Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Well, the feels have hit yet again and I have died. My lord, when was the last time Cassie released a book? 2014? Ugh, I didn't know how much I missed this world until I got to experience it again. And it felt so good to be back. In case you haven't read the Mortal Instruments, that's totally fine. No spoilers for that series in this new one. This is why we love Cassie. So. Emma Carstairs. She's a kick ass female character who is the best Shadowhunter around. She fights demons along side Julian, her best friend whom she has sworn to never leave through a ceremony in their world, and she is on a mission. See, through the events of the previous series, her parents were killed and she wants to know why. Luckily, her chance is coming but not without a complicated path. And so the adventure starts!

Let's start out by saying Cassie did an amazing job at making me care about every single character by giving them all an interesting back story. She's done it! We all know how hard I am to please with characters and she's done it flawlessly. I give her a standing ovation for that. It what honestly one of my favorite parts of the book. Each character was rich and complex and you didn't always know what to think about them. They aren't at all black and white; there are so many gray areas that you love to explore and it brings up some questions such as what is more important, love or morals? Very interesting and I won't go into them individually because it would take forever and it's just a lot more fun if you read about them for yourself.

In terms of plot, this book did not disappoint. It got complicated really quickly due to the characters and their motivations and outside interferences. I was hooked on this book from the start. It transports the reader into another world that is so rich and has it's own history. As always, there are twists and turns in the plot that will take it to an entirely different road than what you were expecting but that's what keeps you engaged. It made me look forward to the next book all the more. It leaves you pleading for some answers.

One thing that I have to talk about is the relationship between Emma and Julian who, by law, cannot be together but it's obvious from the start that they want to be together. This book is unique from Cassie's other ones in that there isn't a clear direction for their relationship to go in. Or any other character's for that matter. Cassandra has admitted that she loves love triangles (we all know about my disdain for them) but this book doesn't really have one. But let me tell you, it looks like it's gonna get real messy real soon. For unnecessary reasons but I feel like the characters know what they're doing isn't the best idea and they all know the truth about who likes whom, which will only add a super different dynamic to the mix.

I think the only thing that I would say concerns me is that the plot may get a little too bogged down because there is a lot going on by the end of the book in terms of relationships, both romantic and platonic, and with the legality of some situations that we may loose a solid central plot that will keep this series going. As in, what are they working towards? Because right now, it seems like a lot more smaller things to deal with and no common goal. I'm sure that this "issue" if you could even call it that will solve itself in the next book. I freaking loved this book; it was amazing from characters to plot. So rich and enticing. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Shadowhunters World

So I just finished reading Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare and we al know she is one of my favorite authors and while I should do a review in it, that would take too much time this weekend so I've decided to write a review next week and talk about the world itself this week.

For those of you who don't know, Cassandra Clare created this amazing world that is hidden within our own. It contains demons and fairies and werewolves and warlocks and vampires and shadowhunters. What the shadowhunters do is protect humans and keep the rest of the magical creatures in check. This world has its own lore and history that it so fleshed out, it's amazing.

So amazing, in fact, that Clare decided to write no one, not two, not even three series set in this world. She's writing at least four. And I think it's amazing, although some people don't agree. They say that it's too much and that she should just leave the series as it is. I think that she spent to much time and effort on this world and it would be so sad to see it just disappear after six books. There are so many more stories to tell and characters to meet.

The way in which she's expanding on it is amazing because it is by no means repeating the same story over and over again. The characters are completely new and original and the situation that they're thrown into is always something totally different. You could easily read each series independently from the other ones but if you do read them all you'll see that they are connected but not dependent on one another. They'll all make sense regardless of the other series.

It also doesn't feel like they are all just a bunch of spin offs because they get better and better as you go along with characters and plots that are so complex. The time and effort put into these books shines through. Cassandra Clare truly cares about this world and that's what makes these books amazing. I'll be doing a full review on her latest book next week so stay tuned for that. I'll see you all then.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I'm actually going to be talking about the entire series in this review, but have no fear! I don't spoil anything. In this dystopian trilogy, everyone gets a whole bunch of plastic surgery to become pretty, or what this new society deems as pretty. So our main character, Tally is all about this but her best friend, Shay, can't stand this idea. So she runs away and Tally is given the task to go and get her and bring her back or else Tally will never become pretty. And while she's there, in true dystopian fashion, she finds out the government is pretty messed up.

So this first book was by far my favorite. It was fun and adventurous and it really did have some very subtle comments on today's society and what we perceive to be beautiful. That being said, it does fall very hard under the common dystopian plot lines but considering it was published long before many of the other dystopian series that we have seen in recent years, I can't fault it too much for that. I have to say the ending was amazing because it leads directly into the second book. Characters here are the most complex and intriguing.

