Fables&Wren

The Infernal Devices #01: Clockwork Angel

/ 05 STARS, CC YA THE INFERNAL DEVICES

Clockwork Angel Book Cover Clockwork Angel
The Infernal Devices
Cassandra Clare
Juvenile Fiction
Simon and Schuster
August 31, 2010
Hardcover
496

In the prequel to the best-selling The Mortal Instruments series, Tessa Gray descends into Victorian London's dark underworld to search for her missing brother, with the mysterious Shadowhunters as her only allies. 500,000 first printing.

WrensReads Review:

THIS BOOK. THIS IS THE CASSANDRA THAT I LOVE.

As you probably saw in my previous reviews, I’m not a huge fan of The Mortal Instruments series. Clary to me wasn’t lovable or relatable and it was super corny in how the book was written (even though there are some KILLER twist in there that make it worth reading).

Clare’s writing sky-rockets in this second series of her’s. Not only that, but she puts more and more twists and turns, which is what I NEED in a book. I love following the evolution of an author. Clare is growing so much and I’m so excited to see where she goes with it.

Now the story.

Main lady: Tessa

Tessa is kidnapped and basically experimented on by two witches called “The Dark Sisters.” She is rescued by the London Institute of Shadowhunters and they are very interested in her unique ability that she was trained on by The Dark Sisters.

Which leads to another question.

What in the WORLD is Tessa? Warlock? Demon? Something completely new?

So many things need to be answered. Like is her brother okay? Do the Dark Sisters still have him? Who is The Magister and what does he want with Tessa? What’s wrong with Shadowhunter Jem and why is he so colorless? Why is Shadowhunter Will such a jerk? Is there something more to him than meets his words? Is Shadowhunter Jessamine really as unhappy as she seems? Why? Who is Cecily? What did Will do to make a Lightwood hate him so much?

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE WALKING AROUND WITHOUT FACES WHO ARE LIKE SUPER STRONG AND WANT TO KILL EVERYONE?!

Clare keeps you on your toes. Please read this books and nerd out with me.

Order to Read this Series:
The Mortal Instruments #01: City of Bones
The Mortal Instruments #02: City of Ashes
The Mortal Instruments #03: City of Glass
The Infernal Devices #01: Clockwork Angel
The Mortal Instruments #04: City of Heavenly Fire
The Infernal Devices #02: Clockwork Prince
The Mortal Instruments #05: City of Lost Souls
The Infernal Devices #03: Clockwork Princess
The Mortal Instruments #06: City of Fallen Angels

*The next two (The Bane Chronicles and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy) are optional. They are groups of novellas. I believe in reading novellas so you can pick up different things in the books that follow.

The Bane Chronicles #01: What Really Happened in Peru
The Bane Chronicles #02: The Runaway Queen
The Bane Chronicles #03: Vampires, Scones, & Edmund Herondale
The Bane Chronicles #04: The Midnight Heir
The Bane Chronicles #05: The Rise of the Hotel Dumort
The Bane Chronicles #06: Saving Raphael Santiago
The Bane Chronicles #07: The Fall of Hotel Dumort
The Bane Chronicles #08: What to Buy the Shadowhunter…
The Bane Chronicles #09: The Last Stand of the New York Institute
The Bane Chronicles #10: The Course of True Love
The Bane Chronicles #11: The Voicemail of Magnus Bane

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #01: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #02: The Lost Herondale
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #03: The Whitechapel Fiend
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #04: Nothing but Shadows
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #05: The Evil We Love
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #06: Pale Kings and Princes
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #07: Bitter of Tongue
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #08: The Fiery Trial
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #09: Born to Endless Night
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #10: Angels Twice Descending

The Dark Artifices #01: Lady Midnight
The Dark Artifices #02: Lord of Shadows
The Dark Artifices #03: Queen of Air and Darkness

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A Monster Calls

/ 05 STARS, PN YA NOVELS

A Monster Calls Book Cover A Monster Calls
Patrick Ness
Juvenile Fiction
Candlewick Press (MA)
2013
Hardcover
224

Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill, but an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.

