City of Lost Souls

WOOT WOOT!

The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.

No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?

Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.

And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series (From Goodreads.com). 

Cassandra Clare has done it again. I absolutely love the world she has created in this The Mortal Instruments series. Her characters continue to astound, her writing is unforgettable and beautiful, and her plotting unstoppable. 

The characters continue to face their antagonists with an unending will. They are just flawed enough to be interesting and to keep you wondering if they have what it takes, yet they are absolutely perfect. Clary steps it up in this novel as the heroine. The way she fights for Jace is admirable and beautiful. While Jace is Not-Jace we actually learn more about him and he leaps out with depth by the end of the novel. He's not just a pretty face after all. I love their romance and their epic story that continues to be a favorite. 

It seems that Clare is darkening her story as well as making it more adult. The characters are getting older so it makes sense. That being said there is a lot more sex in this book than there has been in any other. I do not say this is a bad thing. However I do find it funny that Clare can write about premarital sex (there really isn't a lot of actual sex...but a lot of almost-sex and sexual tension that is actually quite delicious) and it's ok, but Stephenie Meyer can allude to wild honeymoon nights with no real description of how it all goes and she gets razzed for it. It makes no sense. (Yes, I think I just defended Meyer...go figure). 

Anyway...that was a random tangent that kinda leads into how I love what Clare is doing with the characters. While I was reading City of Lost Souls I noticed how it has become such an epic tale. Each of the characters have their own little plots that interweave and connect in very interesting ways. Maia and Jordan have a nice, tense past and they make a reliable and fun duo. Simon continues to be a favorite of mine, and I like the romance between him and Isabelle. Alec and Magnus are a delight but it breaks my heart how the end of this book leaves them. I hope Cassandra Clare plans on righting that, but I worry because a lot of this series seems to like the tragic. 

Cassandra Clare's writing is one of my absolute favorites. There is no one like her that I know of. She describes people and surroundings with such an astute observation that it feels like you're there looking at the person. She can turn a phrase with deft power and keen vision. The words and images seem to leap off the pages and filter into my mind with clarity. 

Her plotting is unstoppable. Just when I think I can predict what is going to happen, she throws in a wrench in the whole system. She manages to make you think you're smart by throwing in details in just the right way so you think you'll be able to predict the outcome, then she flips it on you all with a scheming smile. I wish I could be inside her brain. This woman never ceases to amaze. 

I look forward to the next installment in this series. Cassandra Clare, I am a dedicated fan for life.

Matched

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Compacts

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.
Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one… until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow — between perfection and passion. (From Matched-Book.com, official website for Ally Condie)

How much is there, really, that you can do with a dystopian society plot? I've read a lot of YA fiction with the whole dystopian theme which seems to be the latest trend thanks to the success of The Hunger Games. It was a breath of fresh air after the vampire/werewolf craze that Twilight created. Now, it seems, futuristic, totalitarian societies are the thing. I don't mind this new thing; I just wonder how many more ideas there can be with this whole thing because there's not a whole lot of things you can do with it. I am glad, however, that this trend allows YA authors to teach young adults about society and the problems we have in our own society that could be blown out of proportion to create a miserable future for our predecessors.

Ally Condie's first book in her Matched trilogy is quite catchy. The writing is sparse and beautiful, to the point. Condie's words are often poetic which is really what kept me hooked. I was intrigued with the plot enough that I wanted to keep reading which is always a good sign. I never felt like I had to force myself to get to the end. In fact I wanted there to be more. Good thing the second book is out. I went and got it today.

Love triangles. Gotta love 'em. They make for good drama. I just wish there was more to them sometimes. Condie's triangle is decently done. She focuses a lot on Ky so when Cassia says she loves Xander also, I feel forced to believe her because I don't see any proof. Condie could have easily tagged in some memories of Xander or had more scenes with Xander so we at least get to know him the same way we know Ky. Xander remains a mystery all the way through the book so when Cassia acts like she knows him it just feels forced or something. That being said, I wonder if Condie is going to show more of Xander's character in the next book. Here's hoping. Kinda hard to have a love triangle when we don't know a whole lot about one of the love interests.

