Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs - 4 stars

Book 1 in the Mylena Chronicles

Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs
4 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The original cover wasn't that great but I do like the new one.

This book is full of action, adventure, tragedy, mystery, and fantasy. I found the world building quite interesting. Mylena is full of goblins, faeries, sprites, wraiths, gnomes, and many other fairy tale creatures. There are no humans. Humans are a hated race and killed instantly. Greta, a human, was found by a Sprite, Luke. He trained her to become a great bounty-hunter and taught her how to survive.

Greta isn't a perfect heroine with perfect abilities. She is capable of making mistakes while she's hunting for the Lost. The Lost are any creature who sub-comes to the pull of the Moons. They become rabid creatures who live to kill. We get a clear example of this right at the beginning. She is a human through and through. She has fears and flaws just like any teenage girl. Of course, her fears are legitimate as she always has to be on guard lest she be exposed.

There is a little bit of romance and the smallish love triangle. There's also a little bit of insta-love but it wasn't too much for me. I despise insta-love so there were points where I was irritated but it wasn't too bad. I liked how she cared for the boys she found, especially the youngest. She is compassionate and willing to do what she could to help them survive the cold, harsh world of Mylena.

The ending felt a little rushed but it was definitely a dramatic one. It set up book 2, Greta and the Glass Kingdom, quite well without having a horrible cliffhanger. Overall it was a great book. There are flaws but not enough to bother me. I definitely recommend it, especially to fantasy lovers.

Vengeance Be Mine by Louisa Lo - 4.5 stars

Book 1 in the Cosmic Balance series

Vengeance by Mine by Louisa Lo

4.5 stars

This book was great. I stayed up way past my bedtime. It was worth it though. 

Our main character is Megan. She's half vengeance demon, half trickster. There's never been one of these before so she's considered an abomination. She was bullied as a child and didn't have friends. Her dad is an arch vengeance demon so he's pretty powerful. His side of the family basically shunned her. Vengeance demon's are very proud and logical. Her mother is a trickster, a race of people who like to have fun and don't care about getting jobs or following rules. She has three trickster half-brothers and one vengeance demon half-sister. I loved all her siblings. Despite being half, they never treated Megan as an outcast. 

You feel really bad for Megan at some times. She entered a college to become a vengeance demon and she doesn't fit in. But she's good at holding her head up high and not letting her bullies get her down. But she's still a being with emotions so she has her doubts. To live on her own, she moves into an apartment on the human plane. She has a roommate who loves to cook. I found it amusing when Megan didn't understand some of her roommate's words because she wasn't human. 

What I liked most was the twists and turns that you don't really expect. The world is completely different and the world building is well developed. There aren't any info-dumps and Lo shows us the world and how things work in the right way. Show, not tell. That's a sign of a good author.  I didn't get annoyed with Megan's personality. I respected her determination. She is well developed. 

I would classify this as a New Adult book but sometimes it could be on the Young Adult side. It didn't bother me though. It's well written and captures your attention. I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this to book and I'm considering buying it. I wouldn't mind rereading it. I'm looking forward to the next one. 

Devil's Daughter by Hope Schenk-de Michele and Paul Marquez - 3.5 stars

Book 1 in Lucinda's Pawnshop

Devil's Daughter by Hope Schenk-de Michele and Paul Marquez with Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
3.5 stars

This book was difficult to rate. I liked it but it took me a little longer to get through than most books. I was able to put it down and move on to other books in my to-read pile. I'm pretty good at focusing on one book but I kept getting bored while reading. It's also a difficult book to review. I've rewritten this thing 10 times already.

The plot of the book is interesting. We have the daughter of Eve and Lucifer. We have demons and fallen angels. Shape shifting and magic and people who are at the brink of choosing right and wrong. Lucinda runs a pawn shop full of dark objects that hold dark souls of the past. When a mortal purchases an object they are drawn to, it wreaks havoc in their lives. Lucifer has Lucinda sell these objects so he can further his plot to end the world.

