2011 End of Year Book Survey

Jamie of The Perpetual Page-Turner has put together an End of Year Book Survey. Here are my answers:

Note: I reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this year but have decided to exclude it from the running of this survey because I could pretty much use it to answer every question.

1. Best Book You Read In 2011?
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. This was the last book I read in 2011, and also the best, most heart-breaking, and most interesting. I'm going to say this, and I don't say it lightly: The Knife of Never Letting Go is the best book I've ever read, after Harry Potter. Those that know me - and have eyes and know what my blog is all about - know how truly significant that statement is.

2. Most Disappointing Book/Book You Wish You Loved More Than You Did?
I didn't love Possession by Elana Johnson, Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney, and XVI by Julia Karr. Premises with great promise, all of them, but ultimately, they weren't the books for me.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2011?
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. Who knew I could ever love an all out horror story with that much gore?

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2011?
Same book it's been for the past few years now: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Finally, pretty much everyone I know has read it now, so I can move on.

5. Best series you discovered in 2011?
The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness and The Monstrumologist Series by Rick Yancey.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2011?
Patrick Ness and Rick Yancey (seeing a pattern here?).

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I don't do contemporary, I don't do romance, and most definitely DO NOT do contemporary romance. But I loved this.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2011?
Across the Universe by Beth Revis and Divergent by Veronica Roth. Addictive.

9. Book you most anticipated in 2011?
Divergent by Veronica Roth. So much hype and thankfully, for me, it lived up to it.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2011?

Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I would love to see more reversible covers in 2012.

11. Most memorable character in 2011?
Manchee, the talking dog, from The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness! Manchee is a legit dog who says things a dog would actually say - none of that ridiculous sarcastic talking dog stereotype to be had here.
Also, Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. A fascinating enigma, and the only real interesting part of the Millennium Trilogy in my opinion, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Lisbeth giving all the men who ever abused and raped her their rightful comeuppance. Dang girl. Good on you!

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2011?
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness and The Monstrumologist Series by Rick Yancey. A large part of the reason I love them so.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2011?
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I had to stop reading at one particular moment in this book and I did not continue, nor read anything else, for a few days until I had calmed down. A huge impact.

14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2011 to finally read?
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. This was recommended to me as my ideal book years ago. I should have listened.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2011?
Can I just put the entirety of The Monstrumologist Series by Rick Yancey in this space here? Every single sentence was a masterpiece.

16. Book That You Read In 2011 That Would Be Most Likely To Reread In 2012?
Delirium by Lauren Oliver. It was the first book that I read in 2011 and as such, the least fresh in my mind. Plus, I adored it.

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!
The ending of Delirium by Lauren Oliver!

Looking Ahead...
1. One Book You Didn't Get To In 2011 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2012?
The last two books in The Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men, by Patrick Ness, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, and Blood Red Road by Moira Young.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2012?
Lots. Probably Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, Insurgent by Veronica Roth, and Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare the most.

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2012?
Reading: I would like to not get so caught up in the newest, hottest releases of 2012 and completely forget about the books I had sworn I'd read before. Also, I would like to read at my own pace and not feel so frantic all the time to get as much reading done in every spare moment because I tried that and I found it very stressful.
Blogging: Similarly, I would like to keep blogging at a good pace, bearing in mind my busy schedule, but not ever feel too pressured or stressed. Because then blogging would become a chore for me and I don't ever want it to be that. 2011 was a great blogging year: I passed two major milestones (though never posted about them) - my one year Blogoversary and reaching 1,000 GFC Followers. Thank you to anyone who ever took the time to stop by my blog and read a review, comment, or just browse around in 2011. Here's to another great year in 2012!

2011 Challenges Wrap-Up and 2012 Challenges

I'm proud to say that I managed to complete or surpass every reading challenge that I signed up for in 2011 (with the exception of the 2011 A-Z Reading Challenge... somehow, forcing myself to complete this challenge became much less important to me than reading books that I actually wanted to read). Then again, I only signed up for four (including the Goodreads Challenge). So for 2012, I'm going to be challenging myself harder by signing up for 13 reading challenges! Yeah, this probably means I'm going to have the potential to fail, and fail hard, but isn't the point of a reading challenge to actually challenge yourself? Here they are, in alphabetical order:

2012 Audio Book Challenge (hosted by Teresa's Reading Corner)

I want to add some variety in my reading, so I hope to listen to 12 Audiobooks (Level: Going Steady) in 2012. I have a hard time reviewing audiobooks however, so I'm not sure I will be doing so for each audiobook that I listen to.

