Lumos Wand Installation| CarenzaOnBooks

A few weeks ago, in the pouring rain, I visited the Lumos Wand Installation outside St Paul's Cathedral. I'm not sure if it's still there, but if it is, I would highly recommend that you go as it was really good. If it wasn't for the rain, I'd have really enjoyed it, but we got totally soaked.

A close up of Queenie's wand, which is one of my favourites.

A slightly blurry photo of Harry Potter's want.

Another slightly blurry photo of all the wands together.

Representatives for Lumos were selling the limited edition Newt Scamander pin, so I had to get one!

Fantastic Beasts- The Crimes of Grindelwald Movie Review| CarenzaOnBooks

It doesn't feel as though two years ago, I posted my blog post all about the first Fantastic Beasts film. I saw The Crimes of Grindelwald on its UK release date and it's safe to say I have some things to say. This post will be filled with spoilers for both of the movies so far, so if you haven't seen the movies, then I wouldn't recommend that you read this post.

Non-Spoiler Thoughts

Unlike the first Fantastic Beasts movie, I went in with very high expectations. The teaser trailers had been mind-blowing and so I was expecting a lot from this movie. However, once I had seen it, I have to admit I was a tad disappointed. A lot of the things that I loved about the first movie weren't in the sequel. That being said, I still enjoyed it and am very intrigued for the sequel. I plan on making a video all about my problems with this franchise as a few have cropped up since seeing the movie.  

  

Poster Review

I have to say that I do love the branding for this movie. The Deathly Hallows imagery has been very clever, especially in this poster with the Eiffel Tower becoming the Elder Wand within the symbol. Something worth noting is that the "Fantastic Beasts" part of the title is much smaller than it was in the poster of the first movie. This hinted that they are moving away from the beasts aspects of the franchise. 

Like last time, we also have to appreciate how beautiful the screenplay is. Designed by the incredibly talented MinaLima, it is even prettier than the first one.

Plot Overview

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans of raising pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings, Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.

Taken from Google

At the end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald was captured in New York with the help of Newt Scamander. But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escapes custody and sets about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore enlists Newt, his former Hogwarts student, who agrees to help once again, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.

This second original screenplay from J.K. Rowling, illustrated with stunning line art from MinaLima, expands on earlier events that helped shaped the wizarding world, with some surprising nods to the Harry Potter stories that will delight fans of both the books and films.

Taken from Goodreads 

Character Chat and Opinions

Main Characters
We have to start this section by talking about Newt. Newt is still my favourite character in the FB universe. I feel as though he has grown as a character between the two movies and this was something I was very happy to see. Since the publication of his book, he has become famous, but you can sense that he doesn't want that. Newt's relationship with Tina is adorable. I hope they get together in the next movie because the scene in the French Ministry of Magic was so cute. They're perfect for each other.

Speaking of Tina, I feel as though we didn't see that much of her in this movie and all the things I loved about her from the first movie had gone. That being said, the scene with her and Theseus in the French Ministry of Magic was incredible. Her reaction to Queenie joining Grindelwald was heartbreaking and I really hope they fix their relationship.

Jacob is another character I adore. As the only No-Maj of importance in the movie, I feel as though he is there in part to provide comedy. His character has developed since the first movie, but I can't help but feel he is the comedic release within the movie. His relationship with Queenie was so cute and I was heartbroken when they split up over Grindelwald. I'm not sure if they have a future together anymore, but I really hope they do.

Queenie as a character in this film was one I liked far less than the first movie. In places, she came across as selfish and unkind. These traits in her made it unsurprising that she joined Grindelwald by the end of the movie. I feel as though she doesn't want to kill all the muggles as Grindelwald does, but that she feels that it is the only way she can be with Jacob in a time when magical and non-magical people weren't allowed to be together.

Grindelwald was an interesting new addition to the main cast. I personally found him a much more convincing villain than Voldemort. There were far more layers to him and why he wanted to overtake the Muggles than I thought there would be. I am interested to see where his character goes over the course of the remaining movies. One of his key skills is how good a manipulator he is, as we see with Queenie, he can turn anyone to his side.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, was a character we saw very little of. I feel as though we are going to get to know this new version in the later movies. Jude Law did a fantastic performance as an already existing character. I feel as though we have learnt more about Dumbledore and that there are more layers to his character than before.

Credence was one hundred per cent the central character in this movie. He has developed well between the two movies and it was interesting seeing him as a much stronger individual. I have to say that I disliked his ending in the movie and I found it unbelievable. I will touch upon this later in my review.

Supporting Characters 
With a new movie, comes new supporting characters and I have picked some of my favourites to discuss in this post.

Theseus was a character that I ended up liking. From the trailers, I thought I wouldn't like him, but he's another interesting character. His relationship with Newt progressed really nicely throughout the course of the film. You can see that, even though they are polar opposites, they still care for each other and Theseus will do anything for his little brother. 

Leta was a character I was interested to learn about, but I'm so sad about what happened to her. She was a really well-developed character and her death caught me off guard. Her last line could have been to either Theseus or Newt, but I believe it was to both as they are the only people who really loved her.

Leta's half-brother Kama was another interesting character. Overall, I wasn't sure how I felt about him as he seemed hell-bent on revenge, but he was ultimately a good guy. I feel as though he was there in part for a lot of back story and didn't really have his own fleshed out character.
 
Nagini was a character we knew was going to be involved from the trailers. I think it would have been more effective if they hadn't shown her in the trailers. I personally felt that she was very underused and very much a supporting character. In future movies, I would love to get to know more about her.

Before going to see CoG, I rewatched Fantastic Beasts and Abernathy just seemed like an ordinary wizard. I didn't expect him to join Grindelwald, but it made for some interesting moments in the film.

A lot of people were very excited to see Nicholas Flamel in the film and so was I. I loved that he was this frail old man, but still a very powerful wizard. Hopefully, we'll get to see him some more in future movies.

The Wizarding World
The setting of Paris was by far my favourite setting in the Wizarding World. Personally, I love Paris in general so seeing it in the 1920's and in the magical community was incredible. It was everything I imagined it would be.

