I will definitely keep watching, however there are some things that bugged me about this pilot.  The first thing I'm going to mention is that once things moved past initial introductions, everything seemed a bit rushed, even the dialogue.  It's as if they were trying to cram too much into the pilot episode.  The second episode was a bit better tempo-wise, but still crammed with a lot.  I think a lot of people have already commented on this, so I won't elaborate any more, but I think it may have something to do with attempting to combine the first two books into this first season.  We see elements of both City of Bones and City of Ashes here in these first two episodes, so those of us who read the books may deem this to be a bad move.  I think as a show, without re-reading the books for it, is a great show and Free Form's first attempt at a really good fantasy show.  We have to remember that Cassandra Clare was directly involved with this show, so there is hope for the show to become more relaxed.

(fanpop.com)

    The biggest thing I had a problem with, besides the obvious rushing of events, was the institute.  There were WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE in there!  The New York institute is supposed to be practically empty except for the Lightwoods and Hodge.  The ancient and empty institute is what made it interesting and mysterious.  Now it looks like they are raising an army in there with loads of modern technology.  The institute in the movie took my breath away with how beautiful and spot on it was visually.  This TV show one fell a little flat for me.
    I don't mind the difference in ages and I think it works better for the demographic they are trying to hit with this new launch of ABC Family as Free Form.  I don't mind Hodge as a younger guy because apparently he was younger than the rest of the Circle members in the books.  I also like how Valentine is older and looks more like a father of an 18 year old.  I also love the guy playing Valentine, (he was also in Reign as King Henry and he was AMAZING).  He had a decent amount of screen time too.
    The Silent Brother's scene from episode two bothered me a little also.  They look pretty much the same as before, although I think they could look even creepier, but that's just me.  The graveyard setting was key because they look after their dead, so the fact that this looks more like the entrance to the troll market from Hellboy is a little underwhelming.  I did enjoy the part where Jace said my favorite line from the book, "Shadowhunters: looking better in black than the widows of our enemies."

(tmisource.com)

   The characters were good.  I loved the Lightwoods!  They are spot on and Alec is SO DONE WITH EVERYONE'S SHIT already, it's so perfect.  I also really liked Simon because it really felt like the Simon from the book, (not sure if that's because Alberto has read the books and is actually a fan girl like the rest of us, but it could be).  I also like Luke, even though they've deviated from his original profession.  I even liked Raphael, for the short time he was in the second episode.  Dom looks great as Jace, but I honestly think that Jamie Campbell Bower was a better Jace at this point.  Jace is sarcastic, witty, narcissistic, and rude.  It was almost as if Dom was holding back a lot, so I'm hoping he gets more comfortable with himself as Jace as the show moves forward.  Some of the dialogue was straight from the books while some of it was really corny at times, so they have to find that happy medium.  Clary felt mostly true to her character for me, but there were times where I feel like she accepted everything that was going on too easily.  She really just went along with Jace without asking too many questions.  I understand that she's in it for her mom and that's all she cares about, but shouldn't all of this be a bit more overwhelming at first?  I can understand her coming to terms with her new status in the second or third episode, but she shouldn't just be able to jump right into being a Shadowhunter.  Can we mention Jocelyn for a minute?  She's a complete bad ass and I totally approve.  She's still unwilling to introduce Clary to the Shadow world, but she is willing to kill demons to protect her, instead of acting helpless.  Also, definitely not enough Magnus for me.

(tumblr.com)

    The second episode was better than the pilot.  They had a decent introduction to the vampires, but I'm wondering if they're going to turn Simon this early in the season or if they'll wait it out a few more episodes.  Obviously they're going to have to attempt a rescue mission in the third episode which may or may not involve Magnus's help, so we'll see how that goes.

