[REVIEW] Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Published: February 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Age Group: Young Adult

I’m not your average hero. I actually wasn’t your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all.

It all started with the curse. And the frognapping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission.

There wasn’t a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I’ve ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Everglades.

Don’t believe me? I didn’t believe it either. But you’ll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got CLOAKED (From Goodreads)

Cloaked is basically a modern fairy tale story. Johnny is an aspring shoe designer who works at his family's shoe repair shop at a hotel in South Beach in an attempt to try to make ends meet. Johnny and his mother are extremely poor and often the bills are left unpaid. When the princess from Aloria comes to the hotel on a "important, top-secret buisness", Johnny is introduced to a world of magic when she asks him to go on an adventure in an attempt to save her brother, who has been turned in to a frog, from the evil witch. Throughout the adventure, Johnny meets talking animals, is thrown in to a dumpster, has to kill two giants and almost dies, on more then one occasion. 

Alex Flinn mixes together quite a few classic fairy tales in to one story to create a modern twist of them. 

The story's plot is the classic, "damsel in distress", but it's still intersting considering it isn't the damsel in distress it's the prince. 

The character's aren't described as much rather their personality is shown through the dialogue and their interactions. 

The story does go quite quickly. One moment, he's in one location and then the next in some other location. Johnny spends about 1-2 chapters in one location at a time. He's always moving which makes it hard to be completly lost in the book but it was a good read. 

Johnny is your typical 17 year old boy and I think Alex Flinn does an excellent job describing him through his actions throughout the book. 

If your a fan of classic fairy tales then Cloaked is the book for you. 

4/5
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)

[REVIEW] City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Published: March 2009
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: The Mortal Instruments #3

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that enter-ing the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments. (From Goodreads)

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?
Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.City of Glass is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series.

In this book, Clary finds herself on a long journey to the City of Glass itself, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters, to find a cure for her mother. Jace is being an overprotective, brother-like figure and attempts to reject his feelings for Clary. Simon ends up being imprisoned because the Shadowhunters are curious as to how he can walk during the day if he is a vampire.

A new character is also introduced, Sebastian, a supposed distant relative to a friend of the Lightwoods. I say supposed because Sebastian turns out to be a very evil person with a history to match it.

So basically this book was probably the ending of the series before Cassandra Clare decided to do three more. Like every series ending book, there's a HUGE battle at the end of it. Valentine is almost done completing his quest for the three Mortal instruments and the climax is very shocking. The battle itself against the demons and the downworlders plus shadowhunters isn't that prominent.

It's actually the battle between Sebastian and Jace that is much more intense and answers alot of unanswered questions. When Valentine completes his quest and summons the angel, the results of it are also very shocking. this entire book was probably filled with surprise after another.

Jace and Clary can also truly love one another after this because of some interesting facts that are revealed in this book. Some characters also die and secret relationships are annouced.

Honestly, this book would have been perfectly fine if it was the final book. I think Cassandra Clare wrote the ending so well that she could have just left it or write a sequel. It was an open yet still a form of an ending. The setting is always very detailed and every word just jumps out at you.

When I read a book in this series, I really feel like i can see what is happening, the words are that detailed. Definitely read this book if you haven't and read the series if you haven't either!

5/5!
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)

[REVIEW] Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Published: January 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Agee Group: Young Adults
Series: Unearthly #1

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart. (From Goodreads)

Unearthly is first a book about angels, yet again. 

In this book though, every angel gets a purpose that they recieve through visions later on in their adolescent life. Clara is a girl with a quarter angel blood and at the beginning of the book, she starts to recieve her purpose. Clara's mother is half angel blood and immediately decides after listening to Clara's brief vision, that they need to move to the location of her purpose, that being Wyoming. When they first get to Wyoming, Clara's glory starts to show in her hair. Glory is essentially when someone of angel blood starts to show their angelic light and it also makes those without angel blood become shocked, unable to speak. Because of this, Clara is forced to die her hair an unpleasent carrot orange. Later on in the story, as the visions become more frequent, Clara recognizes what her purpose is, that she has to save Christian Prescott, the official hottie of school. That starts Clara's attempts at trying to become his girlfriend although he already has one, and completing her purpose. 

The one thing that I absolutly loved about this book was that I didn't know which boy she was going to end up with. There's Christian and someone else, who I won't say because that sort of spoils the story. Usually the guy that the main character loves is pretty obvious but in this story, you think it's one person but no, it's the other then it switches all over again. It definitely will keep you on the edge and the pages turning until you get to the last page.

I also really like surprises in the books I read because usually I figure out what the surprises are going to be as well but i guess I was so caught up in the romance of this story that I didn't even pay attention and expect the surprise. 

The setting isn't explained with much depth and the focus is more on dialogues. 

The one thing I found bad about this book was the some of the characters weren't developed fully until they showed up later. A character would appear with a brief description of who they are and then leave. Later they would reappear and have more description but not fully. I guess what i'm trying to say is that everytime a minor character appears, you learn more about them. I don't like describing characters and it could just be me who feels that way. 

The main plot of this book is also throughout the story but often is forgotten in the main characters social and romance problems. Often it's problem problem, back to the purpose, problem problem, and the purpose, problem again and then new vison. There are alot of sub plots in this story. That being said, this is probably my favourite new series and i absolutely cannot wait for the new sequel! Go read it if you haven't!!!

