Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Book Review Tuesday!

Greetings Readers!

I am super excited, I have 100 page views in just a week. I am so excited that I've had people reading my blog!! I cannot believe it's been a week since I have started this thing up and it's been a pretty awesome week. I am very glad with the way the blog has been going and I am hoping for many more weeks of deep thoughts, good reviews and other stuff like that. 

Now onto this week's book review. Today's book, in honor of the movie coming out, is City of Bones By Cassandra Clare. Now this book too is part of a series and I would love to review them all but I am going to do this book separately. Only because the movie adaption is coming out tomorrow and I am super excited!!

Again my mother recommended this series to me. My mother knows me and my taste in books quite well and half of the books I've read I have found through my mother. This series is another gem that my awesome mother helped me fine. Now I have a thing for stories of fallen angels or Nephilim, I love the concept and the various explanations and uses for them in society that Author's take. Now I have read a lot of books about Nephilim but Cassandra Clare's take is absolutely wonderful, and I think it's one of my favorites. She creates a world within our own that really opens the eyes. In the story she explains the unexplainable and no one would realize the differences. 

We meet Clarissa Fray, a young high school student who leads a pretty normal life. However one night when she and her friend are out a club, living their normal lives she sees something that completely rocks her world. What she witness will literally change the course of her life and unlock things inside of her that she had no idea was there. Everything that she thought she knew will be challenged and see will see the world in a different light. It's definitely a wild ride. It's a story of one girl's journey to discover who she is and the people who help her on that journey. It's also the story of a shadowhunter who closed himself off, and threw himself into his world. It's the story of a nerdy guy who suddenly becomes something more. Various characters are brought together and their stories intertwine and take you on the journey of a lifetime. Forget what you thought you know...because you could be very wrong.

The characters are really the best part because they aren't just your run of the mill characters. They have so much depth and their back stories and lives are so intricate. When you read it you may think you have a character pegged, but as you continue to delve into the story you realize just how wrong you were. There are twists and turns and exciting plot points and action scenes. There is seriously never a dull moment in this story. You are on the edge of your sheet wondering what's going to happen next. I am sure you all know by now that I don't like to give away spoilers, so if you haven't read the book, go read it. This story will definitely capture your imagination and suck you right in. Many times people read the synopsis and cast assumptions about characters, and plots but that is not the case with this book series.

The coolest part of all this is, I asked Cassandra Clare what her inspiration was and she totally responded and here is that she said:
"The idea for the Mortal Instruments came to me one afternoon in the East Village. I was with a good friend of mine, who was taking me to see the tattoo shop where she used to work. She wanted to show me that her footprints were on the ceiling in black paint — in fact the footprints of everyone who’d worked there were on the ceiling, crisscrossing each other and making patterns. To me it looked like some fabulous supernatural battle had been fought there by beings who’d left their footprints behind. I started thinking about a magical battle in a New York tattoo shop and the idea of a secret society of demon-hunters whose magic was based on an elaborate system of tattooed runes just sprang into my mind. When I sat down to sketch out the book, I wanted to write something that would combine elements of traditional high fantasy — an epic battle between good and evil, terrible monsters, brave heroes, enchanted swords — and recast it through a modern, urban lens. So you have the Shadowhunters, who are these very classic warriors following their millennia-old traditions, but in these urban, modern spaces: skyscrapers, warehouses, abandoned hotels, rock concerts. In fairy tales, it was the dark and mysterious forest outside the town that held the magic and danger. I wanted to create a world where the city has become the forest — where these urban spaces hold their own enchantments, danger, mysteries and strange beauty. It’s just that only the Shadowhunters can see them as they really are."
 How cool is this? As an aspiring author myself I thought all of this was amazing. Of course she gets massive brownie points for responding to me. I feel so special when an Author takes the time to answer my question. Regardless how cool is that she blended a biblical concept with the new age. These bad ass warriors who look the same as you and me, these shadowhunters who fight to protect us and we don't even know it. I think it's an excellent concept and a really neat story and definitely worth a read. I know I didn't regret it and found myself immersed into a world much like my own.  

If you have not read City of Bones, I highly recommend you read it before you go see the movie. There is only so much a movie can convey so make sure to read the book and then see the movie. I promise you this book series won't disappoint you. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Book Review Tuesday!!!

