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!).

Review: The Isle of Blood (The Monstrumologist #3) by Rick Yancey

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: September 13, 2011

Pages: 558

Source: Bought

Rating: 4.5 Stars

When Dr. Warthrop goes hunting the "Holy Grail of Monstrumology" with his eager new assistant, Arkwright, he leaves Will Henry in New York. Finally, Will can enjoy something that always seemed out of reach: a normal life with a real family. But part of Will can't let go of Dr. Warthrop, and when Arkwright returns claiming that the doctor is dead, Will is devastated--and not convinced. Determined to discover the truth, Will travels to London, knowing that if he succeeds, he will be plunging into depths of horror worse than anything he has experienced so far. His journey will take him to Socotra, the Isle of Blood, where human beings are used to make nests and blood rains from the sky--and will put Will Henry's loyalty to the ultimate test.

In short: The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey supplies yet another terrifying monster, but most importantly, provides the reader with thoughtful and developed characterization.

Will Henry and the Monstrumologist are back and this time the monster they are hunting is the Typhoeus magnificum, the father of all monsters. Infection caused by the magnificum results in zombie-like humans, whose skin rots and grows protruberances, and whose appetite becomes insatiable, often leading the individual to consume their own bodies if no human meal is in reach. It is a terrifying and disgusting monster - and I would expect no less from Rick Yancey, who in the past has brought us the likes of the Anthropophagus and the Wendigo.

As well done as the horror aspect and the monsters are in The Monstrumologist Series, the real life aspect and the characters are truly what makes these books, which I fear is not something I've sufficiently gotten across in my previous reviews for this series. After all, if all these books entailed were monsters and gore, they really wouldn't have very much substance at all and I would have no interest in reading them. As it is, the character development in The Isle of Blood was the best part of the novel, with both Will Henry and the Monstrumologist evolving significantly, yet naturally.

One thing that I love about this series are the cameos of real life historical figures. Jack the Ripper and Bram Stoker have significant roles in The Monstrumologist and The Curse of the Wendigo, respectively. In The Isle of Blood, Jack the Ripper is back in all his horrible and cruel glory. Arthur Conan Doyle also takes part in the story during a critical scene. It's super fun to see the many ways Rick Yancey comes up with to somehow integrate these cameos into the story.

Though I did have some minor problems with the pacing, The Isle of Blood is a magnificent addition to the Monstrumologist Series. I know I mention it every time I write a review for this series, but they really are some of the best written books I've ever read. The imagery created with Rick Yancey's words  is achingly beautiful. Add to that the fact that the writing just seems to get even better - more poetic - with each book, if that is even possible. I'm already looking forward to the newly announced fourth book in the series!

Previously, My Reviews for The Monstrumologist and The Curse of the Wendigo.

Other Review:
aleeza reads and writes

Author Links:
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*Read as part of the YA Series Challenge

Clockwork Prince ARC Giveaway

I was extremely fortunate to have received an ARC of Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare for review given how few ARCs of this book were created. But I couldn't possibly keep it all to myself when it seems like everyone I know wants to get their hands on it. Also, I obviously need to own a finished copy of the book to have on my shelf. Thus, a giveaway.

The only requirement of this giveaway is that you must be a book reviewer - either on your own blog or on a book review site like Goodreads. This is because I would hope this ARC to be read and reviewed by the winner before Clockwork Prince's publication on December 6, 2011 (and maybe even passed on to another reviewer afterwards).

Good luck!

Rules
1. To enter, fill out the form below
2. You must be a book reviewer to enter this giveaway
3. Open Worldwide
4. Ends November 6, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST
5. Entrants must be at least 13 years old.
6. The winner will be announced on the blog and have 48 hours to send me an email with their address.