Marry, Kiss, Cliff TAG

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare / Book Review

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare

☞ SPOILERS ☜ 

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, ParanormalSource: Own - hardcover

Summary: "Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Tessa Gray should be happy – aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shaodwhunters of the London Institute. 

A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. "

✰ REVIEW ✰

“We live and breathe words. .... It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them."

-Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess

When I started out on booktube, Cassandra Clare's books were always recommended to me so I bought The Mortal Instruments series, which I loved so much. Then I found out about The Infernal Devices and though I was very excited to read this prequel series, I initially thought that it cannot be better than TMI. 

Boy was I wrong.

▪PLOT, SETTING AND TMI CONNECTIONS▪


Whilst TMI books were very fast paced and action packed, TID is a much slower series, with action scenes scattered sparingly throughout the three books. However, I did not find this a disadvantage as it leaves more space for character-reader connections, character relationships, and background information.

I love, love, love the setting of this book! I, myself, live in England and to read about it from an earlier time period is so interesting and fun. Hearing names of places  that I've personally visited - such as Tenby in Wales - is really exciting. Also, the way the Shadow world is executed in this series was a lot clearer than the way it was done in TMI. Having said this, there is very little explanation about Idris and other aspects of the Shadowhunter history. 

There are many plot twists and surprises in this book including Jem becoming part of the Brotherhood and Tessa changing into angel Ithuriel (which if you have forgotten, is the angel that Valentine locked up in TMI) and these had such huge impacts on me and kept me reading all through to the early hours. 

Having mentioned angel Ithuriel, I have to credit Cassie for her connection of the two series: TMI and TID. From little to connections such as the white, star shaped mark Tessa's clockwork angel left on Will (later on appearing on Jace in TMI as he is a descendant of Will and Tessa) to big connections such as the portal being made by Henry and Magnus (which was annoyingly altered in the movie).  
There is no way magic was not involved whilst writing this series.


FAVORITE PARTS:

• Battle with Mortmain
• Magnus walking into Will and Tessa 

• Consul dying.
• Jessamine's fairwells
• The creation of the Portal
• "Oh him," he said. "This is Cecily's friend, Mr. Gabriel Lightworm."

▪CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS▪


My heart ached for the characters and I understood why they decided to do what they did - even the villains. Except Mortmain, of course.
Charlotte and Henry are so perfect for each other and I love the fact that men are not always the stronger ones in a relationship. In CP2, you could really tell that Charlotte and Henry loved each other and I just love their relationship.
Cecily reminded me a lot of Isabelle - the way she fought and how proud she was to be a shadowhunter. I loved her kick ass decisions and I was so happy that her and Gabriel's relationship worked out. 
Sophie and Bridget were very loyal and also bad ass characters and when Sophie ascended it brought tears to my eyes because that was what she had always wanted but felt that she could not ask for more than she was already getting. Charlotte and Sophie were very close and they felt almost like sisters; another great minor relationship Cassie decided to incorporate. 
Magnus. Magnus fricking Bane. Was he awesome or was he awesome. Loved how sophisticated he was and also how close he was to the shadowhunters. As glamorous as ever, Mr Bane;)
Jessamine! Her death was such a tear jerker. I missed her character throughout the rest of the book and kept imagining what she would have thought of Cecily and the Lightwood brothers.
Mortmain, Mrs Black and the automatons were so creepy. That's all there is to say.

So now let's move on to our amazing trio. These three characters are just amazing and I cannot imagine the book being written with any other character in their place.
Tessa. Will. Jem.
Will. Jem. Tessa.
Jem. Tessa Will.

Unlike the Twilight Saga or THG, I could not side with any of the love interests. The love triangle in this books is so unique. Those of you who hate love triangles will definitely not hate this one!
I loved Will as much as I loved Jem and vice versa. I wanted the best for both of them and I thought it was impossible and only one could be with Tessa. 
Jem was a darling. He was sweet and caring and reminded me a lot of Peeta (minus silver hair). I now have a slight obsession with learning Mandarin now! 
Will was snarky and cheeky but also very loving an vulnerable inside! After reading this series, Will has suddenly become the most sexy name on the planet. 
Their relationship with Tessa were both unique and they both had different connections to her.
Will through books. Jem through music.