Lucinda is interesting. She has the inner turmoil of being the daughter of Eve and Lucifer. She has a human side that she can't show to anyone because it is her weakness. Of course, this comes crashing down when she meets a mortal man who wandered into the pawnshop accidently. She actually starts to feel things she's never felt before. She has to be careful with this part of her life as well. Basically she had to tread a fine line and keep everything hidden from those around her.

While Lucinda is the main character,we have several points of view. Some of them were interesting. Others were boring. There were a little too many jumps between characters. Most of these characters aren't really fleshed out. It's definitely a plot driven book.

I wanted there to be more world building. There are aspects that aren't explained. What is the Between? Why was Lucinda taken from Eve at such a young age? There are many unanswered questions. Some of them are legitimate and are there to be explored in the upcoming novel(s). But some of them should have been more fleshed out.

I might read the sequel just to see what's coming next. I can only hope that there will be character and plot growth along with it.

Awakening by Catrina Burgess - 3.5 stars

Book 1 of The Dark Rituals

Awakening by Catrina Burgess
3.5 stars

We have Colina, a former healer. When her family is brutally murdered before her eyes, she knows she needs to get her revenge. She decides that becoming a Death Dealer is the only way to get back at the monsters who stole her family from her. It so happens that the men who killed her family also want to kill her so she needs defenses fast.

In this world, people know about different magic groups, or Guilds. Death Dealers have an understandably bad reputation. The connect to the spirit world and force the spirits to become their slaves. It's pretty disturbing but the main character, Luke, is able to justify why they're not so bad. I can see it from both sides of the spectrum.

I understand the need for revenge and I liked the concept of a good person gone bad. There were a couple of twists and I liked the darkness required of becoming a Death Dealer. Colina is instantly attracted to Luke and she was a little obsessed with him. I found this part annoying. She'd just met the guy! If the guy is hot, of course she has to fall in love. ::Eye roll:: There were a lot of cliches throughout the whole thing.

Warning: character death in the end. It was a definite surprise. Still, I didn't really care about it. I had no emotional connection.

The world building was lacking. When I'm reading an alternate universe book, I want to know what's going on. How does society work? What is the culture? What are the powers involved? Is magic considered good or bad? World building is important for me. I need to be able to be immersed in that world. There is a fine line when you're building such a universe. Info-dumps are terrible. But if you do it just right, it's a smooth transition.

This book was okay. Apparently that's not a popular opinion. It was well written but I just didn't enjoy the story line. It's unique but mostly I was bored. It was a quick and easy read for me but I found it slow and there was a little too much insta-love. I'm not planning on reading Possession.

The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost - 5 stars

Book 1 in the Broken Destiny Trilogy

The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost
5 stars

First off, I love Jeaniene Frost. I follow her on Twitter and she's awesome. I love her Night Huntress series so I was excited to see what she would do outside of the Night Huntress world. The Beautiful Ashes is definitely much different than anything Frost has every written and it's fantastic.

This book is based on biblical characters. There are angels (Archons) and demons, minions, crazy pets, and then there are these very special people who can save the world. Special person #1 - Ivy. Special person # 2 - Adrian. In the beginning we are introduced to Ivy's dilemma with finding her sister and the death of her parents. Then she gets saved by Adrian and her world falls down around her ears.

Ivy is left in the dark for a while in the beginning of the book. Adrian's keeping secrets and no one will tell her the whole story. Sometimes I hate first person narrative because I want to know the secrets but since the character doesn't know, I don't get to know either! Frost did a good job easing into the world that she's created by using Ivy. There were no info-dumps and no insta-love. Sure, we know that Ivy and Adrian are made for each other but they fight it and the time period of their adventures is not over three days but weeks.

In order to save Jasmine, her sister, Ivy has to find one of three hollowed weapons. Adrian can take her to the demon world where she can use her power to sense the weapon. What I liked about the demon world was how well it was created. Since there is no sun in the demon world, everything is freezing cold. Humans are considered slaves and many of them are forced into cannibalism because no plants grow there.

There are many horrors Ivy witnesses and the things she faces definitely wakes her up to her new reality. Adrian is trying to fight his fate and Ivy is trying to save him. This is never easy. But they do fall in love and they are great. I can't wait for the next book. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next adventures Ivy and Adrian will face together.

