Scorched Review

Scorched by Mari Mancusi

Title: Scorched

Author: Mari Mancusi

Series: Scorched #1

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: September 3, 2013

Genre: Fantasy; Young Adult

Pages: 352

Format: Hardback

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Trinity
Don’t leave me here... It starts with a whisper. At first Trinity thinks she’s going crazy. It wouldn’t be a big surprise—her grandpa firmly believes there’s a genuine dragon egg in their dusty little West Texas town. But this voice is real, and it’s begging for her protection. Even if no one else can hear it...

Connor
He’s come from a future scorched by dragonfire. His mission: Find the girl. Destroy the egg. Save the world.

Caleb
He’s everything his twin brother Connor hates: cocky, undisciplined, and obsessed with saving dragons. 

Trinity has no idea which brother to believe. All she has to go by is the voice in her head—a dragon that won’t be tamed.

I finally decided to read this book when I saw it, just sitting there, begging for me to pick it up, in my local library. I was excited. I had expectations for this book, which honestly, I didn’t think it would meet. I was surprised to find that it was better than I originally hoped it would be.

Trinity is struggling with keeping her grandfather’s museum afloat and them together when an unexpected (and desperately unwanted) discovery changes their life forever. With money that was supposed to keep them above water for just a little bit longer, her grandfather buys what he believes is a real dragon egg. Trinity, devastated with her beloved grandfather’s decision refuses to believe in his fantasies. That is, until she starts hearing voices and a mysterious man claiming he is from the future trying to save to the world from a dragon apocalypse shows up at her doorstep and saves her life. Unknowingly, she is sucked into a world she only ever saw in the craziest of video games.

The writing was impressive. The witty humor and cynical sarcasm made me almost laugh out loud more than once. I loved how light and fun the novel felt. I couldn’t put it down until the last page. It was fast-paced, humorous and action-filled, all the things you could ever want in a dragon novel.

Things I didn’t like? The continuous video game references. I didn’t really see the point in how video games kept showing up in really random places. I’m not so much a gamer-girl myself, so I just didn’t get it, or relate to it. If I could take one part out of this book, it would be that.

Things I did like? The love triangle. Definitely. It was fun and kept me turning the pages, hungry for more. I’m sorry to anyone who feels differently, but Team Caleb. All the way. Forever and ever.

In all, this book was better than expected, not the best I’ve ever read, and an exciting fantasy book mixed with just a hint of time travel. I enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone looking for another dragon book besides Eragon (even though it is a way lighter read than the Inheritance Cycle). A must-read for fantasy lovers and dragon lovers alike.   

Obsidian Mirror Review

Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher

Title: Obsidian Mirror

Author: Catherine Fisher

Series: Chronoptika #1

Publisher: Dial

Publication Date: April 23 2013

Genre: Fantasy; Science Fiction; Young Adult

Pages: 384

Format: Hardback

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Jake's father disappears while working on mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger ... The experiments concerned a black mirror, which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn's estate: Sarah - a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says, Maskelyne - who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century. There are others, a product of the mirror's power to twist time. And a tribe of elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and filled with hate for humans. But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really happened to his father.

“This was the past. The only past left. Captured by light, frozen in a rigid image. Gone. But if you could re-enter it; if you could go back to that place and be that person again, if you could live that moment again, better, without the stupid remarks, the arguments, the mistakes, wouldn’t that be a things worth taking all the risks in the world for?”

If I saw this book in the library, and someone asked me if it was any good, my reaction would be something along the lines of shrugging noncommittally and saying “It’s okay, I guess. If you like that sort of thing.”

This book was definitely not one of my favorite books.

Catherine Fisher is a highly acclaimed writer known for her interesting fantasy/sci-fy books. I read the first book of her New York bestselling series, Incarceron, and much like this book, I found it confusing and hard to get into. I’ll admit that Fisher is one of the most creative fantasy writers that I've read. But her books are just not my kind of books.

It was really hard to get lost in this book. Some books have really vivid awesome imagery that allows the reader to really get into the book. Obsidian Mirrorlacked that interesting world-building. Not only that, but the magic and the time traveling was just so complicated.I didn’t really know what was going on half the time and the other half I was just too bored to care. The magic was kind of explained scientifically. Whenever an author turn mysterious magic into boring old science and takes all the magic out of the magic, the result is unadulterated boredom.

