***Review*** City of Glass (Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare

On the Back of the Book


Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide to fight with the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders - or against them. Meanwhile Jace and Clary have their own decision to make: should they pursue the love they know is forbidden?




Pre Read Thoughts


So here I am, about to read the "final" book in the Mortal Instruments "trilogy". I'm only reading this because I have to find out how it ends for myself. My luck ran out when it came to my hunt for a used copy of this and there was no way I was going to the next town to look there. It would have to be a fantastic book to make me get travel sick. Oh and when I say "luck ran out" I mean my brother very kindly bought me a brand new copy of this so it cost me nothing. (Cheers Dave.) It set him back £7.99 though and that's £1 more than the average YA paperback novel. So I'm going to move on before I start ranting about that. I don't like the cover, I'd like to see the characters eyes and there's a quote from SMeyer. I can't look at it because of that. The synopsis is pretty pathetic, it's literally two sentences, there's creating mystery and there's stupidness. That synopsis is the latter.


Post Read Thoughts


I'm not a sucker for happy endings and I hate cliches and this statement leads me to a question: why did I ever think I would enjoy this series? Well since I actually had to read it for my GR group (technically I share it with the two most awesomesauce mods ever) I guess the answer is that I didn't. I've actually just noticed that I'm rambling because I don't know what to say. I'll give it a good go anyway, there wasn't any improvement with the pace and the predictability was just as bad if not worse. This is incredibly disappointing because I was constantly either pages or even chapters in front of the charcters so I couldn't concentrate on where I was. So either I'm a genius (unlikely) or the characters are exceptionally dense (probably).

Speaking of the characters, please can I bash Clary's head in? I never really connected with her but she seems to be slipping further away with every book. She like smoke. Any individuality she may have had has just slipped away with every book and by this point she's pining after Jace like a lovesick puppy. I don't like Jace either, I never did, he's a complete idiot. Nothing he does in this book endears him to me. I think some of the things he does get some girls swooning but not me. Valentine is the dullest bad guy I've read in a long time. His "climax" had me yawning. I wanted more than I got and I felt like I'd been ripped off. I've met people in real life that are more evil than him.

Overall I didn't like the book, the further in I got the more I realised that I just didn't care and without that initial hatred this book is less than nothing to me. I guess that's why I don't really have much to say about it. I wish I'd never read these books, they haven't given me anything except for ranting material, I didn't gain any enjoyment from them and especially not this one. Needless to say I don't recommend this.


My Rating

1 star - I'm speechless. It's horrific, I really don't get all the glowing reviews. I think I'm missing something. I would like the time that I've invested in this series back but since that's impossible I'll settle for a refund... The glimpses of okayness (there are a few) are few and far between. So in memory of the tree that died for my copy of this book I'm going to stand next to the mini-forest next door to my house and have a little sob.

***Review*** City of Ashes Mortal Instruments #2 by Cassandra Clare

On the Back of the Book



With her mother in a coma and her father hellbent on destroying the world, Clary Fray is dragged deeper into New York City's terrifying underworld of werewolves, demons and the mysterious Shadowhunters. Discovering the truth about her past was only the beginning. Now the fate of the world rests on Clary's shoulders, but can she master her new-found powers and control her feelings for a boy that can never be hers?



Pre Read Thoughts


I'm not looking forward to reading this. Reading book one involved lota of *facepalm*, *headdesk* and the occasional rant. Different people have said different things to me about the rest of the trilogy but the general consensus seems to be that I'm gonna hate it. I have to finish what I start though so I'm going forth and everyone I know is taking this opportunity to hide (I assume, I would if I were them anyway). Once again I managed to get a used copy, this one's a bit battered but no worries, it cost me £2.50 and the money went to a great cause (British Heart Foundation for the record). I have the creepy face cover, I don't like it, not even the fact that it's shiny can save it. Once again I don't like the synopsis, it's very cheesy, or do I mean cliche? Either way I wouldn't have bought it for that.


Post Read Thoughts


I don't know what to say without sounding like a broken record. I guess I'll start with the explanations or rather lack thereof. After two books I still don't have a clue what a stele is. It does some things but not others, why is this? The serpah blades: Why are they named? Why can't they be called 'Raziel'? Am I the only one thinking these questions? I also disliked the use of 'bitterer' on page 89. If you want to be intelligent and use the archaic form of 'more bitter' then that's jolly nice but in schools today a kid would be shot down in flames for using it. Surely an author should be using more recognisable terms so teens can learn correct spelling and grammar while they read a book that they enjoy?