"Wo ai ni." - Jem, Clockwork Princess

"Marry me and stay with me and never leave me, for I cannot bear another day of my life to go by that does not have you in it." - Will, Clockwork Princess

My favorite relationship in this book is actually the Jem-Will parabatai relationship. I cried a LOT during their scenes together!


"If there is a life after this one, let me meet you in it, James Carstairs." - Will, Clockwork Princess


"The world is a wheel. When we rise or fall, we do it together."
"Wherever we are, we are as one" - Jem, Clockwork Princess  

▪THE END▪

THE EPILOGUE. WHO EXPECTED THAT?

My heart after:

The epilogue was beautiful.
The epilogue was heartbreaking.
The epilogue was phenomenal.

The series could not have ended in any other way. Will had lived and died with Tessa by his side. A cure for Jem had been found, therefore enabling him to be freed from the Brotherhood, allowing him to finally be with Tessa after over a century of meeting up annually on Blackfriar's Bridge (which actually still exists now). 

The ending just blew me away and made me cry, laugh, smile and die all at the same time.
THE FEELS. THE FEELS.

"Come with me. Stay with me. Be with me. See everything with me. I have traveled the world and seen so much, but there is so much more, and no one I would go rather see it with than you. I would go everywhere and anywhere with you, Jem Carstairs." - Tessa Clockwork Princess 

Overall, Clockwork Princess was truly amazing and I enjoyed everything about it. It was sad, humorous, quirky, amazing and you are left speechless afterwards.
The characters and the story will remain forever in my heart and I wish I could somehow bring them to life so I can meet each one of them!



"Zhe shi jie shang, wo shi zui ai ne de." - Jem, Clockwork Princess 

In all the world, you are what I love the most.

RATING:✰✰✰✰✰

The War Inside by M. Kircher | Book Review

The War Inside (The Horizons Trilogy, #1)

The end of the world is only just the beginning. So eighteen-year-old Thea discovers when her solitary life on a dying Earth is shattered by a mysterious dream, a devastating choice, and a strange gift that propels her on a journey towards the restoration of all mankind.

Thea is bitter and alone; eking out her miserable life on the sunless, cloud-covered Earth she inhabits. A terrifying dream convinces her to save the life of an injured girl, and despite her misgivings, Thea decides to rescue sixteen-year-old Viviana. She soon learns that gentle Viv has a life-threatening infection, as well as a freakish patch of glowing skin over her heart. When this light spreads to Thea, causing her palms to glow, she is forced to trust Caden, an arrogant, lazy, and annoyingly handsome boy she utterly despises. Caden has a map to the last city on Earth, and the only place that might have a cure for both Viv's infection and the strange light on Thea's hands. As the trio embark on a journey through the barren wilderness, Thea and Caden discover, and try to fight, their mounting attraction to each other. Along the way they are joined by Rain, Naomi, and Enoch who explain that the light is not a curse, but a powerful gift meant to heal the polluted Earth and reconnect the remnants of humanity. When the group learns that Viv is the key to this planet-wide redemption, and that there are deadly shadows who will do anything to keep humans in the darkness forever, they each must make the difficult decision to help Viv fulfill her destiny...and save the world.

▪PLOT▪

I feel that the plot of this book started off very slow and it took me a while to get into it. I picked it up and put it down for a more fast paced book. However, I did push myself to pick it up again and I'm glad that I did because the pace did pick up after a while.
I would have liked a lot more action and since the title is "The War Inside", I thought there was going to be some kind of physical war. 
Also, the plot got a little confusing at times and the author contradicted a few facts that I tried to overlook because the writing was so beautifully done. There was so much description and it made me feel like I was looking at all these things in real life. Even the little things were described amazingly and I definitely credit the author for that.

▪CHARACTERS▪

The characters were a problem to me. They were really good characters, don't get me wrong. You could see that the author really spent time on these characters; developing and fine tuning them. 
However, I didn't feel them. I did not feel close to them and I couldn't relate to anything. The characters to me were just people I read about and for a book to be really good, I have to feel for the characters and suffer with them. In this book I just couldn't do that.
The reason for that is there was nothing of the character that I could grab and hold on to. Nothing that stood out. 
In a few month's time I will probably forget Thea and Caden. They are not the sort of character I would remember because of the lack of connection with the reader.

Overall, I give this book 3 stars. If the characters had more connection with the reader, I would have given it 4 stars. The writing was beautiful and overall a good read.

