Book: City Of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Published March 2009 by Margaret K. McElderberry Books|413 pages

Where I Got It: nook store

Series: Mortal Instruments #3

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find City Of Glass on goodreads & Cassandra Clare on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

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 her best friend, 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 final installment of the New York Times bestselling The Mortal Instruments.

What I Thought:

I can’t believe I’m halfway through this series already!  So far, the series has been pretty constant, which is good, because I have a general idea of what to expect, but at the same time, I keep hoping for something unexpected to happen.

Jace and Clary finally learn they are not siblings after all (which isn’t that surprising), and who her real brother is.  And at least Jace and Clary can be together without the ick factor of being related.  Those two things were pretty predictable, and it was a matter of when they would be revealed.  And I can’t remember if we see Clary’s mother when she’s not in a coma or whatever (if we do, it’s totally not memorable).  I’m not sure how I feel about her, because I’ve gotten used to her not being around.

In order to save Clary’s mother, we finally get to go to the City Of Glass.  Sadly, I wasn’t impressed with this city that’s supposed to be amazing.  I’m not sure if it’s because of all of the build-up surrounding the City or it just wasn’t described very well (because it wasn’t, in my opinion) or if it’s just because we spent of the book in a couple places.  Or some combination of factors.

There’s a lot of action, and there is also quite the battle as Valentine continues his quest to take over the Shadowhunter world.  It doesn’t end well for him, of course, and I’m definitely glad he’s no longer around. Still, I’m not completely convinced that he’s truly dead, even though it seems pretty permanent.

Here’s what I’m wondering: I know that the summary above said that this book was the final installment of the series, and this book does seem to wrap up the entire series pretty well.  But there are three books after this one, so I’m wondering if maybe it’s a misprint and six books were intended all along, or if it was meant to be three and was later extended to six. Which I think is partly why I’m not entirely convinced that Valentine is actually dead.  And if he really is dead, what’s in store for the next three books?

Also: I find the timeline interesting, since the first three books take place over several weeks.  Which is hard to believe, and it feels like it should have happened over a longer period.  Things definitely move at a really fast pace, and there’s a lot going in.  Which makes it easy to read, and you want to keep going, but even with City Of Glass, it feels like things could have been slowed down.  At least a little.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked City Of Glass, and it was a fun read.  I’m definitely curious to see where things go, since City Of Glass resolved the events of the first half of the series pretty well.  City Of Glass gets 3 stars.

Book: Desire by P.T. Michelle

Published March 2014 by Limitless Ink Press|179 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Brightest Kind Of Darkness #4

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find Desire on goodreads & P.T. Michelle on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary:

Now that Nara and Ethan are working together to uncover the Corvus’ secrets, they’re confident nothing can stop them.

But while they’ve learned to anticipate dark outside forces gunning for them, neither is prepared for the insidious evil that slithers its way into their lives, nor the new challenges that surface so close to home.

Despite all the chaos and turmoil around them, the one constant they can depend on is their devotion and loyalty to each other. But as their relationship moves into deeper territory, sometimes the toughest battles are the ones waged within.

While the hunt for answers unravels more layers in the Corvus world, they also uncover new truths about themselves and their intricate connection to the powerful raven spirit.

When boundaries are suddenly redrawn and control shifts, Ethan and Nara will be forced to make choices that could bring them closer together or rip them apart forever.

What I Thought:

I’ve been intrigued with this series ever since I read the first book, and I’ve always love how unique the series is in comparison to most of the other paranormal books I’ve read.  I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the other books, but I still liked it.

I think part of why I didn’t like it as much as I was expected is the fact that it’s been a while since I’ve read the other books, so the series wasn’t as fresh in my mind.

I really like the relationship between Nara and Ethan, and they’ve been through a lot together.  It’s really changed and grown throughout the series, and I’m looking forward to seeing how their relationship grows/changes in the next book.  I did like seeing Ethan and his perspective, especially with all of the Master Corvus stuff going on.  Especially with how he came to accept it but the Corvus inside of him wasn’t accepting it.