Something else I loved was seeing the Ministry of Magic again. It was still familiar from the Harry Potter films, but it had new touches. I loved the bits with the House Elves cleaning the windows as it reminded you of why Newt is trying to change wizard's attitudes towards beasts.

Newt's expanded case was another great addition to this world. The baby Niffler's were incredible. I read an interview with Eddie Redmayne saying that he believed Newt didn't sleep in his house but in the expansion of Newt's case.

Production and Plot 
Ultimately, I found this film enjoyable but felt that the plot was woolly in places. This was definitely setting up for later action in the series and as a film, it suffered from the second instalment slump in my opinion. I also feel as though my excitement was so high that in the end I couldn't help but be let down. A few people have pointed out that half the scenes we saw in various teaser trailers never made it into the movie and therefore moments fans were looking out for, never showed up.

In truth, it was the ending of the film that really swayed me. I feel as though it has gone completely against what JK Rowling has been telling us for the past twenty-one years. The revelation that Credence is a Dumbledore undermines the original Potter stories and I am interested to see how it is fixed in the later movies. I personally do not believe he is Dumbledore's brother as it is impossible for him to be his brother due to Dumbledore's parents being dead many years before Credence was even born.
 
Another issue that I had was that the timelines between the Potter films and these films has been totally medelled with. It is impossible for McGonagall to be a teacher at Hogwarts in 1927 as she isn't born until the late 1930s. Many have suggested that it is her mother, but this is something I don't believe. I think it was a nice attempt at a nod to the Harry Potter series, but it ultimately failed.
 
Something I adored about this film was the beautiful cinematography. As we have established in my last Fantastic Beasts review, I am not a specialist in this field and am terrible at explaining how good it is. The quality is beautiful and it makes me very happy to see these movies improving each time they are released.

Another thing that was great was the special effects. Even though the beasts are not real, as a member of the audience you are convinced that they are 100% real because the CGI is that good. The Nifflers and Picket stole the show and are still my favourite beasts.

The level of detail that the behinds the scenes team put into these films is jaw-dropping. As someone who eventually wants to work in the creative industry as either a script-writer or director, this is something I appreciate immensely. You as a member of the audience are never forced to imagine anything because it is right there in front of you. I would love to wander around these sets and look at every little thing because it truly unbelievable of how detailed they are.

To conclude, I loved this film but I can't deny that it doesn't have it's issues. I feel as though with the last Fantastic Beasts, I went in with no expectations and loved it. With this one, I went in with very high expectations and sadly they weren't met. I think this series is going to continue to get darker and I am interested in seeing how it moves forwards.

October Favourites| CarenzaOnBooks

Another month has come and gone, which can only mean one thing- it's time for another favourites post. October seemed to fly by and so when looking on what favourites I had for this month, it took a few moments to come up with this list.

Books

Despite the fact that I read so many books in October, I wouldn't say that I read any that will definitely make it on to my favourites list at the end of the year. That being said, I did read A Study in Charlotte and The Last of August, both by Britanny Cavallaro. I really enjoyed both stories and am eager to continue on with this series. I am a huge fan of the Sherlock stories in general, so getting my hands on new adaptations is always exciting.

Culture

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina aired on Netflix at the end of October and I watched all bar one episode in October. I've never seen the original series, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, so I can't comment on the differences between the two adaptations. I loved this show so much and I'm very excited for season two. Kiernan Shipka is an incredible actress and her look at the end of the series is incredible.

Bits'n'Bobs 

At the end of September, I bought a mini Billy bookcase from Ikea for my university room because I had filled up all the shelving space that there was in my room. It has been an absolute godsend and it was only £25. I use it for most of my uni course books and it even has space on the bottom for my folders. It was a well worthwhile purchase.

Carenza x

Harry Potter Items I Use in My Everyday Life|CarenzaOnBooks

Being a Harry Potter fan is great because there are so many items I can use in my everyday life. There are quite a few that I use every day and I thought I'd share with you guys which items they are.

Laptop Case

An item I use every day is my Harry Potter laptop case. I got mine on Redbubble where there are thousands upon thousands of different designs. I believe it was around the £18-£25 mark and it is excellent quality. The case itself is really padded and the material the design is on is really high quality. I would highly recommend laptop cases from Redbubble as they are good quality and have a wide range of designs. 

 

Moleskin Diary/Planner

For my birthday back in August, my best friend bought me a Harry Potter 2018-19 planner. It is honestly the best thing I've ever received because I use it every single day. It's well designed so you have a space to write things in every day as well as a whole blank page for notes. I use mine for keeping a track of my finances as well as what homework and lectures I have that week. I know they have released a wide range of designs in various sizes, so if you are looking for a diary/planner then Moleskin is the place to look.

  

Bedding 

An obvious item that I use every single day is my Harry Potter bedding. Like most people in the Harry Potter community, I bought mine in Primark for a fairly cheap price for bedding. The bedding is always great quality and there is a wide range of designs.

Tea Towels

Something else that I use every single day are my Harry Potter tea towels from Primark. Again, these are super affordable and come in a wide range of designs. Personally, I have the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw double pack and it cost me £5.

 

Coasters

Harry Potter coasters are something I'm gathering a small collection in. I have two in my uni room and I use them both every single day. I have one on my desk and one on my bedside table. Like the items from Primark, they are fairly inexpensive. 

My University Reading Nook| CarenzaOnBooks

Since moving to University a month ago, I have created a little reading nook in my room. I've always wanted a little reading nook and I'm very proud of how this one turned out. I thought I'd share with you how you can turn your university room into the perfect reading space as that was something I was very keen to do when I moved out.

An overview of my reading nook in my university bedroom

Blankets and Cushions

The first stage for me was to add lots of cushions and blankets. I have always been a fan of cushions and blankets. If you go back to some of my earlier blog posts, you will see that from my old bedroom. For me, cushions and blankets can add so much to a space. They make it feel more cosy and welcoming. All the ones in these pictures I have bought from Primark, proving that to have a cosy and fandom themed room doesn't need to be expensive. I've also added some cuddly toys because who doesn't love cuddly toys? Also, my giant Totoro plush is incredible and well worth the £34 I spent on it in Edinburgh.