    Overall, I think this show has potential.  There were some great lines in these first two episodes, (including the one above),  many nods to the books while also recognizing this as their "translation" of them, and a little bit of action.  I really hope they have the fight in the vampire den as a part of this series because I'd love to see more vampires vs. werewolves up in here.  This is how I see everyone's inner dialogue, based solely on the first two episodes:
  Clary: GUYS I LITERALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING YOU'RE SAYING unless it's about my mom.
  Jace: How's my hair?
  Isabelle: *looks at everyone like they have a secret to keep and she knows it*
  Alec: I CAN'T EVEN.
  Simon: What the actual fuck?
    I'm really excited about this series and I will not be deterred from watching because of only the first two episodes.  Yes, there are some things I didn't like or that didn't feel right to me, but that's because it's a pilot.  After watching both episodes I can say that the second one felt better than the first, so I'm hoping that trend continues throughout the series.  I may or may not be posting every week about this show, but I will keep you posted on definite likes and dislikes that need to be addressed as they come up.  What did you think?  Do we have similar opinions about the show so far?  What would you like to see in future episodes?  Is anyone else counting down until Malec?!??  Let's discuss in the comments below!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
   

TV Recap

    Hey everybody!  I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.  Although the Patriots lost AGAIN, and therefore robbed me of my free coffee on Monday, I still got to see a lot of good TV, including a special behind-the-scenes special for Shadowhunters, (more on that below).  Plus, there are about 17 more days until Christmas and 11 until my birthday, so there's something for me to be happy about!  I'm going to be talking about some of my shows today, at least one of which is now on winter break.  I'll also be breaking down my thoughts on the Shadowhunters special, so stay tuned for that if you're interested or obsessed, like I am.  If you haven't been watching or are not caught up in Once, Arrow, Flash or Agents of Shield, BEWARE OF SPOILERS below!

(www.tv.com)

    Once had ALL the feels this week, as we see Emma become the better of two evils in order to battle Dark Hook and his master plan to destroy everything Emma loves, (except himself of course).  It looks like Emma has forgotten she's also a Dark One, but that's alright because everyone is completely OK with it.  Everyone has the Mark of Cane on them, thanks to Dark Hook, which means that they all just bought a one-way ticket to Hell, unless someone can come up with a way to finagle out of it.  Emma does, but Hook thwarts her once again, causing everyone to just give up and spend time with each other.  This episode seemed very blah to me after everything we'd been going through up until this point.  I did enjoy the little flashbacks of Hook and his father, but nothing was really explained at the end, so we have NO idea if Liam #2 is still alive and/or if he's looking for Hook, his big half-brother and their father's murderer.  In the end, Hook changes his mind at the last second and gives Emma the sword in order to run him through, like a real girlfriend would.  It's all very emotional because Killian was like the only really hot guy left on the show, (Charming is OK, but he's not my type...plus he's barely spoken in last few episodes).  But when you think it's over, you get Rumple, who's been biding his time until he can revert back to his evil ways again.  Thanks to some bit of leftover magic dust he had stocked up in one of his cabinets, Rumple now has all of the past lives of the Dark Ones trapped inside him, plus the dagger, ultimately making him more powerful than he's ever been.  Emma threatens to tell Belle, now that they've rekindled their relationship, so Rumple agrees to do Emma a favor.  Which is to bring her and her entire family to Hell to get Killian back.  Didn't they just get out of that mess?  Anyway, we'll see what happens when this show comes back from hiatus, but I'm guessing a lot of betrayal and dead enemies.

(superherohype.com)