And the ending!  I did not see that coming, and I can’t wait to see how that gets resolved.  I’m hoping it gets resolved in a good way, because I want it to turn out well.  I really do.  I also wish it were a little longer, because it seemed really short, and a bit like filler until we get to the next book (which I think is the last book, but I could be mistaken).

I just don’t have a lot of thoughts on Desire.  I’m not sure if it’s because I’m in need of a refresher on the entire series, or if I’m feeling a little blah about the series because I’m feeling a little burnt out on the series.  Or even if maybe I’m just anxious and looking forward to seeing how everything ends.

Let’s Rate It:

I don’t have a lot of thoughts on Desire, and I just couldn’t get into it like I did with the previous books.  It’s still a fantastic world, and one of the more unique paranormal books out there.  Desire gets 3 stars.

Book: Tampa by Alissa Nutting

Published July 2013 by HarperCollins|223 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: None

Genre: Adult Literary Fiction

You can find Tampa on goodreads & Alissa Nutting on Twitter and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Celeste Price is an eighth-grade English teacher in suburban Tampa. She’s undeniably attractive. She drives a red Corvette with tinted windows. Her husband, Ford, is rich, square-jawed, and devoted to her.

But Celeste’s devotion lies elsewhere. She has a singular sexual obsession—fourteen-year-old boys. Celeste pursues her craving with sociopathic meticulousness and forethought; her sole purpose in becoming a teacher is to fulfill her passion and provide her access to her compulsion. As the novel opens, fall semester at Jefferson Jr. High is beginning.

In mere weeks, Celeste has chosen and lured the lusciously naive Jack Patrick into her web. Jack is enthralled and in awe of his teacher, and, most important, willing to accept Celeste’s terms for a secret relationship—car rides after school; rendezvous at Jack’s house while his single father works late; body-slamming encounters in Celeste’s empty classroom between periods.

Ever mindful of the danger—the perpetual risk of exposure, Jack’s father’s own attraction to her, and the ticking clock as Jack leaves innocent boyhood behind—the hyperbolically insatiable Celeste bypasses each hurdle with swift thinking and shameless determination, even when the solutions involve greater misdeeds than the affair itself. In slaking her sexual thirst, Celeste Price is remorseless and deviously free of hesitation, a monstress driven by pure motivation. She deceives everyone, and cares nothing for anyone or anything but her own pleasure.

With crackling, rampantly unadulterated prose, Tampa is a grand, uncompromising, seriocomic examination of want and a scorching literary debut.

What I Thought: 

I have no idea what to think about Tampa.  It’s a bizarre, unsettling and disturbing book that you want to stop reading all while feeling compelled to keep reading.  You want to look away and stop reading, and there was a point where I strongly considered abandoning Tampa, and yet I found myself unable to stop reading.

I definitely could have gone without quite a few things- it’s definitely…descriptive…and while I could handle Celeste masturbating, the sex scenes with her student was way too much, and the reason why I almost walked away from the book. She really is calculating and selfish and doesn’t care about the consequences of what she’s doing.  At the same time, though, it really does show how far Celeste goes and it really does give you insight into who Celeste is, and she became a middle school teacher.

While some of the scenes were really hard to read (at least for me), I don’t think Tampa would have worked if they weren’t in the book.

Celeste does get caught in the end, and not surprisingly, she takes the plea bargain offered to her: meaning she sees no jail time for statutory rape.  Tampa does such a wonderful job at showing a double-standard: she gets off scot-free because her 14-year-old students had “consensual sex” with their gorgeous 26-year-old teacher.  And yet, if things were reversed, with a male teacher and a female student, all hell would break lose.  It really made the book frustrating, because what she did was horrible, and gets away with rape because what teenage boy would pass an opportunity to be with the young, hot teacher?  And it makes me so sad for her students.

Which is why the reader really needed to get in Celeste’s head.  As uncomfortable and unsettling as it was, it really does make what’s going on that much more effective.  And it really does make you think about how differently sexual violence is seen depending on who is committing the crime and who is the victim.

Let’s Rate It:

To be honest, I’m not sure how to rate Tampa.  How on earth do you rate a book like this?  It definitely got me thinking, and while it’s definitely on the graphic side, I’m also glad Nutting didn’t tone it down, because it really gave you insight into Celeste’s world.  I really do think it made the book a much better book, even if it was unsettling and uncomfortable and even a bit disturbing.  Nutting really does have a way with words.  Still, Tampa gets 4 stars.  Not because I liked it, but because it really is different, in an odd sort of way.