Speaking of Xander, there's a scene at the end where he tells Cassia a memory he has and she describes him as cruel. Yet she still loves him. Somehow I don't see the attraction to Xander. There definitely needs more development with that relationship if Condie wants me to believe that there really is a love triangle. This normally wouldn't be a big deal except that it's a pivotal part of the plot.

I will admit I was worried it was just going to be a bunch of whining about a girl that has to choose between two boys. Sound familiar? Condie gave me a pleasant surprise by giving the story more depth. A fundamental thing that we all take for granted is that we have the ability to choose for ourselves: our jobs, our mates, our health, everything. In Condie's dystopian society that ability to choose has, essentially, been taken away. It's interesting to see what kind of world it would be without that.  

So she has some development things to work on, but Condie has really built an interesting setting and some good plotting. It isn't my favorite book ever, but it also isn't the worst one I've read so I gave it 3.5 out of 5 Compacts. Stay tuned for my review of Crossed.






 

Twilight: Setting the Record Straight

It was brought to my attention that there were some discrepancies with my ratings of Twilight on Goodreads (it does not exist any more so don't worry about it...I fixed it.) I was called a hypocrite by someone in Spain or somewhere who read my review on Maximum Ride by James Patterson (terrible stuff, btw) and so I thought I would set the record straight.

I got into Twilight long before the hype it is now. I loved it then. The first book is really good actually. Bella is a likable character, Edward is great, yada yada yada. I have no real qualms with the first book. The following books get worse and worse until Meyer drops the ball on the last book.

The thing is: My feelings about this series changed over time as I got to thinking about the themes behind it. Yes, I used to defend Twilight. I still do to some degree. Stephenie Meyer took vampires and made them even more enticing than Anne Rice did. I actually love the story line. The writing is terrible. Usually it gets better as you go along in a series but this one it gets worse.

I don't know. I have a serious love-hate relationship with this series. Bella is one of the weakest heroines in contemporary literature when she is sold as being some strong-willed and defiant hot young thing. I just don't see what Edward sees in her. Well, ok, in the first book, yes, she has an appeal. As she gets more and more clingy and whiny, I don't see what an immortal vampire would want with her.

Meyer has built this amazing relationship between Edward and Bella. Ever since New Moon, she has created a love triangle between Bella and Jacob and Edward. By the time you read Eclipse it is a very tense relationship between the three. At the end of Eclipse, Bella realizes she does love Jacob and the reader is left with the question "WHO WILL SHE CHOOSE?"

That is never even brought up in Breaking Dawn. I felt like I was totally let down with this one. Suddenly Bella and Edward are getting married and Jacob is out of the picture basically. Meyer dropped the ball on one of the most intense parts of her story: the love triangle. Instead we get a weird honeymoon, a crazy vampire pregnancy, a random section of the book from Jacob's perspective (which doesn't make sense because the whole series has been from Bella's perspective, the switch just doesn't feel cohesive), and then a battle at the end that just falls flat.

And to top it off, Jacob falls for Bella's baby. Sick. And Bella has no motherly instincts whatsoever that kick in.

I honestly think the movies ruined the books for me. Mostly Kristen Stewart's poor portrayal of Bella. Really? I don't remember reading Bella sputtering and twitching as much as Kristen Stewart must have read into the character. Blech.

Anyway...I may get lots of hate mail for this review. And I plan on re-reading the series in the future so I can see if my opinion changes. For now...Book 1 is the best then it is all downhill from there. And that is my opinion.

There ya go, Shagiya or whatever the hell your name is. Satisfied?