I didn't know what New Adult was until Frost started talking about her new book. It's a new genre and there aren't very many paranormal books within the NA genre. For some reason people don't seem to write books where the characters are between 18-25. Basically during the college years. But it's becoming popular now so I'm excited to see more. Hopefully more authors will be published and the genre can grow.

Watch the book trailer.

Blood of the Demon by Diana Rowland - 4 stars

Book 2 in Kara Gillian

Previous Kara Gillian Review

Mark of the Demon (#1)

Blood of the Demon (#2) by Diana Rowland
4 stars

Let me start off by saying that I love this series. It's fantastic. I love the world and the characters and everything else. Rowland is very talented and she's able to get all the true aspects of the life of detective seeing as she used to be a detective herself.

This book was just as good as the first. I like the how the detective work is mixed in with the arcane. We have secrets that need to be discovered. Rowland creates these little secrets and hints to progress through the series, creating a little story arch. It's interesting and frustrating at the same time. You feel Kara's frustration at the lack of knowledge. The fact that you can feel this shows how much the reader sinks into the character. Kara is strong willed but isn't afraid to admit some of her weaknesses. She knows what she wants and she's very determined to get the answers, no matter how hard she has to work to get them.

In the previous book, Kara faced the Symbol Man, died in the demon realm, and returned to Earth. Now she's back to her regular life. Unfortunately, her aunt's essence was stripped for the Symbol Man's ritual and was lost. Kara has to find a way of getting her aunt's essence returned before her body dies. She enlists the help of Lord Rhyzkahl, the demon lord she accidently summoned in the first book and the one who saved her life in the end. The end of that book had me on the edge of my seat.

The current murders involve some pretty high ranking people in society. This causes definite problems for a a puny little detective like Kara. The two murders seem completely separate at first glance but with the othersight, Kara's gift of seeing the arcane, Kara can see that the victims' essences have been ripped out and eaten. This can cause problems in the greater scale of things but it's also very disturbing. Kara had never heard of a being that can eat essences other than a demon. Talk about intriguing.

Besides her crazy cases, Kara has to deal with Agent Ryan and his partner Agent Zack. She is definitely attracted to Ryan but he's also a bit crazy with certain things, especially with her relationship with Rhyzkahl which he thoroughly disapproves of. She also learns that Ryan's connections to the arcane is a little more than just being able to sense it. Her relationship with Ryan is a rocky one. They certainly know how to get under each other's skin but they also care about her other. I'm not sure how I feel about this certain relationship.

Then we have Rhyzkahl. He now wants Kara to be his official summoner. They would make a deal and she would summon his regularly. This is extremely problematic. Kara knows it's a bad idea but she also enjoys the sex she's having with him. He grants her a certain number of questions each time she summons him, one question involves getting Tessa's essence back. Rhyzkahl explains which ritual to perform to create a sort of beacon for Tessa's essence to follow in the void. Through this ritual, Kara discovers more secrets to the arcane that is extremely helpful (spoilers)*.

I like that we Kara's powers growing. I like character who seem normal but have more power than they realize. I like to see them grow into that power. In Kate Daniels we know Kate is super powerful but as the series progresses we see her power grow. Kara doesn't realize her potential and I like it.

Like I said, this is a great series that I will continue and I am looking forward to seeing where Kara goes next.

Previous Reviews

• Mark of the Demon (#1) by Diana Rowland
• The Curse Breakers (#2) by Denise Grover Swank
• The Curse Keepers (#1) by Denise Grover Swank

Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland - 4.5 stars

Book 1 in Kara Gillian

Mark of the Demon (#1) by Diana Rowland
4.5 stars

I've been meaning to read this book for the longest time. I bought it ages ago and then forgot about it. But I finally got to it and read it in about a day. It's so interesting and something I've not really read about before so I found myself enjoying the uniqueness. It was the perfect combination of a police procedure and urban fantasy.

This book is written in first person, from the view of Kara Gillian. Kara is finally a homicide detective and she gets her first case, the Symbol Man. 3 years previously, the Symbol Man killed 13 people and left their bodies covered in arcane symbols. The killer only chose victims who wouldn't be missed; drug addicts, prostitutes, etc. Kara had only been a street cop when Symbol Man was working but she did get a glimpse of something arcane on one of the bodies while she was guarding the crime scene.