Another reason I just do not care for this book is that there was too much going on. Fairies and fantasy worlds mixed with time travel science fiction made for a confusing complicated story. In the beginning, Fisher hooks you with questions and mystery, but in my opinion, there were too many questions and not enough answers. There was no one that didn't have  secrets or an unknown past. It was hard to find out how it all fit together, or why that piece of information was so important. Much like the mythical hydra, every time a question was solved, two more popped in its place. I mean, they were fighting an enemy from the future from the present by going to the past with the help of someone trying to save the future by helping the past which was actually the present even though they still have to transport to the past to save the future by helping the present.

I got a headache just writing that.

I won’t say that this book was horrible. It just wasn't good. For me. The total lack of romance or character relationships was definitely a penalty point. And there was potential for it. The confusing plot and overwhelming amount of information thrown at you at every page turn was another thumbs-down. While I didn't like it, if there is someone who wants a fantasy science fiction book completely lacking romance with a topsy-turvy plot line, they will absolutely love this book. If not, then I wouldn't recommend it.

Obsidian Mirror was not my cup of tea. Too many flavors and not enough reward. I don’t plan on reading the sequel.

Caminar Review

Caminar by Skila Brown

Title: Caminar

Author: Skila Brown

Series: None

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publication Date: March 25, 2014

Genre: Poetry; Historical Fiction; Young Adult

Pages: 208

Format: Hardback

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Carlos knows that when the soldiers arrive with warnings about the Communist rebels, it is time to be a man and defend the village, keep everyone safe. But Mama tells him not yet — he’s still her quiet moonfaced boy. The soldiers laugh at the villagers, and before they move on, a neighbor is found dangling from a tree, a sign on his neck: Communist. Mama tells Carlos to run and hide, then try to find her. . . . Numb and alone, he must join a band of guerillas as they trek to the top of the mountain where Carlos’s abuela lives. Will he be in time, and brave enough, to warn them about the soldiers? What will he do then? A novel in verse inspired by actual events during Guatemala’s civil war, Caminar is the moving story of a boy who loses nearly everything before discovering who he really is.

“Forest sounds/all around/but on the ground/ the sound/ of Me/ grew. Echoed, / I heard a path I could not see.”

I have wanted to read this book for a very long time. I was even more excited to read it when I opened the first page and found a poem staring at me. I hadn't known until that moment that this book was written entirely in free verse poetry. The only other book that I have ever read in free verse poetry is Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse about the Great Depression. And, just like Out of the Dust, I thought this book was fantastic.

Poetry, to me, is more than written words on a page telling a story. It is an art form, really. It weaves words into beautiful lyrical songs and forms intricate art with the placement of the black ink on the page. While sentences in story books are coherent and structured, a poem’s verses mostly resemble the thoughts that run through our minds. They are ambiguous and hard to understand and difficult to interpret. They mean different things to different people with different minds. They are a stream of consciousness that transports you not just into the world of the book but also into the minds of characters. Poetry done right is a beautiful, wonderful thing.

“I could not see/ up. Could not see/ down. I/ could only see/ what was right in front of me.”

Caminar, which mean “to walk” in Spanish, is about a young boy yearning to become a man, when disaster strikes in his village in Guatemala. This story is not only about the horrible war in Guatemala, but also about a boy struggling to walk the path into manhood. Brown uses intriguing styles of writing to ensnare the reader into a story both breathless and surreal.

This book inspired me on so many levels. I knew little about the civil war in Guatemala until I read this book. It was mind-opening to read about it from a young boy’s point of view. While I was reading Caminar, I was not just reading Carlos’s thoughts, I was thinking them, living them. In a way the book ended too soon. It left me wanting more.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Caminar is an excellent short read that taught me many things. I loved the poetry in it, and the way the words created art on the pages. I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone willing to read a short poetic story about the horrible and terrific happenings in Guatemala. This book is officially being shelved as one of the greats.

“When you open the door to hate, you will find/ it swallows you whole/ and there is no/ life left inside.”

Between Shades of Gray Review

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Title: Between Shades of Gray

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Series: None

Publisher: Philomel Books

Publication Date: March 22, 2011

Genre: Historical Fiction; Young Adult

Pages: 344

Format: Hardback

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Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

“Don’t give them anything Lina, not even your fear.”

