Top 5...#11

Hey internet! I thought that today i'd take a break from the non-stop reviews and bring back one of my favourite posts to do: my top 5's!

Seeing as over the past couple of weeks i've been on a kind of Mortal Instruments high i figured i'd carry on with that theme and do my top 5 characters from The Mortal Instruments!

Let's go!

5 - Simon Lewis.

I adore Simon. He's funny, sarcastic, caring, and most of all, he's so real. He's such a great friend and one of the best characters i have ever read about. I think he deserved more from the series, people didn't treat him the best and that makes me sad, but him and Isabelle man, that was just...i can't even describe how happy that made me throughout the books. I love Simon, and i'm so glad he was in the books as much as he was.

4 - Jace.

I love Jace. He is the ultimate 'oh man i love him' character. He goes through SO MUCH in the series and parts of it make me so sad. I just want to constantly reach into the books and give him the biggest hug possible. Poor little baby. 

3 - Magnus Bane.

I love Magnus. Magnus is the most straight talking person in the series, and i love him so much for it. He's so funny, and he doesn't really care what people think, and he loves Alec so much that it makes me really happy. He is one of the most interesting characters in the series and learning more about him is so great. 

2 - Alec Lightwood.

So maybe i just love the Lightwoods? Alec is the fictional character that i would most want to have in my actual life. I love how much he cares about other people. He cares so much about his siblings, about Jace, about Magnus...i just love him so much. His development through the series is one of my favourite character developments of all time, and his relationship in the series is probably the relationship i care most about in pretty much all of YA.

1 - Isabelle Lightwood.

I love Isabelle. She's smart, funny, kick-ass, sarcastic, and so so so so important to the series! To me she's like the best written female characters i have ever read. She's not a one dimensional person, she has flaws and she has strengths and she has feelings, and most importantly she actually thinks about something other than a boy. She develops so much through the series, and i love her so much.

Meghan x

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City of Heavenly Fire: Book Review

Hello there internet! Today i'm here with my review of City of Heavenly Fire, the final book in The Mortal Instruments series. Then i'll take a break from reviews - promise.

I would love to say that this is going to be spoiler free, however it's the sixth book in the series, and i have a whole lot of feelings about it.

First of all, how pretty is that cover?! I really am a sucker for a pretty cover! Okay, now onto the book itself!

Let's talk about Emma and the Blackthorn's. I had moments when i really, really liked Emma and i was so happy that she came into the story. And then i had moments when i couldn't stand her. A lot of the times when the book was in her perspective it didn't seem to really add anything to the story. I think maybe if her parts were split between her perspective and that of some of the Blackthorn children, it would of added a bit more to the story. 

Now i just want to know more about Julian, and i definitely needed more about Mark! The parts we had with them in were some of my favourite moments. I mean i wish Mark wasn't dragged into the Wild Hunt, the poor, poor baby.

Maia. Maia. Maia. I really didn't like her in this book. I don't know why but with the exception of the pack leader fight i just didn't care about her. She was one of my favourites in the past, and in this book i just kind of wish her perspective wasn't in the book as much as it was. However, the part at the Praetor Lupus with Jordan did break my heart a little bit...at least until she started thinking about how she was going to break up with him before he died...seemed unnecessary. 

Speaking of Jordan...JORDAN :'( I really started to love Jordan. He was kind, he was funny, he cared about all of them, and then he was just taken away! Screw you Sebastian. Stop ruining everything! 

Speaking of Sebastian ruining everything, could he maybe not hit on his sister so much? It was so creepy and uncomfortable. I think it really added to the hatred i feel for Sebastian, added to how much of a bad guy he really is.

Oh now it's time for Clary...Clary, Clary, Clary. She really started to bug me in this book. There were moments when she was the same Clary that i liked from the previous books, and then there were moments when she made me so angry. People were fighting around her, there was a war going on, people were dying, what was Clary thinking about? How hot Jace is. My God girl, get over yourself a bit. Other than her constant thoughts about Jace, i still really loved when the story was focused on what Clary and the gang were up to.

Alec. My poor little baby. I love you so much. You continue to break my little heart, but my god am i glad that you and Jace had your little heart to heart, and i am SO HAPPY that you got the 'i'm proud of you' speech off of your dad. But most of all, i cried when you and Magnus got back together and that he gave you the journal of his life. Go be happy, and stop breaking my heart.