My Harry Potter cushion collection and some cuddly friends

    

Fairy Lights

Again, I have always been a sucker for Fairy Lights. Not pictured, but I do have some Pumpkin fairy lights on my bookcase. At night, fairy lights add to the cosy environment and there is nothing greater than curling up in bed with a good book and turning on my fairy lights. I managed to pick up both of these sets for under £10.

Top set- Amazon

Bottom set- Primark, Harry Potter potion bottle fairy lights

 

Posters and Decorative Things 

Even though I'm technically not allowed to have posters on the wall in my uni room, I've stuck up quite a few. I love posters. I'm always collecting new things to stick to my walls as without them, I found the walls here to be quite bland. I've mostly focused on the area around my bed as that's where I wanted the room to look its best. 

Posters from various places

Cosy but Practical 

As much as you want your reading nook to be cosy, it is also important to make sure it is practical and functions well. Make sure you are well supported by cushions as there is nothing worse than being uncomfortable while reading. Also, make sure it is well lit as it can cause damage to your eyes if you are straining to read.

A memory foam cushion to support me

A bedside lamp to make sure the area is well lit

August and September Favourites| CarenzaOnBooks

Once again, I owe you guys an apology. It's been ages since I posted on here and that's because I moved to University. I am now a Creative and Professional Writing student. I've been very busy (especially in September) moving to uni and then settling in. But now I've been here for a few weeks, I want to get back to blogging. My aim is to have at least one post a week up on here. My content won't be changing, but I will occasionally miss posts if I'm snowed under with uni work. Anyway, this post is my August and September favourites as August and September have been some of the best months of 2018.

Books

I read two really great books in August. The first was The Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. I had been dying to read this for ages and I finally picked up a copy. I can safely say that it lives up to the hype. It is a fantastic historical YA novel with amazing LGBT representation. I am so excited for the sequel The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, which is already out in America and is coming out in November in the UK.

Another great book I read in August was Autoboyography by Christina Lauren. Also a great LGBT novel, it was a heartwarming and quick read. I prefer TGGVV as I found Autoboyography predictable in places, but it didn't stop it from packing an emotional punch in places. 

When I moved out to University in the middle of September, my dad gave me a copy of Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G Wodehouse. We had watched the series (Jeeves and Wooster) when we first moved into our flat in 2016 and we began to rewatch it when I moved out. I read the book and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I definitely want to read more in the series as they are such fun and light-hearted books.

Culture

Over the summer I went to York Pop Up Theatre and saw two plays. The first was Romeo and Juliet, the second being Richard III. I really enjoy seeing Shakespeare plays and to see them in a theatre as close to the original theatres Shakespeare's audience would have seen them in. I'm hoping that they do another event like it in the future as it was a cool experience. 

If you've been a long time reader of mine, then you will know that I go to the Edinburgh Fringe every single year and this year was no different. This time, however, was the first time I spent overnight in Edinburgh and did two days of shows. I would love at some point in my life to go for a week and just immerse myself in the Fringe experience. I also got some cool merch such as a vintage style hoodie and the last Edinburgh Fringe teddy bear, which I have called Eddie.

 

I finally saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (both parts). I saw it for my birthday and it was incredible. I am 100% going to see it again before the cast changes as the cast I saw was amazing. Scorpius Malfoy is a precious little bean and I want to protect him with all my heart.

In September I moved to University. I have always wanted to go to University and so being able to finally do it was life-changing. I love the course I'm studying and my flatmates are amazing. I know this is going to be an incredible experience.

Since moving to University, I have been to the local Cat Cafe. Cat Cafes are the best invention and I wish there was one on campus. The cats were so cute and I can't wait to go back. Also, they did great hot chocolate.

Bits'n'Bobs

When I was in York I found a piece of clothing I had been looking for for ages- black dungarees. I had wanted a pair since I saw Bill from Doctor Who wearing them. They are so cute and if I could, I'd wear them every single day.

With the new Fantastic Beasts movie coming out, that means new FB pop funkos. The ones that I have so far are so cute and you can bet I'm going to be getting them all. At the moment, I only have Newt with me at uni, but the others are fabulous.

Speaking of Fantastic Beasts, the final trailer for the movie came out and it was jaw-dropping. A certain character reveal was completly out of the blue. I can't wait for the movie, you can bet I'm going to see it when it comes out.

For my birthday, my best friend got me a Harry Potter 2018-19 Moleskin planner and it has to be the best thing I received. I use it every single day and it was a godsend. I will be getting one of these when I finish mine as it is amazing. 

Anticipated Releases (Remainder of 2018)| CarenzaOnBooks

As the end of the year is slowly drawing closer and most of the books I was anticipated have been released, I thought it would be interesting to talk about the remaining few that I was looking forward to. I'm actually really behind on my anticipated releases, but hopefully, I'll have a chance to catch up during the remainder of the year. I've picked four that I am desperate to read.

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

This is a recent addition to my anticipated releases as I've only just read The Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue, which I adored. I am so excited for Felicity's story, she was amazing in TGGTVAV and I need more of her in my life. I'm hoping that there are more books in this series. As a side note, I plan on reviewing Gentlemen's Guide at some point in the near future on either here or my YouTube channel. 

  

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

Now this one is a bit of an odd one as I haven't read the first book, Strange the Dreamer, but I am determined to by the release of Muse of Nightmares. I've tried reading it a few times and I think I just need to set some time aside to fully engross myself in Laini Taylor's beautiful writing style. I am mainly interested in getting it during its release as I want the matching edition to my copy, but I am sure that I'll love this story.

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Having read books by both of these authors this year, I am excited to read their collaboration novel What If It's Us. I am slightly nervous about this one as they both have distinct writing styles and I just want this to be really cute and fluffy. I've heard some comments saying that it is predictable in places, but I am so excited for this cute YA novel. 

 

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

Obviously, my most anticipated release for the remainder of 2018 is Queen of Air and Darkness. I have already preordered two copies and I am probably going to end up with a third and fourth. This book is going to be amazing and I intend on setting aside some time to devouring it. I can't wait for it, can it be December 4th already??

