Sunday, July 2, 2017

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Book Review

Image result for the unbecoming of mara dyerThe 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.  
Image result for the unbecoming of mara dyer
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.

Image result for the unbecoming of mara dyerNoah- 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).
 

Image result for the unbecoming of mara dyerJude- 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.
 

Image result for the unbecoming of mara dyerWRITING:
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

Image result for the unbecoming of mara dyerThe 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!

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

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

Friday, May 26, 2017

Lord of Shadows Ships

Ships in Lord of Shadows
The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare


Julian and Emma: Jemma Blackstairs
http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/39400000/Emma-Julian-Fanart-emma-and-julian-39450567-700-980.jpgI 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?


Image result for kieran and markDiana 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:
Image result for cristina and mark
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!

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare Review


30312891Lord 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:


Image result for julian and emma
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.

Image result for the dark artifices cassandra jeanLivvy&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.

Image result for the dark artifices cassandra jeanUnseelie 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:

Image result for alicante shadowhuntersMy 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

30312891 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.



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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