Spoiler Free Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by: Michelle Hodkin

5 out of 5 Stars

Spoiler Free

So before I begin this legitimate review, I have to show this review from baby me that didn't know how to separate feelings from writing reviews:
 "OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!! AHHH!!!!!!! If I was someone who cursed, I would be in soooo much trouble right now, this book is so incredible. MUST READ."
 I still don't entirely know how to separate those feelings, but I like to think that I'm better at it now. I also apparently didn't curse back then... hmmmmm.... anyway, here we go. >:)

Since first reading this book back in 2013, I have always been in love with this entire series and every book in it with no exceptions. I have to say though, that this is the first time I've reread the entire first book, and I HIGHLY recommend rereading this series, because this second time around was so much better than the first. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a beautifully creepy story that will wrap itself around your mind and take root there. There is simply no getting it off your mind, so if you get freaked out easily, be warned. But really, there are so many different well-constructed elements of this book that there is probably something for near every reader. The writing is magical, the plot is definitely intriguing, and the characters are perfectly flawed and real.

What makes this all the more interesting, is that it is told in first person point of view from an unreliable narrator (Mara). There are some pretty strange happenings in this book, but the catch is that the reader can never really know what is real or not because while there are paranormal aspects in the book, Mara also has PTSD which makes her question everything. This is part of the reason why I would recommend reading it at least twice, because this second time through it read as all the more ingenious after knowing what happens in books 2 and 3, while also just being thoroughly enjoyable on its own again.

One of the things that I love about this series is that it is framed by this cryptic opening letter that sets up not just this book, but the whole series, as a sort of confession. This letter, when I first read it, made everything all the more creepy. And then I found the backstory to the book, which made it all the more creepier, but also all the more amazing. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one of my absolute favorite books that I have ever read and I cannot express fully the enjoyment that can be gotten from reading this book and this series. If you still have reservations about reading this book, I'll just finish with two words: Noah. Shaw.

Thanks for reading!

I Need Recommendations!!!!!

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO READ

The list below this post that you can also find here is a compilation of the books that I own and I have not yet read. It is gigantic, which is slightly embarrassing. But I am also in a spot where I cannot afford to buy any more books at the moment, so I figure this is a good time to read some of the books from this gigantic list. However, I completely forget what some of these books are about or if they are good or not, so I would really appreciate any feedback on any of these books: whether you hated them, loved them, though they were funny or sad, anything really.

If you would like to contribute and help, please comment on either this post or the one with the list and I will gladly read it!!

Thanks for reading!!!

