Review: Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Synopsis from Goodreads:

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?

 

Review:

 
Hunger pleasantly surprised me. It was clever, intriguing and offered an important message to contemporary young people. Hunger is about one girl's struggle against anorexia and Kessler has realistically and seriously shown what young people today are going through.

The characters are relatable and complex. I empathised with both Lisa and Tammy's (Lisa's new best friend) conditions and wished that they would go through an epiphany and realise the error of their ways.

I was already familiar with some of the information and habits that anorexia and bulimia consist of as I studied it in school, but it was shocking to read about this in Hunger, which made it into much more of a reality. 

I loved the fact that though the synopsis hinted at a very strange story inside, it was actually one of the most down-to-earth and emotional novels I've read this year. Kessler superbly balanced (balance being a key word in the book) Lisa's problems; friends, family, her love life and of course, most importantly, her anorexia.

While reading Hunger, I had a very strong feeling that the author must have gone through something similar because she could describe Lisa's feelings so well and so realistically. The emotional and heartfelt note at the end of the book supported this.

There were so many scenes that moved me in Hunger, but the two scenes that are engraved in my mind are when Lisa (as a Horseman) watches Tammy making herself sick in the bathroom. I thought this scene was perfect in its vividness and truth. The reader can feel everything Tammy goes through, but through Lisa's eyes. It was a strange and surreal passage.

The other scene is when Lisa is angry at her mother and uses her powers on her. The description was very vivid and graphic. I really liked the ways in which Lisa could use her power and this was a very unique aspect of the novel. While I have been saying that Hunger is very realistic, at the same time, it also felt like a moral story or a fable.

I believe this is because the story was on the short side length wise (180 pages) and because some of the characters weren't as developed as I would have liked them to be. Characters such as Death and War played their roles but the novel didn't explore them further and to the extent that it could have. While I liked the character of Death, he used the expressions 'Do you now?' and 'Well now' too much, however this is a small criticism.

Also, though Hunger ended satisfactorily, I would have liked  a more detailed ending in regards to Lisa's situation. Also, what ever happened to Tammy? This wasn't resolved.

Also, in my experience of YA books, parents are usually absent/dead/useless, so it was nice to see that Lisa's parents were actually 3D and though not the perfect parents, they developed well throughout the novel.

Overall, Hunger is a very exciting and important novel and I would definitely recommend this novel to everyone. I believe it reflects on important, sensitive and serious subjects yet at the same time, it is a very fun book to read. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Rage.

Book Rating: 4/5

Cover: 5/5

Concept: 4/5

Author: Jackie Morse Kessler

I received this book from Netgalley for review.

Nightwalker Cover re-creation entry

Recreate the cover of Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake and/or make a button for the series and you could get 20 dollars to The Book Depository at Paper Cut Reviews. It's international and ends on the 19th of October. Everyone should enter!

Here's the original cover:



And mine:


Not totally pleased with it, but hey, it was fun to do:)

Nightshade Cover Contest Entry

Over at The Book Vixen, you can recreate the cover of Nightshade and have a chance of winning a signed copy of Nightshade. It will be judged by Andrea Cremer herself. Also, it's international! Go and enter!

Synopsis from Goodreads: Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Original Cover:

My Cover:

What do you think?

Review: The Peculiar Superpowers of Eleanor Armstrong: A Zombie Love Story by K. A. Schloegel

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Teenage writer Eleanor Armstrong tells the story of her life as a collection of Facebook-esque entries interspersed with the chapters of the novel she is writing. She starts out writing a nice, quiet high school romance, depicting the love triangle between ultra-hip and smart Sarah – who is really just Eleanor with great hair, her geeky pal Marky – who is Eleanor’s pal in real life too, and popular jock Brandon – a character based on a boy who once spoke to Eleanor. But to her dismay, the novel turns to horror after zombies attack the school and kill Brandon. You know, just the usual “Boy meets girl. Boy turns into zombie. Zombie-boy loses girl. Zombie-boy gets girl.”

Huh?

Write what you know, Eleanor’s teacher tells her. And what she knows is a high school teeming with bored kids who will prey upon each other, can be kind, cruel, fall in love, or anything in between just to relieve the tedium of their existence. In other words, a school full of zombies. So Eleanor goes with it. Zombie attacks abound, both in her novel and her real life as an overlooked teenager with peculiar superpowers.