I wasn't a fan of the second book. I felt like three quarters of the book really dragged a lot. I wasn't interested in the new characters. It was building up for so long. The last hundred or so pages were a lot better and much more along the lines of the first book. This book introduced a love triangle, eye roll, and I really didn't like it. I felt as though one of the relationships was real and genuine but the other was so fabricated out of nothing. I wan't a fan of this book.

The third one was alright, but I think that after reading the second one that I wasn't a fan of, I just wasn't invested anymore. But this one really did show some insight to Tally's character. Here's what I mean. I think that if it wasn't for other characters pushing Tally to think about someone or something in a certain way, she wouldn't think that way. If Tally wasn't forced to go after Shay, I'm convinced that this series wouldn't have happened. I don't really know what Tally thinks about the government because her thought process has been so tampered with throughout the series and I guess from a literary standpoint, it would be interesting to discuss but from an entertainment standpoint, it took away from her character. She just goes along with what people want her to do. She's easily manipulated and yes, she fights back but still. I don't know her own thoughts that she comes up with herself.

I think this series is a really good one with some interesting points that would be interesting to discuss but I have to say that the first is by far the best and the rest do loose my interest a little and I lost any connection I felt to the characters in the first book. Again, that's something to discuss because of why I lost interest in them but from a purely entertainment point, it wasn't my favorite. For the whole series, 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

So, to start off with, I want to say I'm sorry for missing the post last week. I know it's the first time that has ever happened but I was having problems with my wi-fi so I couldn't post anything. It's clearly all fixed now so let's talk about this book that I finished recently. I think all of people know about this book but not may have actually read it. So this book focuses on four friends who have known each other for all of their lived and who are spending their first summer apart. Tibby is staying at home working and meets a new friend. Bridget is going to a soccer camp across the county and ends up falling for a guy she really shouldn't be with. Lena is in Greece with her grandparents who are pushing her to date a boy they know and trust. And Carmen is finally spending summer with her dad only to find out that he is remarrying and has already moved into a new house with his new family. And, of course, these pants are here to teach them a very important lesson.

Right off the bat, I have to say that this book brought me in right away. It's fairly short, not even 300 pages, and it switches perspectives enough so that it really keeps you engaged by not bogging you down with a single plot that may drag at points. This book has some really meaningful points that it makes but they aren't direct so you have to think a little about what they mean but it also means that it's open to interpretation. This is really great book for discussion. It's a feel good book that has a lot of undertones about acceptance.

I have to say, I was really only interested in half of the book. Bridget was my least favorite because she was just so boy crazy and she lost sight of why she was at the soccer camp in the first place. Her morals were more than a little questionable during her parts of the book. Tibby is by far the most level headed out of all of the girls. She's also the most boring. Not because of her personality or anything, she can actually be fairly sassy when she wants, but staying at home all summer long isn't that interesting to read about. Lena was a lot of fun to read. She was in Greece but she made a stupid decision and that caused some terrible miscommunication. She also doesn't handle it well at all. I feel like the people around her did the interesting things while she just reacted to it. She moped a lot over her summer. Carmen was by far my favorite. I mean, she did some stupid things as well but I felt like hers were much more justifiable. She was thrown into a house full of strangers who don't really care about her. They try to include her but mainly just to be polite. No one really makes an effort to hang out with her, including her dad. She feels very alone and, no, that doesn't completely excuse her actions, which are very entertaining, but she's not the only one who's actions aren't friendly. She's also sassy which earns bonus points.

The rest of the characters are not that interesting. They're just kinda there to further the plot. Not very interesting. Some seem to have depth to them but it isn't explored as well as I would have liked to see but I think at this point we all know I'm very hard on characters and how well developed they are. I still really liked this book and I hope that in the next one Lena and Carmen's plot lines continue and don't just end here with everything being fairly okay. I think we can still see development in these plots. I had a lot of fun reading this book. It was short and meaningful and I gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Finishing Series

This is something that I kinda such at. I find it very hard to finish a series for multiple reasons yet I have very little issues with starting one other than it opens up another series on a long list. So today, I will be revealing some of my shame to you and I'll be giving you many excuses as to why this is a thing for me. I think a lot of people have this same problem, maybe more or less than I do and I know I've already admitted this so hopefully some of you will relate. If not, then be glad you don't

So, just to give you some background, in the roughly four years I have been reading avidly, I have started a total of 45 series. Of those, I have completed a total of twenty three. Doing the math, not really though because math is the bane of my existence, that's just over half. To some, that's perfectly fine, but to me that's not good enough. Of those twenty three series, nine were completed last year. So I have been getting serious about finishing more and starting less but it's still out of proportion to me. Let's talk about why I'm so bad a completing series.