Pick a Book for Me to Read

1984	George Orwell
90 Minutes in Heaven	Don Piper
A Game of Thrones	George R.R. Martin
A Gentleman in Moscow	Amor Towles
A Madness So Discreet	Mindy McGinnis
A Million Worlds with You	Claudia Gray
A Study in Charlotte	Brittany Cavallaro
A Thousand Splendid Suns	Khaled Hosseini
A Whole New World	Liz Braswell
A Widow for One Year	John Irving
Afterworlds	Scott Westerfield
Alive	Scott Sigler
All the Bright Places	Jennifer Niven
All the Missing Girls	Megan Miranda
Always and Forever, Laura Jean	Jenny Han
An Abundance of Katherines	John Green
And I Darken	Kiersten White
Anna and the French Kiss	Stephanie Perkins
Anna Karenina	Leo Tolstoy
Ardently	M.C. Frank
Beloved	Toni Morrison
Bleed Like Me	Christa Desir
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire	Rosamund Hodge
Caraval	Stephanie Garber
Carry on	Rainbow Rowell
Carve the Mark	Veronica Roth
Challenger Deep	Neil Shusterman
Crime and Punishment	Fyodor Dostoevsky
Dangerous Lies	Becca Fitzpatrick
Dark Matter	Blake Crouch
Dark Triumph	Robin LeFevers
Dracula	Bram Stoker
Dream a Little Dream	Kerstin Gier
Drums of Autumn	Diana Gabaldon
Eat Pray Love	Elizabeth Gilbert
Edinburgh	Alexander Chee
Eleanor and Park	Rainbow Rowell
Falling Kingdoms	Meghan Rhodes
Feathers	Rose Mannering
Firstlife	Gena Showalter
Five Fortunes	Beth Gutcheon
Frost like Night	Sara Raasch
Frostblood	Elly Blake
Furhtermore	Tahereh Mafi
Galway Bay	Mary Pat Kelly
Girl in Pieces	Kathleen Glasgow
Girl in the Blue Coat	Monica Hesse
Girl on the Train	Paula Hawkins
Girl with a Pearl Earring	Tracy Chevalier
Glass	Ellen Hopkins
Gone Girl	Gillian Flynn
Great Expectations	Charles Dickens
Half Bad	Sally Green
Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbon	Ann Rinaldi
Heartless	Marrisa Meyer
Hidden Figures	Margot Lee Shetterly
Hotel Sarajevo	Jack Kersch
I'll Give You the Sun	Jany Nelson
Illionarium	Heather Dixon
Jackaby	William Ritter
Jamaica Inn	Daphne du Maurier
Jane Steele	Lyndsay Faye
Julia Vanishes	Catherine Egan
Killer Instinct	S.E. Green
Last Bus to Wisdom	Ivan Doig
Lolita	Vladimir Nabokov
Lost Rights	David Howard
Love Letters to the Dead	Ava Dellaria
Mansfield Park	Jane Austen
Mary Coin	Marisa Silver
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children	Ransom Riggs
Modern Faerie Tale Series	Holly Black
Moriarty	Anthony Horowitz
Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore	Robin Sloan
Mukiwa	Peter Godwin
My Sister's Keeper	Jodi Picoult
Night	Elie Wiesel
Northanger Abbey	Jane Austen
Of Beast and Beauty	Stacy Jay
On Writing	Stephen King
Once Again	Liz Braswell
Outrun the Moon	Stacy Lee
Panic	Lauren Oliver
Perfect Ruin	Lauren DeStefano
Rebecca	Daphne du Maurier
Red Rising	Pierce Brown
Replica	Lauren Oliver
Ricochet River	Robin Cody
Rules of Civility	Amor Towles
Sabriel	Garth Nix
Sarah's Key	Tatiana de Rosnay
Scrappy Little Nobody	Anna Kendrick
Sense and Sensibility	Jane Austen
Sevants of the Storm	Delilah S. Dawson
Shadow Study	Maria V. Snyder
Snow Falling on Cedars	David Guterson
Songs of Innocence and of Experience	William Blake
Stealing Snow	Daniel Paige
Sweet	Emmy Laybourne
Talking as Fast as I Can	Lauren Graham
Tess of the d'Urbervilles	Thomas Hardy
The 19th Wife	David Ebershoff
The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen	Katherine Howe
The Billionaire's Vinegar	Benjamin Wallace
The Bluest Eye	Toni Morrison
The Bronze Horseman	Paulina Simons
The Casual Vacancy	J.K. Rowling
The Catcher in the Rye	J.D. Salinger
The Cellar	Natasha Preston
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time	Mark Haddon
The Dark Days Club	Alison Goodman
The Diabolic	S.J. Kincaid
The Dress Lodger	Sheri Holman
The Fall	Bethany Griffin
The Girl You Left Behind	Jojo Moyes
The Hunchback of Notre Dame	Victor Hugo
The Jewel	Amy Ewing
The Kite Runner	Khaled Hosseini
The Last Forever	Deb Caletti
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection	Alexander McCall Smith
The Little Paris Bookshop	Nina George
The Lord of the Rings Series	J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lost Wife	Alyson Richman
The Memory Keeper's Daughter	Kim Edwards
The Mortifications	Derek Palacio
The Mrs. Dalloway Reader	Virgina Woolfe
The Painted Word	Tom Wolfe
The Piano Tuner	Daniel Mason
The Problem with Forever	Jennifer L Armentrout
The Program	Suzanne Young
The Pursuit of Happiness	Jan Lewis
The Queen of the Night	Alexander Chee
The Rug Merchant	Meg Mullins
The Shack	William Paul Young
The Sun is Also a Star	NicolaYoon
Thick as Thieves	Megan Whalen Turner
To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee
Toward a Secret Sky	Heather Maclean
Traveling with Pomegranates	Sue Monk Kidd
Truest	Jackie Lea Sommers
Turnabout	Margret Peterson Haddix
Unforgiven	Lauren Kate
Unrivaled	Alyson Noel
Vanishing Girls	Lauren Oliver
Vassa in the Night	Sarah Porter
Vendetta	Charlotte Doyle
Walk Two Moons	Sharon Creech
Wayfarer	Alexandra Bracken
We Know It Was You	Maggie Thrash
What Light	Jay Asher
What Was Mine	Helen Klein Ross
Where the Red Fern Grows	Wilson Rawls
White Space	Ilsa J Bick
Winter Falls	Nicole Maggi
Wish Me Good Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye	Marcus Gabriel
Year of Yes	Shonda Rhimes