The Dark Divine

Rating: 1 out of 5 Moonstones

I finally finished one of the six books I am working through! It is a miracle. Another miracle within this miracle is that it was this book I managed to finish.

If you have not read my review of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick you will understand my qualms with young adult literature. They all follow this same formulaic pattern and fall under what I like to call the Twilight Syndrome*. I think Despain tries to bring some freshness to the werewolf myth but it just doesn't do it quite right in my opinion.

The main character's family name is Divine. Wow. Can you get more cliche? I think I wouldn't have minded it if she and Daniel, the love interest, didn't make such a big deal about it. Oh and to add to that the main character's name is Grace. Yeah. Grace Divine. Gag me.

What's with the headings? I know they were meant to give you grounding on where you are as far as time goes but I think there are better ways to do it. Honestly, a good writer does not need to make headings to catapult the story along. That may be just a personal opinion of mine. Also, it feels choppy when I'm constantly bombarded with 15 Minutes Later or Later that Evening or The Next Day.

The love between Daniel and Grace is only lukewarm and merely superficial. I really don't understand the connection. Yeah they grew up together. Yeah she had a crush on him when they were young. Yeah he's oddly gorgeous, tall, lean, and whatever. Give me a break. I'm so sick of writers writing love stories that have the characters fall in love because there needs to be a romantic element. Honestly, I would have loved this story a whole lot more if maybe Daniel never returned Grace's love for him which would make her sacrifice at the end all the more meaningful and touching.

Speaking of her sacrifice (I won't spoil it), Despain never really delves too deeply into the werewolf myth. And when Grace discovers that Daniel is a werewolf she seems to take it way too well. I don't get that. If I found out a childhood friend of mine was, in fact, a werewolf, I would freak out a little more.

There are some contradictions with Despain's myth too. The moonstones protect the werewolf and help the human side of them be stronger than the wolf side. Ok. That doesn't make sense because it's the full moon that, later in the story, causes so much havoc and makes the wolf side stronger. In my mind I would think a moonstone would make the wolf side stronger. It would be like having a full moon constantly around your neck so to speak. Call me crazy.

Despain's writing is ok. It's somewhat mundane at times. By the end I was skimming because she has a lot of added stuff that doesn't need to be there. Her dialogue is believable and her imagery is nice. Some of it just seemed too nice and subdued. I wanted there to be some more vivid imagery and detail that she just would not give.

On that note, I think Despain needed to delve more into the characters. Parts of the story and the timeline were a little confusing. She tried to explain it but the more it got explained the more confusing it was. She would go back and forth in time at random moments but I didn't feel like I learned anything more just by going back. The story felt too neatly packaged and showy as far as it just seemed to do things because that was the cool thing. Stephenie Meyer did it with vampires, why can't I do it with werewolves? Ummm...sorry but no. In other words it just felt too confined and slushy that it was hard to get really involved.

Oh AND the whole April and Jude thing. Despain spends a little bit of time explaining how April, unlike every other girl in the school, is not friends with Grace just to get to her handsome brother, Jude. Then a few pages later Jude and April are making out all the time and dating and whatever and, suddenly, Grace doesn't have her best friend around. If it were me I would be ticked and feel a little betrayed but Grace, again, just takes it in stride.

Grace. Gracie Pooh. Gracie Divine-ness. You are too weak to be a main character. Granted, she's not as bad as Bella. Not nearly as wishy-washy, but she's forgettable and doesn't really have anything to set her apart from the rest of the crowd. At least Bella had the white skin and the brown hair that turned red in sunlight. Those are memorable qualities even of a character I cannot stand in literature. We don't even get a brief description of what Grace looks like.

I must say the ending is interesting but I was done thinking "So what?" I just wasted all that time.

I was going to give this two moonstones but I think I'm dropping it to one. I am trying to think of good things to say about the book but I can't. Sorry, Ms. Despain. Better luck next time. Here is your one out of five moonstones rating.