For one thing, I have obtain the books in a series one way or another. Whether that's by buying it or borrowing it I have to get my hands on it one way or another. This is sometimes difficult just depending on the series. Sometimes, I don't buy a book specifically because it's over priced or I just can't find it anywhere. Another reason is because sometimes, I just don't want to read a book in a certain series. And I know that may sound kinda horrible to some people, but hey, sometimes, you just need a break from a certain book, world, character, or plot. So I put off reading a series for a while and it takes even longer for me to get back into it.

I think the real issue here is not that I don't finish enough series, rather, I start too many. It's because finishing a series means reading more than one book but I just need to read a single book to start a series. It's just too easy to start one and too hard to finish one. So, because of this fact, I have decided to refrain from staring a new series for a little while, and to be honest with myself and realize there are just a few series that I probable won't ever finish. I also need to get off my lazy butt and finish some series. Especially why some only require me reading one more book. Yeah. Like I said, it's a problem. Wish me luck. I'll see you next week.

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Okay, I've put off this book review for long enough put of pure laziness because I have thoughts on this book and those thoughts are many. First though, this edition by Harper is freaking beautiful. Just had to get that out of the way. So in case you're wondering, yes. The Disney movie is closely based off this book with minor changes here and there which I may touch on later in this post but essentially, this book is about Wendy and her two brothers, Micheal and John, who get taken away to Neverland and meet Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up. They stay there and have adventures and learn some valuable life lessons. That's the basic plot so let's really talk about different aspects of this book because this is where the fun starts.

So to get the negatives out of the way, there were really only two. Those were sexism and racism. Native Americans were referred to as "Redskins" and women are seen to be house wives in this book (although that is seen to be a good thing and highly valued by Peter) but I think that, while it's unacceptable today, I may have to overlook that because this book was written before all of that politically correctness came into play. I know people still may be offended but that's just not the main focus of the book so let's just move on because there are more things to talk about here.

Peter Pan is one of the most complex characters I've read about. I know he doesn't come off that way because he is very much still a child but just based off the things that he remembers and weather or not he chooses to remember them, because we don't really know, it so fascinating to me. We actually learn why he doesn't want to grow up in and based on that alone he is so interesting. Comparing his personality in the book to the movie is not that hard. They're fairly similar except that in the book he is much more selfish and in the movie, I feel, his purpose in life is to help kids see why they need to grow up. If you remember at the end of the movie, he's looking into the Darling's house fondly after saying goodbye - like he's completed something good but in the book, like I said, he's more selfish. Which is one of the few times I will ever say I liked a change that a movie made more so than the original work, but I still think Peter's character in the book is more complex because of what happens at the end, but you know me. No spoilers.

I want to talk about this book way more but the core message of this book really lies in the final chapter and I don't want to spoil it but it obviously deals with growing up and that's a subject that has always excited me and terrified me at the same time. I feel like I should mention the end of this book is significantly different from the movie which leads to some ambiguity but also a good amount of room for interpretation. This book deals a lot with childhood and why it's so great to be a kid. The purity and innocence of a child before they realize the world is cure place is really something that should be protected. Even if they are bratty at times.

The ending touches on time and forever which is, again, something that scares me to and extent but it's also...comforting? It's really hard to explain if you haven't read the book. I think the best way to summarize the theme of the book to someone who has already read it would be: Anyone can fly so long as they are gay and innocent and heartless. And that will only make sense if you read the book. The ending hits hard but it's a hard lesson to learn. This is one of my favorite books of all time. 5 out of 5 stars.

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

I actually don't know how to describe the plot of this book other than using the tag line on the cover, so that's what I'm going to do. It's about an old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson. It's exactly what you'd expect: thought provoking and very emotional. I actually didn't pick this up myself. A friend recommended it to me and let me borrow it and I read it and I really liked it. See, both of us really like to read to but we read very different genres so it's always nice to read something totally different from what I usually gravitate to.

So, I won't give away too much because this book is really the best if you don't know much when you start reading it. Just know that it is very insightful and has great lessons in life in it. It's just very thought provoking but also very short, I think it's only around two hundred pages. It deals a lot with the idea of dying. And not just dying, but being fully aware of that fact and being okay with it. And I say that because I know death, for some people, is a touchy subject, so there's a small warning for you.

There are really only two people in this book that you are going to care about and those are Mitch and Morrie. To keep this review very short and not spoil anything, I will just say that Morrie is very insightful and has definitely lived a full life, in a way, and Mitch wants to live a life with as little regrets as possible. Clean up mistakes that he shouldn't have made. It's really nice to read this book because it does offer some insight as to who and what is really important in life. I loved this book and I think everyone should read it because I think we can all learn something from it. 5 out of 5 stars.