2012 Debut Author Challenge (hosted by The Story Siren)

I was surprised at how easily I completed the 2011 Debut Author Challenge, so I feel like I will have no problem completing 12 2012 YA/MG Debuts.

Dusty Bookshelf Challenge 2012 (hosted by Books: A True Story)

I get so caught up in reading the latest new releases that I often forget about the books that are literally or figuratively in my TBR pile. I hope to read 10-15 Books from my TBR (Level: Cobwebs) in 2012.

2012 Dystopian Reading Challenge (hosted by The Non Reluctant Reader)

Dystopian (post-apocalyptic and non) was the most common genre I read in 2011, so I feel it shouldn't be too hard to read 8-14 Books (Level: Medium) in 2012.

2012 E-Book Reading Challenge (hosted by The Eclectic Bookshelf)

Again, I want to add some variety to my reading style, so I hope to read at least 10 E-Books (Level: Fun Size) in 2012.

Finishing the Series Reading Challenge (hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews)

I hope to finish up at least 3 Series (Level 3) in 2012: Chaos Walking, The River of Time Series, The Infernal Devices, and The Monstrumologist Series are possibilities.

First in a Series Challenge 2012 (hosted by A Few More Challenges)

I read tons of firsts in a series in 2011, so I figure it should be easy to read 12 Firsts (Level: Series Expert) in 2012.

2012 Just Contemporary Reading Challenge (hosted by Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing)

It's embarrassing how little contemporary I read, even though I am constantly getting recommendations. In 2012, I hope to read at least 5 Contemporary Books (not very many, I know, but for me, this will be a challenge).

2012 Mammoth Book Challenge (hosted by Darlene's Book Nook)

I hope that by signing up for this challenge, it will encourage me to not shy away from mammoth-sized reads. I hope to read at least 6 +450 Page Books (Level 3) in 2012.

2012 Sophomore Reading Challenge (hosted by Chic Loves Lit)

I read lots of debuts in 2011, so I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to read 10 Sophomore YA/MG Books in 2012.

2012 Time Travel Reading Challenge (hosted by Library of Clean Reads)

I adore time travel so I know I'm going to love participating in this challenge. I hope to read 4-6 Time Travel Books (Level: Great Adventure) in 2012.

Why Buy the Cow? Reading Challenge 2012 (hosted by The Unread Reader and Reading the Paranormal)

I've downloaded quite a few free ebooks from Amazon since I've started blogging, but have read very little of them. I am going to attempt to read 12 Free Ebooks (Level: Coupon Clipper) in 2012.

And of course, the Goodreads Challenge. These are all that I've signed up for currently, but it may be that I just forgot about or didn't know about other reading challenges, which I might sign up for later.

Review: Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) by Beth Revis

Publisher: Penguin

Published: January 11, 2011

Pages: 398

Source: Won from Looksie Lovitz (Thanks!)

Rating: 5 STARS

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

In short: Across the Universe by Beth Revis was a completely enthralling novel, with stellar world building and a fascinating story.

This is going to be an odd review because though I did in fact find a few faults with Across the Universe, the positives managed to outweigh the negatives resulting in a five star rating, surprisingly. Ultimately, I was just so enraptured by the world building, the dual narrative, and the story written so wonderfully by Beth Revis that despite some problems, Across the Universe still managed to rank as one of my favourite reads this year.

My main fault with Across the Universe was the mystery surrounding the identity of the murderer on the ship: it was so incredibly obvious, which is so incredibly unfortunate. However, I was happy at least that the motivations of the murderer were a mystery to me right up until the end. Furthermore, even with the main mystery being spoiled, there were plenty of surprise reveals and plot twists that made Across the Universe a very fun and exciting read.