Lord of Shadows Ships

Ships in Lord of Shadows

The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare

Julian and Emma: Jemma Blackstairs
I ship these two the hardest out of all the other ships in the series. This is slightly expected, because they are the two biggest protagonists, but they are also their story and the way the interact with each other and balance each other out is heart melting. Where Julian is ruthless, Emma is considerate; where Julian takes on too much responsibility, Emma picks up what he can't and is there for him to lean on; where Julian is a control freak, Emma is more laid back and open; I could go on and on, but in the end these two deserve to have a chance to be together.


Emma and Mark: Memma?
In Lord of Shadows, I think these two hit the nail on the head: in another time, if things had gone down differently, they would have had a shot. But as it is, they really are I think best as like siblings.

Mark/Cristina/Kieran Question:
This is the most confusing love-triangle-but-more-like-a-threesome ship in the history of not just this series, of not just Cassie's books, but of all the YA books I have ever read. I guess the question is really who is Mark going to pick: Cristina or Kieran? If that's the case, I'm going to say that at this very moment I would hope that Mark would pick Kieran. But it isn't as simple as that! Because Kieran has this weird respect and admiration for Cristina and they develop into having their own sort of friendship thing where even at the end of the book Cristina goes as far as to convince Diego to hide Kieran at the Scholomance. Plus, there was the moment when she and Kieran danced together. Throw Mark back into this equation, and there is a very messy convoluted question of how things are going to be resolved. I honestly would not be surprised if what Emma said comes true: there is going to be a faerie threesome in the next book. Oh my. How would you even combine all three names?


Diana and Gwyn: (comment if you know their name!)
These two and their relationship came out of freaking nowhere and I love it. From the moment Gwyn hits on Diana in his strange and very blunt Fae way I loved this ship. And then as the story progressed and we got to see them together more and more and learn more about the backstory, I loved it even more. They came out of nowhere, but I am definitely rooting for these two to be happy at the end of the last book just as much as I am for the other more prominent ships.


Diego and Cristina:
I think they're done. There might be a chance for them to get back together now that Diego explained himself, but I really don't think so if he's up against two incredibly hot faeries(/half-faeire). It's more than that too though, because he did lie to Cristina and while it could be argued that he had other motives for his actions, he still didn't trust her with the information and the plan that he and Jaime had. That's not good, and I think Cristina knows that, and she's also just grown as a person to a point where I don't know if she and Diego would be good together. I'll have to see what happens in the next book before I finalize my opinion on this.

Ty and Kit:
Right now, I see them as being some awesome kick-ass parabatai. I do not see a romantic relationship between them. There a few hints that Kit might feel more for Ty, but I don't think so.... it just doesn't match up with Cassie's other descriptions and writings of what her characters feel in romantic relationships. The way she describes Kit's feelings are like watered down versions that make me think that they will definitely come to love each other, but not in a romantic way, but a parabatai familial way.


Dru and Mini-Seb:

THIS IS PURE SPECULATION BASED ON THAT RANDOM PAGE ABOUT THE FAERIE THAT DRU ACCIDENTALLY FINDS. Because that faerie is definitely the love child between Sebastian and the Seelie Queen, is probably what Jace and Clary are trying to find, and didn't seem too terrible to me. Their interaction was almost cute. Mini-Seb snaps at Dru (not nice), but she gives it right back to him and calls him out for it. They continue to have a mini conversation before Dru is like summoned away by Mark, and that conversation isn't hostile I don't think. I read it as a child in isolation being confused and a little scared by a random person walking in. Also, I don't think he's really evil, because his eyes were green. Plus, the word hope was used to describe the look in his eyes when he asked about his mom. That gives me hope that this is a possibility. Plus, then Clary would have a nephew.

Thanks for reading!

