Spiderman Movie Review

Spider-Man: Homecoming Movie Review

4.45 out of 5 Stars

I remember going to see The Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield in theaters, so I was really worried stepping into the movies to see this one. I had seen the trailers, and watched some interviews, and saw that it was getting good reviews online, but I was still on the cautious side, because I had really liked the other movies.

I really had nothing to worry about. This movie portrayed Spidey in a way that was younger and more geeky, which is different from the others, but I liked this aspect because it made it so much easier to suspend my disbelief about a 15 year-old super hero and it drove home the magnitude of what Peter Parker did, all because it seemed more realistic for someone of that age. It didn't take away from the hero complex of the character either. If anything, they emphasized it by putting the character of Spider-Man in juxtaposition with Tony Stark and having Peter really want to join the Avengers. It modeled a father and son dynamic which increased the motivation to do good in the city. 

What's taking away from this movie is that I feel like there are a few too many stereotypical tropes played out. Granted, these things are stereotypical for a reason, and Marvel does call itself out on it at one point via Tony Stark, but I thought it still was a bit too heavy handed. They had the moments, hero underappreciated by those he wants it from, hero has a moment where he messes up, hero has revelation about who he is, etc. etc. That's all fine and good, but the way they made it in this movie seemed too on the nose to me.


One of the scenes that I both applaud Marvel for, but also am mentally giving them the side eye for, is the scene with the elevator. Ummmmm.... I don't know about other viewers, but I watched that and all I could think of was Gwen Stacy dying at the bottom of an elevator shaft in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Oh my word, love the cameo, but dang it was kinda cruel. Also, I loved the branzino reference, also from the other Spider-Man movies.

Michael Keaton as the villain was fantastic. I loved his character, partly because he was a real person without some weird scientific mishap, and partly because Michael Keaton did a great job with it. It was so good because it gave the villain a genuine reason to be doing what he was doing. This is not to justify was he did, but the motivation was good, so in a way the villain is not completely damnable. Still is, and I'm glad that Peter got him in prison, but he isn't a complete sociopath either. I'm interested to see where his character goes though because if you stuck around for the after credits (like you should) there is that scene where he doesn't give up Peter's identity, but he still has this evil look in his eye, like, "I'll be the one getting revenge". Cue evil laughter... I wonder if they'll carry his character immediately into the next Spidey movie?

The fight scenes in this movie were really great. I loved seeing Spidey flip all over the place and learn how to fight against the new alien tech weapons. My favorite fight scene would have to be when he and the Vulture were both outside the jet and from the moment they engaged out there to the moment the fight ends on the beach, I just loved it. It wasn't too fast or too slow and while I think Peter would be more injured than how he is shown, the fight was really well balanced and a great end to that plot line.

Lastly, I loved Tony Stark in this movie. I already touched on the father-son dynamic he and Peter seem to have, but what I really loved about his role in this movie is that it was light and sarcastic again, like from the first Iron Man movie. He has that sarcasm in all of the movies, but some of the later ones it feels more forced; but in this movie, it was just natural and flowed so much easier, like how it does in Stark's first movie. My only question concerning his character is, how does he know Mae? He references her in the beginning and obviously he has to have known Peter from somewhere, but did they ever mention that, either in this movie or in Captain America: Civil War?

I feel like Andrew Garfield will forever be my Spider-Man (like how Whovians have their Doctors ***coughDavidTennantcough***), but Tom Holland definitely pulled off this role so spectacularly that I will definitely watch the rest of his movies and I am really looking forward to seeing him with the other Marvel heroes. He was nerdy, he was funny, he was younger, and he without a doubt made the role his own. I think that is the greatest success of the entire movie. Everyone in the cast did great, but really I think Tom had the greatest challenge with two major predecessors and consequentially had the greatest success by still managing to create a role for his own Spider-Man.


I hope you enjoy the movie as much as I did and thanks for reading!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Book Review

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

5 out of 5 Stars

Full Review

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.  