My other problem with Across the Universe was that there were a few plot points that weren't entirely scientifically believable... I won't go into them here though. People who know me know that when aspects of the plot are not scientifically accurate, it can severely affect my enjoyment of a book or movie. Surprisingly however, this was not the case with Across the Universe. I was so caught up in the story and stellar world building that I found I didn't even care if there were some inaccuracies, which is quite impressive indeed.

Overall, despite finding fault with the obvious mystery and scientific inaccuracies, the captivating world building and intriguing story in Across the Universe won me over. I can't wait for A Million Suns, coming out January 10, 2012.

Other Reviews:
Bookmarked
The Bookworm is Here!
Unputdownable Books

Author Links:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads

*Read as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge

Review: XVI by Julia Karr

Publisher: Penguin

Published: January 6, 2011

Pages: 325

Source: Won from Logan E. Turner (Thank you!)

Rating: 2 Stars

Every girl gets one. 
An XVI tattoo on the wrist--sixteen. 
Some girls can't wait to be sixteen, to be legal. Nina is not one of them. Even though she has no choice in the matter, she knows that so long as her life continues as normal, everything will be okay. 
Then, with one brutal strike, Nina's normal is shattered; and she discovers that nothing that she believed about her life is true. But there's one boy who can help--and he just may hold the key to her past. 
But with the line between attraction and danger as thin as a whisper, one thing is for sure... 
For Nina, turning sixteen promises to be anything but sweet.

In short: XVI by Julia Karr was an unfortunately obvious satire that suffered from awkward writing and a lack of urgency.

XVI by Julia Karr is set in a world where the government is controlled by the Media and girls are encouraged to seek out sex when they turn sixteen. This makes for a rather ham-fisted and obvious satire, unfortunately, and this was my main problem with XVI. It's not that I don't agree with the overall message presented, it's just that I don't need to be hit over the head with it. A more subtle approach would have been much more appreciated.

I did like Nina as the main character, however. She was a strong and moral girl, determined not to be just like every other teenaged drone. She had an admirable ability to stay strong and not break down in the face of terrible events and her love and protectiveness she had for her little sister was sweet. Still, she had a few TSTL moments.

Julia Karr's writing was a miss for me. It was awkward and repetitive. There was also a distinct lack of urgency throughout the novel that made for a bit of a boring reading experience. Despite the seemingly serious events that would routinely take place in XVI, Nina would be back to normal and hanging out with her friends the next day. And I lost count how many times Nina and friends would get together and rehash the situation again and again, barely progressing.

Overall, XVI didn't work for me. Though I appreciated Nina as a strong, female character, I was put out by the obvious satire, the awkward writing, and the lack of urgency. I will not be continuing with this series.

Other Reviews:
A Blog About Nothing
Avery's Book Nook
That's Swell!

Author Links:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads

*Read as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge
*The Letter X in the A-Z Reading Challenge

Winner!

It's time to announce the winner of the Book Lover's Giveaway Hop! There were a total of 163 people who entered and 455 entries. And the winner, according to random.org, is:

Small Review!

I mean, what are the chances? I swear on my life that I did not rig this. I hope people believe me. Anyways, congrats Small! I hope you find the Hush, Hush series at least as entertaining as I did. Please email me with your address within the next 48 hours at ayleejaine(at)gmail(dot)com.

Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop!

Hop! Welcome to my blog! The Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Kid Lit Frenzy and runs from December 2nd to 6th.

For this hop, I am giving away Hush, Hush and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick!

Full disclosure: I won these in a giveaway, read the first one and found it to be a very addictive read, but I feel no compulsion to finish the series. It just wasn't for me, but I can definitely see why other people love the Hush, Hush Series.

Rules
1. To enter, fill out the form below
2. Open Worldwide
3. Ends December 6, 2011 at 12:00 AM EST
4. Entrants must be at least 13 years old
5. The winner will be announced on the blog and have 48 hours to send me an email with their address or else I will choose someone else.
Note: Hush, Hush is a paperback and Crescendo is a hardback.

Good luck!

Review: Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: December 6, 2011

Pages: 497

Source: For Review from Simon and Schuster Canada (Thank you!)