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare Review

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
5 out of 5 Stars
This is truly a five star book- even better than Lady Midnight I think. I may seem subdued now... but that really is only because my head is still spinning from those final scenes and I am in the progress of processing and sorting these things out in my head. It was that well written that all of the knots and developments and were so masterfully crafted that I am still working my mind around them. The feels will come out.... slowly but surely the feels will come out... and there will be cursing and crying and many other strong words: please don't be offended.

Spoilers Below

Plot:

This was probably, no it was, and even more complicated plot than the first book. So much so that I actually think that it drew away from the book in the beginning of the story. There was just too much to follow and not enough explained too well that it was like running at 100 miles per hour without an shoes on over jagged gravel and rocks. You're tripping, you're falling, and you're forcing yourself back up because you can't resist the urge to keep running and know what's ahead. So it was slightly painful at first, but then the strings got straightened out and it was fabulous. There was the Faeire Unseelie King plot line, the Annabel plot line, the parabatai plot line, the political happenings with the ignorant and narrow-minded bigots, and so many other little ones with the characters. But all of these plots were so well put together in the end. Like I said, hard to tell apart at first, but then you see them and your mind is blown.

Characters:

Julian: Holy F***ing shit this kid is seriously twisted in the head. Good intentions for the most part I think. No one could possibly argue that he does not care about his family +Emma. But that's really about it. Outsides of his family and Emma, Julian does not care a single crap about what happens. He will do nasty things to get what is best for his loved ones, and we see this personality shine through, especially in the Unseelie Court. If I were Zara, I would actually be terrified, because all of the things that happened can be traced back to her and her group of half-brained Medieval dwellers. If the Cohort wasn't so twisted and pissy at the meeting, then they wouldn't have thrown stuff at Annabel, then she wouldn't have freaked the fuck out and killed Robert, then Jules and Emma wouldn't have had to fight her, then Livvy wouldn't have been trying to help, then ANNABEL WOULDN'T HAVE KILLED LIVVY. I BLAME ZARA SOMEONE PLEASE SHUT HER DOWN. Julian's gonna be the one to do that- and chances are it will be cringe-worthy and quite unpleasant for Zara.

Emma: I really loved her development from this character that was kinda rash to this person that consults with others and leans on them for help and advice. Maybe it isn't development so much as it is we get to see her more as a friend than a warrior and strategist in this book. I am slightly worried about her though with the Riders and then with Cortana. With the Riders, there will be something about killing a person older than dirt. I'm not saying she shouldn't have, because she was defending herself, but seriously- those other Riders are going to keep coming back for her and her only option right now is to what? Kill all of them? That seems slightly unlikely. And then there's Cortana. What if it's like slowly becoming addictive or something. It has been absorbing the power of all these other items and things that it breaks, so now it contains the strength of the Mortal Sword? Will Emma never be able to tell another lie? What will the Shadowhunters use now? Will they have to *gasp* trust people? I don't know.... that may seem a little alien to them.

Livvy&Ty: LIVVY!!!!!! I grew to appreciate these two so much in this book. And Ty finally agreed to be parabatai with Livvy, but now she's dead. She's. Dead. Cassie- What. In. The. Name. Of. The. Angel. NOT OKAY! Do authors just do this for fun? What was the purpose of killing Livvy? There had better be a purpose to causing this harm to not just Liv but also adorable Ty that I just want to hug and have him be happy. Maybe this needed to happen so that Julian will flip his lid. We haven't seen him post-Livvy-mortem yet. So it is very possible that he's cracked now. That would be interesting- slightly terrifying, but definitely interesting- to see. I imagine it would be like watching a hailstorm of blades rain down on the Clave- Julian has been given many sharp, razor-like descriptions. (No joke, the word "razor" is used a lot).

Kit: Praise the Lord we have a Herondale on site. Granted, he's not like a fully trained Clave sassy Herondale, but he is undoubtedly a Herondale. There's the sass, and the hair, and the defiance, and the moodiness, and troubled past. Besides not being raised a shadowhunter, this kid is textbook. My biggest question regarding him, well two questions actually, is 1) who's he shipped with? and 2) who the F is his mother and why do all of those Riders recognize him? Point number 1: I did not appreciate him sort of bouncing back and forth between Livvy and Ty. The ONLY reason why that bothers me so much is that they're twins. Come on. Not just siblings- twins. Twins. That being said, obviously and unfortunately Livvy is no longer an option. But this brings up the question then of whether or not he would choose Ty out of principle or because he's there. That being said, that's assuming it even is a possibility. Cassie usually does such a great job with this stuff and I know there's a lot of stuff online about Ty and Kit, but I just wasn't really getting it.... I honestly thought and still think a bit that they would be great parabatai. It seemed brotherly for the most part between them, not romantic. Although there were a few times from Kit's POV where he described things almost that way? I'm not sure, they're also only 15 so they've got time. Point number 2: The Riders recognized him. This is, I think, really important and slightly alarming as well. The biggest question I believe is finding out who his mother was, because Johnny Rook was his father as far as we know. But Kit has some weird half-memory flashback things which combined with the stuff that the Riders were saying and questioning makes me really curious to know who the heck this kid's mom is.