Book: The School For Good And Evil by Soman Chainani

Published May 2013 by HarperCollins|331 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: The School For Good And Evil #1

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

You can find The School For Good And Evil on goodreads & Soman Chainani on Twitter, Facebook and his website

Goodreads Summary: 

At the School for Good and Evil, failing your fairy tale is not an option.

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.

The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.

But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are . . . ?

The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.

 What I Thought:

The School For Good And Evil is such a different take on fairy tales.  I do enjoy fairy tale re-tellings, and this book is the most unique of the ones I’ve read.

I love the idea of a school for good and a school for evil, and their village, and how kids are taken every few years.  And naturally, we find out why as the book goes on- they’re the Readers, and they have a different take on fairy tales, having read them for their entire lives.

I also love that Agatha and Sophie don’t end up in the schools they expected, and how much Sophie wants to go back to the School For Good, because she’s a princess, and how much Agatha wants to go home.  I felt like the two friends-turned-enemies ending up in the schools they didn’t expect was a good thing.  As the book went on, it became really clear that both girls really were in the right school, and that there is beauty and good in someone that doesn’t appear to be good, and that even the prettiest of people may have evil simmering beneath the surface.  And that we’re all both good and evil, and not just one or the other.

I was actually kind of surprised by the darkness in the book.  There are some hilariously funny moments, and in a way, it reminds me of how Shrek pokes fun at fairy tales.  Especially as both girls go against all of the images and stereotypes that people have for villains and princesses.

I really liked seeing both girls deal with everything that comes their way, and I liked the setting and characters so much. There’s very much a medieval-fantasy feel to the book, and the characters felt like they were right at home in such a vivid world.

Let’s Rate It: 

The School For Good And Evil is such a unique take on fairy-tales!  I can’t wait to read the next book, and where things are headed for Sophie, Agatha and their classmates.  I didn’t love it as much as I was expecting, but I still liked it!  The School For Good And Evil gets 3 stars.

Book: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Published March 2011 by Simon & Schuster|245 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: The Chemical Garden #1

Genre: YA Dystopic/Post-Apocalyptic

You can find Wither on goodreads & Lauren DeStefano on Twitter and her website

Goodreads Summary:

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive.

Will Rhine be able to escape–before her time runs out? Together with one of Linden’s servants-Gabriel-Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

What I Thought:

I’ve been wanting to read Wither for a while, and it’s been on my TBR list for so long that I knew it was time to read it!  And I’m glad I finally did, because it’s really different.  There’s definitely something about Wither that makes me think of Children Of Men (the movie, not the book).

I thought the idea of girls being kidnapped and sold as brides to have children so that someone can figure out how to keep the world going and even figure out to put an end to the really short life spans for everyone. Sadly, it’s something I can see happening, and I really hope it doesn’t happen in the future.  It’s kind of scary to think about, but it also makes for an interesting story.

Everything going on with Rhine and her marriage to Linden…their story is far from over, but I don’t particularly like them as a couple.  I know they were forced to get married, which would explain the lack of chemistry between them.  On the plus side, they didn’t fall in love at first sight, and she is very much insistent on making sure her brother knows she is alive, even if it means pretending to be interested in Linden.  And she doesn’t seem to be falling in love with Linden at all in Wither, which works really in this book, because of being kidnapped and getting married off.

Actually, I’m not completely sold on Gabriel and Rhine either.  Something about part of the population dying at 20, and the other part of the population dying at 25 just doesn’t scream romance to me.  But I have the feeling romance is inevitable, so it shall be interesting to see how the love triangle will play out.

There is so much we don’t know about this world, and I can’t wait to learn more!  Like what Vaughn is really up to and if a cure will be found.  Like I said before, I was really reminded of Children Of Men, and part of it is how people are dying young and trying to find a cure so they’re having kids young.  There’s also something about the way everything is described and the mood of the book is really atmospheric and dark.  It’s definitely different than a lot of the other dystopic books out there (that I’ve read) and I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Let’s Rate It:

I love the premise and feel of Wither, and I think it could be an interesting read-alike for Children Of Men. I’m not completely sure about the romance, but it’s also possible I’ll get more into it as I continue reading the series.  Wither gets 4 stars.