    Arrow and Flash had a crossover episode last week, which was really cool to watch.  Barry was trying to find ways to increase his speed since taking on Zoom has decreased his confidence significantly.  Cisco and Kendra have taken things to the next level, but are interrupted on their date by Vandal Savage, the random bad guy of this crossover.  Savage is here specifically for Kendra, who is actually Hawk Girl in a reincarnated state.  It takes most of the episode, and a little help from Team Arrow, to figure this out.  We also meet Kendra's counterpart, Hawk Guy, (I don't know what he's actually called).  Their souls are apparently linked so that in each new life, they can find each other again, (AWWW).  Poor Cisco... How can you possible compete with that?  Anyway, Kendra finds her wings by free-falling off a skyscraper, Barry and Oliver work together to figure out the best course of action when dealing with the mystical Savage.  They figure out that Savage is immortal and that he's hunting mystical objects related to Hawk Girl's origin.  Malcolm Merlin offers some words of encouragement on the nature of immortality as both teams convene over drinks at Ollie's apartment.  There are lots of jabs at each other, (Barry nags Ollie about no sleeves, Cisco insists on renaming Speedy, Barry comments on Merlin's shadowy entrance, etc.).  Hawk Guy swoops in, (literally), takes Kendra, gets beaten by Team Awesome and questioned about what he knows.  Eventually, they all figure out that Savage is after a magical scepter, which he gets his hands on, but not without a fight from Arrow and Flash.  After realizing that Savage is after Kendra, now that she's gotten her powers back, they leave for Star City, but not before Oliver has an awkward run-in with the child he fathered with that girl Moira paid off back in Season 2 or something.  WHAT?!
    Enter the Arrow crossover, Legends of Yesterday.  As I'm writing this, I just realized that Oliver had more story line in the Flash crossover and Barry had more story line in the Arrow crossover...weird.  Anyway, both teams travel to a farmhouse on the outskirts of Star City, (cue Thea making an obvious joke about Avengers: Age of Ultron), to regroup and come up with a plan to take on Savage.  Hawk Girl and Guy train outside and attempt to spend some time together in order to rekindle her lost memories.Oliver attempts to make contact with his long lost son while keeping it from Felicity, (HORRIBLE move).  Eventually, everyone is finally ready with what they think is an OK plan.  During the final confrontation, Savage uses the staff to incinerate everyone, which immediately causes you to think this is either a dream sequence or something because EVERYONE CAN'T DIE.  Barry runs so fast he turns back time, thank God, and he tries to help the team think of a better plan than the one that got them killed originally.  They do and it works and everyone wins, even Ollie, getting to spend some one-on-one with his son Will.  However, he still doesn't tell Felicity and she definitely KNOWS something is up, so this will not end well.  Overall, a great crossover, but the sole purpose was to set up Legends of Tomorrow, so we'll see how well that worked.

(mcuexchange.com)

    Agents of Shield has slowly been losing my interest as of late.  I'm not sure why, but I'm just not as invested anymore.  Last week, we saw Coulson lose his lady love by way of sniper rifle to the throat, thanks to Ward, whose goal is to now make Coulson suffer.  It's working.  Coulson then spends the entire episode trying to find Ward and kill him.  We haven't seen a lot of May or Skye/Daisy lately either, and even less of Lincoln, (which is a crying shame).  Everyone has been beaten so badly at this point, but I can't see May lying low for too much longer because of what happened with Andrew.  She's never been one to sulk.  But I loved Fitz-Simmons in this and the bond they have is obvious.  Fitz went through a portal for her!  I'm curious to see what will happen next week when Hydra tells Simmons that they only needed Fitz as a sacrifice to their horrendous Squid God...  I wish I cared more.  They wouldn't kill of Fitz, would they?...

    

(youtube.com)

    The Shadowhunters special was probably the highlight of my night, (because I'm obsessed).  It was called "Beyond the Shadows" and featured footage from behind the scenes of filming the show, (obviously), as well as little clips and snippets we haven't seen yet in any of the trailers.  LIKE MORE MALEC!!  After watching this, I feel a lot better about watching the TV series in January, (WHY must I wait another MONTH?!).  I'm still not 100% sure this is going to make me happy because I know they are going against the book on a lot of details, but I'm hoping that I still like what they've done with the story.  Besides Malec stuff, (one of the episodes is called "Malec!"), they showed more footage of scenes from the show, which gives us an idea of what we might see from the books in the first season.  We're definitely getting Simon's burial, when he becomes a vampire, and it looks like we're going to meet Isabelle's Seelie/Faerie boyfriend, which means a trip down into the Seelie Court.  This means we can expect content from at least the first two books, if not a bit of the third, although I've seen nothing so far to suggest that yet.  There are only 13 episodes in the first season, so I have no idea what they're going to do or how they're going to split things up.  Regardless, I've already watched the special twice and it's on YouTube and ABC Family's website, so I'll leave the link here so you guys can watch it if you're interested.  I believe the show will be better received if all the guys go shirtless.

    Ok, I think that's about all I have for you today.  If you watch any of these shows or have thoughts on the Shadowhunters show, let me know in the comments below.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

November Wrap-Up

    Hey guys, sorry I took an impromptu, (but not really), break from posting last week.  I figured it was Thanksgiving and I could use a little time off, plus I was able to finish the rest of the paperwork I needed to complete to finish my colloquium, FINALLY.  Fingers crossed I get the OK from my pseudo-adviser sometime this week that I'm officially DONE with this Masters degree.  I'm also preparing to start my new job at a local library!  I had hope that my commitment and determination would pay off and I'm glad that it did.  I can't wait to start this new chapter in my life!  I can't believe how fast November went by and in that time I read a whopping 12 BOOKS guys!  12!!  That's the most I've ever read in a month!  Granted, most of those, (9), were Shadowhunter related, but still.  I don't think I'll be able to repeat that list until probably this summer when I have more time.  Plus I'm still suffering from a slight book hangover after finishing City of Heavenly Fire...  That being said, here are all the books I read this month.  I will try to keep it as concise as humanly possible and leave spoilers out, but I'm not promising anything.  This is going to be a long one, so bear with me...