Rating: 4.5 Stars

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends. With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them. Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do? As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

In short: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare is an exciting sequel featuring heart-wrenching story developments that make for a truly addictive read.

Cassandra Clare has a true talent for messing with her characters' emotions, putting them through hell just when you think they might get a happy ending. This in turn causes the reader to be put through hell too as she also does such a good job at making us fall in love with her characters that it is all the more heart-wrenching when terrible things happen to them. Heart-wrenching sums up my feelings for Clockwork Prince pretty well. And I loved every second of it.

I know I say this in every review of Cassandra Clare's books that I write, but I am terribly fond of her characters. Somehow, Cassie has managed to come up with a whole slew of enigmatic characters just waiting for us to read about to uncover their secrets and mysteries. Every character, main and side, have their own unique and well defined personalities and their own intriguing back stories. It's addictive, this need to uncover the new additions to the seemingly endless backstory reveals for each character. From the moment I opened Clockwork Prince, it was a race to the finish.

The plot progresses nicely in this sequel. Not only are characters changing and developing (in Will's case, drastically), but the plot line surrounding The Magister, his clockwork creatures, and the mystery behind what sort of magical being is Tessa, continues in a rather intriguing way, with lots of action and surprises. It still came off as the second book in a trilogy in that there was a definite building up of even greater things to come, but at no point did the plot seem like unimportant filler as is often the case in second books.

My one quibble is the introduction of the love triangle. I find that they mess with my mind too much, and not in a good way. I find them a bit stressful, to be honest. I would have preferred to have seen more action scenes in the stead of all the love triangle drama that crowded the end of Clockwork Prince. Despite this, Clockwork Prince was an exciting and addictive sequel to an amazing series. I would highly recommend giving The Infernal Devices Series a try if you haven't yet, and checking out Clockwork Prince when it's released December 6, 2011!

Also, check out the newly released (and amazing!) book trailer!

In case you missed it, my Clockwork Angel Review and my Clockwork Prince Teaser Review.

Other Reviews:
Mundie Moms
Planet Print

Author Links:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads
Fansite - MortalInstruments.net
Fansite - Mundie Moms

In My Mailbox (13)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren (and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie) to showcase any books that I have received for review, bought, borrowed, or won to read.

For Review from Simon and Schuster Canada

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) by Lauren DeStefano

Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me this ARC! I loved Wither, the first in The Chemical Garden Trilogy, and I'm interested to see where Rhine's story is going to go from where Wither left off.

Bought On Sale

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead

Heist Society (Heist Society #1) by Ally Carter

I broke my Book Buying Ban again to buy these books, but we're talking hard covers for $7 here, so I figured it would be okay. Get I get a "Whoop Whoop" for the Sales Shelf?

Review: Matched (Matched #1) by Ally Condie

Publisher: Penguin

Published: November 30, 2010

Pages: 366

Source: Won from Ally Condie (Thank you!)

Rating: 5 STARS

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. 
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

In short: Matched by Ally Condie is a captivating dystopian read due to its impeccable writing and perfectly developed world building.

It seems like everyone was initially in love with Matched before it was released, hyping it up and raving about it, and then at some point people were let down from that high and started to find fault with it. They seemed to be legitimate problems, too, from what I read. However, after having read Matched myself (finally!), I have to say that these faults didn't bother me. The following are, to my eyes, the most common problems that people found with Matched and my reasoning behind why I didn't see them as weaknesses (please allow me this unusual review format):

The pacing is very slow. This is very true. Matched is a quiet novel, one without any intense action or earth-shaking events, that people more inclined towards fast paced novels may find boring. Fortunately for me, I seem to have a very high tolerance for slower paced novels as long as the writing is impeccably done (which is why I also adored Beautiful Creatures and Delirium). I was completely swept away in Ally Condie's writing, always held captivated and interested. The flawless incorporation of poetry and symbolism into the text was genius. Consequently, I wasn't bothered the least bit by the lack of action.

