Tuesday, 28 January 2014

City of Ashes - Book Review

Well hello there internet, it's been a while! I've kind of neglected this blog this month as it was essay writing month, and lectures started again, so it's been a university centred month which hasn't left much time for anything else. But i'm back now! And i have quite a few blog posts that i already know i want to write, so hopefully i'll get back into the swing of things quite easily!

Anyway, today i'm here with a book review! Ooh how exciting! One of my new years resolutions was to review every book i read this year, even the re-reads, and today i'm starting that! Just as a warning: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD!!

I started this year off with a book i was certain that i would enjoy reading before philosophy books took over my life. So i picked up my much loved copy of City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.

I plan on re-reading the Mortal Instruments series before City of Heavenly Fire comes out in a few months, so City of Ashes was the obvious choice for first book of the year. I love love love this series and i love it even more each time i read one of them! Here we go with the review!

First of all: SCREW YOU VALENTINE!

Okay, now to actual reviewing! I love this book, possibly more than i love City of Bones...but it's a very close call! (Then again, i just love them all so much, i can't decide between them!) I adore everything about this book, seriously. Simon becoming a vampire, Alec and Magnus, Alec's almost coming out, Jace in general, the Inquisitor, every single thing! I'm pretty certain that this is the best second book in a series that i have ever read, and that's pretty amazing seeing as it had such an incredible first book to live up to!!

Jace and Clary...ugh someone needs to go give them the biggest hugs ever, okay? At the end when Clary decides to finally tell Jace how she feels and how she doesn't care about the whole sibling thing, and then he tells her he's going to fight his feelings and be the brother she needs because he thinks that's what she wants...ugh my heart! It's such an emotional moment in the book and it's written oh so perfectly! And no matter how many times i read it i am in no way prepared for it!

The battle on the boat is so great. I really love the way this whole thing is described, it's just so wonderful, even if some of it could have been shortened/cut out, i still really love it. The best part however was the small break from the battle where it cuts to Alec and Magnus is Luke's truck. You know what i mean. The part where Magnus basically tells Alec that he loves him and Alec didn't want to hear it. Ugh so not okay! 

The whole Alec storyline genuinely makes me very sad, and this is one of the moments that makes me want to reach into the book and give him the biggest hug ever, because i think that's what he needs more than anything.

See you soon!!
Meghan x 








Wednesday, 1 January 2014

2014 Bookish Resolutions!

Happy New Year internet!! I hope you all had a wonderful new year however you spent the night. As everyone knows the new year is the time when people make resolutions of things they want to do that year, mainly to improve certain aspects of their lives, and i want to do make a list of resolutions all to do with books, reading habits, and all things that revolve around the two. 

Here we go!

1) Make more time for fiction!

Okay this seems like a bit of a silly one, even to me, but for the second half of this year fiction has kind of fell away from my immediate reading pile due to all the reading i have to do for uni. Even though my uni reading isn't going to die down until around September i still want to make more time to read for fun. I miss fiction and i miss getting lost in new worlds, and i'm definitely going to make a lot more of an effort this year!

2) Review everything i read!

So this one is pretty self explanatory, i want to review every single book i read. Well, i want to review all of the books i read for fun, i'll save you from the pain of all the uni reading. I really enjoy reviewing books and i haven't done it as much as i wanted to since i started this blog back in June so i want that to change in 2014.

3) Finish more series'!

I have this bad habit of starting a series, and then just never reading the last book. So this year i will change that! All but one of the books i have planned for immediate reading are the last book in a series. I need to know how these stories end and i keep putting them off because i don't want them to end. I will finish all the series'!

4) Only buy a book for every book i finish!

This is basically me putting myself on a book buying ban for 2014. I keep buying books and then not reading them for the longest time, so i'm only allowing myself to buy a book when i finish one. However i want to add a part to this and say that before i buy a book, with the exception of the two i'm going on the hunt for tomorrow and the one i have on pre-order, i want to read at least ten books before i buy more books.

5) Only buy books i know i'm going to read!

I always buy books that i think will be great when i'm in the shop, then when i get home i realise that i will probably never read them and end up giving them away, so that needs to stop! I have this plan of really looking into books and reviews before i actually buy a book, i know that i won't stick to that plan but it's nice to have it there to start with. 

6) Get more involved in Read-a-thons and BookTube-a-thon!

I really love the idea of these, and i watch all of the videos about them, and then i never take part in any of them, and i want that to change! So starting this year i'm going to take part in any that i can, and hopefully that will help with a few more of my resolutions!

Finally, 7) Start making videos!

I've wanted to get involved with the BookTube community for so long, and i think this is the year i'm going to finally start! I'm not sure when i'm going to start but i know that it's something i really want to do before the end of the year!

Meghan x