Mark: I adore this Blackthorn child. Man. Boy? Either way, I love how he really has come out of his Faerie shell now and is still SO honorable. If everyone were like him, I would greatly appreciate it. I actually think many people would appreciate it. I'm going to need a separate ship post, so I won't go into much detail here, but I could see Mark with both Kieran and Cristina.

Cristina: I really loved having Cristina's relationships with the other characters built up. I really did. It was amazing to get to hear about her home in Mexico and have her relationships with Jamie and Diego mostly mended and get to see more of her passion of Faerie and wanting to end the Cold Peace. I really can't wait to see more of her. Again, I need a ship post, but I think I'm leaning toward Mark....?

Kieran: I never hated Kieran and I certainly do not now. Again, like Mark, there's just something honorable and good about him. Yes, he has made mistakes, but we found out in this book that that was because he was mislead so he wasn't making fully informed decisions. Ship post needed, but definitely Mark- I don't know who else, although there is a great respect and interest in Cristina.... see my ship post.

Unseelie King: My original title for this character heading was King B***h. That should explain it enough, but if not, I am really looking forward to seeing one of his sons replace him on the throne.

Zara: THIS BITCH NEEDS TO GET HER ASS HANDED TO HER, VERBALLY AND PHYSICALLY. I actually felt sick at points when she was talking. Few things bother me more than when people speak out of ignorant narrow-minded backwater opinions and it is actually terrifying that they believe it. For example, I don't think Zara sees anything wrong with what she says and wants, and that is the most terrifying and sickening thing. *screams*

Magnus: Magnus had better make it through this series or I will boycott. There will literally probably be an uprising and I do not blame anyone. The entire time that he's there, I could tell something was off about him, but it isn't until the end that we learn that there is a witch and wizard illness going around, and that Tessa is sick too. (Which, BTW I really want to see Jem and Tessa in the next book)

World:

My favorite world based part of this whole book was that we got to go explore Faerie!!! Yeah there's a blight covering almost all of the Unseelie lands, but we also got to see the Seelie Queen again, bitch though she may be, and WE GOT TO MEET MINI-SEB! THE DEMON SPAWN! I DON'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE SAY THAT CHILD WITH DRU WAS THE LOVE CHILD OF SEBASTIAN AND THE SEELIE QUEEN. More on that in a different post. Anyway, I absolutely loved seeing the revel and the descriptions of the hill and just everything about it. We also got to go back to London and see Jessamine from TID and Bridget was still there. (?) Is that the same Bridget? Am I thinking of someone else? The less pleasant thing that was expanded on in this book was the Cohort. I totally did not even realize that they existed before this book, and I kind of really wish they didn't exist at all. They can go back to hell where they came from in my honest opinion. Generally speaking for the entirety of the book, the world was massive. It already is going into it with previous knowledge from Lady Midnight and the other Shadowhunter books, but in this one it seemed like we spent a lot of time in a lot of different parts of it.
 
Lord of Shadows was definitely a whirlwind of a thousand pieces of a puzzle coming together to form an overall issue that we unfortunately won't know the answer to until 2019. It will be an agonizing wait. It will. There is no getting around it, just like how Emma and Julian can't get around the curse (Sorry, low blow). I believe the next Shadowhunter book coming out will be Chain of Iron in 2018, and I am super excited about that, because Will. Other people too, but- William Herondale.

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews

Review: Lord of Shadows SPOILER FREE

 Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SPOILER FREE 

This is truly a five star book- even better than Lady Midnight I think. I may seem subdued now... but that really is only because my head is still spinning from those final scenes and I am in the progress of processing and sorting these things out in my head. It was that well written that all of the knots and developments and were so masterfully crafted that I am still working my mind around them. The feels will come out.... slowly but surely the feels will come out... and there will be cursing and crying and many other strong words: please don't be offended.

