Thursday: On My Wish List

Author: Cassandra Clare

Title: Lord of Shadows

Add on [goodreads]

Coming out on May 23, 2017

Book 2 in the The Dark Artifices series

Summary
(from goodreads)

Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare’s Lord of Shadows, the sequel to the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Lady Midnight.

Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?

And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.  

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About the author
[website][goodreads]

Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Teheran, Iran and spent much of her childhood travelling the world with her family, including one trek through the Himalayas as a toddler where she spent a month living in her father’s backpack. She lived in France, England and Switzerland before she was ten years old.

Since her family moved around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book under her arm. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles where she used to write stories to amuse her classmates, including an epic novel called “The Beautiful Cassandra” based on a Jane Austen short story of the same name (and  which later inspired her current pen name).

After college, Cassie lived in Los Angeles and New York where she worked at various entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids where she reported on Brad and Angelina’s world travels and Britney Spears’ wardrobe malfunctions. She started working on her YA novel, City of Bones, in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favourite city. She turned to writing fantasy fiction full time in 2006 and hopes never to have to write about Paris Hilton again.

Cassie’s first professional writing sale was a short story called “The Girl’s Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord” in a Baen anthology of humor fantasy. Cassie hates working at home alone because she always gets distracted by reality TV shows and the antics of her two cats, so she usually sets out to write in local coffee shops and restaurants. She likes to work in the company of her friends, who see that she sticks to her deadlines.

Review: Angels Twice Descending by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #10)

Summary

(from goodreads)

Someone lives and someone dies at Simon’s Ascension ceremony.

Read from: November 27, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review:

The last book in this series of novellas and it brings a lot of emotions right now. I seriously didn't expect to end up like this even if by reading the only line for the summary, I didn't expect it to happen like that.

Simon is getting ready to become a shadowhunter and even if every kids who are from shadowhunter's blood can't wait, many of the mundane are doubting whether they are ready to face the fact that they may not make it through the ceremony. A few walk away from it making Simon's thoughts about the graduating ceremony go in every possible place from being sure to what he wants to doubting whether he is capable of going through it.

I liked that Clary knew what Simon needed; showing up and sending him where he needs to go to be able to make up his mind. Isabelle also is a big help and I love them together so much. I'm just glad that they found each other again.

But even with all the good, Cassandra had to bring the bad and I seriously was mad when I read this. I guess when she wrote the line for its summary, it might have been the most obvious choice, but I really was hoping it wouldn't come to that. If it wouldn't have been on my ereader, I might have just threw it against the wall; yes, I was that mad.

But I guess it shows that life isn't always what we want and we have to deal with it, but I felt like Simon had already gone through so much that he didn't need more. But it was still wrapped up beautifully and now, I'm waiting on the next series really impatiently, so come on Cassie, give it to us.

Review: Born to Endless Night by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #9)

Summary

(from goodreads)

Simon, like the rest of the Academy, is stunned when a navy-skinned warlock baby is found on the Academy steps. They hand the child over to guest lecturer Magnus Bane, who has to bring a child home… temporarily, of course… to his man!

Read on: November 26, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review:

Wow, I can't put in words just how much I loved that one. I wasn't much about Simon as the other ones, but it doesn't matter because it had MALEC (in case you don't know, that is Magnus and Alec).

'Who could ever love it?'

That alone broke my heart when they found that note with the baby left at the Academy. Simon' first instinct is to go to Magnus for help.

What follows wasn't something I expected. So much good in this story that it just made me happy. In this novella, I see that Magnus and Alec's relationship has grown stronger, but not only that, but Alec also changed. He has a confidence that he didn't have before; he's actually being seen for what he is worth whether its from Magnus, his family, friends, shadowhunters or downworlders. 

It was fun to read just how easily Alec accepted the baby while Magnus struggled a little bit, but even more, it was the people around them and how they all acted. It was incredible and sometimes, quite surprising.