The world building wasn't original. The dystopian world in Matched was derivative of other dystopian novels, particularly The Giver. Lucky for me, I've never read The Giver (The shame! I know, I know. I will read it eventually.). I can't say with complete confidence that Matched had a never-before-seen literary world, but among the sea of dystopians I've read this year, it definitely stands out as being the best described and most intriguing (along with Divergent). I loved reading about Matched's perfect-on-the-surface dystopian world that was slowly revealed to be anything but as Cassia discovers disturbing truths about the Society that she has felt safe in her entire life.

So, there you have it: the reasoning why I loved Matched but can understand why other people didn't. I would love to know in the comments how you felt about Matched and if you had similar thoughts regarding the above common issues.

Other Reviews:
Books: A True Story
IceyBooks
She Known As Jess

Author Links:
Blog
Website
Twitter

Review: Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: November 1, 2011

Pages: 336

Source: For Review from Simon & Schuster Canada (Thank you!)

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…Now it’s our turn. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, turning everday people into hunters, killers, crazies. Mason's mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she’s about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine, the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who gun down the guilty party and then turn on the bystanding crowd. Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey into the heart of darkness – but also a journey to find each other and a place of safety.

In short: Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts is an intense post-apocalyptic read, but unfortunately lacks distinct character development for its four narrators.

An ancient evil threatens to destroy the world. Countless people are turned into mindless killers and brutally murder the leftover good people one by one. Dark Inside follows four survivors - Mason, Aries, Clementine, and Michael - in their quest to stay alive, find their families, and fight their darkness. Needless to say, Dark Inside is a pretty intense read. It was very fast paced with lots of action and lots of close-calls. Unfortunately though, it just didn't work for me.

My main problem with Dark Inside was there were too many perspectives to keep track of. The four main characters had different backgrounds but ultimately did not have as fully fleshed out personalities as I would have liked, making them difficult separate and difficult to relate to. Also, it did not make for a fun reading experience to have each character's chapter end on a cliffhanger only to return to them finally three chapters later. And often the promised action at the end of the chapter was completely skipped over by the time that character's story was returned to, making the experience even more frustrating.

If there was one interesting aspect that having four perspectives provided though, it's the differing outlooks and actions taken by each character and using this to evaluate what would be the best course of action for me should I ever find myself in a post-apocalyptic setting. You never know. It could happen. What's best: not risking it and staying hidden in a secret hideout or not being a sitting duck and never staying in the same place for more than a night? Grouping together with many people to have safety in numbers or going it alone so that it's not as easy to be tracked? These are important questions that we should ask ourselves in case the world ends tomorrow.

Overall, I can appreciate the intense plot and psychological undercurrents that debut author, Jeyn Roberts, created for Dark Inside. But ultimately, Dark Inside needed more in depth character and world building to keep me interested. I'm confused as to whether this one is a planned series or a standalone, but there were certainly a ton of unanswered questions leftover.

Other Reviews:
Books of Amber
The Bursting Bookshelf
Cheezyfeet Books

Author Links:
Twitter
Goodreads

*Read as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge

Winner!

It's time to announce the winner of my Clockwork Prince ARC Giveaway! There were a total of 305 people who entered and 1067 entries. And the winner, according to random.org, is:

Hafsah @ IceyBooks!

Congrats Hafsah!! I hope you love this book! Please email me with your address within the next 48 hours at ayleejaine(at)gmail(dot)com.

Teaser Review: Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: December 6, 2011

Pages: 497

Source: For Review from Simon & Schuster Canada (Thank you!)

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

I plan on posting my full review for Clockwork Prince closer to the release date but I thought I would post a teaser review consisting of my thoughts page by page. Sorry if this is considered cruel for those of you who have been dying to read this book...  my goal is just to make everyone excited to read it (as if you weren't already)!

Page 24: Excited for Tessa to get some Shadowhunter training! She is way too much of a lady.

Page 71: Oh, how I've missed Cassandra Clare's trademark humour.

Page 98: Victorian England is my favourite setting ever.

Page 143: Will's secret revealed! Holy crap.

Page 173: I love bookish heroines.

Page 195: Ha! Will totally deserved that. Good one Jem.

Page 206: Wow. Cassie sure knows how to write racy kissing scenes. That was hot. I am once again impressed by Jem.