Carenza x  

Disappointing Reads of 2018 (So Far)| CarenzaOnBooks

As a general rule of thumb in the book community, I feel as though we only talk about books we love or positively about books. But, I thought it would be interesting to talk about some of the books I have been left feeling disappointed.

Still Me by Jojo Moyes

This may come as a surprise to some of my longtime readers as I loved Me Before You when I first read it. But the sequels After You and Still Me were not on the same level as Me Before You. I managed to read it through the Overdrive, which I am now glad about as I'm not sure I'll be picking up a physical copy. I feel as though Louisa's story was well done in Me Before You and that the two sequels were milking the cow for all it's worth. This was still a good, fun book, I gave it 3/5 stars, but I just feel that it added nothing to her story. It followed the same pattern that the other two books and I was happy with Lou's story in the first book. 

Silence is Goldfish by Annabel Pitcher

Another author I have loved books from is Annabel Pitcher. However, I finally decided to pick up her most recent release (and the only book of hers I hadn't read), and I really didn't enjoy my time reading it. I found the characters irritating and was not invested in the story. I have a feeling that this is because it's been about four years since I read those books and I am a very different reader now. As I've matured as a reader, I feel as though Annabel Pitcher's book might not be as enjoyable if I picked them up now. I would recommend her first two novels, but there was something about Silence is Goldfish that I did not enjoy.

  

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

I have yet to read a Holly Black book that I enjoyed. I found The Darkest Part of the Forest alright and The Cruel Prince was no difference. I had a sampler from the signing I attended and I read it after that. I was so excited and when I finally picked it up, I was underwhelmed. I plan on continuing this series, but I'm going into it not expecting that much. 

 

Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings   

My most disappointing read of the year is Zenith. I was very excited to read this and now that I have read it, I wish I hadn't. I gave it 1.5/5 stars. To be nice, I'll say that I found it dull. The main plot of the novel was over in less than 100 pages and this novel was 500 pages. There were far too many P.O.V and the writing style made me cringe. I have no intentions of continuing this story and I can't help but feel disappointed by it.

Carenza x

July Favourites| CarenzaOnBooks

Another month has come and gone and we are now in August (the best month of the year, but I am biased as it's my birthday month). July went surprisingly quick and I had a really good month for cultural occasions.

Books 

I am continuing with my reread of the Harry Potter books. As you guys know, I'm a huge fan of the series and as I'm going to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for my birthday for the end of the month, I want to read all of the main books in the series. Now I may be falling behind on this, but I am going to try my hardest to catch up. I don't think I need to go into detail about how much I love Harry Potter at this point, it's fairly self-explanatory.

Culture 

I saw three great shows in July, the first being Translations at the National Theatre. By the time this post goes up, the run will be almost over (finished August 11th). I loved this show and its theme at heart. I don't want to spoil it, but if you are interested in Irish Culture, then I would highly recommend it.

Next, I saw The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Noel Coward Theatre in London. This is on till mid-September, I believe and is a very funny play. It's written by Martin McDonagh (who was the writer of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri). He is a very talented and humorous writer. I will say that it is very gory in places, but it is one of the funniest plays I have ever seen.

I was lucky enough to see a live broadcast of Everybody's Talking about Jamie in July and this has become one of my favourite musicals. It teaches such an important message about being yourself. Plus the songs are great and really catchy.

I'm almost finished with Mad Men. At the point of writing this, I have around five episodes left. I am so interested in seeing how they wrap up the series as I've become really invested at this point.

Poldark series 4 ending in July and oh boy was it an emotional series. Now, it wasn't my favourite series, but there were some good moments that I had been looking forward to and some unexpected moments. I am looking forward to series 5, even though it is going to be the last one.

Bits'n'Bobs 

I got a new  Harry Potter Mystery Mini in July and it was the Hungarian Horntail! I've been wanting this one for ages and I'm so happy I have it. I think the minis are adorable and one day, I'd love to have a full set but I know that will be very expensive.
Carenza x

Welcome to PotterlyMad!|CarenzaOnBooks

As you guys know by now, I am a huge Harry Potter fan and that is why I have decided to start a Harry Potter Instagram account- potterlymad. I've fallen out of love with Bookstagram, so I'm trying the Harry Potter side of the community.

What that means for here is that I plan on posting some Harry Potter content at least once a fortnight. I've been brainstorming ideas and I'm really looking forward to this new chapter of blogging. I know that in 2018 I haven't been the best at posting, but I'm doing this as this is content I am excited to make. I am still going to be posting regular bookish content on here, but there is going to be more Harry Potter content.

I hope this is something that you are also excited about and I look forward to sharing my huge passion for Harry Potter with you guys.
Carenza x

Totally Should've Book Tag| CarenzaOnBooks

I know I've already done a book tag this month, but I was in the mood to do another one and after searching through BookTube I found the "Totally Should've" book tag, created by EmmaBooks. I've wanted to do this tag for a while and so I thought why not do it today?

1)Totally should've gotten a sequel

Last year I read Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu and I loved it. I would love to read more books from that world. It was such an empowering read and I wish there were more books like it.

2)Totally should've had a spin-off series

The obvious answer here is the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. I think that myself and the rest of the Harry Potter fandom would love as many spin-offs as possible. I would particularly love a series about the Marauders- I need more Lupin and Sirius in my life.

3)An author who totally should write more books

Hands down, Angie Thomas. I loved The Hate U Give so much and I can't wait to see the movie adaptation. I know she has another book coming out next year, but I would happily read anything she publishes.

4)A character who totally should've ended up with someone else

The only one I can think of is from the Harry Potter universe and that is that I would have loved Luna and Neville to end up together. They did it beautifully in the films, but I would have loved them together as a little pair of adorable oddballs. Also from the Harry Potter universe, I would have loved from Albus and Scorpius to end up together. They were so cute and clearly meant to be. 

5)Totally should've ended differently

I think quite a few people will agree with me on this, but I didn't like the ending of Allegiant by Veronica Roth. Without spoiling it, a certain character shouldn't have died. 