(goodreads.com)

    The Night Circus:  I was supposed to read this book in October for Halloween because it seemed like that type of book, but I ended up running out of time.  I'm kind of glad that I read this book at the beginning of November because it's still had that eerie vibe to it, but with some romanticism thrown in.  This story was beautiful and enchanting, to say the least.  As the only real stand-alone book I read this month, it brought something different to the table that the others lacked.  I really had no idea where the story was going the entire time.  As you read through each section, you only get snippets of each time line and from certain points of view.  The story also takes place over a 30-year span of time, so that added to the intrigue.  The writing style kept me wanting more and the way the author alternated between the past and present was really interesting and effective for the story.  Not one of the characters came out and just said what was happening; you had to figure it out and piece it together for yourself, which I appreciated.  After reading a lot of YA, you get used to that standard plot structure, so it was somewhat refreshing to not know what to expect.  Each piece of the larger plot was revealed gradually and casually over time, which added to the suspense.  All of the characters were dynamic and interesting, each having a part to play in this "game."  Although the beginning was a little slow for me, it picked up towards the middle and I couldn't stop.  I also really liked the setting, 1800s/1900s, all over the world, but mostly London and New York.  The love story was beautiful and very unique.  Everyone should want a Marco in their life.  I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess:  OH MY GOD THESE BOOKS.  I think I've mentioned this before, but one of my friends recommended The Infernal Devices to me after I tried and failed to get into City of Bones.  She told me this would hook me into the Shadowhunter world and SHE WAS SO RIGHT.  I read the first book, Clockwork Angel in October, so I wanted to finish the series this month.  Little did I know that this would spur the changes I made to the rest of my TBR list for November...  Clockwork Prince takes place after the events of Clockwork Angel, in which Will is attempting to rid himself of his "curse" through Magnus, who can summon the demon he needs to bargain with.  The book deals with Charlotte fighting for control of the London Institute, the Lightwood brothers training Tessa and Sophie to fight like Shadowhunters and everyone trying to figure out what Mortmain is up to.  I was actually moved by the introduction of Cyril, Thomas's brother, because he looks just like him.  I also really liked that Sophie had a chance to shine despite her deformity.  Because Will is still trying to figure out what's wrong with him, Jem and Tessa end up developing a connection that is apparently so strong that it results in engagement.  I think it's adorable, but I never saw Jem as a romantic interest for Tessa, at least at this point in my reading.  There is so much betrayal and heartbreak in this book!  Will wasn't as much of an asshole in this one, but he's still easily my favorite character in the whole series.  I will eventually make a list of all the Will Herondale quotes that amuse me and post it somewhere.  Tessa is also more tolerable in this book, which was nice.  The revelation about Will at the end was excruciatingly painful and my heart broke for him.  We also get to learn more about Will's family, which was a nice touch.  Overall I Clockwork Prince 4.5 out of 5 stars.
    Clockwork Princess DESTROYED ME emotionally.  Easily one of the best books I've read this year, on the same level as ACOTAR.  I can't even with this book.  I laughed and cried so much that I couldn't sleep.  Jem goes through hell in this book.  While Will is away trying to save Tessa after she gets abducted Jem apparently dies, leaving Will in inconsolable pain.  This is exactly how I felt: Jem dying and Will leaving him/saying goodbye...NO.  Will feeling Jem die and then going on a murderous rampage....NO.  Will saving Tessa and confessing his love for her...YES.  The battle where Brother Zachariah is revealed to be Jem and I COULDN'T KEEP THE TEARS IN MY EYES.  Saying goodbye to Jem a second time when he leaves to be a full-fledged Silent Brother...NO.  The worst part of this book, emotionally, was the damn epilogue.  I read the entire thing sobbing uncontrollably.  This book has action, romance, sabotage, sacrifice, secrets, family, etc.  It's everything I could have asked for in a book, and especially for the ending of a trilogy.  It caused the worst book hangover I've had since The Deathly Hallows.  5 out of 5 stars and then some.  ALL THE FOREVER FEELS.