Everyone’s heard of the Holocaust. Everyone’s heard of Hitler. But how many people have heard of Stalin? Or the Baltic cleansing? How many know about the eradication of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia? Honestly, I didn’t actually know who Stalin was and what his reign held for Russia until High School English when we read Animal Farm. I didn’t know that his actions rivaled that of Hitler’s. I read this book with only the vague summary that the main character was a girl who was sent to a labor camp. Labor camp made me think of the Holocaust and Germany. I was surprised to find that it was actually about Stalin’s genocide of the Baltic people. This book told me a story about a time in history that I had heard next to nothing about.

“I hated them, the NKVD and the Soviets. I planted a seed of hatred in my heart. I swore it would grow to be a massive tree whose roots would strangle them all.”

Books like these put me in a mindset where I continuously wonder how I would act if I were in a situation like this. If everything I owned was taken away from me and my life was being torn apart at the seams and if I woke up each morning not knowing if I would see tomorrow’s sunrise. What truly amazed me in this book was the amount of generosity and hope they harbored even when they owned nothing but their dignity and self-respect. Especially the mother of Lina, Elena. She would always find a way to give when she had nothing. Lina’s strength and resolve were inspiring and awe-striking. Sepetys created a story that we can only read and shake our heads in wonder at.  

“It was the one thing I never questioned. I wanted to live. I wanted to see my brother grow up. I wanted to see Lithuania again. I wanted to see Joana. I wanted to smell the lily of the valley on the breeze beneath my window. I wanted to paint the fields. I wanted to see Andrius with my drawings. There were only two possible outcomes in Siberia. Success meant survival. Failure meant death. I wanted life. I wanted to survive.”

Ruta Sepetys was the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee and decided to write this story to tell the truth that so few people have heard. After the Baltic people escaped from their prisons, they were not allowed to tell anyone of their horrific experiences. They had to keep it within themselves and remember what they went through by themselves. In the Author’s Note, Sepetys bids her readers to “Please research it. Tell someone.” And reminds us that “These three tiny nations have taught us that love is the most powerful army. Whether love of friend, love of country, love of God, or even love of enemy–love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit.”

                                                                                             

I would recommend this book to anyone so that they could learn about something they've probably only heard little about. What this book lacked in magical writing, it made up for in the gasp-inducing and heart-pounding story line. This book is filled with death, life, happiness, and sorrow. Inspired by true accounts, this book will stay with me for a long time.

Winger Review

Winger by Andrew Smith 

Title: Winger

Author: Andrew Smith

Series: Winger #1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: May 14, 2013

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Contemporary; Young Adult

Pages: 439

Format: Hardback
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Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

"My name is Ryan Dean West. Ryan Dean is my first name. You don’t usually think a single name can have a space and two capitals in it, but mine does. Not a dash, a space. And I don’t really like talking about my middle name."

It took me way too long to finally pick up this book, even with it continuously reappearing on my “Recommended for You” and “Books You Should Read” lists like the plague. In all honestly, the main reason I didn’t pick it up sooner was…well…the cover. I know, I know; Dots has judged a not-so-proverbial book by its not-so-proverbial cover. But, you got to admit, it really is not the most attractive cover. Someone’s aftermath of getting socked in the face? Doesn’t really scream “Pick me up!” to me. But, after reading it, I can now say that the cover does not do this book justice. You’d never know by looking at it that the story it contains is heart-wrenchingly real, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Ryan Dean is a fourteen-year-old genius, a junior, and is constantly struggling with how he sees himself and who he wants to be. He is hopelessly in love with rugby, danger, trouble, and his best friend Annie. He lives his life repeating his one mantra: I am such a loser. Recently banished to O-Hall (Opportunity Hall), his whole complicated life becomes even more complex with new friends and freshly made enemies. Riddled with lessons on being accepted and learning to accept others, this book is an interesting voice in the trials of growing up.

“Nothing could possibly suck worse than being a junior in high school, alone at the top of your class, and fourteen years old all at the same time. So the only way I braced up for those agonizing first weeks of the semester, and made myself feel any better about my situation, was by telling myself that it had to be better than being a senior at fifteen.”