6)Totally should've had a movie franchise

Any book Adam Silvera writes should become a movie. I would love to see all of his current releases (and any future ones) on the big screen. 

7)Totally should've had a TV show

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern would make an incredible TV show. I would love to see someone turn it into a TV show at some point in the near future. 

8)Totally should've had one point of view

Allegiant again. The multiple perspectives made it obvious that that one character was going to die at the end. Also, the two voices were far too similar, half the time I didn't know which was which. 

9)Totally should have a cover change

I genuinely can't think of any books where I would change the cover. I love all the covers I have and none of them needs changing in my opinion. 

10)Totally should've kept the original covers

The Wrath and the Dawn duology by Renee Adieh. I loved the original covers, but the new ones, in my opinion, aren't great. 

11)Totally should've stopped at book one

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. I've read the first two books, and probably won't be continuing with the rest as I really didn't like the series.

Carenza x

A Very Potter Day- December 2017| CarenzaOnBooks

This is a post I've wanted to write for a while but never got around to until now. Back in December of last year, my mother and I went to London for the day to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (part one only) and subsequently, made a day trip out of it. We did so many amazing things and I really wanted a way of remembering this day, besides the photos I took and the merch I obviously bought.

We started the day with two exhibitions; one at the Courtauld Gallery and one at the National Gallery. Although I can't remember the specifics of the exhibitions, I knew I really enjoyed them. We had to go them fairly quickly as we wanted to get to the Palace theatre for about 1 pm (an hour before the show started).

We ended up at the theatre an hour and a half early, thankfully ending up under the sheltered part as it was raining on and off. At the time, I didn't know that the House of MinaLima was around the corner and as a part of a promotion, they were handing out leaflets for it. Mum and I decided that we would head there after the show.

Once we had been let inside, my first point of call was the shop. I had been saving this money since my birthday in August and I planned to spend it. I have a whole video about it on my YouTube channel, which documents what I got. But to put it simply, I bought almost everything I had had my eye on.

The interior of the theatre was beautiful. We were sat at the very top of the theatre and my fear of heights definitely kicked in as the seats were very sloped. The performance was incredible and I can't wait to go again in August. I've been going to the theatre since I was six years old, but some of the tricks they used to make it look like magic left me with my mouth wide open.

Once the show had finished, we did a final bit of shopping in the theatre and then we went to the House of MinaLima. I'd never been before as I thought it had closed down for some reason. If you are a Harry Potter fan, then I highly recommend going. It's free to go in and has an amazing gift shop. It's so interesting learning about how they designed all the props for the Harry Potter movies. I bought three postcard packs and a badge. I plan on going back in August as it was wonderful.

Our final shopping destination was Tottenham Court Road Primark. I'd walked past it on several occasions, but had never been in. I managed to get some of the items, such as the Potion Bottle fairy lights and the house bunting, that I had been wanting for ages. Primark is a great place for getting cheap merch and their homeware section (my fave) is amazing.

We had tea at GBK and then headed to the train station via Waterstones as we're both huge bookworms and had time to kill. I think we ended up buying six books between us. We didn't get home till quite late, but it was such a magical day.
Carenza x

The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag| CarenzaOnBooks

As we are already over halfway through the year, I thought it would be interesting to look back at my reading year so far. This year has been the best reading year I've had in a while as I've been pushing myself to read more. I've seen this tag floating around the book community and thought that I would do it myself.

1) Best Book You've Read So Far

I'd have to go with Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman. There was so much hype around this book with the movie coming out and so I decided to read it. I read it in one day because it was so beautiful and I was engaged in the story so much. I really want to watch the movie so badly to see how accurate it is.

2) A New Release You Haven't Read, But You Want To

I've been really strick with my book buying this as I've been trying to be responsible with my money (trying being the key word), but a new release I was really excited about but haven't bought is Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I've heard so many good things about this book and I think I'll really enjoy it.

3) Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of The Year

Obviously, it has to go to Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare. I've already pre-ordered two copies and am probably going to get another two. I have been waiting for this book ever since I finished Lord of Shadows. I'm dying to read it!

4) Biggest Disappointment Of The Year

I know this book is a bit like marmite; you either love it or hate it and for me, I fall into the latter. I was very excited for Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsey Cummings, but oh boy did this book fall flat. I gave it 1.5 stars. I really did not like it and will 100% not be continuing with it. To be nice to it would be to say it was dull. There were very few redeeming qualities to this book (the only one I can think of is the ending).

 

5) Biggest Surprise Of The Year So Far

Hands down, the biggest surprise of the year was Let Me Tell You About A Man I Knew by Susan Fletcher. This book was beautiful. The only reason it wasn't my favourite of the year so far was that I didn't like the ending. But, her writing is beautifully poetic and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

 

6) New Favourite Author

I struggled with this as I've read a lot of new authors this year, but I wouldn't call any of them my favourite. But if I was to choose, I would say Neal Shusterman. I picked up the Scythe series and have read both the books that are out. I really enjoyed this series and was pleasantly surprised by finding a good dystopian novel.

 

7) Your Newest Favourite Character

Honestly, I find it very hard to pick favourite characters as I tend not to get too attached to them. But Simon Spier does hold a special place in my heart. I've yet to see the movie, but I flew through Simon Vs the Homosapiens Agenda in one day. He's a good egg, in my opinion.

8) A Book That Made You Cry

The only book I have cried it is a reread of Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. I don't cry that easily at books, but there's one scene that gets me every time. It might have also been because I read this scene at about 3am when I couldn't sleep.

9) A Book That Made You Happy

I would say that reading The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed made me happy. This book was so inspiring due to its feminist content. I would love to read more books by Amy Reed as The Nowhere Girls was fantastic.

10) The Most Beautiful Book So Far

Cover wise, I would say The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (I didn't like the actual book though), content wise, I read A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway and that book is good. I love the 1920s and so reading about so many great authors in Paris makes my heart sing. I really want to go back to Paris now I've read this book.