Kara is a summoner. She summons demons from another sphere into this world. There are 12 different levels of demons and then you have the Demon Lords. Kara has finally graduated because she was able to summon a 12th level demon. Her Aunt Tessa is her mentor and taught her all about the arcane. Kara's parents died when she was really young and Tessa became her guardian. Kara has a tragic past that we learn about gradually. I think we will learn more.

That night, the Symbol Man hit again. Kara is given the lead on the case. While she examined the first body, she saw arcane symbols and runes hovering over the body with her othersight. The Symbol Man is definitely someone who knows the arcane.

Kara was trying to summon an 8th level demon when all of a sudden a gorgeous man lands in her circle. He's obviously a powerful demon because he easily brushes away all of her protections. He could have killed her but instead he seduces her and she has a super hot one night stand with him. We later learn that he is a Demon Lord and she is lucky to be alive.

Kara gets a little task team to work on the case. The Symbol Man is working up to something and his kills are becoming more frequent. Enter Agent Ryan Kristoff. He's from the FBI and he likes to work the weird cases. He's kind of the love interest in this story but not quite. It's obvious that he is attracted to Kara but since Kara lives such a crazy life, having boyfriends is not an easy thing. I like Ryan. Kara eventually tells him about her being a summoner and we learn that he has some of the othersight but not enough to be a summoner. I like Ryan. He's a great addition and provides some comic relief.

The ending part of the book was insanity. Seriously, there were so many twists that I was getting whiplash. I was thinking it was one thing and it turns out to be something different. It was a brilliant mystery and I love the surprises Rowland threw in there. The last chapter is pretty crazy and I can't wait to see what's coming in the next book.

Diana Rowland's website has a kind of glossary about the demons in her book to help with pronunciation if you want to check it out. The names can get pretty complicated.

Previous Reviews:

• The Curse Breakers (#2) by Denise Grover Swank - 4.5 stars
• The Curse Keepers (#1) by Denise Grover Swank - 4.5 stars
• The Girl and The Raven by Pauline Gruber - 4 stars

The Curse Breakers by Denise Grover Swank - 4.5 stars

Book 2 in The Curse Keepers

Previous Curse Keeper Review

The Curse Keepers (#1)

The Curse Breakers (#2) by Denise Grover Swank

4.5 stars

Oy vey. This book was just as good as the first one. But it's also very different than the first one. However, the difference is not a bad thing. The writing is just as good and the plot is great. In Curse Keepers we are first introduced into the world and in Curse Breakers, we know about the world and we are seeing the consequences of the opening of the gate.

Claire and Collin are not in this book as much as the first one. I found myself missing Collin even though he's still an asshole who keeps trying to manipulate Ellie. What I love about Ellie is she has a backbone and will stand up for herself. She's doesn't let anyone push her around. She's a strong female character and I really like that.

We have a new threat in this book. Ukinim is angry at Okeus for taking his humanity. He is forced to live as a giant badger and can only appear above ground once a year. Since Okeus wants Ellie so badly, Ukinim now wants to kill Ellie and take her Manitou as revenge. About 2/3 of the way through the book, we learn why Okeus wants Ellie so badly (spoiler)*. It's such a plot twist and so freaking good. I was so shocked.

One of the main plot points is finding Ahone's mark so Ellie can claim herself. Ahone told her at the end of the last book that she could bear his mark but kindly didn't tell her what it was. The jerk. So now she has to go on a little quest to discover it. That's where we meet the new character, Dr. David Preston. David is an expert in Native Americans. He's also British. I love the English accent and you can tell he is British because of the words he uses. David and a team of other archaeologists are exploring the reappearance of the Lost Colony. I like David. He's a great guy who really cares about Ellie. He's a new love interest. I'm not sure how I feel about Ellie's relationship with him. I like David but I also like Collin. And it doesn't help that Collin's and Ellie's souls are bound together.

We also have the other threat from Marino. The creep is still after her and it's a sticky situation. It's about the Ricardo Estate and Collin refuses to tell Ellie anything. It's supposedly for her own safety. Well her safety is in jeopardy anyways so just tell her!