I liked this book. I didn't love it and I definitely didn't hate it. I just liked it. From a female’s perspective, I found this book incredibly enlightening in the ways of the male species. The voice of Ryan Dean seemed very realistic, though I cannot be sure, on a boy’s thoughts. This book was also nothing short of hilarious. On multiple occasions it had me laughing out loud. That’s the good. Now for the bad: Winger is was not light of the language department. I can’t say that the language was overblown, because let’s face it: High school students are not the most clean-mouthed of people. I would've appreciated it being turned down a notch, though. If it was any other book, I would've put it down before Chapter 2, were it not so refreshingly hysterical. I am also not so much on victimization- in people or in the characters of books. People who downgrade themselves by repeating, for example, “I am such a loser”, are not very attractive to me. But for some reason, it did not bother me as much in this book. In short, Winger is not usually something I would read, let alone like. But the point of view of the character and the thoughts of the author were so realistic and succinctly truthful that it was too interesting not to finish.

Overall, this book was good and worth reading–just not worth loving. I really liked the main character’s beliefs on the world and the people living in it. This book about one boy growing up showed me that the thing that makes us different from everyone else is not necessarily the thing that defines us.

“Joey told me nothing ever goes back exactly the way it was, that things expand and contract–like breathing, but you could never fill your lungs with the same air twice."

The Fault In Our Stars Movie vs. Book

The Fault In Our Stars book will forever go down in history as one of the greatest realistic fiction books of all time. It is destined to be a classic, read by book enthusiasts for generations to come. It is a staple on Best Books Ever lists and a book read by anyone deserving of the title of bookaholic. John Green, simply put, is a hilarious genius whose last thing on his mind should be the fear of oblivion. He will be remembered for a long time, and his many books are a reassurance of that fact. 

I eagerly awaited the FioS movie like a little kid awaits Christmas. Seeing it for the first time will be one of those memories that stick with me, even as an adult. I laughed, I gasped, I giggled with glee, and most importantly, I cried. 

I cried while laughing. I cried salty tears. I cried gasping sobs. I cried. A lot.

Could. Not. Stop. Crying.

The book made me tear up. It left a small puddle of tears on my pillow. The movie made me bawl. It left salty crust trails on my cheeks. It was amazing.

Anyone who had read the Fault in Our Stars book has an undeniable obligation to see this movie. Those who love the book will love the movie. No doubt.

Like all book-based movies, there were some differences between the two. Parts were left out, important quotes were left unsaid. In the book, Hazel came across to me as more cynical and sarcastic than she appeared in the movie. It was not a bad change. It was just another difference, and it was not better nor worse. 

One of my favorite things about the movie was that the script writers included some of the best quotes from the book. It made me happy to know the writers took into account how important the spectacular phrases in the book were to FioS lovers everywhere.

In my opinion, the movie was phenomenal and did justice to one of my favorite books of all time. Now, I have another movie to add to my top ten. Everyone should watch this movie. It was fantastic. I give both the movie and the book 6 out of 5 stars.

   

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children Review

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1
Publisher: Quirk
Publication Date: June 7th, 2011
Genre: Supernatural; Mystery; Fantasy; Young Adult
Pages: 348
Format: Kindle ebook
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A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows

"I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen."

 Jacob Portman was anything but extraordinary. He was rich, friendless, and labeled crazy by all his family after witnessing Grandpa Portman brutally murdered by a monster that only he remembered seeing. He sees a therapist and barely survives everyday life, all the while being haunted by Grandpa Portman’s dying words.

Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man’s grave. September third, 1940.

Jacob Portman has always looked up to his Grandpa, seeing him as a hero and someone worth idolizing. When Grandpa told him stories of children with mysterious powers, he believed every word, not just because of his faith in his grandfather, but because of the strange pictures Grandpa Portman could conjure up as proof. A floating girl. An invisible boy. A boy who had a family of bees living inside of him. A girl with the ability to ignite fire. And strangest of all, the monsters that Grandpa Portman always seems to talk about. Monsters he claims to have spent his whole life fighting.

Jacob stopped believing in his grandfather’s stories when children started to tease him for believing fairy tales. His grandfather stops telling his stories when he stops believing them, and he soon writes off Grandpa Portman as crazy; that is, until the day he dies. 

Jacob journeys to find closure and, more importantly, the truth about his grandfather. In the small isolated island Cairnholm, nothing much seems possible. On an island with only one restaurant, telephone, and hotel/pub, what could possibly have led to Grandpa Portman’s mysterious stories? One day, when Jacob journeys to the bog containing the decrepit house of Grandpa Portman’s stories, he sees something that he will never be able to un-see.