May and June Favourites| CarenzaOnBooks

Once again, I've fallen behind on posting on here. Exams were life-consuming and I've been slowly adjusting to not being in college. I'm hoping to get better at posting on here, but I won't make any promises as I don't know what the future has in store. But as I've missed posting on here, I thought I'd come back with a favourites post as I love favourites. I'm going to combine May and June as I haven't posted a favourite post for either.

Books

My favourite books I read in the months of May/June were the Poldark books by Winston Graham. I've only read books 1-5, but I'm loving them. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the TV show, so I decided to give the books a go. I'm currently taking a break from them as books 6-7 cover the most recent series and I want to watch the series before I read the books. 

Culture

I finished my rewatch of Merlin in June and it was amazing. I cried at the final episode and I know at some point I'll rewatch it. I still can't believe that the first series came out ten years ago. 

I also continued watching Mad Men and I'm definitely more invested in the storyline now. Series 3-4 have been my favourite so far, but I am loving the direction the series is going in. I'm hoping to finish it before I go to university in September.  

Poldark series four started in June and so far I'm loving it. It's not my favourite series of the Poldark franchise, but any excuse to watch Poldark is good for me. I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends. 

I saw The Happy Prince in June and I really enjoyed it. Oscar Wilde is someone I'm interested in, but I know very little about his life. It was a beautiful film and if you are interested in Oscar Wilde, then I would highly recommend it. 

Bits'n'Bobs 

It will probably come as no surprise that I have got new Pop Funkos on this list. I'm always adding new Pops to my collection and with the newest wave being announced, it will continue to expand. I don't know what I'll do when I go to university as I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford them.

shop

While in Liverpool, I bought some new earings for the first time in ages. I'm allergic to anything but gold or silver, which makes getting earings expensive. Thankfully, these were about £13, which for one pair is still expensive. Nevertheless, I think they're beautiful and they were a bit outside of my comfort zone fashion-wise.

So that concludes my belated favourites posts. I'm slowly trying to get on top of my posting schedule again, but it may take some time for me to get back to posting once a week on here.

Carenza x  

Why I Love Reading| CarenzaOnBooks

Reading has been a part of my life for as long as I could remember. As a child, my parents would have to prize books out of my hand to get me to sleep and once they had left the room, I would go and find them again. Reading was something I enjoyed and, growing up just as social media was beginning to expand, reading was the only way I had to entertain myself as a child.

I've always had a bookshelf in my room. As a child, it held all the Beatrix Potter books I owned and I would read the ones I enjoyed the most over and over. When I got my first CD player, I would fall asleep to the sounds of audiobooks. I've lost count of how many times I listened to Juliet Stevenson read me Jane Eyre. If the CD finished, I would climb down from my bunk bed and put the next CD on.

Coming from a family of readers, you could say that reading was in my blood. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood are reading the Harry Potter books with my family and listening to them on road trips to various holiday destinations across the country. When I would stay at my Gran's house, I would demand that she read me a book before I'd go to sleep.

Books have been something I've gravitated towards more and more in recent years. With the recent book to movie adaptations of The Hunger Games, Divergent and City of Bones, my eyes were opened to the world of YA. For my 15th and 16th birthday, I went book shopping and picked up so many books I want to read...let's ignore the fact that half of them are still unread.

While YA is the main age range I read, I have started to read more modern fiction such as the Poldark series. I've also started to love reading scripts as a part of my passion for the theatre. The last two years, I've only read 60 books a year. But now, I've read almost 40 and we're not even halfway through the year.

To answer the title of this post, why I love reading, simply, there is nothing quite like it. Books will be there on days when I feel like no one is and I can travel to far away places from the safety of my bed. As Stephen King says "books are a uniquely portable magic".
Carenza x

April Favourites| CarenzaOnBooks

Another month has come and gone, which means once again it's time for a favourites post. April, to me, seemed to vanish in a blink of an eye. I feel like I spent the majority of it revising as my exams slowly but surely creep up on me. As far as favourites go, there wasn't that much new things in my life, so a lot of these will have featured in past favourites posts. I also have a confession- there will be no book favourite for the month as I had an awful reading month and didn't particularly enjoy any of the books I read. 

Culture

I went to London on my first solo trip to see The Kiss of the Spiderwoman- a new adaptation of a play that was once a book, but then it was a film and briefly a musical. It stared Samuel Barnett, who played Dirk Gently in the Netflix adaptation. I knew very little about it before going, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sadly, it was only on for a short amount of time and is no longer being performed. 

Even though I saw it on the very last day of April, I've decided to include it in my April favourites and that is Avengers: Infinity War. I'm not as invested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but this film was one of the best ones and definitely didn't end how I thought it would. I am looking forward to the films to come.   

Bits'n'Bobs

I'm not really a clothes/fashion person, but in April I picked up two new clothing items that I love. The first is a black denim jacket from the Men's section at New Look. As we are transitioning towards the warmer months in the UK, I needed a lightweight jacket for those days when it was still on the cold side. I love it to pieces and it's become a staple piece of clothing in my wardrobe.

The next item was something out of my comfort zone- a mustard yellow jumper. I wasn't sure if yellow was a colour that looked good on me, but I've come to love it and for once it adds a bit of colour to my wardrobe (I'm a monochrome kind of gal). But the reason I picked it up was because it says Avid Reader's Club on it. I had been looking for something that expressed my love of books and this was the perfect thing.   

So that concludes my rather short April favourites, I can't promise that May will be a better month, but once my exams are over, everything should go back to normal (ish).

Carenza x

City of Glass Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- City of Glass
Author- Cassandra Clare
Series- The Mortal Instruments
Published- 2009
Page Count- 492 pages (UK Paperback)
Publishing House- Walker Books
Rating- 5/5 stars 

About the Author

Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Teheran, Iran and spent much of her childhood travelling the world with her family, including one trek through the Himalayas as a toddler where she spent a month living in her father’s backpack. She lived in France, England and Switzerland before she was ten years old.

Since her family moved around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book under her arm. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles where she used to write stories to amuse her classmates, including an epic novel called “The Beautiful Cassandra” based on a Jane Austen short story of the same name (and which later inspired her current pen name).