Book: Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Published March 2012 by Harlequin|210 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: The Goddess Test #2

Genre: YA Paranormal- Greek Mythology Re-Telling

You can find Goddess Interrupted on goodreads & Aimee Carter on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

What I Thought:

I liked Goddess Interrupted, but not as much as The Goddess Test.  I liked seeing what new obstacles came up in Goddess Interrupted, and what it means for all of the gods/goddesses.

I didn’t like Kate as much in this one, because she seemed to be complaining a lot.  Which I totally understand, what with Henry still being in love with Persephone, and trying to figure out her abilities.  But she still got to be pretty irritating by the end of the book.  And I still feel like I don’t really know much about the characters.  They just don’t feel real to me, and I wish they did because they seem so interesting!  Still, Ava did something unbelievable at the end of the book.  It seems in-line with her as Aphrodite, but I’m also not sure since I feel like I don’t know her.  And Hera also surprised me, but I’m not sure how I feel about that either, since I feel like I don’t know much about her.

As for Persephone: I’m not getting why Henry has such strong feelings for her.  I’m less interested in Kate/Henry as a couple because of Henry’s feelings for Persephone and how Kate has growing feelings for Henry.  I think it’s a big part of why she acts the way she does, and it certainly complicates things for Henry and Kate, to the point that she wants to leave Henry.  I just don’t find their relationship believable or interesting.  After everything Kate went through for Henry, you’d think he’d appreciate her a little more than he seems to in the book.

I do like how Carter takes on Greek mythology, and it’s one of the more interesting and different takes on Greek mythology I’ve seen.  I think it’s why I kept going and why I want to read the last book.  Because I really want to see where things go!

Let’s Rate It: 

I liked Goddess Interrupted, but I also found it hard to care about the characters.  I feel like I don’t know anything about the characters, but I like how Carter is re-telling Hades and Persephone.  Goddess Interrupted gets 3 stars.

Book: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Published March 2014 by HarperCollins|277 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find Panic on goodreads & Lauren Oliver on Twitter, Facebook, tumblr and her website

Goodreads Summary:

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Heather never thought she would compete in panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he’s sure of it. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

What I Thought:

I’ve been looking forward to reading Panic since I first heard that Lauren Oliver had a new book coming out.  Panic wasn’t what I was expecting, but I am intrigued by it at the same time.

The idea of Panic is what really intrigued me.  A game played by seniors to earn quite a bit of money and a game where the game gets more dangerous as it goes on is really interesting given the book is a YA contemporary.  I think a lot of why the book wasn’t what  I was expecting was because I wasn’t expecting a contemporary book.  For some reason, I was picturing something along the lines of a Hunger Games-style game in a dystopic/futuristic/post-apocalyptic setting.  So I was definitely surprised, to say the least.

I thought the characters really interesting, but realistic, and I felt like I got to know them really well by the end of the book.  I definitely understand where they were coming from, and why they all decided to get involved with Panic.  The desperation to get out of Carp and the need for revenge really come through in this book about a really small town.  Panic definitely gives you something to think about: friendship, sucky families, and proving yourself, to name a few.

While there are some interesting ideas in Panic, I also couldn’t completely get into it.  I know this is lame and really non-specific, but there’s something unsettling and off about Panic, and I don’t know why.  The adults do seem really clueless, and given that people seem to get seriously injured during Panic, you’d think they’d do more to stop it.  Especially because it doesn’t seem that secretive, and because Carp is such a small community.

I don’t think the setting quite worked for me.  Panic itself is interesting, but it seemed a bit disorganized, and it didn’t come together for me, especially with Carp as a back-drop.  Perhaps something futuristic/sci-fi would have worked better.  And oddly enough, it is a book I’d love to see as a movie.  Something about it would work really well on the big screen.

Let’s Rate It:

Panic turned out to be okay for me.  I was expecting something different,  but the game and it’s players were really interesting.  Panic gets 2 stars.