Goodreads~Amazon UK~Amazon US~Barnes&Noble

Review:

The Peculiar Superpowers of Eleanor Armstrong is humorous, action-packed and memorable. The main character, Eleanor, describes herself as a ‘plain-unusual’ girl; however, similarly to the character of Sarah that she creates in her story, she can be witty and spunky. Eleanor created the character of Sarah to project the traits that she wanted in herself, but thought she was lacking. I believe that by the end of the novel, Eleanor accepts herself for who she is.

The novel is laid out in such a way so that there is a chapter from Eleanor’s zombie story first and then Eleanor’s blog entries detailing events in her life, such as her feelings on the breakdown in the relationship between her friend Marky and herself, questions about her father’s safe and her feelings for a boy named Elijah- who spoke to her once. Interspersed with these are comments on the criticisms her teacher gave her story and a glimpse into the shocking relationship between her brother and a teacher.

The Peculiar Superpowers of Eleanor Armstrong was interesting as it depicted how Eleanor wanted to be in her ‘alter-ego’ Sarah. Therefore, the novel has a lot to do with the struggle to find an identity. This is mostly evident towards the end where Eleanor confronts her father about the reasons why her mother really left them and blames herself. I found this scene highly emotional as it expressed her vulnerabilities along with the scene where Elijah talks to her for the second time:

“Oh. Fat girl in the weight room,” he said. In the exact same tone of voice he had said, “What do you think of the assignment?”

The other boys laughed.

And I almost cried... because it was the second thing Elijah had said to me. What do you think of the assignment? And then fat girl in the weight room. (P.100)

The zombie story she writes is always fun and constantly moving. It was in total juxtaposition to Eleanor’s real life which, though interesting, was mostly ordinary. I thought that Eleanor could have explained the finer details of her zombie story more. In some instances, Sarah would know certain facts without anyone telling her and would act upon it and it wasn’t until the end of the story that I was told how she knew.

Additionally, Sarah told me how she knew certain facts (like where another character was) instead of showing me. Therefore, the revelation of how she had known a lot of things wasn’t as strong as it could have been as there was a lack of foreshadowing in the zombie story that Eleanor wrote and the explanation for it was somewhat complex. A last criticism was that there were a few spelling and grammar mistakes in the novel.

The Peculiar Superpowers of Eleanor Armstrong is well-paced and easy to read. There were times I was laughing out loud at the visual images formed. Most of the characters felt believable but the weakest were Doctor Who and the Zombie Queen from Eleanor’s story.

The story Eleanor wrote was highly entertaining and it certainly played on stereotypes of what a hero should be like and what a villain should be like. Eleanor went through a series of epiphanies throughout the novel and finally leaves us with some words of wisdom. The zombie story she wrote also concludes in a satisfying way.

Overall, I highly enjoyed The Peculiar Superpowers of Eleanor Armstrong and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in zombies, identity and lots of humour.

Read a preview here.

Book Rating: 4/5

Cover: 3/5

Concept: 4/5

Author: K. A. Schloegel

-Received from author.

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren so we can share what came in the post this week!

This is what I got in the last two/three weeks:) Sadly, no pictures this week because I have no camera (Boo!)

Review book:

My first book for review! Yippee!! It's The Peculiar Superpowers of Eleanor Armstrong: A Zombie Love Story by K. A. Schloegel *signed! (Review coming up straight after this!)

Bought:

Lord of the Rings Box Set by J. R. R. Tolkein- I needed this! It's classic, come on.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis (Bound)- Love. It.

Uglies Box Set by Scott Westerfeld- Mostly loved the series so had to have it! Can't wait to read more from him. Read my reviews for it!

Turnabout by Margaret P Haddix- I loved this book when I was younger so I got it. Ah, childhood. Plus, I love this new cover.