Tom, a cop and an old friend is really freaking annoying in this book. He has linked Ellie to all the weird things happening and she has to lie her way out of a lot of things. She ends up telling Tom about Marino and his guys that are after her but I got really annoyed with his constant appearances. Basically I want him to go away. I find his repeated inclusion a little too much. It's partly why I gave this 4.5 stars.

This book was great. I like the continuation of the plot but I also love the character development. We shall see what we have in store for the next book, The Curse Defiers.

I REALLY WANT THE NOOK BOOK. But it was published by Amazon and apparently they can't give it to Barnes and Noble. I guess I'll end up with the paperback. This is not a bad thing.

Recent Reviews

• The Curse Keepers (#1) by Denise Grover Swank - 4.5 stars
• The Girl and the Raven (#1) by Pauline Gruber - 4 stars
• Beautiful Darkness (#2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - 3.5 stars

The Girl and The Raven by Pauline Gruber - 4 stars

The Girl and The Raven by Pauline Gruber
4 stars

I received this book for free from NetGalley for an honest review. I want to thank NetGalley and their awesomeness.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm very disappointed that I have to wait until December to read The Girl and The Gargoyle which I only found out about by checking out Gruber's website. The best part of this book is the uniqueness of it. Witches, demons, gargoyles, and the struggle between good and evil. It's so much fun. It's not something I've read before so I like the change.

Lucy is our main character and the book is told from her point of view with some chapters being told from other characters. These chapters tell us a little bit more of the world and about some of the things Lucy doesn't know about. It also sheds a little more mystery into the story and grabs your attention. I like Lucy. She's had it rough growing up. Her mother is an addict and that addiction eventually leads to her death. Because she died, Lucy is sent to live with her uncles in her grandmother's house. This house has to be huge or something because other people live upstairs in apartments. Persephone, Henry, Marcus, and Aiden all live up their. Marcus and Aiden in one apartment, Persephone and Henry in another. Persephone, Henry, and Aiden aren't really in the book much. It focuses more on Lucy, Marcus, and Dylan.

I don't know which team I am on. I really like Dylan and I can tell Lucy cares about him. Marcus is also a great character and he loves Lucy. This isn't really a typical love triangle and I found that refreshing. Most love triangles can be taxing. We have a little bit of a plot twist with Dylan which ended up surprising me.

I was extremely curious about Jude, Lucy's father. Jude is a demon and is responsible for making her half demon, half witch. He teaches her to use her demon powers and pushes her. But he does truly love her despite his being evil. This is something that really scares her. I like that little conflict and I'm looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops.

There is another demon who is after Lucy and tries to kill her multiple times. It's a bit of a mystery but not a major plot point until the end. I understand the need of this demon but I also found it out of place with the story. I think it could have been good if it was integrated better.

Overall this is a great book and an easy read. I enjoyed it and I do recommend it for those who wish to get a unique book that doesn't follow the usual cliches.

Recent Reviews

• Beautiful Darkness (#2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - 3.5 stars
• Beautiful Creatures (#1) by Kami Garcia and Margarent Stohl - 5 stars
• Onyx (#2) by Jennifer Armentrout - 4.5 stars

Book covers and coming soon

July 30th is coming up which means Magic Rises is coming out. I've already pre-ordered my ebook and I actually ordered myself a signed copy as well. I have all of the books already so I can't just have the ebook and not have the hard copy. My OCD could not possibly handle that. Unfortunately the signed copy does not come until October. I refused to wait so that's why I ordered the ebook.

I've had some serious Kate Daniels withdrawals. I reread everything but of course that's never enough. Then we (and by we I mean the Ilona Andrews fandom) were given the first two chapters of the book for free. Of course this means I wanted to continue reading. It felt an awful lot like the serial fiction she wrote and posted on her blog. Clean Sweep is a great story and it's actually going to be published. We even got to look at some art that will be published along with the book. The only problem I had with it is that it was broken down into parts and I hated that I couldn't continue. Now that the first book has been completed, there is no need to stop. It's lucky for those you get to read it all at once but when she starts book two then they shall feel my pain.