---- This is the first read and review I've ever done and found it really fun to do and definitely pushed me to read more books that aren't popular --- 

Bout of Books | Bookish Mad Libs Challenge!

It is the 5th day of the Bout of Books 8.0 Readathon. The end is near! I have enjoyed all the challenges and events this week. They have just been so fun and here is another one that I attempt to do.

To see the rules, prize and how to enter, click here: http://shaunesay.blogspot.co.uk/

  

A. Place name or type (from a book title) can be a proper name or noun like Italy or mountains B. Fave Villain (from a book - list title/series) C. Adjective (from a book title) (hot, cold, dark, etc.) D. Number (from a book title) E. Noun (from a book title) F. Fave Hero/Heroine you wouldn't mind spending a LOT of time with (from a book - list title/series) G. Dessert (from a book title) A: Shadow Forest by Matt Haig B: President Snow - The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins C: The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman D: 10 Reasons Not to Fall in Love by Linda Green E: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness F: Becky Bloomwood - Confessions of a Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella G: Candyfloss (heehee is this a dessert?) by Jacqueline Wilson

Help! I'm being held captive in the forest, by President Snow
It is very subtle here!
He is demanding 10 knifes to set me free!
I have just discovered that Becky Bloomwood was captured too!
On second thought, please send Candyfloss, and don't worry if you don't hear from us for awhile!

Much Love,

Micah xx

Bout of Books: Book Road Trip Challenge

Hi guys! So there are two challenges going on today for the 4th day of the Bout of Books and one of them is to create a book road trip list.
For the challenge, you have to find 5-10 places you would love to visit and choose a book (that you've read or want to read) that takes place in that place OR choose a book written by an author who lives/was born in that place.
Go and check out: http://www.stephwonderland.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/bout-of-books-book-road-trip-challenge.html
It was a super fun challenge and if you're officially signed up for the Bout of Books 8.0, you've got a chance of winning a September released book worth $15 on the Book Depository or Amazon. Yep...it's pretty awesome so start your list now and link it in the comments section of Stephanie's blog post! 


My Book Road Trip:

New York: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Australia: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Holland: (partly) The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Los Angeles: I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk
Italy: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Bout of Books TBR Pile Mini Challenge!

Click the link: http://musingsofabookshopgirl.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/bout-of-books-tbr-pile-mini-challenge.html

{ The Questions }

1.  Which 5 books are at the top of your TBR pile at this moment?

2.  If I gave you a wad of cash and sent you into a bookshop right now, which 5 books would you buy to add to the stack?

{ My Answers }

1. 

I read Clockwork Angel earlier this year and absolutely LOVED it. I am so excited to read this book but it's still coming in the post. As soon as it gets here, I am going to be reading it!

Clockwork Prince

by Cassandra Clare

I bought this book a week ago and it sounds like such an amazing book! I've heard a lot of good things about Michael Grant's writing and I'm excited to start reading his work.

Eve & Adam
by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

This book has been high on my TBR list for ages and I just never seem to get around to it. I've been recommended this book numerous of times and I think it's about time I start it!

The Knife of Never Letting Go 
by Patrick Ness







I bought this book because a friend recommended it to me. I never knew how popular it was on the booktube community until I included it in a haul video. I'm very excited to read it because everyone seems to like it and I want to know what it's like!

Slated
by Teri Terry

I saw this book on Pippit Bop's YouTube channel and when I saw it on the discount section of an online bookstore, I had to get it!
It sounds like an awesome book and I really can't wait to read it!

Before I Go To Sleep 
by S.J. Watson






2.  

These are the 5 books that I would definitely add to the stack! They all have amazing covers and would contribute well to my bookshelf and they would definitely be at the top of my TBR list!:D

Bout of Books 8.0 - Book Spine Poetry Challenge

If you could see me now,

Before I go to sleep.

Dark Flame. Midnight.

Beautiful creatures.

Gone. 

 This is one of the really awesome challenges for the Bout of Books 8.0 Readathon.

It was super fun to do and definitely got me thinking!  

Bout of Books 8.0 Readathon | UPDATES

This template was from http://sarahsaysread.com/ 

UPDATES

Monday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 162 pages
Total number of books I’ve read: None
Books I read from: Insomnia by J.R. Johansson, City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare & It's OK, I'm wearing really big knickers by Louise Rennison
#todayinsixwords: Stayed up late reading and eating. 

