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 

Spell Your Name with Fictional Characters Book Tag| CarenzaOnBooks

I was tagged by the lovely Nicole from NewBookCatREADS to do the Spell Your Name with Fictional Characters Book Tag. As I have quite an unusual name, I thought this would be interesting to see what characters I can find for my name. I'm also going to be doing my username as a little bonus challenge. If you want to do this tag, then consider yourself officially tagged!

C- Clary Fray from The Mortal Instruments
A- Aelin from The Throne of Glass Series
R- Ron Weasley from The Harry Potter Series
E- Elrond from The Lord of the Rings
N- Newt Scamander from Fantastic Beasts
Z- Zara Dearborn from The Dark Artifices Series 
A- Alexander Lightwood from The Mortal Instruments

C- Cecily Herondale from The Infernal Devices
A- Aragog from The Harry Potter Series
R- Rowan from Scythe 
E- Evan Hansen from Dear Evan Hansen (the script)
N- Natasha from The Sun is Also a Star
Z- Zoya Nazyalensky from The Shadow and Bone series
A- Asher from Between the Blade and the Heart
O- Otis from Phantom Limbs
N- Neville Longbottom from The Harry Potter Series
B- Bilbo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings
O- Olivander from The Harry Potter Series
O- Oliver Wood from The Harry Potter Series 
K- Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games
S- Simon Spier from Simon Vs the Homosapiens Agenda 

I really enjoyed this tag as it was quite challenging not using characters from the same series (I did overuse the Harry Potter series quite a bit). Finding characters that begin with Z was the most challenging as I only knew one off the top of my head.

Carenza x