Another post! I know it seems like I have no life but I went to work I promise. Seeing as I have some peace and quiet, I have decided to start a tradition on my blog. Book Review Tuesdays! Why Tuesdays might you ask? Well new books that are being released get released on Tuesdays, so I figure why not honor the day by gushing over some of my favorite books. Now I have read a ton of books in my life, so some of them may be slightly older but I love to read and I love to help get the word out about my favorite author's and the stories they worked hard on. So let the first ever Book Review Tuesday begin!!

In honor of my new blog, thanks to the inspiration of characters from Jennifer Armentrout's Lux series, and the fourth installment in said series coming out, I am going to review this series. Now I can't just review one of the books at a time because they are a package deal. Once you read one, you will have to get the next one and the one after that. I am against spoilers so you won't get any from me. I will tell you what I feel you need to know and let you discover the wonder of the series like I did. But first a short little story of how I stumbled across said series.

**Wayne's world flash back sequence Here**

My mom is an avid reader and I was finishing another book series when she suggest Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout. She did warn me first though, there were aliens in the book. I am not a sci-fi person by any means so I was like, I will pass. Some time passed and I was desperate for something to read, I was bored and TV wasn't doing it for me. So i decided to bit the bullet and read the book and thus a friendship was formed.

Obsidian is the first in the Lux Series where we met Katy Swartz, your average teenager, who moved to a po-dunk town in West Virginia. This lucky lady happens to live next to the hottest fictional character ever Daemon Black, who is your not so average guy. He's hotter than hades and every time I think of him my face flushes but man oh man. In my mind, he's like my ideal guy, for real. If I could have a fictional character as a boyfriend, I would take Daemon Black all the way, and that's saying something because I have read a lot of books. I don't want to give too much of the plot away but let's just say these two and their chemistry is off the charts and will have you laughing, and getting all irritated and a bunch of other emotions. They had been cheering and yelling and all kinds of crazy things. They are just so epic. But what I really love about these characters is how down to earth they are. Hahaha Pun intended. Jennifer Armentrout writes in the way these characters think. The thoughts are real, and I found myself reading and thinking the exact same thing as Katy, which is probably why I am so attached to these books. I find Katy and I are very much alike and she was after all the reason I started this blog, well she was the inspiration anyway.

I know I am probably making no sense but I can't help it. These books are just so epic and awesome. I am doing a re-read of them and haven't really been able to put them down. I stay up till all hours of the morning reading and then wake up earlier than I want but it's soooooooo worth it. Now I know you read that these are about aliens, but before it turns you away, let me just say this. Take your notions about little green men and probing (lol) and toss them away. Daemon Black is not your average alien. So don't judge based on that fact alone. These aliens are unlike anything you've ever encountered before and you will find yourself wanting more and more of them. Trust me.

The other two in the series are Onyx and Opal with Origins coming out the 27th of August. There is also a prequel story, that I recommend you read called Shadows. It really helps pull all the pieces together. I read Obsidian, then Shadows and then the other two and it really cleared a lot up for me. I recommend reading it before Opal, but I won't tell you why. You will just have to read and find out.

In all seriousness guys, I truly recommend this series. It's got action, adventure, romance, and some of the greatest dialogue I've ever read. The plot is compelling and definitely keeps you on your toes and the writing is so down to earth and modern that it just pulls you right in. When i read these books, I am not in some crappy town, I am with Katy and Daemon, I am experiencing their lives and going through what they are going through. To me it's like a movie playing in my head and everything around me fades away. Ironically, OBsidian is being made into a movie. All the more reason to read these books, it means you will be apart of the fandom before the movie comes out. You will be able to school those newbies!!! Yes to me that means a lot, I always got into things too late but not this time.

So here is another challenge for you my dear readers. Go rent/buy/find a copy of Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout and read it. I would so give copies out if I had any but alas they are on my kindle. Anyways, go out and read it, I double, no triple dog dare you to do it. I promise you won't be disappointed, my mother, yes I said that, my mother loved these books. They are for all ages and tastes and I know you will love them as much as I do. Besides don't you want to know more about the girl who inspired this blog? The girl who helped motivate me to write down my thoughts and feelings. Heck, she inspired me to start reviewing my favorite books. Jennifer Armentrout's hard work and awesome characters helped me a lot in this arena and I think she deserves your time and a chance to experience what I experienced.

Get up off the chair and head out and find a copy of Obsidian right now! Go read it! Once you finish Obsidian, read Onyx and then Opal and on August 27th we can celebrate the release of Origin together! Happy Reading!!

-Nicol