It was simply an amazing story to add to Simon's tales because this event got him and Alec to talk and we were all wondering (and if you didn't, well, you knew something that I didn't lol) why Alec was so distant with Simon after all they went through and their heart-to-heart was a great read.

I already said, but I'm saying it again; I love those novellas. I really feel like Simon is not only learning about himself and what he can do, but also, he is changing the people around him.

Review: The Fiery Trial by Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson (Tales from Shadowhunter Academy #8)

Summary

(from goodreads)

Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn become parabatai. Simon and Clary both act as their witnesses, so they can see what a parabatai bond forming looks like as they want to become parabatai as soon as Simon graduates — and because Emma asked Clary. The ritual goes unexpectedly …

Read on: November 26, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review:

I cannot say in words just how much I'm enjoying these novellas. 

I thought we would see more of Emma and Julian in this, but I guess it wasn't that important to this novella, it was simply the reason behind what Simon and Clary would go through. Though Simon wants Clary as his parabatai, he still haven't gotten the courage to ask her.

In this novella, Simon and Clary are being tested whether or not they ought to become each other's parabatai. I won't lie, I'm not sure why Magnus really felt like it was important for them to be sure about it, but it was still very interesting to read. People from Simon's past life come back and memories are brought up. I guess it was necessary for Simon to understand more and more about who he is and what he wants to be.

I have to say that I really love their friendship and I felt like nothing could really keep them apart; they were always meant to be part of each other's lives.

Emma and Julian's ceremony just made me feel uncomfortable because I really feel like it might be a mistake for them and I guess that is going to be a huge part of their story in Cassandra's new series and I can't wait to read it.

This review is short, but novellas are harder to review because I don't want to give too much, but there isn't a lot in those to start, so I might just end up spoiling it haha Okay, maybe I'm the only one with this problem, but I might get better once I get to write more reviews.

Review: Bitter of Tongue by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan (Tales from Shadowhunter Academy #7)

Summary

(from goodreads)

When Simon is kidnapped by the fey, he’s amazed to find a friend in former Shadowhunter Mark Blackthorn. One of ten adventures in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy.

After Simon is kidnapped by faeries (why is he always kidnapped?), he uncovers rumors of a secret weapon Sebastian left behind for the faerie queen. He must escape the Fey, relying on his only ally, former Shadowhunter and Dark Artifices character Mark Blackthorn.

This standalone e-only short story follows the adventures of Simon Lewis, star of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments, as he trains to become a Shadowhunter. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy features characters from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments, the Infernal Devices, and the upcoming Dark Artifices and Last Hours series. Bitter of Tongue is written by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan.

Read more of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles in The Infernal Devices, The Mortal Instruments, and The Bane Chronicles.

Read on: September 14, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review:

I love these novellas. Simon was always one of my favourite characters in the Mortal Instruments series and I just love getting to read more about him. Each novella brings us a new insight into the Shadowhunters' world.

I think that the fact that Simon was a mundane than a downworlder is really helpful for him to understand how nothing is always the same. Not all shadownhunters are the same, not all downworlders are the same and faeries aren't always what they seem.

There's evil everywhere, but there's also good and I think that Simon's path to become a Shadowhunter is going to show changes are needed in this world; for better or worse.

Simon is really a good guy and I love how he always try to be equal to everyone and I'm really excited for the next stories to come.

I just love that there are cameos from characters we love and I need to read about Alec and Simon talking; it needs to happen soon.

Thursday: On My Wish List

Author: Cassandra Clare
Title: Lady Midnight

[website][goodreads]

Coming out on March 8, 2016

Book 1 in the The Dark Artifices series

Summary

(from goodreads)

Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

_____________________________________________________

About the author

Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Teheran, Iran and spent much of her childhood travelling the world with her family, including one trek through the Himalayas as a toddler where she spent a month living in her father’s backpack. She lived in France, England and Switzerland before she was ten years old.