There have been and always will be many complaints regarding the Kate Daniels covers. Honestly, some of
them are not that great. I liked the Magic Strikes cover. Magic Rises cover is completely different than all the other. We have a completely different model. The main complaint is that Kate looks too young and a little too perfect. I don't care. I love the fire and it is definitely eye catching. You have this fierce looking lion in the background which, of course, screams Curran. Then there is the legendary Slayer, Kate's sword. If you see this on the bookshelves at Barnes and Noble, it will grab your attention. That is the point of the cover. Compared to a lot of other books, this cover is bright and screaming.

Magic Bites, the first book, does not have an eye catching cover. Personally I prefer the U.K. cover of Magic Bites. You can see the U.K. cover here or here and compare them to the U.S. version and form your own opinions.

Archangel's Legion is coming out at the end of October. I've reviewed every book in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series. I love the world of angels and humans mixed together. What I'm really excited about is that the main focus will be on Elena again. The cover is wonderful but not bright. It could be eye catching if they have it facing out when it first comes out. The color is darker and there are a lot of dark colored books. Elena is beautifully drawn though she definitely does not have such large breasts in the books. But would an angel with tiny boobs be as appealing than one with regular or even large. I love that this cover depicts Elena perfectly. We have her beautiful wings and her white hair. She is still a Guild Hunter and her preferred weapon is the crossbow when hunter vampires who try to escape their contract. She looks fierce and ready for a fight. This book is going to be awesome and dark. Vampires dying of disease? Unheard of! Angels falling from the sky? Never! Until now. Dun dun dunnnn.

I still need to get back into the Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost. I loved the Night Huntress books but didn't enjoy the Night Huntress World books as much. I haven't read Once Burned or Twice Tempted. Technically you don't have to but you kind of do. I didn't realize this when I was reading the Night Huntress books and Cat started talking about events that I couldn't remember. That's when I realized what happened. Once Burned and Twice Tempted focuses on Vlad Tepesh, the famous Dracula and a girl named Leila. It's gotten rave reviews and I know I will read it eventually. Up From the Grave is book 7 in the Night Huntress series and is coming out at the end of January. This gives me some time to finish reading the Chronicles of Elantra series (though I will be taking a break to inhale Magic Rises) and reread the Night Huntress books over again to refresh my memories. I like this cover as well. The yellow text looks great against the background. The background happens to be a bluish color and I love blue. Cat has flaming red hair and this looks a lot like her or how I imagined her. This cover also features a different model as the model from the previous covers stopped modelling for book covers. Oh well.

In other exciting news, City of Bones is coming out in a month. I've already expressed my feelings on turning books into movies. Despite these feelings, I still want to see it. Then I can say how I feel about each particular movie. I still haven't seen the Beautiful Creatures movie. I would like to but going to movies is

expensive and honestly I would rather wait. I did receive a Fandango gift card for Admin Day this year so I will be using some of it to watch City of Bones with a co-worker of mine. I got her into The Mortal Instruments series and of course she loved it. Who wouldn't? Cassandra Clare is a brilliant writer and I love her work. When you finish one of her books you have this book hangover. Then all you want to do is move onto the next one but unfortunately I have read all the ones she has published. City of Heavenly Fire doesn't come out until next year. It's going to be wonderfully amazing, of that I am sure.

Look at this movie picture.  Honestly it depicts the book so well. I have hope but that hope is very small and fragile.

There are so many more books that I am looking forward to in the near and not so near future but I feel I should end my rant now. I could go on and on about how much I am looking forward to things and just wanting time to speed up. Maybe I'll get lucky and win an ARC of some of these books. That would be fantastic.

Currently reading and other news

I've decided to re-read the Mortal Instruments series instead of Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep. I now own it on my nook so carrying it around will be much easier. I love the series and I've been following Cassandra Clare's tumblr feed a lot. She's been posting tarot cards from her different series. This artist is really talented at drawing and she draws things for Clare including character from her upcoming Dark Artifices series and her TLH series. We haven't learned what TLH stands for but I'm pretty excited to hear about it. 