Page 210: Oh, Henry. I like eggs too.

Page 218: Go Sophie! She is fast becoming my favourite character.

Page 250: I think I love Will and Jem's bromance even more than Tessa's relationships with Will and Jem.

Page 254: Again, Sophie?! She's fierce.

Page 278: Who knew Benedict Lightwood was so kinky.

Page 292: Love triangles are confusing and mess with my mind.

Page 318: Teehee. You so silly, Magnus.

Page 386: Cassie has a true talent at writing action scenes. So intense.

Page 423: Aw! So happy for them. Very sweet.

Page 428: !!!!

Page 439: Heehee. I quite like giddy Will.

Page 474: Again, this love triangle is messing with me.

Page 498: Grrr... what a way to end this!

Hope you enjoyed that tease. I strongly urge everyone to read this series if you haven't yet! Interested in getting a chance to read Clockwork Prince early? Enter my Clockwork Prince ARC Giveaway!

Also, check out this amazing book trailer:

Muggle Monday (18): Pottermore Review

It's time for Muggle Monday, in which I post a quote, a video, or a significant piece of news from the Harry Potter franchise. This is somewhat inspired by the Mundane Monday posts by The Mundie Moms.

But let's be real as to why I made up this meme: I just want the opportunity to post something about Harry Potter.


This week, I'm posting my review, the pros and cons, of Pottermore, the interactive online reading experience.

Let's start with the good then, shall we?

Pros:

1. The new exclusive content written by J.K. Rowling. This is by far the best part of the site. Jo has written 18,000 words of new and fascinating information, all written with her signature wit and whimsy. Though I am pretty disappointed that it seems as though we will never get a comprehensive, printed encyclopedia, I am happy that this information is being made available for free online.

2. Getting Sorted. There are a ton of fan created sorting quizzes, but this is the first that Jo has created herself. It's pretty cool to find out officially what house I would be sorted into after years of speculation (Hufflepuff! No surprise there). I am a bit dubious as to the legitimacy of the quiz though... it seems suspicious that there would be an almost even number of students in each house (at the moment, approximately 165,000 students across the board). What are the chances?

3. Getting a Wand. This is another fun quiz that you take to find the best wand for you. Jo has written up descriptions of the qualities of each wand core and every wand wood that is available. Incredibly interesting. The descriptions of the personalities of my core (Unicorn Hair) and my wood (Rowan) sound very much like me, which is cool.

Cons:

1. There is no replay value. And I know a lot of people agree with me on this. Once you've completed all the chapters, you're done, and there's not much to keep you coming back afterwards or reviewing the chapters again. It was exciting going through it all the first time, but I won't be returning to Pottermore until Chamber of Secrets is released.

2. I think I'm too old for this. This is very surprising to me because I have a pretty immature personality for someone my age. I'm usually very much into the sort of games that are available on Pottermore. If Pottermore had been released years ago, I probably would have been very much into brewing potions and wand duelling, but I think I've reached my limit now. I'm a proud Hufflepuff, don't get me wrong, but I just don't care about earning house points. And I especially have no interest in waiting 80 minutes for my friggin potion to finish brewing!

3. No music or sound effects. The new pictures created to represent each chapter are truly gorgeous but there is a noticeable lack of any sound. I think it would have added a bit to the experience.


Overall, I recommend Pottermore to people who are more than just casual Harry Potter fans, as you would probably have no interest in getting sorted and getting a wand otherwise. If you are a big Harry Potter fan, I do recommend going through each chapter (or "moment" as they are called) at least once just so you can read all the amazing new tidbits from Jo. You can probably get through the entire site in about 4 hours. You can try your hand at potion brewing and wand duelling a few times and I'm sure that'll satisfy you.

So yeah, pretty disappointed. I just want my encyclopedia!! I can't believe Twilight got its encyclopedia before HP. Like I said, I won't be returning to Pottermore in any great capacity until Chamber of Secrets is released, but if you want to add me as a friend, my username is FlightOwl209 (Also, let me know in the comments what your username is if you're sending a friend request or else I won't know who you are!).