(goodreads.com)

    City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass:  Because of Clockwork Princess, I immediately forfeited the rest of my planned TBR for November and ran out to borrow the first three books in The Mortal Instruments series because I CAN'T STOP.  These are the first three books out of the six in this series and takes place in 2007 and 2008.  City of Bones introduces us to Clary Fray, whose mother is an ex-Shadowhunter on the run from her ex-husband, the evil and deadly Valentine.  Clary, through a series of unfortunate events which result in her mother's kidnapping, ends up running into Jace Wayland and his team of Shadowhunters, Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, (all descendants of the original Shadowhunters from The Infernal Devices, which makes this series even more fun to read).  In the first 20 pages or so we see Church, an immortal cat who was saved by Jem in one of the other books, so I'm immediately hooked after that.  I went over the similarities and differences between this book and it's movie/TV show counterparts in a previous post, so if you're curious about my thoughts on those, go check them out.  Overall I loved the book, even though I pretty much already knew what happened from watching the movie.  The world building in the book was spectacular and the setting in New York City was an interesting perspective that gave the author a lot to work with.  I wish some of the scenes from the book had made it into the movie, but hopefully the TV show will do it more justice.  I gave the first book 4 out of 5 stars.
    The second book, City of Ashes, deals with the aftermath of the Shadowhunter showdown with Valentine and the revelation that Clary and Jace are actually brother and sister.  If I had to pick a least-favorite book in this series, (which I wouldn't), it would be this one, just because it does read like a middle book and focuses mainly on the conflict between the Clary and Jace trying not to be in love with each other.  This is the only book where incest is OK with me because it's NOT REAL.  I felt the worst for Simon throughout this book because he got dealt the worst hand.  We also get introduced to a bunch of new characters, mainly vampires and werewolves.  There is a lot of contact between the Shadowhunters at the institute and the Downworlders.  Jocelyn is still unconscious from the first book, so Clary is living with Luke.  Because of Clary and Jace's new relationship with each other, they try to stay away from each other, which results in Simon going after Clary.  Jace is on the outs at the Institute because of his involvement with his father Valentine.  Jace is implicated in a lot of stuff he didn't do and nobody trusts him, (as usual).  We see a lot more of Magnus in this book, which I love because I need more MALEC in my life.  Simon becoming a vampire was the hardest to read because I just felt bad for everyone, not just Simon, but Clary and Isabelle too.  Clary's growing into her powers and ends up saving everyone in the end.  One of the mysteries of this book was Jace's true parentage, which is revealed in the next book.  I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
    City of Glass was awesome to read.  It gave the first look into Idris, mainly the city of Alicante, the Shadowhunter home base, hidden to mundanes.  If you thought there was drama in the last book, this book tops that.  There's more incest, even real incest this time, with the introduction of Sebastian, who is revealed to be Clary's real brother and mostly demonic.  There was action, but we really didn't see much of it due to the focus on the lake scene.  I think reading how Clary has grown as a Shadowhunter through these three books in particular was enjoyable for me because at this point in the series, she's really come into her own.  I didn't particularly like how the author handled Jocelyn's return.  I thought Clary was a bit too dramatic and took out way too much on her mother at one time.  Everyone's self-loathing was at an all-time high in this book.  Again, Malec forever please.  At the end, Jocelyn reveals the truth about Jace's parentage and EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE.  I gave this book another 4 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire:  I thoroughly enjoyed these last three books in the series, more so than the first three I think.  Even though they are all connected and go together, I feel like they are split up three and three.  After the abrupt death of Valentine at the angelic hands of Raziel, you'd think there wouldn't be another antagonist running around who's just as bad, but you'd be wrong.  Sebastian is our new villain for these three books and boy, does he give Valentine a run for his money.  Crazy shit is happening this time around!  Also, the sexual tension is ridiculous for the next three books, so get used to that.  There are also a lot more references to the past, (The Infernal Devices), especially with the introduction of Brother Zachariah, (I literally squealed with joy when I read that he had come back).  Clary gets to test out her improved fighting skills as well.  