Don't get me started on the characters, oh actually I've started now, I may as well continue. Clary and Jace, it's disgusting. Or am I the only sane person that read the end of book one? I mean it just made me physically sick. As for the Simon storyline, it screamed cop out. Seriously, you set it up for something good to happen and you kill it. The Inquisitor was transparent, I knew exactly what her motives were. Luke is as dull as very dirty dishwater and Valentine is one of the worst baddies I've ever come across. By 'worst' I mean 'awful' not 'scary', just to clear up any confusion.

Overall I was thoroughly unimpressed. The pace was intersting if you like being put to sleep and then just as you're dozing off "BAM" something happens. The plot was predictable, the characters were boring, explanations of the world just don't exist and the ending, it was a cop out. I swear on my kitty's very regular washing habits (what? He likes to be clean!) that this is one of the worst books I've come across this year.


My Rating

 1 star - I can't bring myself to give it any more. I am horrified by some of the plot and I wouldn't give it to anyone under 16 because of that. Also carrying on with a point I've made before. The trees! The trees! I'm devastated that yet more of them are being sacrificed for this, if you want to waste precious electricity reading this as an e-book then go ahead but please, not the trees. They can't take anymore. Needless to say, I don't recommend it to anyone.


A Final Note


There's some swearing and a lot of violence. I just want to make you all aware of this.

***Review*** City of Bones Mortal Instruments #1 by Cassandra Clare

On the Back of the Book


Clary Fray is seeing things. First she witnesses three teenagers stab a boy in a New York Nightclub - then the victim vanishes before her very eyes. Her mother has disappeared, and a hideous monster is lurking in her apartment. With her life spiralling into darkness, Clary discovers she has stumbled across an invisible war between ancient demonic forces and the secretive Shadowhunters - a war in which she may have a fateful role to play.


Pre Read Thoughts


I have a cnfession to make: I've been avoiding this series. It's had so much hype and I'm the girl who hates Vampire Academy and thinks that the Hunger Games is average. I have high standards and I don't think this series will live up to them. Also this series has been endorsed by Stephenie Meyer and my opinion of her is pretty low so I don't trust her opinion. However I had to pick this up when it got chosen as a September group read for the GR group I moderate. I managed to find a used copy for the princely sum of £1.90. Another upside is I have the old cover that doesn't have a shining, naked man on it. Saying that, I don't like that cover either, neither of them grab me and make me want to read the book. Finally I want to point out that I detest the synopsis. It makes Clary sound like she belongs in a mental asylum.


Post Read Thoughts


I don't know what to say. Trust me, I don't mean that in a good way. I can't describe how I feel about this book. I will say this though: it frustrates me. It could have been amazing like so many other YA books could have been amazing, but it isn't, it's rubbish. The execution is poor, things aren't explained properly, the pacing is a disgrace (It reminded me of the VA pacing), there are major continuity issues and worst of all it's predictable. I could see everything coming from a mile off. I hate that, I read a book to escape not to sit here and whinge once I've finished it.

On to the characters. I'm going to start with Simon because he's easily the least annoying of the love triangle but that may be because he's barely involved. I figured out on page 1 that he was in love with Clary, the author didn't even bother to hide it, this just made Clary seem even more stupid when he told her. Next up on my hit list: Jace. I hate him. He's an idiot, there's absolutely nothing sexy about a guy who thinks he knows everything and not only that but he's the best at doing it all. His sarcasm grew old quickly, especially as Clary and Simon are also sarcastic. Sarcasm overload from the main characters and I like sarcasm. Some of his actions didn't make sense with how he came across and I didn't feel like he was actually even attracted to Clary. Speaking of Clary. She's my worst enemy when it comes to this book. She's boring, woe is me, stupid, blind, self-centred and lacks personality. Well of course she lacks personality, this is an alarming trend in YA at the moment. She's another self insert where teens can pretend that Jace is their boyfriend and that they're in love and it's going to last forever and ever. Well I'm 20 years old and I expect more than that from a character. I'm not asking for much, just a little depth. Anyway... I'm ranting. I shall tell you how I feel about Clary in a sentence: I detest her.

Overall this is one of the worst books I've read all year. I can't think of one positive thing to say about it. It's rubbish and I hate it and after I've read the trilogy if I see the name 'Cassandra Clare' it will be too soon and may cause me to do damage to something close to me. This author is hereby banned from Basically Books! for as long as I moderate the group. I am not going through this again.


My Rating


1 star - I was going to give this 2 to be nice but writing this review has showed me just how much I detest this book. I am so upset about this book that I'm currently in mourning for all the trees that lost their lives so that this could be printed. No tree deserves to die for this. I recommend this to no one in the world especially not the impressionable 12 year olds that this is 'suitable' for.