Some books for school: Yeah, I have to read them. 13 Ways of Looking at The Novel by Jane Smiley and How Novels Work by John Mullan

Won:

Angel by L. A. Weatherly from Girls without a Bookshelf- I went on this treasure hunt in London. I recognised both locations but went to the first and was able to make it there at the allotted time! It was pouring down with rain! lol, still, it was very exciting to go on a treasure hunt. I felt like a spy. I had to go up to the ladies standing outside the shop with the GOODIE BAGS and who were wearing wings and say the password which was angel fever, answer three questions and that was it!:D There were also teaser chapters, an Angel poster and ANGEL CAKE in the goodie bag which was supremely delicious! :D

Saltwater Vampires by Kirsty Eagar, Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James, The Other Countess by Eve Edwards, Numbers by Rachel Ward and a Spellbound by Books bookmark from Melissa at Spellbound by Books! So, so happy! Can't wait to read them! They're all great! Thank youuuu! All the way from Australia too <3

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler from the 2009 Debutantes!

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause from Bea's Book Nook!

Unicorn Pin from Cecilia, The Epic Rat!

-That's a wrap. I am one happy girl.

What did you get in your mailbox?

My entry for the Minder Recreate a Cover contest at Blkosiner's Book Blog

Brandi at Blkosiner's Book Blog is holding a recreate a cover contest! We have to recreate the cover of Minder by Kate Kaynak! It's international, so go ahead and enter!

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn is special, but she needs to figure out how to use her new abilities before somebody else gets hurt. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, but it's not exactly a nurturing place. Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control. A stray thought can burn a building to the ground. And people's nightmares don't always stay in their own heads. But it's still better than New Jersey--especially once she meets the man of her dreams...

Original Cover:

My Cover:

Yeah, I'm not sure about it.

Let me know what you think.

Review: H.I.V.E by Mark Walden

Summary from Goodreads:

HIGHER INSTITUTE OF VILLAINOUS EDUCATION

Otto Malpense may only be thirteen years old, but so far he has managed to run the orphanage where he lives, and he has come up with a plan clever enough to trick the most powerful man in the country. He is the perfect candidate to become the world's next supervillain.

That is why he ends up at H.I.V.E., handpicked to become a member of the incoming class. The students have been kidnapped and brought to a secluded island inside a seemingly active volcano, where the school has resided for decades. All the kids are elite; they are the most athletic, the most technically advanced, and the smartest in the country. Inside the cavernous marble rooms, floodlit hangars, and steel doors, the students are enrolled in Villainy Studies and Stealth and Evasion 101. But what Otto soon comes to realize is that this is a six-year program, and leaving is not an option.