Speaking of Magnus, he was the reason for about 80% of my tears in this book. Poor, poor baby. I wanted to kill Sebastian for the way Magnus was treated and when his father was going to take his immortality which would lead to his death, i could barely read through the tears. Magnus needs to live, he needs to be with Alec, and no one should be able to stop it! Magnus is one of my favourite characters, and him nearly dying nearly killed me. 

Raphael! Well the most unnecessary death of any series ever goes to, Raphael. I actually really liked Raphael, he was one of my top ten favourites. And when he refused to kill Magnus my heart swelled a little bit with happiness, then Sebastian ruined it all. 

Now let's get to Jace. I love Jace. I love Jace so much. The poor little angel, thinking he's just like Sebastian and that he wants the end of the world, let's all just give Jace a big hug to make him feel better. He has to go through so much in every book, and it all seems so unfair. Poor, poor baby. (I have the 'poor, poor baby' feeling about a lot of the characters in this book)

However, Jace and Clary getting it on in the Demon world? Talk about weird timing! It was such a cute, funny, awkward, great little scene to break up all the fighting and sadness. I had to put the book down for a minute due to laughing when Jace just pulled out a condom. What was Jace thinking? "What will i need in hell? Weapons, food, water, condoms..." Such a funny little moment.

Talking of funny little moments. Alec walking in on Isabelle and Simon both times were possibly the funniest moments i have ever read in any book ever. Especially when he almost walked in on them role-playing in his bedroom...So funny. And his little 'OH MY GOD NOT AGAIN' moment in the Demon world. I love Alec, Simon, and Isabelle so much, and those moments were some of my favourite moments in the book.

Talking about people getting it on, can we talk about the Seelie Queen and Sebastian for a second? How creepy was that?! It just came out of nowhere and made me feel so uncomfortable, it actually made me shudder thinking about the two of them together. 

Now Isabelle! I think everyone knows by now that Isabelle is possibly my favourite character in the series. She was responsible for another of the 10% of my tears. Her nearly dying was literally the worst moment of the book. I was so scared that she wasn't going to live, and while crying about her nearly dying, i realised that Alec would have lost his little brother and sister and then i had to put the book down and walk away for a minute before i completely broke down.

Simon! Oh man here's the final 10% of my tears...Cassandra Clare has so much to answer for after that! Him forgetting everything, especially him forgetting Isabelle, broke my heart so much. It just hurt so bad. I'm glad that he started to remember little things after Isabelle and Magnus went to him after school, and the idea of him becoming a Shadowhunter made me so happy. Oh man i love Simon so much.

Honestly i think that this was the most perfect ending to the series, and i couldn't have wanted more from it. It was so great, and i loved it all so much. I'm so sad that the series is finally over, but i am so excited The Dark Artifices!!

Meghan x

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City of Lost Souls: Book Review

Well hello there internet, today i am here with a book review of the fifth book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. And oh boy am i excited.

As always i try not to spoil anything, but this is my honest review and i cannot promise it is spoiler free.

City of Lost souls is amazing. I can't really think of another word that encompasses how i feel towards this book. 

I thought that nothing would come close to how much i love City of Glass from this series, but City of Lost Souls definitely gave it a run for its money! I laughed, i cried, i felt happy, i felt uncomfortable. It was brilliant.

I adored this addition to the story, even the parts that creeped me out and made me feel anxious. Everything about the story made me feel excited and i loved every second of it.

Jace...Jace broke my little heart. When he came back momentarily as himself he made me want to reach into the book and take him somewhere safe. Poor baby. Seeing him act so like himself and so un-like himself at the same time was horrible, yet captivating, and it was truly brilliant writing.

Sebastian made me want to hurt something. Mainly his stupid, smug little face, but as a bad guy, he was kind of great. I love a bad guy in a story, especially when you can't find a single redeeming feature, i think it makes you feel more. I hated him, but i loved how much Cassandra Clare made me hate him.

Alec and Magnus were the people who re-built my broken heart...and then smashed it all over again. I think everyone knows by now that Alec and Magnus are probably my two favourite characters in this series, and in this book they made me smile, laugh, and really, really cry. They make me so happy and so sad, and i love them both so much.

I think this is honestly one of the best books in the series, and the plot was just fantastic. So many twists and turns and truly wonderful moments. I loved every second of it. I was so skeptical going into this one for some reason, but i think it may have just topped the list as my favourite in the series.