Ransom Riggs talent for imagery brought the mysterious atmosphere of this book right into my world. I could feel the mud of the bog beneath my feet and smell the diesel of the electricity generators of the island of Cairnholm. The monsters were as real to me as they were to Jacob in the story. Riggs engrossing language held me page after page, unable to look away until the mystery was solved. I gasped aloud when I read the final reveal and bit my fingernails as the harrowing final battle played out.

"My grandfather had described it a hundred times, but in his stories the house was always a bright, happy place- big and rambling, yes, but full of light and laughter. What stood before me now was no refuge from monsters but a monster itself, staring down from its perch on the hill with vacant hunger. Trees burst forth from broken windows and skins of scabrous vine gnawed at the walls like antibodies attacking a virus- as if nature itself had waged war against it- but the house seemed unkillable, resolutely upright despite the wrongness of its angles and the jagged teeth of sky visible through sections of collapsed roof." 

One of the greatest things for me about this book was the pictures in the story. It brought reality into something totally and unquestionably unreal. Of course, when I saw them, I knew that they were manipulated. That is, until I read the first few sentences of the Author’s Note. The photos in the book, the totally and utterly impossible photographs, were in fact real. When he found the photos, they inspired Ransom Riggs to write their improbable story.

This book is one of my new favorites. From teens to adults, all will love this book to its very spine. It questions our beliefs of what can or can’t be real. It challenges how we react to the impossible. It makes us rethink the peculiar. This book taught me one very important thing:

Being peculiar is sometimes the same thing as being great.

"I'd always known I was strange. I never dreamed I was peculiar."

Summer Reading Wishlist

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is read. The white sunlight bathing my word-filled pages, the sound of birds chirping in the background, the relentless sunlight heating up my shoulders and face, and me, trying to focus on my book and not worry about my sunburn-prone skin.  It's moments like those that I dream about in the winter and fall. 

Usually the summer starts with my sister and I raiding the local library and reading like we'll die tomorrow. My sister is normally the one to have a list of books she wants to read that week, and I just browse the shelves like a shopaholic in a new clothing store. I don't know exactly what I want, but I always end up with a Leaning Tower of Books in my straining arms. I can never walk into a library and leave empty handed. 

This summer, I have decided to have a plan. A stratagem. A plan of attack. I scoured every book site I could find, looking for my many needles in the giant haystack of books. I compiled a list of want-to-reads that I plan to experience this summer. Of course, the list ended up to be about six dozen books; way too many to publish in one blog post. So I picked my top ten:

1.     Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: When I think "Summer Reading", I think "Romance". I love romance as much as the next girl, but realistic fiction- not so much. Realistic fiction must encompass the most books in the YA world, but, in my opinion, it is really hard to do realistic fiction right. John Green, Rainbow Rowell, and Sarah Dessen are some of the authors that have found that magic ingredient to make realistic books great. After seeing Anna and the French Kiss on so many book blogs, I had to reconsider my view on writing about reality. I hope it is as good as everyone says it is.(Summary here)

2.     Open Road Summer by Emery Lord: Rule number one of summer reading: Any books that include the word "summer" are pretty much automatically included in the mix. Along with Open Road Summer, there is also The Summer of Letting Go, and Second Chance Summer. What kind of Summer Reading Wishlist would this be if literal summer books weren't included?(Summary here)

3.     To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han: A book about past loves and long-hidden crushes suddenly revealed? Can I get a heck yeah?(Summary here)

4.     Flipped by Wendelin van Draanen: I absolutely fell in love with the movie and know I am positively dying to read this book. I've wanted to read this book since I discovered there actually was a book to read. It seems summer is a good time to finally crack the cover.(Summary here)

5.      More Than This by Patrick Ness: First of all, any book that John Green has even touched I will read in a heartbeat. The psychologically stimulating plot line and award-winning author is also pretty persuading. I simply cannot wait until I have my hands on this book.(Summary here)

6.     Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner: While I think that summer is definitely the time to binge on cute, laugh-out-loud books, I also think it is always important to read meaningful, mind-expanding books that help you to understand life lived through other people's eyes. The plot of this book was so thought-inducing and intriguing I could not ignore it.(Summary here)