After college, Cassie lived in Los Angeles and New York where she worked at various entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids where she reported on Brad and Angelina’s world travels and Britney Spears’ wardrobe malfunctions. She started working on her YA novel, City of Bones, in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favourite city. She turned to writing fantasy fiction full time in 2006 and hopes never to have to write about Paris Hilton again.

Cassie’s first professional writing sale was a short story called “The Girl’s Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord” in a Baen anthology of humour fantasy. Cassie hates working at home alone because she always gets distracted by reality TV shows and the antics of her two cats, so she usually sets out to write in local coffee shops and restaurants. She likes to work in the company of her friends, who see that she sticks to her deadlines.

(Taken from Cassandra's Website)

Plot

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third instalment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

(Taken from Goodreads)

Opinions

This reread for me was a bit of a slow start as it took me a while to get into it. Usually, I fly through City of Glass, but it took me a while to get into it. I think it's because I'm a very different reader from when I first picked up the series back in 2013.  

The deaths in this book are so sad. When I first read City of Glass, I cried when Max died. It's one of the most brutal deaths I have read about in YA. The deaths in this book really tug on the heartstrings. I also felt really sad when Hodge died, even though he had betrayed the Shadowhunters, he hadn't done anything that warranted death.  For me, the relationships in this book are really well developed. There's the contrast in Jace and Clary's relationship from the beginning to the end of the book. Some of the things Jace did to protect Clary in this book actually made things worse. I also felt like there was a change in Clary and Isabelle's relationship as they were starting to act more like friends in this book. Simon and Jace's relationship was another one I enjoyed reading about.

But, by far the best relationship in this book was Magnus and Alec. I love them as a couple so much and I love that there is a prominent gay character in this series. They are adorable and it makes me so happy every time I read Alec overcoming his fear of coming out to his parents.  

In all truthfulness, I don't feel as though I have as much to say about City of Glass. Maybe it's because it's been a while since I read it, but I feel as though City of Glass is a make or break book for me, and this time round, my reread was somewhere in the middle. Carenza x

Belated March Favourites| CarenzaOnBooks

I know it's nearly the end of April, but it just dawned on me that I hadn't posted my March Favourites. For me, life is a bit hectic at the moment with my exams creeping ever nearer. I'm trying to get back on top of blogging content, but there will be times when there are gaps, unfortunately. As far as I can remember, March was a very good month for me. I saw lots of amazing films and got back into my love for TV series. 

Books

My favourite book of March was Sycthe by Neal Shusterman. The sequel is already out, but it doesn't come out until May 3rd in the UK. I haven't enjoyed a dystopian style novel in a long time, so when I picked this up and flew through it, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't want to put it down. I had a really good reading month in March, but ironically, I'm having a terrible reading month in April. 

Culture

I saw Lady Bird in March and I flipping loved it. I actually wrote a whole blog post about it, so if you want to read it then click here. At this point in my life, it is very relevant. I am going through the process of applying to university and deciding what I want to do with my future. The acting is phenomenal and the soundtrack is incredible. 

I'm pretty sure I saw Black Panther in March, but it might have been February, but as I didn't include it in my February favourites, I thought I'd talk about it now. I thought it was a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's not my personal favourite, but I did really enjoy it.

I have a lot of favourite TV series for March. Starting with Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency on Netflix. Again, this is a series I have a blog post all about, so click here to read it. I'm already on my third rewatch. I love it so much. It is quite possibly my favourite TV series of all time. I could watch it on repeat like an upturned turtle. I am very sad that they cancelled it. 

I have been watching Mad Men and I feel like I've finally got into it. I wasn't the biggest fan of series one and two, but I loved series three and four. I feel fully invested in the characters and I'm excited to see where it goes for the final three seasons.

I mentioned this in my February favourites, but I am still loving Merlin. I'm about to start the final series and I really don't want my rewatch to be over. I think it's an incredible show and it reminds me so much of being a child and watching it on the weekends as each new episode was released. 

Bits'n'Bobs

My new favourite bits'n'bobs have to be the two newest editions to my Pop Funko family; Ron and Ginny on broomsticks. I am going to be posting some Harry Potter inspired photos on my instagram (@carenzaonbooks) as I'm in the biggest Harry Potter mood. I think these are great editions to the collection and I just can't wait to keep on growing my collection. 

So that concludes my March favourites, I am going to try and get back on top of my posting schedule, especially with my Shadowhunter Chronicles reviews. 

Carenza x    

City of Ashes Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- City of Ashes
Author- Cassandra Clare
Series- The Mortal Instruments
Published- March 2008
Page Count- 453 (UK paperback)
Publishing House- Magaret K McElderry Books
Rating- 5/5 stars

About the Author

Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Teheran, Iran and spent much of her childhood travelling the world with her family, including one trek through the Himalayas as a toddler where she spent a month living in her father’s backpack. She lived in France, England and Switzerland before she was ten years old.

Since her family moved around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book under her arm. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles where she used to write stories to amuse her classmates, including an epic novel called “The Beautiful Cassandra” based on a Jane Austen short story of the same name (and which later inspired her current pen name).

After college, Cassie lived in Los Angeles and New York where she worked at various entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids where she reported on Brad and Angelina’s world travels and Britney Spears’ wardrobe malfunctions. She started working on her YA novel, City of Bones, in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favourite city. She turned to writing fantasy fiction full time in 2006 and hopes never to have to write about Paris Hilton again.

Cassie’s first professional writing sale was a short story called “The Girl’s Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord” in a Baen anthology of humour fantasy. Cassie hates working at home alone because she always gets distracted by reality TV shows and the antics of her two cats, so she usually sets out to write in local coffee shops and restaurants. She likes to work in the company of her friends, who see that she sticks to her deadlines.

(Taken from Cassandra's Website)

Plot

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? Clary would love to spend more time with her best friend, Simon. But the Shadowhunters won't let her go--especially her handsome, infuriating newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil--and also her father. When the second of the Mortal Instruments is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor suspects Jace. Could Jace really be willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

(Taken from Goodreads)

Opinions 

City of Ashes is usually one of my least favourite books in The Mortal Instruments, but this time around I loved it. I'm usually hit with the second book slump at this point, but for the first time since I started reading TMI, I really enjoyed City of Ashes. I think it's because I've changed as a reader and I didn't enjoy City of Bones as much this time around.