SPOILERS BELOW
 
Here comes the big review. Please note, that while I have read the other books in this series at this point in writing, I will not take their events and details into consideration when reviewing this book. There will be absolutely no spoilers for the other two books and this review will be solely on the first book alone.
 
PLOT:
Looking back on it, there was not too much of an actual plot in this book. There is one, but it builds on the peripheral of the book's focus, which is developing the characters and mostly just trying to figure out if Mara is completely insane or if there's more to the story. This first book is almost all character development, but there are also some miniature plots that get explored, like how Mara's friendship with Jamie grows and develops, traveling to the weird priest with the chicken blood, and then of course the murder case and finding out Jude is alive. I think I would say that those two are the main ones, because there is groundwork for them throughout the majority of the book and they both have grand resolutions (in a literary sense) at the end of the story. Overall, I think the plot of this book really only serves as a setup so that the reader is prepared for whatever lies ahead.
 
CHARACTERS:
 
Mara- Oh, Mara. I think that reading this book from Mara's point of view makes it the most unreliably narrated story that I have ever read. This does make the book all the more interesting though because then the reader's mind is always trying to figure out what is really happening too and is looking for clues in the words and always is wanting to turn the page to see what happens and if it is real or a figment of one of Mara's hallucinations. As a character, I really love how Mara is in no way "perfect". She is not a straight A student, she doesn't have extracurricular activities, and she talks about homework and tests. It all just made this book so much more realistic, because a lot of the time in YA books, the reader doesn't really get to see that mundane stuff. But here, it is front and center and I think that it is done brilliantly.

Noah- I don't even know where to begin with Noah Shaw. He is a bit arrogant, a bit sassy, and a bit entitled, but he is also entirely genuine in himself and cares astronomically about so many things. He is slightly stereotypical as the YA love interest, but he wears it so well that I don't think anyone can really count it as a fault for him. There are just so many parts of his personality and character that break my heart, like how he got angry on behalf of Mabel when Mara first found her, and then he proceeded to spend the night in the vet's office to make sure Mabel recovered. Credit also has to be given to him for sticking by Mara's side even though she is very dark and twisty. Even despite her telling him that she wants to see the criminal killed after they have the revelation about what they can do, he still believes that she is good and won't do it. Jury's still out in my opinion as to whether or not she did cause the killer's death.
 
Jamie- I love this kid. He also has his own issues, but I think for the most part it is commendable how good of a friend he is to Mara and everything that he does for her, even though they've only known each other for a few months. He does disappear from the book randomly. That is I think one of the few faults of this book. I don't know why exactly he had to leave the book like he did, but it seemed very abrupt. It did however solidify my hatred for the Evil Twins (Anna and Adrien).
 
Jude- This little bleeeeeeeeep. Feel free to fill that bleep in with any curse word of your choosing. I hate this character. Not in a way that I think that character was poorly written, but in a way that I hate the personality of this character and who they are. It is so awful, that I don't even want to dwell on it, and I don't think I need to either. I will add though that on top of everything else that he did, I hate Jude even more because at the end of the book with the reveal that he is still alive, there is also the revelation that he has been stalking and messing with Mara.
 
The Dyer Family- I really enjoyed how there was a family portrayal in this book. There's the mom, the dad, and the two brothers. There is literally a WHOLE family in this book, and they each get a fairly decent chunk of page time too. It really was done so well, that when Joseph was taken, the reader can't help but feel anxious along with Mara in more of a sense than just, "Oh, this is her little brother." No, it is in the sense of, "What! This adorable child that watches the news and is networking has been taken?!!?" The family dynamic and development in this book I think really adds to this story and makes it seem so much more rounded than if it didn't.
 
WRITING:
The biggest thing I can say about the writing, is that Mara is the most unreliable narrator ever. And I am very aware that I have pointed this out already. But looking at the actual writing, it is executed in such a good way where the reader cannot pick up on what is real or not based on the phrasing that Hodkin uses. It all flows together seamlessly, so no one, reader or Mara, can have a leg up as to if what is happening is real. Stepping away from this creepy factor, I also think that there are some really great funny lines in this book. The sass is original and well matched by the characters and put perfectly in their contexts.

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!

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!

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