City of Ashes

Title: City of Ashes

Author: Cassandra Clare [Author Website][Shadowhunters Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Series: Mortal Instruments, Bk 2

ISBN: 9781416972242

Length: 453 pages

Obtained: Personal copy. I don't remember where or how.

Why this book?:

I had just finished the first book in the series, City of Bones, and I was curious, plus this was extra shelf space once I've read it.

Comments:

I don't know if it is because City of Bones was a debut book, or if I just wasn't clicking with the world-building, but I felt like this book was an improvement on the first.  I could relate more with the characters and actually ended up reading City of Ashes in one 3-4 hour sitting.

In book 1 Clary is scrambling to figure out what on earth is happening and recover her kidnapped mother.  In this book Clary is focused on stopping some ritual serial killings while figuring out her scrambled emotions.  I do have to be honest, the scrambled emotions part was so much better that bk 1.  There was a line by Jace that I found especially amusing and made all those scrambled emotions a little easier to swallow.

“I don't want to be a man," said Jace. "I want to be an angst-ridden teenager who can't confront his own inner demons and takes it out verbally on other people instead."

Anyway, I'm sure I'll be reading book 3, City of Glass, soon.  I made the mistake of reading the sneak peak for it and I own it.

City of Bones

Title: City of Bones

Author: Cassandra Clare [Author Website][Shadowhunters Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Series: Mortal Instruments, Bk 1

ISBN: 9781416955078

Length: 485 pages

Obtained: Personal copy.  I don't remember how I got it, though I'm sure it was used.

Why this book?:

As usual lately, I was looking to clear shelf space by reading something that has been in my TBR forever.  As the first in a series for which I have 3 (rather hefty) books, this seemed like a reasonable option.

Comments:

I have heard positive feedback from those who love this series.  And I've heard negative feedback from those who disliked it.  So I didn't know what to expect going in.  It wasn't hard to get into, which was a concern prior to starting it.  But I did think quite often throughout, "This book is LONG.  When is it going to end?"

I liked Clary well enough, but didn't really care about pretty much any the other characters.  I suspect this is part of what made it difficult.  She was having all this confusion about these characters that I didn't like or trust and rather thought she'd be better off avoiding.  On the other hand I understood she had a quest that she couldn't really do on her own.

Anyway, it must have hooked me more than I thought, because I went into reading the second book that same evening.

Moving Along...

How to Moon a Cat  (Cats and Curios Mystery, Bk 3) by Rebecca M. Hale (personal copy - purchased at Borders closing sale) - Better than book 2.  It was still from a plethora of perspectives including some odd one such as bricks in a wall and the moon.  Despite being better than book 2, I won't be reading more of this series.

No Such Thing as Dragons by Phillip Reeve (library copy) - Cute.  I enjoyed it.  I do wish it had ended differently, mostly because I had all sorts of ideas about how it could end while I was reading and the author didn't choose any of them. =)  Anyway, it's always a pleasure reading the occasional Children's book.  They can be such fun.

Clockwork Angel  (Infernal Devices, Bk 1) by Cassandra Clare (personal copy - purchased at Borders closing sale) - Interesting.  I was first drawn to the cover, which I fell in love with the first time I saw it over a year ago.  I have the first 3 of the Mortal Instrument series, but I'm waiting to read them until after I've read this series.  It's the whole prequel thing.

While I'm summing up my reading I should mention another author whose book's I've been enjoying.  Anna Dewdney.  Over the past month or two I've had the chance to read several of her children's books.  VERY cute.  I've enjoyed them and shared them with my family, esp. my 4 y.o. nephew and 2 y.o. niece.