Like City of Bones, I flew through it this time. I'm really enjoying flying through the books this reread. I haven't done a full read through in years, so I'm really enjoying it this time around. I'm finding details I don't remember from my original read. 

To me, you can see the development between City of Bones and City of Ashes. I think that City of Ashes has a slightly more sophisticated tone to it, it's definitely darker than City of Bones. You can see it in particular in the character development. It just goes to show how Cassie is an adaptable writer and just keeps on getting better with each book she publishes. 

  

I loved the new characters introduced in this book. Maia is a really great addition to the Shadowhunter gang, but it's only just struck me how much younger she is. I think she's about 14, whereas the others are 16-17. I really like how sassy she is. As much as I hate Imogen Herondale, I loved her character in this book as it was something we hadn't seen before in the series. I also really loved Max and the rest of the Lightwoods. You really get a sense of Alec and Izzy's upbringing before the books started.  

My favourite character in City of Ashes has to be Simon. Poor Simon! He deserves so much better than he gets. I'm still unsure of how I feel about Simon and Clary dating. I'm glad that it makes them happy, but I'm just unsure of how I feel about it. He then gets turned into a vampire and his whole world gets turned upside down. I just love Simon and he deserves so much better than he gets in this book. 

As with any of Cassie's books, they are very humorous. I found myself laughing to myself quite a few times. I do love Cassie's use of humour. I feel that she has the right balance between humour and seriousness. 

So that concludes my review of City of Ashes, like I mentioned in my last post, I will be continuing with these reviews until I have reviewed all the books released to-date.

Carenza x 

City of Bones Review- 2018 Edition (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- City of Bones
Author- Cassandra Clare
Series- The Mortal Instruments
Published- March 27th, 2007 (according to Google)
Page Count- 506 (UK Movie Tie-In Edition)
Publishing House- Walker Books Ltd (UK Movie Tie-In Edition)
Rating- 4/5 Stars
Note- This was a reread as a part of The Dregs Society read-a-long being hosted by the lovely Emmmabooks.

About the Author

Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Teheran, Iran and spent much of her childhood travelling the world with her family, including one trek through the Himalayas as a toddler where she spent a month living in her father’s backpack. She lived in France, England and Switzerland before she was ten years old.

Since her family moved around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book under her arm. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles where she used to write stories to amuse her classmates, including an epic novel called “The Beautiful Cassandra” based on a Jane Austen short story of the same name (and which later inspired her current pen name).

After college, Cassie lived in Los Angeles and New York where she worked at various entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids where she reported on Brad and Angelina’s world travels and Britney Spears’ wardrobe malfunctions. She started working on her YA novel, City of Bones, in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favourite city. She turned to writing fantasy fiction full time in 2006 and hopes never to have to write about Paris Hilton again.

Cassie’s first professional writing sale was a short story called “The Girl’s Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord” in a Baen anthology of humour fantasy. Cassie hates working at home alone because she always gets distracted by reality TV shows and the antics of her two cats, so she usually sets out to write in local coffee shops and restaurants. She likes to work in the company of her friends, who see that she sticks to her deadlines.

(Taken from Cassandra's Website)

Plot

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know... 

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride they never want to end.

(Taken from Goodreads)

Opinions

I think it comes as no surprise to anyone who has been following me on here for a while, that I am a huge fan of Cassandra Clare's work. This year, a YouTuber I admire is hosting a year-long read-a-long and of course, I knew I was going to take part in it. City of Bones was the book that introduced me to this magical world and the magical world of reading. A part of me will always love these books as they hold such a sentimental place in my heart. 

That being said, I did really enjoy it. It felt like I was reading it for the first time again and subsequently falling in love with this series again. There were a few moments were I wasn't enjoying it as much as I used to, but overall, City of Bones is a great first book in a series. It has all the things I personally look for in a first book in a series and does a really good job at establishing a fairly complex magic system. 

While I do love it, my opinions have changed since I first read it back in 2013. I was a very different reader back then and now I understand more about the reading world. One of the things I don't particularly like about CoB is how information-based it is (but I'll talk more about that in a later paragraph). As the novel is now around 11 years old, you can see how it reflects the vibes of the early 2000s. It definitely fits the trends of novels being released at the time of a person not knowing how they form a supernatural race of some sort. The characters to me feel a bit underdeveloped and there are times when I almost hate Clary and Jace because of how whiny and wingey they are. My favourite characters in this book are Simon and Magnus as to me, they have more layers to them than the others. 

   

At the time of picking this up, I was a bit under the weather and as, for once, I had the time to sit down and read, I flew through this book. I think I read it in 2 or 3 days, but you'll have to check my Goodreads to find out (I've been posting reviews for all the books I've been reading in 2018). I love that I was able to fly through it and also that it was so easy to fly through it. 

When compared with Cassie's latest novel (at the time of this being published, I'm comparing it to Lord of Shadows), you can see how far she has developed as a writer. Her style isn't as defined or for me, as engaging, I'm definitely a fan of her later works more than I am her earlier works. I always look forward to her new books and I think rereading them in preparation for Queen of Air and Darkness, I am going to be appreciating how much she has developed as a writer. 

As I mentioned earlier, one of the reasons I think I gave this 4/5 stars was because it is very info based. This is because it is establishing a system that is going to be spread across many different series, but to me, there were times when it became bogged down in the details rather than describing that characters feelings. There is a saying that I hear a lot in my Creative Writing classes and that is "show don't tell" and this is very much a show and no tell situation. It's probably my personal reading preferences, but I am not a fan of massive info dumps.

City of Bones used to be one of my favourite books in the series, however, this read I felt that it had probably become my least favourite in the series. I just didn't enjoy myself as much as I remember doing when I first read it. That being said, I still love this series. But, I found it a bit difficult jumping back into this series. 

So, my plan is to post reviews for all the books in this reread even if, like City of Bones, I already have a review up for it. I have a few to catch up on, but I will try and post them sporadically so this doesn't turn into just a Shadowhunters blog.

Carenza x