7.     Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff: When I read that this book was written in free verse, I immediately wanted to read it. A story about making lemonade from the very complex lemons of life, this novel looks like it could be a lesson to all its readers. And what is summer without lemonade?(Summary here)

8.     Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu: A provocative novel about growing up, secrets, and living the life you've always wanted. My hopes are high for what this novel has in store.(Summary here)

9.     Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern: I think books about people who live differently than what we consider normal are worth learning from. How can you say no to a book like this?(Summary here)

10.Any and All Sarah Dessen Books: I know this isn't exactly one book, but it is one of my goals for this summer. I don't exactly know why, but Sarah Dessen books are the definition of summer reading to me. It’s weird, I know. Maybe it’s because the first Sarah Dessen book I ever picked up, I read in the summer. I decided I would follow my self-established rule, and read all the Sarah Dessen books I can get my hands on.

While there are many more books that I will read this summer, these are my top ten. Hopefully they are all as good as I want them to be.

The City of Heavenly Fire Review

The City of Heavenly Fire (Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare

Title: The City of Heavenly Fire 

Author: Cassandra Clare 

Series: The Mortal Instruments #6 

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (Simon & Schuster) 

Publication Date: May 27th 2014 

Genre: Supernatural; Young Adult 

Pages: 725 

Format: Kindle ebook 

goodreads

Synopsis: 

Darkness has descended on the Shadowhunter world. Chaos and destruction overwhelm the Nephilim as Clary, Jace, Simon, and their friends band together to fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in this world can defeat Sebastian–but if they journey to the realm of demons, they just might have a chance… Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world will change. Who will survive the explosive sixth and final installment of the Mortal Instruments series?

"We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss."        

 The Mortal Instrument series has had me hook, line, and sinker since page one of City of Bones.  After each world-destroying cliffhanger and frustration filled respite between books, I subsequently fell in love with City of Ashes, Glass, Fallen Angels, Lost Souls, and finally City of Heavenly Fire.  Like all of Clare's books, it was gripping and filled with emotionally-traumatizing plot twists. 

Like most of the Mortal Instrument series, Jace Lightwood is struggling with an internal conflict. Of course, in this new edition to the series, he is neither possessed nor brainwashed, which, may I be the one to say, is a definite first! Compared to the problems Jace has had in the past, this is only a material problem. 

While Jace is struggling to control his freakishly divine angel fire powers with the help of his friends and Clary, Sebastian, like all good malevolent antagonists, is making sure to make the life of the Nephilim as difficult as possible. Raids of Institutions and random acts of murder are only some of the things he has decided to plague the Shadowhunters with. 

Relationships will divide, love will be sacrificed, and world-altering decisions will be made. Just another day as a Shadowhunter...

The opening pages of the book were hard for me to get absorbed into. The first few moments seemed to go as follows: talk, talk, talk, attack!, talk, talk, talk, talk, attack!, talk, talk. The sheer amount of dialogue was hard to grasp. I am only grateful that Cassandra Clare is as good of a writer as she actually is. While there was so much dialogue, in my opinion, dialogue is one of Cassandra Clare's specialties. Very few writers can make dialogue seem as effortless and natural as she can. 

"I loved you recklessly from the moment I knew you. I never cared about the consequences. I told myself I did. I told myself you wanted me to, and so I tried, but I never did. I wanted you more that I wanted to be good. I wanted you more than I wanted anything ever." 

You know when you've found a good book when, after you've read the first three words of the beginning sentence, you no longer know exactly what is going on around you. You no longer hear your classmates' boisterous noises or heavy guffaws. You no longer feel the chair beneath you or remember to swallow your own spit. You know when you've found a great book when you start reading, and, as you are transported into its world, you stop living in your own. City of Heavenly Fire gave me some of those moments.

I thought this book was beyond fantastic. It captivated me until the very end and I still wanted more than what I was given. I would recommend this book and this series to anyone who has read anything by Cassandra Clare, or anyone who wants to read a roller coaster ride of emotions and plot twists. This was actually the first time I have ever read something in this series where I didn't actually want to cry and hurl my book at the wall. The end left me endlessly pleased and eagerly waiting for the next series under the Shadowhunter name. 

"Freely we serve/ Because we freely love, as in our will/ To love or not; in this we stand or fall."