I recently gave City of Bones to a coworker and she has been eating the series up. She enjoys them and when we talk about the series I find myself wanted to read them again. She's just now starting City of Fallen Angels which has a completely different tone than the first three in the series. Once she finishes Lost Souls I'll send her on the heart wrenching story of Tessa, Jem, and Will. I love the Infernal Devices. Clare is a wonderful writer. I can rant and rave about her like I can with Ilona Andrews and J.K. Rowling and many other authors.

As I finish each book I'm going to write a review like I have been doing. I'm also re-reading Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series and I'll be reviewing them as well because I love them so much. I'm actually listening to Kate Daniels because I love Renee Raudman as a narrator. She does a wonderful job. I am usually listening to one book while reading another. It's a benefit of being allowed to listen to your ipod at work and it's great for long car rides. It definitely makes the drive less boring. Kate 6, Magic Rises, is coming out soon and I'm missing Kate. I hope I get an ARC. That would be wonderful. 


Here are some samples of the artwork that Clare has been posting. The artist is Cassandra Jean and  love what she's been doing. There is spoiler art for City of Heavenly Fire too. It's the last in the Mortal Instruments series and it's going to be awesome.

City of Heavenly Fire spoiler art 

Original post

Isabelle tugged her tank top back down and glared at her brother. “You don’t knock now?” 
“It’s my bedroom!” Alec spluttered. -Cassandra Clare 


City of Heavenly Fire spoiler art

Original post

Jace and Clary

Here are some examples of the tarot cards and the descriptions Clare has provided. 

Original post

The Lovers card! Its meaning is pretty self-explanatory. I felt like there are so many characters whose relationships could represent unity and love. So we decided to make it a flippable card, which worked either way up, and have Magnus and Alec represent love as well. -Cassandra Clare

Original post

Luke and Jocelyn take the Wheel of Fortune card, here renamed the Destined, as it represents stability amid chaos and change. Luke and Jocelyn’s relationship survived chaos, a war, a rebellion, her terrible marriage, his turning into a Downworlder, and much more. Theirs is a great if quiet love. :) -Cassandra Clare

Here's an example of a future character from her new trilogy TDA (The Dark Artifices) who will also be seen in COHF (City of Heavenly Fire)

Original post

- this also has Jace's card and description

Mark Blackthorn of the Dark Artifices takes the Chariot card, here called the Changeling. Mark has fey blood like his sister Aline, both of whom you’ll see in City of Heavenly Fire. He’s carrying a kind of bow and arrow known in mythology as an elf-arrow or elf-bolt. -Cassandra Clare

Can you tell I'm super excited? 

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - 5 stars

Book 3 in The Infernal Devices Trilogy

Clockwork Princess (#3) by Cassandra Clare
5 stars

Cassandra Clare is a fantastic writer. She makes the world and the characters come alive. You fall in love with them and you become so investing in their lives. Every single character is well thought out. I love that. I love it when a writing can suck you into a world and make you have physical and emotional reactions. 

This was a wonderful ending to the trilogy. Out of the three, Princess is my favorite. After the end of Prince, I was sure there was no possible way for them to Tessa, Jem, and Will to have a happy ending. Then I got Princess and opened the dust jacket. Clare provided us with a family tree of the Carstairs, Herondales, and Lightwoods. That sent me into a spiral of questions that only the book could answer. 

In City of Lost Souls, there is a Silent Brother who didn't seem like the others. I honestly thought it was Will.  There were some hints in Fallen Angels and Lost Souls that reference this trilogy. I love that. We also find out how the Herondales have the birthmark on their body.

This book put me on an emotional roller coaster. The ending was absolutely fantastic. It was perfect. I did feel very sad for Tessa because she will live forever unless she is killed while those around her age and die. Thankfully she has Magnus. I love that he is in the trilogy as well. 

Overall this was book was amazing. I love it. 

This is the family tree that was included in the book jacket. 

http://shadowhunters.wikia.com/wiki/Extras

EDIT:

While I still enjoyed this book and this series, I find that my opinions towards the entire Shadowhunter world have change. Things about this author have come to light that has put a shadow on my enjoyment. It's disappointing when that happens and it's unfortunately that my views change because of these factors.