With the help of his new friends: an athletic martial-arts expert; a world-famous, beautiful diamond thief; and a spunky computer genius -- the only other people who seem to want to leave -- can Otto achieve what has never been done before and break out of H.I.V.E.?
 
~~~~~~
 
Review:
 
H.I.V.E was a highly enjoyable book to read. The first in a six book series, it promises to make good reading. After reading the blurb of the book I was worried that the main character Otto Malpense would be a real villain who would thoroughly enjoy and thrive on evil.

However, the book was highly interesting to read as it relates the story of an unwilling inmate of the Higher Institute of Villainous Education and his attempts to escape the school with his newly made friends Wing, Laura and Shelby.


This is all complicated by his realisation that he is beginning to enjoy the lessons taught at H.I.V.E. The story begins with Otto’s arrival at H.I.V.E and his first impression of the school before detailing the key moments of his life and the momentous events leading to his sudden abduction to H.I.V.E in the form of a flashback.


I believe that this was a very effective device utillised by Walden as up until the very end of the flashback I was intrigued to know what Otto could have possibly done to end up at H.I.V.E.


H.I.V.E is fast-paced, action packed and gripping. The characters are well developed and 3d. Over the course of the book we learn a great deal about some of the characters such as the exploits which earnt them a place in H.I.V.E and the history of Otto Malpense as he is the central character.


However, the pasts of other equally interesting characters are shrouded in mistery which only makes me eager to read more. At the beginning of the book the most dangerous character which seems to pose a threat to Otto’s plans is Maximillian Nero, the headmaster of H.I.V.E who immediately recognises Otto as trouble and someone who will be difficult to control. Surprisingly, we find out that Otto’s real enemy is Nero’s boss, a mysterious character known by the codename Number 1.


Although the book was entertaining, one criticism is that Otto’s plan to put the Prime Minister under hypnosis and to make him recite a false and incriminating speech which was broadcast to the nation on television was unrealistic. Also, Otto’s power to soak in any information he reads almost instantaneously is robot-like.


Most of the action takes place in a top secret school on an island in an undisclosed location. The school complex is mainly underground and is very impressive. The pupils are taught a wide range of classes such as the best ways to avoid detection, how to assemble all sorts of villainous devices and how to use plants with highly unusual properties in their dastardly schemes.


There are various types of technology featured in the book. H.I.V.E Mind is an extremely complex artificial intelligence computer system that has the ability to experience emotion and has the task of running the school’s many systems smoothly. Some of H.I.V.E Mind’s duties include providing and monitoring security for the school and establishing personal interfaces for students and staff at the school to give them whatever information they require.


There were grapplers reminiscent of Batman which provided the students with the means to navigate the ceiling. One staff member managed to develop a mind transferring procedure which moved the consciousness of another teacher into the body of a cat. As well as this, there was the development of a gigantic bloodthirsty plant which had the characteristics of a voracious carnivore.


I really enjoyed reading H.I.V.E and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. I would recommend this book to people who like the Alex Rider series , the Harry Potter series and the Young Bond series.


Book Rating: 4/5


Cover: 3/5


Concept: 4.5/5


Author: Mark Walden

-Reviewed by Loralin, a new contributor to the blog.

In My Mailbox (1)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren and was created to share new books we receive. 

Won:
Torment by Lauren Kate (Fallen, Book 2) from Kara @ Reading Cause I'm Addicted

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Caster Chronicles, Book 2) from Jenny @ Wondrous Reads (I think I was meant to get The Eternal Ones but I received this instead!) Woohoo!!!

Buffy The Vampire Slayer 1 + 2 (First one not pictured) by Christopher Golden, Nancy Holder, Diana G. Gallagher and Pierce Askegren from Jo @ Once Upon a Bookcase

Thank you!:)

What did you get?

Review: Mockingjay (Contains Spoilers)

Summary from Goodreads:

"My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay -- no matter what the personal cost.



Review:

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

OVERVIEW:

Mockingjay, the final part of the Hunger Games trilogy did live up to most of my expectations. I was very keen to read the final instalment after I finished the previous two books, however I did not want to raise my expectations and then be disappointed when I finished the book. Luckily, for the most part, Mockingjay was a satisfying end to the trilogy.

CHARACTERS:

KATNISS:

Katniss remained a strong, unique and memorable character. I loved being able to see things from her point of view. Mockingjay had time for Katniss to reflect on and absorb everything that had happened to her and those surrounding her in the past two books. Once again, Katniss is used as a pawn in other people’s power games.

Katniss is perhaps one of the strongest heroines I’ve had the pleasure to read about. I really appreciated the fact that the love triangle was somewhat low key and that she had time to reflect on all that had happened. I really would like to read more about characters like this one. Recommendations?

There were times that I was annoyed with Katniss’s perspective. She didn’t get to witness some major events that were catalysts for the plot and we as readers missed out on a lot because of that. Katniss was told about certain events after they’d happened and this disappointed me because she was usually in the centre of action in previous books.