The premise of City of Fallen Angels is about Jace coming to terms with his vulnerable status after being brought back to life by Clary through the angel Raziel.  Jace keeps having nightmares in which he murders Clary, so although they can now be together without it being weird, it's still weird.  We get introduced to the Praetor Lupus, (Simon actually mentions Lupus as an autoimmune disease in this book and I couldn't believe it!), and one of it's members, Jordan Kyle.  Simon and Jordan become friends and it's so cute!  Everyone has to deal with Lilith, who is a raging bitch in this book.  In the end, poor Jace gets taken over by a now resurrected Sebastian, as if everyone's lives couldn't get any worse...  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
    City of Lost Souls was interesting.  Jace, under the control of Sebastian, ends up kidnapping Clary and taking her all over Europe, which is actually kind of nice.  Despite the fact that it's not entirely Jace in there, he still loves Clary and will do anything to make her happy and keep her safe.  I actually even kind of liked Sebastian for a minute in this book because he seemed almost normal.  All throughout this book, I really just wanted someone to tell Alec about Will because he kept coming up and I was like SERIOUSLY JUST TELL HIM I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT WILL AGAIN IT'S BEEN TOO LONG.  But it never happened...  Magnus was the star in this book, in my opinion, although the Malec breakup was torture.  The sexual tension was AWFUL in this book, like just BONE already, OK?  Towards the end of this book my heart broke, not because of anything to do with the main characters, but because of what Brother Zachariah, aka Jem, said about love and immortality, (I can feel my heart ripping apart again just thinking about it).  And JACE HAS WILL'S COPY OF A TALE OF TWO CITIES THAT WILL GAVE TO TESSA AND I'M SOBBING.  I can't even...  4.5 out of 5 stars.
    Last, but not least, City of Heavenly Fire.  I was torn reading this one because I really didn't want this journey to end.  I wanted to prolong my suffering until January when I can have more Shadowhunters and then March when Lady Midnight comes out, but oh well.  I cried in the first 200 pages of this book, again because of Brother Zachariah, when he saves Jace and becomes cured, thus returning to his mortality.  They talk about parabatai and Will and I cried real tears.  I wasn't expecting Brother Zachariah to turn back into Jem so soon, but I'm kind of glad it happened when it did.  There was a lot of action and danger in this book, which I appreciated.  Everyone is back in Idris because of demons overrunning other institutes.  We also get introduced to Emma Carstairs, Jem's descendant and a future member of the Los Angeles Institute, along with the young Blackthorns, (this book sets up Lady Midnight, which is the sequel book to this one and takes place in 2013, five years after the events of this book).  We get a lot of back-and-forth points of view, from Clary and the gang to Emma to Simon, etc.  Malec is everything!  Clary and Jace finally proved their love to each other, in a cave in the middle of a demon realm...how romantic!  A lot of characters died as well, which was so sad.  I cried again towards the end when Magnus and Simon were going back and forth to see who would sacrifice themselves so the group could go home.  The ending wasn't nearly as powerful and heart-wrenching as Clockwork Princess, but I'm glad Tessa got to talk to Jace and I'm glad Tessa and Jem ended up walking out together, (and taking Church with them).  I really can't wait until the next book comes out.  I haven't been able to shake the Shadowhunter fever out of me.  4.5 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    The Exiled Queen, The Grey Wolf Throne and The Crimson Crown:  After finishing The Mortal Instruments series, I didn't want to read anything else, but I forced myself to keep reading, if only to cure my book hangover.  Although I'm still sort of stuck on it, I've found that I'm slowly recovering due to this series.  I read The Demon King awhile ago and I was still interested in finishing the series, so I decided to read the rest of them this month to help get my mind off of The Mortal Instruments.  This series follows a young princess-turned-queen named Raisa as she tries to right the wrongs of past generations of Gray Wolf Queens.  She runs into a street rat named Han Alister, who discovers he's a wizard descendant from the Demon King himself, an ancient story that began the laws of the land they live in today.  Han and Raisa's paths cross more than once until they're hopelessly in love with each other.  The Exiled Queen takes place mostly in Oden's Ford, a neutral country where students go to learn either wizardry or military skills.  Raisa fled her homeland to escape an arranged marriage to Micah Bayar, a wizard with ulterior motives, fueled by his powerful father, The High Wizard.  Raisa is accompanied by her best friend and Captain of her guard, Amon Byrne, who was once in love with Raisa.  