Meghan x

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City of Fallen Angels - Book Review

Hello again lovely people of the internet, i'm here today with another review of a Cassandra Clare book! Today is time for the wonderful fourth book in The Mortal Instruments series: City of Fallen Angels.

As always, i'm going to try and keep the spoilers down but there may be spoilers ahead!

First of all, the first time i read the mortal instruments i finished at City of Glass, so this was the first tmi book that i hadn't read before in a LONG time, so i was nervous and so excited!

There's one thing i need to say before the proper review starts...JACE :'( :'( poor little baby.

Okay, now for actual thoughts on the book.

Lilith! Oh man Lilith! I think Lilith is easily one of the best evil characters i have ever read. I thought i loved Valentine as the bad guy as the series, but Lilith is a whole new level. I absolutely loved how she was entwined with everything in the story, from Jace acting weird, Sebastian, Simon and Camille, everything about her character made me really love this book.

Well it wouldn't be a review about tmi without expressing my love of Alec and Magnus. I love them so much. Their relationship makes me so happy, and getting to see more of them just made me the happiest girl in the world. Alec is my favourite character in the whole series, and him and Alec being together makes me so happy.

Now Jace...Jace, Jace, Jace...my poor, poor little baby. I just wanted to reach into the story and hug him constantly. I feel like Jace is the person in this series that has the most to deal with, i mean i know everyone in it goes through stuff, but Jace is on a whole new level. The poor, poor baby.

Okay new character time!! Jordan was such a nice little addition to the series. I really like him. From the moment he turned up at band practice i thought he was going to be great and he really was. I have a whole lot of love for Jordan man.

Sebastian...ugh. I spent pretty much the whole book waiting for him to come back, and when we find out that him and Jace have been linked up by Lilith it hurt, it hurt bad. I really like that there is a character in the series that i can hate this much, i feel like it really adds to the story and makes me care about everyone that much more.

THE ENDING. OH MY GOD THE ENDING HURT SO BAD. Jace :'( I thought i hated Sebastian back in City of Glass, but that doesn't compare to the hatred i felt for him at the end of Fallen Angels. Screw you Sebastian. Screw you.

Meghan x

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City of Glass - Book Review

Hey there internet! It's book review time, and i'm super excited about this one because City of Glass is one of my favourites in the Mortal Instruments series. Let's go!

As always, i try my best not to, but there may be possible spoilers ahead.

I love all of the Mortal Instruments and City of Glass is pretty much my favourite out of all of them. Oh. My. God. Where to even start. I adore this part of the series, with all of its terrific twists and turns, all the secrets slowly coming out, all the happy endings, all the Alec!

You may have gathered by now that Alec is pretty much my favourite character in the whole series and this book has so much Alec that my little heart nearly exploded from happiness. I love that we get to see more of him, and more of his relationship with Magnus, especially all the cute moments *cough* Why didn't you call me back? *cough* I think we should just have a whole new book dedicated to Alec...a girl can hope.

Jace. Jace. Jace. Poor, poor little Jace. Can someone just give the poor kid a break once in a while?! Michael, Valentine, Stephen...let the kid decide who he is on his own! And then Sebastian on top of it all...i just feel so bad for the kid! My poor, poor little Jace.

Speaking of Valentine and Sebastian...Screw you both! As far as bad guys go, i really love Valentine, i think he's great but you can also kind of see that he thinks he's doing the right thing, even though he definitely isn't! Sebastian though...why? Everyone trusted you! 

City of Glass was such a good story, and one of the best additions to a story i think i have ever read, and i even loved the parts i hated *cough* MAX *cough* 

I absolutely adore the world that Cassandra Clare has created with these books, and i am so glad that she turned the fantastic trilogy into an even more fantastic 6 book series!!

Meghan x

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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 

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The Bane Chronicles

So i'm half way through writing up my blogpost about the books i'm most looking forward to in 2014 and i was about to write about how excited i am about the idea of The Bane Chronicles. If you haven't heard about The Bane Chronicles then i'll explain a little bit about it.

The Bane Chronicles are ten short stories written by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan all about Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments. I for one am so beyond excited to read more about Magnus Bane as he is one of my favourite characters from the series! These short stories are set to be released in ebook form in Fall 2014  and, i believe, they will then be brought together in a physical book sometime after that..? At least that's what i have heard. Either way i am SO EXCITED for these stories!!