PEETA:

Peeta was the character who shocked me the most. I was not expecting the dramatic change in his character and I was very surprised in the twist of events that Collins inflicted upon us. I felt so sorry for Peeta and I really sympathised with him. He had been used just as much as Katniss. The trauma he went through sounded appalling-however, this was mostly told about and not shown. However, that was gruesome enough.

I did like the fact that there was a change in Peeta’s character. For the past two books, he was always there for Katniss and was strong. However, now we got to see the effects that the Hunger Games had on him and see him reacting to Katniss in a totally different way. It was shocking, scary and horrifying. I would have liked to have seen more on how he got better but for a long time Katniss stayed away from him so we didn’t see him as much as we could have.

GALE:

Gale was okay. I can’t say I cared much about Gale throughout the trilogy, I’d say I’m indifferent. However, the ending left me miffed. Was he the one that caused Prim’s death or not? I know you can’t have all the answers, but this is one that I think Katniss should have tried to find the answer to. Katniss and Gale talk very briefly at the end of the book and I didn’t think it was enough for two people who had been lifelong friends and looked after each other’s family.

PRIM:

Prim had a bigger role in Mockingjay. I didn't really care that much about her in the Hunger Games or Catching Fire, but in Mockingjay I finally got to see more of her- which is because Katniss didn’t have to go into the arena again. Prim was a good character. She was nice, nursing and wise. She offered Katniss words of wisdom. I was surprised that Prim died.

DEATHS:

There were a lot of deaths in Mockingjay. This was a given I suppose as a war was taking place. I was expecting one of the three main characters to die: Katniss (it could’ve happened as the book was in the present tense and she could’ve died at the end), Peeta or Gale.

PRIM: I really wasn’t expecting Prim’s death. However, it really did show how cold-blooded both District 13 and the Capitol were. Coin probably ordered Prim to go and Prim, being so good-natured did and of course she was also just a pawn in the game.

SNOW: I really wished that Katniss had killed President Snow herself. This was a letdown. He either choked on his own blood or was crushed by the crowd. We’ll never know. Katniss should have had two arrows-instead of one- and done the job properly for reader satisfaction! Nothing by halves, please.

COIN: Katniss did kill Coin who was just another power-hungry villain! This was good!

BOGGS: He was a really nice character and of course it was sad that he died but it just shows the brutality and uncertainty of war.

FINNICK: I didn’t know Finnick was going to die when he did. I mean, I knew he might, this was a war after all, but he died earlier than I expected to and by the end I realised it was because there wasn’t a huge battle at the end where there would be a storming of the President’s mansion. Finnick had such a sad life and it had only just got a bit better as he married Annie-but alas, it was not to be.

CINNA: In Catching Fire, I was quite sad that Cinna was beaten up and, in all probability, dead. However, I was never certain that he really HAD died and wasn’t just locked up somewhere and being tortured. I guess he did get killed as he didn’t appear in Mockingjay, but I would have liked this to have been confirmed through the characters’ dialogue.

DARIUS AND THE AVOX GIRL- LAVINIA: Horrific. Even hearing it second hand, the description of what happened to them was enough to disgust me. Perhaps this was a reason that Collins didn’t show it through Katniss’ own eyes. The brutality and reality of it was really shocking. I don’t think they’ll show it in the movie either if they want it to be certified 12.

LOADS MORE: There were so many more deaths. The list includes but is not limited to the patients and the medics at the hospitals, the children at the end, the citizens of the Capitol, most of District 12, the others that were in Katniss’ team.

PACE:

The beginning and the middle were quite slow and the ending was where things really speeded up; this was both good and bad. It was good because there was a lot of action and because of the rapidity of events. But it was bad because this should have happened sooner. I really wanted more to have happened at the beginning.

The ending felt rather abrupt, abstract and open-ended. Many questions that I really wanted answers to were not answered. Katniss also missed out on a lot of the action so I felt like I missed out on some of the book.

There were a few times when I got annoyed that Katniss didn’t know about something until after it had happened. Scenes such as when they rescued Peeta- although in retrospect, I can understand why this had to be this way.

While I was pleased by the final instalment, it could have been better. I wanted more HOPE for the future at the end of Mockingjay and while I did get a little bit, the uncertainty was the overriding factor.

DISAPPOINTMENTS:

The biggest disappointment was the epilogue. It just felt too general and sketchy. Perhaps Collins wanted to leave it up to us to decide what happens next, but the information was not enough to satisfy me and I wanted answers. Come on, I got answers in Lord of the Rings!

The questions that I wanted answers to were:

1. Why did Katniss say ‘yes’ to there being another Hunger Games after all she’d been through?

I really thought she would say no so I was shocked. I can understand why she said yes, because it really is human nature to want the people that inflicted you with so much pain to go through what you went through- losing a loved one and participating in the Hunger Games-but I wanted Katniss to tell me this herself and not assume it.