Plot:
This was probably, no it was, and even more complicated plot than the first book. So much so that I actually think that it drew away from the book in the beginning of the story. There was just too much to follow and not enough explained too well that it was like running at 100 miles per hour without an shoes on over jagged gravel and rocks. You're tripping, you're falling, and you're forcing yourself back up because you can't resist the urge to keep running and know what's ahead. So it was slightly painful at first, but then the strings got straightened out and it was fabulous. There was the Faeire Unseelie King plot line, the Annabel plot line, the parabatai plot line, the political happenings with the ignorant and narrow-minded bigots, and so many other little ones with the characters. But all of these plots were so well put together in the end. Like I said, hard to tell apart at first, but then you see them and your mind is blown.
Characters:
Julian: Holy F***ing shit this kid is seriously twisted in the head. Good intentions for the most part I think. No one could possibly argue that he does not care about his family +Emma. But that's really about it. Outsides of his family and Emma, Julian does not care a single crap about what happens. He will do nasty things to get what is best for his loved ones, and we see this personality shine through, especially in the Unseelie Court. If I were Zara, I would actually be terrified, because all of the things that happened can be traced back to her and her group of half-brained Medieval dwellers. If the Cohort wasn't so twisted and pissy at the meeting, then they wouldn't have thrown stuff at Annabel, then she wouldn't have freaked the fuck out and killed Robert, then Jules and Emma wouldn't have had to fight her, then Livvy wouldn't have been trying to help, then ANNABEL WOULDN'T HAVE KILLED LIVVY. I BLAME ZARA SOMEONE PLEASE SHUT HER DOWN. Julian's gonna be the one to do that- and chances are it will be cringe-worthy and quite unpleasant for Zara.
Emma: I really loved her development from this character that was kinda rash to this person that consults with others and leans on them for help and advice. Maybe it isn't development so much as it is we get to see her more as a friend than a warrior and strategist in this book. I am slightly worried about her though with the Riders and then with Cortana. With the Riders, there will be something about killing a person older than dirt. I'm not saying she shouldn't have, because she was defending herself, but seriously- those other Riders are going to keep coming back for her and her only option right now is to what? Kill all of them? That seems slightly unlikely. And then there's Cortana. What if it's like slowly becoming addictive or something. It has been absorbing the power of all these other items and things that it breaks, so now it contains the strength of the Mortal Sword? Will Emma never be able to tell another lie? What will the Shadowhunters use now? Will they have to *gasp* trust people? I don't know.... that may seem a little alien to them.
Livvy&Ty: LIVVY!!!!!! I grew to appreciate these two so much in this book. And Ty finally agreed to be parabatai with Livvy, but now she's dead. She's. Dead. Cassie- What. In. The. Name. Of. The. Angel. NOT OKAY! Do authors just do this for fun? What was the purpose of killing Livvy? There had better be a purpose to causing this harm to not just Liv but also adorable Ty that I just want to hug and have him be happy. Maybe this needed to happen so that Julian will flip his lid. We haven't seen him post-Livvy-mortem yet. So it is very possible that he's cracked now. That would be interesting- slightly terrifying, but definitely interesting- to see. I imagine it would be like watching a hailstorm of blades rain down on the Clave- Julian has been given many sharp, razor-like descriptions. (No joke, the word "razor" is used a lot).
Kit: Praise the Lord we have a Herondale on site. Granted, he's not like a fully trained Clave sassy Herondale, but he is undoubtedly a Herondale. There's the sass, and the hair, and the defiance, and the moodiness, and troubled past. Besides not being raised a shadowhunter, this kid is textbook. My biggest question regarding him, well two questions actually, is 1) who's he shipped with? and 2) who the F is his mother and why do all of those Riders recognize him? Point number 1: I did not appreciate him sort of bouncing back and forth between Livvy and Ty. The ONLY reason why that bothers me so much is that they're twins. Come on. Not just siblings- twins. Twins. That being said, obviously and unfortunately Livvy is no longer an option. But this brings up the question then of whether or not he would choose Ty out of principle or because he's there. That being said, that's assuming it even is a possibility. Cassie usually does such a great job with this stuff and I know there's a lot of stuff online about Ty and Kit, but I just wasn't really getting it.... I honestly thought and still think a bit that they would be great parabatai. It seemed brotherly for the most part between them, not romantic. Although there were a few times from Kit's POV where he described things almost that way? I'm not sure, they're also only 15 so they got time.