While Raisa is studying to become a better queen, Han and his best friend Dancer are trying to fit in with the other noble wizards, being ex-street lord and clan bred respectively.  I liked the change of scenery of this book as we leave Fellsmarch Castle in favor of traveling south to Oden's Ford.  I thought the back-and-forth of perspectives worked well for the story line.  Amon is King Awkward in this book, especially with Raisa and especially after he announces his betrothal to another woman.  I'm glad Raisa was able to make real female friends who won't stab her in the back like they do at court.  Han is all about magical revenge and learning as much as he can before he has to go on his secret mission.  There was a lot of tension between Han and Micah, as usual.  Crow was an interesting character, but he was very mysterious, which made me nervous for Han.  I had a hard time figuring out if he was good or bad.  Raisa ended up getting kidnapped, albeit not forcefully, and sent back to the Fells, with Han in close pursuit.  I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
    The Gray Wolf Throne saw Raisa fight for her life and her way back home as she's pursued by a million assassins.  There's a lot of traveling in the first half of this book, but not as much as there was in The Exiled Queen.  I don't enjoy the travel sequences, but understand they're necessary.  At least she gets shot at in this one.  Han rescues her at the cost of his own health, (as usual), and then he finds out that she's a princess and IMMEDIATELY gives her the cold shoulder.  I really wanted to hit him for being absolutely unreasonable to Raisa after it took her all that courage to tell him the truth.  Especially after she found out her mom was just murdered, I mean COME ON.  I have no idea what Han's plan really is, but he seemed confident enough.  The way Raisa just walked right up into her mom's memorial service like BAM.  The awkwardness was so rewarding, especially because I felt like I could see the look on Lord Bayar's face.  The tension between Han and Raisa was awful after her reveal.  Poor Amon too!  He's all alone now, the precious cinnamon roll.  Even though I knew Amon had no chance with Raisa, especially because he gets physically ill when he touches her, I was still somehow torn between him and Han.  Near the end, everything got really crazy really fast.  Dancer confessed about his father and I was like WHAT?!  Han gave Raisa a replica of Hanalea's betrothal ring and it was SO ADORABLE.  Raisa was crowned Queen of the Fells and all is great but NO WAIT it's not.  4 out of 5 stars for this book.
    The last book, The Crimson Crown, was a great ending to this series.  Everyone was all over the place.  There was action, romance, suspense, betrayal, (I think there was a chapter in each of these books titled "Betrayal" or something).  Han is one smooth operator in this book, even right at the beginning!  There isn't really a break from the action; everyone is always doing something.  The setting varied from the Clans to the castle to the battle to the slums to the wizard fortress.  Han threw some major shade towards the wizard council in this book!  At one point, I was like, "OH NO HE DIDN'T."  It was one of those things where you're reading it as it's happening and you're like OH NO, this is going to be so embarrassing!  Han's such a smug little POS that it works for him, which makes me love him even more.  Raisa really can't catch a break in this book.  At one point she's just like, "SCREW you guys, go kill yourselves for all I care," (seriously, she said almost those exact words).  I honestly didn't think Han could pull off his plan, especially after he got imprisoned.  Poor kid...  In the end, I'm surprised everything worked out.  It was almost too easy for everyone.  Dancer uses his power, which is apparently extremely rare, even among wizards, Han saves everyone and Raisa agrees to sacrifice herself for the millionth time.  The ending seemed a bit rushed to me, although I'm glad it was a happy one.  Like, where was Han when Raisa went to meet him in his warehouse?  Did he actually write the note that led her there or is Nightwalker just really good at replicating handwriting?  I didn't get that part at all.  This series got progressively better with each book and I appreciated the slow build to the end.  I gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.  Now I get to start the next series, which takes place a generation after the events of this one.

    OK, I think that's everything!  Believe it or not, this was me condensing these book reviews so that it's not ridiculously long, but I still don't think I did a very good job.  Thursday we'll chat about my December TBR, which will be a lot shorter, but won't include comic books this time.  Since I had to leave my job at the comic book store to start my job at the library, I won't have access to as many comic books, so it'll have to be on a limited basis.  They have some graphic novels at the library, so I'll have to take a look and see what I can come up with, but until I come up with a plan, I'll go back to just books for now.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.