WrensReads Review:

I am so nervous about the movie! They have to have made this the most beautiful thing or else I quit books. Okay maybe not that extreme, but you understand my passion here.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
“Because humans are complicated beast,” the monster said. “How can a queen be both a good witch and a bad witch? How can a prince be a murderer and a saviour? How can an apothecary be evil-tempered but right-thinking? How can a parson be wrong-thinking but good-hearted? How can invisible men make themselves more lonely by being seen?”

If I had tears left to cry this morning, I would be crying due to the masterpiece that is Patrick Ness.

This book has a hero named Conor, a thirteen year old boy whose mom is fighting cancer, whose father moved to America to start a new family [this story is based in England], whose grandma is more like a business woman than an actual grandmother and whose typical school-bully targets the boy unseen.

Conor has a nightmare.

Well, he has two nightmares. One involves the yew tree outside his house becoming an unbelievable tall monster and the other… well, he won’t tell us. It’s too horrible and too terrifying.

He knows his mother is getting better. She believes it, so he believes it… while no one else really believes it themselves.

Lily, his once-good-friend at school betrayed him in the worst way and he will never forgive her.

About that first nightmare…

This yew tree claims to be thousands of years old and wise. He tells Conor he should be scared of him. He tells Conor that Conor called him to walk.

He tells Conor three tales in return for the one truth Conor will not tell a single soul about.

That second nightmare.

Is the first nightmare not a nightmare at all and actually a real thing? 12:07

The illustrations in this book are glorious and bring to life the horror of the book along with the haunted beauty in it. [Jim Kay] A Monster Calls was born from the idea of Siobhan Dowd and brought to life by Patrick Ness.

This novel is something I feel everyone should read, if not just to get a different perspective on things. It is a raw beauty and I am changed just by reading it.

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Women of the Otherworld #02: Stolen

/ 05 STARS, KA AR WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD

Stolen Book Cover Stolen
Women of the Otherworld
Kelley Armstrong
Horror tales
Vintage Books Canada
2009
Paperback
461

The only living female werewolf, Elena Michaels confronts billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who has been capturing Elena's fellow paranormal brethren, conducting experiments on them, and hunting them to their deaths in a live video game.

WrensReads Review:

So Stolen is the second book of this marvelous series. It is as well written and introduces important characters for the books to come. It also introduces other types of super-human type species.

That’s right folks, there aren’t just werewolves anymore.

For example,

Half Demons: Father is a demon, Mother is a human. They get superhuman powers from their good ole’ dad
Witches: Women with magic
Sorcerers: Men with magic
Shamans: Something about being able to deal with spirits

But, luckily for us, it is still narrated by our favorite female-werewolf: Elena.

This story starts out that Elena and Jeremy meet two women who claim they have evidence of werewolves existence. They play the part of people who believe, but the two ladies actually tell them about their (Elena and Jeremy’s) personal life and their pack. Hits too close to home. They claim to be witches.

She doesn’t believe a word they are saying.

Then she gets attacked. She believes words they are saying.

They go to this “meeting of the otherworldly-ins” and they believe they are getting set up. They really just don’t want to deal with the fact that there are other supernatural beings out there and want to go back to just focusing on themselves and their own ways.

Elena gets attacked… again again.

This time though, she is captured and taken to some scientific headquarters were they have other super human people and know all about her (why does everyone know about her, seriously? Was there a newsletter we missed?) and want to know everything more about her species and others alike.

Obviously that’s not okay. How would you like to be captured by a hunt-crazed, lust-driven lunatic, an unstable business woman, a science-driven mad man, a teleporting cocky half-demon with a bunch of other messed up super people?

This is one of my favorite stories in this series. It is interesting to see how humans react when they find out about the super-natural word. In all seriousness, this would be exactly what would happen because humans would hate to know there is something out there that is better than them.

And they would want to have it for themselves. So they can be top dog again.

I love this series and I love Armstrong’s writing. I don’t know how many more times I can say that and not be labeled as a creepy fan-stalker girl. Sorry not sorry.

Read these books. You won’t be disappointed I SWEAR.

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