Mark: I adore this Blackthorn child. Man. Boy? Either way, I love how he really has come out of his Faerie shell now and is still SO honorable. If everyone were like I would greatly appreciate it. I actually think many people would appreciate it. I'm going to need a separate ship post, so I won't go into much detail here, but I could see Mark with both Kieran and Cristina.
Cristina: I really loved having Cristina's relationships with the other characters built up. I really did. It was amazing to get to hear about her home in Mexico and have her relationships with Jamie and Diego mostly mended and get to see more of her passion of Faerie and wanting to end the Cold Peace. I really can't wait to see more of her. Again, I need a ship post, but I think I'm leaning toward Mark....?
Kieran: I never hated Kieran and I certainly do not now. Again, like Mark, there's just something honorable and good about him. Yes, he has made mistakes, but we found out in this book that that was because he was mislead so he wasn't making fully informed decisions. Ship post needed, but definitely Mark- I don't know who else, although there is a great respect and interest in Cristina.... see my ship post.
Unseelie King: My original title for this character heading was King B***h. That should explain it enough, but if not, I am looking forward to seeing one of his sons replace him on the throne.
Zara: THIS BITCH NEEDS TO GET HER ASS HANDED TO HER, VERBALLY AND PHYSICALLY. I actually felt sick at points when she was talking. Few things bother me more than when people speak out of ignorant narrow-minded backwater opinions and it is actually terrifying that they believe it. For example, I don't think Zara sees anything wrong with what she says and wants, and that is the most terrifying and sickening thing. *screams*
Magnus: Magnus had better make it through this series or I will boycott. There will literally probably be an uprising and I do not blame anyone. The entire time that he's there, I could tell something was off about him, but it isn't until the end that we learn that there is a witch and wizard illness going around, and that Tessa is sick too. (Which, BTW I really want to see Jem and Tessa in the next book)
World
My favorite world based part of this whole book was that we got to go explore Faerie!!! Yeah there's a blight covering almost all of the Unseelie lands, but we also got to see the Seelie Queen again, bitch though she may be, and WE GOT TO MEET MINI-SEB! THE DEMON SPAWN! I DON'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE SAY THAT CHILD WITH DRU WAS THE LOVE CHILD OF SEBASTIAN AND THE SEELIE QUEEN. More on that in a different post. Anyway, I absolutely loved seeing the revel and the descriptions of the hill and just everything about it. We also got to go back to London and see Jessamine from TID and Bridget was still there. (?) Is that the same Bridget? Am I thinking of someone else? The less pleasant thing that was expanded on in this book was the Cohort. I totally did not even realize that they existed before this book, and I kind of really wish they didn't exist at all. They can go back to hell where they came from in my honest opinion. Generally speaking for the entirety of the book, the world was massive. It already is going into it with previous knowledge from Lady Midnight and the other Shadowhunter books, but in this one it seemed like we spent a lot of time in a lot of different parts of it.
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Lord of Shadows was definitely a whirlwind of a thousand pieces of a puzzle coming together to form an overall issue that we unfortunately won't know the answer to until 2019. It will be an agonizing wait. It will. There is no getting around it, just like how Emma and Julian can't get around the curse (Sorry, low blow). I believe the next Shadowhunter book coming out will be Chain of Iron in 2018, and I am super excited about that, because Will. Other people too, but- William Herondale.

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Best Parents in YA Lit

The Best Parents in YA Lit

Valentine's Blog Week Day 5

The concept of parents is probably one of the biggest elephants in the room when it comes to YA literature. They usually aren't even there, and when they are, they are often just mentioned or are completely awful. HOWEVER, there are also quite a few YA parents that are completely amazing!!!! Here are some of my favorite parents in YA literature.

Mr. Song

From: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster

From: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Kate Mercier's Grandparents

 From: Die for Me by Amy Plum

Almost every parent from:

Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent

Mrs. Prior

From: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Unfortunately, I had a pretty hard time putting together this list. Hopefully, that is something that can be changed in more future YA books!

Thanks for reading!