Since her family moved around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book under her arm. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles where she used to write stories to amuse her classmates, including an epic novel called “The Beautiful Cassandra” based on a Jane Austen short story of the same name (and  which later inspired her current pen name).

After college, Cassie lived in Los Angeles and New York where she worked at various entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids where she reported on Brad and Angelina’s world travels and Britney Spears’ wardrobe malfunctions. She started working on her YA novel, City of Bones, in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favourite city. She turned to writing fantasy fiction full time in 2006 and hopes never to have to write about Paris Hilton again.

Cassie’s first professional writing sale was a short story called “The Girl’s Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord” in a Baen anthology of humor fantasy. Cassie hates working at home alone because she always gets distracted by reality TV shows and the antics of her two cats, so she usually sets out to write in local coffee shops and restaurants. She likes to work in the company of her friends, who see that she sticks to her deadlines.

Review: Pale Kings and Princes by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman (Tales from Shadowhunter Academy, #6)

Summary

(from goodreads)

Simon has an encounter with Downworlders and is reprimanded for not following the rules for Academy students interacting with Downworlders. A story within a story: Andrew Blackthorn, while a student at the Academy, becomes enthralled by a faerie and has two children with her: Mark and Helen.

Read from: July 25 to July 26, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review:

Simon returns for his second year at the Academy after spending his summer in Brooklyn with Clary, Jace and the whole gang. From the beginning, we see that his dates with Isabelle haven't been successful and we are yet to see where their relationship is going.

But back at the Academy, Simon has his first lecture of his second year by Helen Blackthorn who is half shadowhunter and half faerie. She is to teach them how Faeries can't be trusted through the story about her father and her mother.

But, Simon isn't for being all things being black and white and that's what I really love about him; he sees they are bad faeries, but he also believes that they can't all be all bad or as bad as every shadowhunters try to tell them, I really enjoy how he is passionate about his opinions and his interactions with Helen are really giving us readers something to think about because this novella reflects a lot about today's society.

But also, Isabelle come to Idris and together, they try to give it another shot, but I really liked the fact that through another almost bad date, they both realized what they were doing wrong in the first place to mend their relationship. Would it work out for real or not? I guess we need to continue to read the next few novellas left to these tales :)

Once again, I devoured this novella like the others and I'm waiting impatiently for the next one.

The Evil We Love by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman (Tales from Shadowhunter Academy, #5)

Summary

(from goodreads)

All evil starts somewhere, and Simon Lewis learns how The Circle—led by Valentine Morgenstern—began. One of ten adventures in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy.

The Shadowhunter Academy has only just reopened following the disastrous rise of the Circle. Now the faculty can finally admit to what happened when Valentine was a student.

This standalone e-only short story follows the adventures of Simon Lewis, star of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments, as he trains to become a Shadowhunter. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy features characters from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, and the upcoming Dark Artifices and Last Hours series. The Evil We Love is written by Cassandra Clare and Robin Wasserman.

Read more of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles in The Infernal Devices, The Mortal Instruments, and The Bane Chronicles.

Read from: July 21 to July 22, 2015

Read on: Ereader

Review:

I've really enjoyed this novella. In this one, we learn more about The Circle through Alec and Isabella's father's eyes, Robert, and I really liked that we got inside his mind because the version we would have gotten if we were reading through Simon's eyes would have been more technical I fear.

I still don't like the guy, but it was great to see how he felt during his time in the circle and even before that; we see a glimpse of his past life and how it effected him. I really feel like he wants to be better for his children, but he has a hard time trying to find the right way to do it.

Also, Isabella comes back to the Academy with her father and is torturing poor Simon by flirting with other boys and ignoring him as much as she can.

But Simon has other problems as his fellow students are starting to break some rules and he must decide whether to join them or stop them.

This was a nice addition to the series and I can't wait to start the next one. They teach us so much about the past of shadowhunters and it makes a lot of things make more sense now.