2. What does Katniss DO for the rest of her life?

I know she has two children-the boy and the girl- but as stated in the epilogue, this wasn’t until a long time later. I really thought it would have been great if Katniss and Peeta ended up being advisors to the government or something of that sort.

3. Also, what were her children’s names?

This is a small qualm but when Katniss talks about ‘the boy’ and ‘the girl’ it sounded really awkward. Why wouldn’t you call your children by their names? Strange.

4. Paylor was the new President. What do we know about her?

She could be just another Snow, just another Coin. There was no character development of this character that holds the most important office- so readers are left ignorant of what will happen in the future. Will the future be full of hope or bloodshed? We’ll never know. I need answers.

5. What happened to Gale?

Seeing as he was a main character, I wanted more details as to what happened to him after the ending. Does he ever see Katniss again? What does he do with the rest of his life?

6. Does Peeta recover fully or does he have trouble with his condition?

7. Was there another Hunger Games for the Capitol's children?

8.I'm sure there are more. I'll add them here when they come to mind.

WRITING STYLE:

Collins wrote beautifully in Mockingjay, as she did in the Hunger Games and Catching Fire. There were times I was really sad and because I was reading aloud, my voice shook. I’m really impressed with the way that Collins has managed to stay in character and not go off course.

Previous to reading the book, this had been a big fear of mine. I put off reading it due to the fact that I don’t like to finish off series' that I really enjoy because then it WILL DEFINITELY be over and also, because I don’t want to be disappointed. It even happened with Harry Potter- but that’s a whole other story.

CONCLUSION:

I enjoyed Mockingjay a lot and would recommend this trilogy to anyone. It really is the cream of the crop of both dystopian fiction and YA fiction. Though there were some qualms (which are stated above) that I had with the book, I liked it very much overall and was sad to have finished. I hope to read more from Suzanne Collins soon!

Book Rating: 4.5/5

Cover: 4/5

Concept: 5/5

Author: Suzanne Collins

Review: Clockwork Angel

Summary from Goodreads:

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.

As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.



Review:

Clockwork Angel was an exciting and well-written story. Clare had researched her facts very carefully and I appreciated the effort she put into Clockwork Angel. The novel was mysterious and kept me on my toes for the most part. The characters were mostly well-developed and interesting.

I haven’t read Clare’s other series, The Mortal Instruments, so I did not know what to expect from this author. I had heard a lot of praise for her books though, so my expectations were high. I was not disappointed. Clare’s writing is solid, active and descriptive. She writes with flair and passion. I could visualise the streets of London that were sculpted with her artful words.

I liked Tessa Gray. She was a strong, somewhat fierce heroine. I don’t think Tessa was as great as she could have been though and this is chiefly for the reason that there was a big gap in the middle of the book where she did not use her powers. Because of this, I did not feel that Tessa was used successfully in the novel and it was down to other characters to move the story along. Therefore, Tessa’s character let the story down. She had such a unique and interesting power but I just did not see enough of it in use to understand the extent of her powers.

The two love interests-Will and Jem- were both very fun characters. Will was more of a dark, rogue-like character whereas Jem was more patient and kind-however he does have a secret. They felt like two sides of the same coin.

Furthermore, I do not feel like Jem had a real chance in this book for Tessa's affections as Tessa was very much focussed on Will. However, after Will’s gross misconduct at the end of the book towards Tessa, I feel like Jem will have a stronger chance in the next book. Will surprised me at the end of the book because of the way he treated Tessa.

Also, I didn’t feel that the clockwork angel was important enough in the story for the book to be titled that. However, that is a very minor complaint. The plot of the story was very interesting and Clare managed to keep me on my toes and keep me guessing which I enjoyed very much. I particularly liked her take on vampires.

The other characters, such as Jessamine, Charlotte and Henry, were good. I can’t say I loved them, I can’t say I hated them. I felt indifferent to them as they weren't that well-developed. I was surprised at the twists and turns in the novel, mostly that of Tessa’s brother, Nate. For a long time, Nate was a character who was spoken about but does not appear in the book. I found Tessa’s constant worry and devotion to him expected but I didn't feel the same way because I didn’t ever see Nate first hand until the end.

At the end of the book there was an epilogue. The epilogue wasn’t what I expect of epilogues because it ended halfway through a scene-which is never a good thing in my opinion. I’m jaded as to what could be the matter with Will because Jem’s secret did not feel so taboo to me. Perhaps, this will be a repeat performance.

I would have liked to see more Shadowhunters and more of the Downworlders. I heard more about it than I saw of it. However, what I did see, I liked very much!

Overall, I very much look forward to reading more by Cassandra Clare because she is a great author and Clockwork Angel was fantastic. I would recommend this novel to everyone.

Book Rating: 4.5/5

Cover: 4/5

Concept: 5/5

Author: Cassandra Clare

Here's the cover that won me an ARC of Clockwork Angel from Tales of a Ravenous Reader (whose blog is awesome!):