What Really Happened in Peru (The Bane Chronicles, #1) 

The Runaway Queen (The Bane Chronicles, #2) 

Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale (The Bane Chronicles, #3) 

The Midnight Heir (The Bane Chronicles, #4) 

The Rise of the Hotel Dumort (The Bane Chronicles, #5) 

Saving Raphael Santiago (The Bane Chronicles, #6) 

The Fall of Hotel Dumort (The Bane Chronicles, #7) 

The Course of True Love [and First Dates] (The Bane Chronicles, #8) 

What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything [And Who You're Not Officially Dating Anyway] (The Bane Chronicles, #9)

• The Last Stand of the New York Institute (The Bane Chronicles, #10) 

So there are the ten short stories that i cannot wait to get on my kindle!

Meghan x

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Book Haul #1 - Oxford and Birthday...kind of.

It's been about two weeks since i finished BEDA and wrote my last blog post and i've missed sitting down and writing something everyday, but it's also been nice to not think about what i'm going to write and making sure i put up something before the day ends. 

So as i said in one (or a few) of my posts during August, the 27th was my 21st birthday and i went to Oxford for a few days, which was amazing and i got to watch Rocky Horror live which was one of the best things ever! And i also got to go to Blackwell's which is my favourite bookshop in the world. Then when i got back i went shopping and, of course, bought a few more books. So i thought now would be the perfect time to do something i've wanted to do since starting this blog: A BOOK HAUL! (the capitals were needed to express how excited i am...obviously.) 

Let's start with the books i bought in Oxford. I only got a few because we were walking around all day and then obviously had to go get ready for the show, but i'm really excited about the books i picked up there.

The first book i found was For Esme ~ with Love and Squalor and Other Stories by J D Salinger. Salinger is one of my favourite authors and although i've already read this and i have it on my kindle i just couldn't walk out of Blackwell's without making it mine. I love that this copy matches both of my copies of The Catcher in the Rye (where this one is blue, they are red) and i can't wait to re-read this with the added bonus of it being a physical copy!

This next book is one i am beyond excited to read! Wittgenstein's Mistress by David Markson sounds so so so so so so good and i can tell that i am going to adore this book! I originally picked it up because, as a philosophy student, i love Wittgenstein's theory of language games and was convinced that if this book named him in the title then it was definitely a book i at least had to check out. The story follows a woman who is convinced that she is the last person alive on earth, and is apparently so convincing that the reader will start to believe her. It sounds so good and i cannot wait to read this!

AH!!! I AM SO EXCITED! I'm really really really happy that i decided to finally pick up this series! This is obviously The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare and i am so ridiculously excited to be able to read these straight after i finish my re-read of The Mortal Instruments. I was a little annoyed that Clockwork Princess was taller than the first two books in the series, but then i noticed the most magical words in the world: collector's edition. Ugh, no two words could make me buy a book faster. This edition has a fold out family tree at the back, which is beyond exciting to me. I am sooooooooo excited to finally be able to read these books!

 

Every Day by David Levithan was the first book i bought when i got back from Oxford. I've heard so many good things about this book so i am really excited to read this (what a surprise) and i love the bright orange cover that it has, the only cover i had seen before i found this was the black and white cover with the two people(?) but i like this cover a whole lot more. I'm intrigued by the story, i watched a web series that had a similar storyline and i enjoyed that so hopefully i'll enjoy this one too.

United we Spy by Ally Carter is the sixth and final book in the Gallagher Girls series, and i adore this series so i am really excited to see how it ends. This copy has a bonus short story called 'A Gallagher Wedding' so i am stoked to read that because i really do love this story and i just can't wait to do a full re-read of the first five then finish with this. It's going to be a fun autumn/winter!

OMG IS THERE A MORE PERFECT BOOK? This is Marvel's graphic novel version of Jane Austen's Emma. Marvel + Classics = Happy Meghan! I'm going to read this really soon, because it's pretty short and it's a graphic novel so it's not really going to take away from the two books i'm currently reading. I am so excited for this!

omg. Okay, so apart from the Harry Potter series, The Mortal Instruments is probably my favourite series and i LOVED the film (and i may have been slightly devastated at the City of Ashes news) and when i saw this in Ben's video (benjaminoftomes) i knew i had to have it! So as soon as i saw it i grabbed it and basically ran to the counter to pay. It's such a good book, seeing how the book was turned into the movie, and with a few pictures of Jamie Campbell Bower thrown in how could it not be a good book? ;) (Also, if you like books and you watch YouTube, go watch and subscribe to Ben - he's definitely one of my favourites and he's just a wonderful human.)