*I'm sorry for the constant comparison to Twilight. As much as I have issues with Meyer's books, even I cannot deny that she has had a HUGE impact on young adult literature. Something I have run into with my own writing is that if you're going to write a vampire story, be prepared to be compared to Stephenie Meyer. While she may not be the best writer in the world, she has created a new breed of vampire that has altered the myth for decades to come. I am not saying the Twilight Syndrome is bad. I just think that we can stifle our creativity if we are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel.

Theory of Brooding

(Jay's Note: This is a response to my friend Kelli's blog which can be found on the right under Awesome Blogs: Escapades of a Spinster.)

I'm probably going to get some pretty hefty hate mail from this post.

My friend Kelli is actually one of the most well-read people I know. If not then she is definitely one of the most well-read people near my age. That is why I have sent her my horrible drafts of my novel for some enriching feedback that has, at times, been painfully honest but I enjoy her feedback because I know she knows what she's talking about. It also helps that she is pretty representative of my target audience.

One of Kelli's posts made me think of a theory that I have and I thought my blog would be a good place for me to share it. I have dubbed said theory The Theory of Brooding.

Brooding, according to Webster's Dictionary is being "preoccupied with depressing, morbid, or painful memories or thoughts."

My theory is that, as far as literature is concerned, a hero that is brooding and troubled is one that will attract many a female reader. This, in turn, makes it hard for "normal guys" with relatively no baggage somewhat boring which results in the normal guy having to compete with these fictional heroes. Just like female swimsuit models, comic book super-heroines, and most shows/movies you see in Hollywood give men a messed up ideal of women, books also do the same thing to women about men.

Exhibit A: Mr. Darcy


I have never read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I have seen two of the several movie adaptations. I'm not knocking the classic. I really am not. Fitzwilliam Darcy is the silent type, mysterious and actually treats Elizabeth Bennett pretty poorly at first. So. What's the attraction? Why do so many women go ga-ga over him?

Exhibit B: Edward Cullen



I am in no way comparing Stephenie Meyer to Jane Austen. Edward Cullen is a really flat character while Austen's characters at least have depth to them. Edward the Vampire is far too perfect to be interesting. Yet, as perfect as he is, he still manages to be tortured and brooding. What is with this? I tend to think that Edward is merely a poor imitation of classic heroes such as Mr. Darcy. We all know about the craze for the Twilight Saga and it's not like the teen girls the books are written for really should know any different, but I definitely think it gives an unrealistic view of what relationships should be like. Not to mention the unrealistic perspective of how normal guys act.

Exhibit C: Mr. Rochester



Mr. Rochester is the brooding hero in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Maybe it's just this time period. Women liked a dashing, dark, mysterious hero with a lifetime of secrets to unravel. Honestly, if a girl these days really ran into Mr. Rochester these days they would most likely run screaming.

During some brief research for this post I found what is called a Byronic hero. Named for poet Lord Byron (who is amazing, btw), a Byronic hero typically exhibits several of the following characteristics:
* a strong sense of arrogance
* high level of intelligence and perception
* cunning and able to adapt
* suffering from an unnamed crime
* a troubled past
* sophisticated and educated
* self-critical and introspective
* mysterious, magnetic and charismatic
* struggling with integrity
* power of seduction and sexual attraction
* social and sexual dominance
* emotional conflicts, bipolar tendencies, or moodiness
* a distaste for social institutions and norms
* being an exile, an outcast, or an outlaw
* "dark" attributes not normally associated with a hero, the "anti-hero" effect
* disrespect of rank and privilege
* has seen the world
* jaded, world-weary
* cynicism
* self-destructive behaviour
* a good heart in the end

Huh. Any of those sound familiar to the Exhibits I mentioned? Look at those characteristics carefully. Now, what girl in their right mind would list any of those things in their list of things they want in a future husband? And yet...such is the "ideal" portrayed in romantic literature. I just do not understand.