Tuesday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 113
Total number of books I’ve read: None
Books I read from: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare & It's OK, I'm wearing really big knickers by Louise Rennison
#todayinsixwords: Lots of distractions but must read.

Wednesday
Number of pages I’ve read today:
Total number of books I’ve read:
Books I read from:
#todayinsixwords:

Thursday
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#todayinsixwords:

Friday
Number of pages I’ve read today:
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#todayinsixwords:

Saturday
Number of pages I’ve read today:
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Sunday
Number of pages I’ve read today:
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#todayinsixwords:

Read-a-thon | Bout of Books 8.0 - TBR

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

The time has come for the Bout of Books Read-a-thon! This is actually the first Bout of Books that I am going to be participating in and I am super excited!

Here is my TBR list:

Catching Fire Trailer & Reaction

THE TRAILER IS OUT!
OUT!
OUT!
OMD! I DIED WHEN I WATCHED THIS!
If you have not yet watched it, click below and watch it!!

*No copyright intended*

NOW, for my reaction!
I look a mess but it had to be done!:)

Booktube-A-Thon #1

Hey!

It is the first day of the Booktube-A-Thon!! So excited! Here is a quick update and don't forget to comment what you're reading down below:):)

See you in a few dayss! 

The Elements Book Cover Tag

I'm doing a taggg:)

Original Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vne9UTL5TA

FreckleFairyFantasy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi0C9_4RIo4

This tag was really fun to do and I tag:

ABookADay: http://www.youtube.com/user/closet454/featured

SkeletonsOnMyShelves: http://www.youtube.com/user/SkeletonsOnMyShelves/feed

TheBookFanatics: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBookFanatics

** A new intro:) **

Have fun doing this and I'll talk to you soon:)

xoxo

Throwback Thursday

Cathy Cassidy was one of my favourite authors when I was younger. Ginger Snaps was an amazing book and it has been years since I last read it!

'You can make a wish come true, if you're determined . . .'
Gone are the days when Ginger was an outsider, always on the fringes of friendship. She's swapped puppy fat and pigtails for make-up and hair straighteners and never looked back - until now. Ginger and Shannon are best mates, but when they befriend lonely Emily, everything changes. Even the saxophone-playing boy in the trilby hat can't help - he's part of the problem. Are Ginger and Shannon drifting apart or can they stay best friends forever?

So very happy to get this from a friend and I shall be taking a trip down Memory Lane.

New Reads Wednesday

So I've decided to update you on some of my new reads. The Booktube-A-Thon starts next week and I have nothing to read between now and then, so I picked up some books from my shelf and from my library to start on these last few days of chilled-out reading. Once the Booktube-A-Thon starts I am going to be reading like a fast bunny (not like a slow turtle I always am).

1. Life at the Shallow End by Helen Bailey

Electra Brown can be very shallow. Her dad is having a mid-life crisis, her mom's given in to her daytime TV addiction, her little brother (aka The Little Runt) has been caught shoplifting Tampax and even Google the guinea pig's gone mental. But despite life going pear-shaped around her, all Electra can think of is whether green eyeliner complements or clashes with blue eyes!

Found it at my library and it looks like a very light, teenager-y read. If it's anything like Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging then I'm definitely excited to read it!

2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. 

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

I have this on my Kindle but my school library just recently got it so I decided to borrow it as I do enjoy reading 'real' books rather than ebooks. This is meant to be an amazing trilogy so I am excited to read it!

3. Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reid

Hephzibah: You've no idea what it's like having a freak for a sister. 

Rebecca: Born first, prettier, Hephzi's always been the popular one.

The Father: When he was busy with his bottle we were usually safe. Usually. 

The Mother: Her specialist subject was misery and lessons of painful silence ...

Hepzibah and Rebecca are twins. One beautiful, one disfigured. Trapped with their loveless parents, they dream of a normal life. But when one twin tragically dies, the other must find a way to escape. Because if she doesn't, she'll end up like her sister.

Recommended to me by an old friend and sounds like an interesting book. I don't know a lot about it but that just makes it more exciting to read!

4. Looking for Alaska by John Green

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

Just started this book and I love John Green after reading The Fault In our Stars so I'm pretty happy to be starting this book!

So those are my new reads, tell me down in the comments some of the books you've recently got and whether you've read any of these books before.