Much like the book above, as soon as i saw this i had to have it! It's such a cool little guide to all the characters and things you need to know, and as a massive fan of the shadowhunter world, this book makes me all kinds of happy.

So i actually really love the first two books in this series, and yet i've never even thought of buying this book, but when i saw it in the shop yesterday i knew that i wanted to read it and find out what happens between Jess and Fred. Girl, 16 Pants on Fire by Sue Limb is the final book in the trilogy and i am going to start reading this when i finish this post, because it's a pretty easy, quick read and i just need to know if Jess and Fred last, you know?

I don't really know a whole lot about this book. I know that it's about a couple who really want a child, and then they discover this orphan boy who's lost his memory, so they take him in and then weird things start happening...i think? Either way i am very intrigued and excited by The Orphan by Christopher Ransom. Always good when a book is centered on a creepy child.

Again, i don't know a whole lot about The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes but i know that it sounds super good! From what i remember, it's about a girl who gets attacked and lives, who then goes after the man who attacked her, who she believes has killed many other girls, but he shouldn't exist...at least that's what i get from the back of the book... I know that this sounds like a book i want to read and that would be really interesting to me. I love creepy books, and crime books, and i think this will combine the two very well. 

So that's the end of my first book haul :) I had fun...Hopefully i will start blogging in some form of routine from now on, i just don't know what that will be yet.

Meghan x

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City of Bones Review

At about 2am this morning I finished my re-read of City of Bones and I realised again why it's easily one of my favourite books and why I love everything about it so much.

Not only is Jace one of the best characters to ever exist, the rest of the characters in this book are so amazingly, wonderfully written that even after one read you know them so well. Alec is probably my second favourite character in this series, I love his relationships with Jace and Isabelle, and I love the development of his relationship with Clary. He's just a really great character. Clary, Isabelle, Simon, and Luke, while I'm not exactly any of their biggest fan, I do still like reading about them, and I what I love so much about this book is how diverse their individual voices are. I love the conversations that happen between the characters, and how they all talk to, and react to, the different characters. 

Valentine...what can I say about Valentine? I don't think I've ever loved an hated a 'villain' quite as much as him. I loved, loved, loved his whole story in this book (btw it's so hard writing about one book in a series when you love them all so much...) and I hate him so much for everything he does with Jace and Clary.

Ooh speaking of Jace and Clary, their relationship is one of my favourites to read. I love when they first meet, and when they go to the Vampires, and Magnus Bane, and in the greenhouse, and it still makes me sad that Valentine kind of ruins all of that. One day you'll be together babies, don't worry <3 

Ugh I just love this book so much, and whole series, so much and I cannot wait for Wednesday when I finally get to see this world come to life! 

Meghan x

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Top 5... #1

Hey there Internet! :) I've decided to do a new series type thing over here on my blog where I talk about my "top 5" I certain types of books. I love a lot of different types of books and I thought this would be a good way to talk about all the different kind of books I love.

To start lets look at: Top 5 Series

5 : Fallen

I love, love, love the fallen series. I love the premise and plot of the series and I love (almost) all of the characters. Cam and Daniel are two of my favourite characters in a book and I love the weird friendship/hatred thing that they have going on. Yeah I just really like the series.

4 : The Hunger Games

Who doesn't love the Hunger Games series?! The world Suzanne Collins created in these books is one of my favourite worlds that I've ever read. I love pretty much everything about this series, some parts of each book kind of disappointed me, well apart from Catching Fire which was just amazing.

3 : The Winter Trilogy

Ugh I love these books so so so so much. Anna and Seth are one of my favourite couples ever, and I love every other character, even the ones I hate I love. They're just brilliantly written and completely addictive. Just, ugh I love them. 

2 : The Mortal Instruments

Oh come on everyone should read and love this series! Jace is basically the love of my life (just don't tell Draco...) and the world is one of the greatest places to escape to ever. Each word makes you fall more in love with the series and each character is so wonderfully written that you feel like you know them better than most people you actually know. It's basically a perfect series. 

1 : Harry Potter

Obviously. The most amazing, wonderful, perfect collection of books ever. Everyone loves Harry Potter, if you dot then you are definitely wrong... Without being to clichè these books changed my life, and without them I know that my life would be completely different. So yeah, no books will ever beat the love I have for Harry Potter. And, you know, it has Draco...

Meghan x