5/5!
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)

[REVIEW] Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Published: July 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Press Inc.
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3 [end]

In Stiefvater's "Shiver," Grace and Sam found each other. In "Linger," they fought to be together. Now, in "Forever," the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in. (From Goodreads)

Forever is the last book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. If you've never heard of them, I think you should go read the first one (Shiver) right now. That being said, the Wolves of Mercy Falls revolves around the two main characters Grace and Sam. Maggie Stiefvater though, has a peculier way of writing each chapter. She tends to change the narrator, of course she lets you know when she does, but the change in narration adds an extra perspective. Often the characters are present during the same event but Stiefvater's way fo changing the narration gives you more thoughts and feelings as oppose to having  only one narrator. 

In Forever, the narrators are Grace, Sam, Isabelle and Cole. As a brief explanation of each character in case you haven't read Shiver or Linger (the second book in the trilogy), (NOTE: these are technically spoilers) Grace was attacked by wolves when she was younger but has yet to change in to one. At the end of Linger though, she is overwhelmed by the wolf cells inside her and eventually turns into a wolf. Sam was turned in to a wolf and adopted, in Shiver, he was cured temporarily, meaning he doesn't change into a wolf again but the wolf cells are still inside him. Grace and Sam are in love with each other. Isabelle is the girl who figures out the wolf secret. Her brother was turned into a wolf and killed. Cole is a famous singer, missing after he chose to be turned into a wolf. Cole is a genius and in forever, spends his entire time attempting to find a cure. 

So with that out of the way, Forever starts right after Grace turns in to a wolf. It follows Grace's experience from shifting from human and wolf, and the eventual wolf hunt that seeks to eradicate all the wolves living in Mercy Falls. Thus, throughout the book, Isabelle, Cole and Sam are attempting to save the wolves while Grace deals with personal issues when she tells her friend what she truly is. 

I find that at the end of every series, there seems to be a MAJOR battle at the end. The good guys usually win and then the series ends in a happy ending. Forever follows that exact pattern. At the end of the book, there's the giant wolf hunt. The wolves live and it is implied that everyone lives a happy life. The ending of this book though, in my opinon, was absolutely horrible. The ending just didn't seem like an ending. I remember flipping over trying to find the actual ending and actually visiting the book store in an attempt to see if my copy of Forever was faulty. No, turns out that really bad ending was the ending. Maggie Stiefvater's writing is truly amazing but i guess she didn't know how to end the series. 

Although the ending sucked, Maggie Stiefvater can really convey the character's feelings through her writing. I can really feel the sadness, happiness, anxiety and frustration that each character emotionally goes through. I remember at the ending of linger, I was crying and could not wait for the next book. Forever was just a whirlwind of emotions. With so many different narrators, I was feeling angry, then happy, then sad, then sympathetic. For Steifvater to do that just with her writing is truly amazing. 

Out of all three of the books, forever is my least favourite but this trilogy definitely is and if you love books about romance and werewolves, you should definitely try reading shiver.

3/5
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)

[REVIEW] City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Published: March 2008
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: The Mortal Instruments #2

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation. (From Goodreads)

City of Ashes is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series. If you want to read the review on the first book, City of Bones, i've written one for that too. 

In City of Ashes, the "Valentine" plot, as I like to call it, becomes more prominent as well as Clary's relationships and Simon himself. To sum up what happens in City of Ashes, basically, Clary and Jace are having issues about Jace being her brother and Valentine's son, Valentine starts killing more people (no shocker there), Simon finally gets the guts to tell Clary about his love then he ends up having to dig himself out of a grave, a female wolf named Maia gets introduced, a huge battle happens and more secrets are revealed. 

I feel Cassandra Clare does that quite often. Simon is a major part of the book and he undergoes much, shall we say pain, throughout the book. Many of the major events revolve around him and I'm glad to see that, Simon needed some limelight. 

Alot of questions and answers surface and many foreshadows are apparent. Cassandra Clare seems to do that often too. Put subtle hints. 

The second book is sort of the middle book. It has many explanations on character's history that comes in to play later on in the series. Although the major focus of the book was on relationships, this book was also different from any other "middle" book that i've read. The words about a chracter's relationships were so deep that i really felt like i could feel the tension or happiness going on between chracters. it felt real although it wasn't. That's pretty amazing in my opinon. Many middle books that i have read are often very dull and although new characters appear, they don't make a big enough impact for me to fully engross myself in the book. I've often hated that "middle" book but City of Ashes is quite different. I read this book so quickly and it wasn't because i wanted to get it over with, it was because i loved every single page that i was reading. 

The book was truly engrossing for me and that's what i love about the Mortal Instruments. Every book of the series, no matter my doubts, can always make me just forget about everything and enjoy a great book. City of Ashes was wonderfully written and I'm sure you'll enjoy this book and the Mortal Instruments series if you haven't already begun reading it or have read it.

5/5!
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)

[REVIEW] Timeless by Alexandra Monir

Published: January 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult - Historical
Series: Timeless #1

When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.
Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives. (From Goodreads)

The first time i looked at this book, I convinced myself to try it, although I thought it didn't sound very good. 20 pages in and I was about to stop reading it but I persevered and the result was...shock, with a little bit of tears and anticipation for the next book. 

Timeless is probably the most romantic book i have read this year (so far) which says alot since I usually only read books that involve some form of romance. 

The characters in this book express their feelings so deeply that at some times, I feel words couldn't even describe their emotions. I do admit that at some times the author's descriptions, mainly objects, left me confused. I had to read them over before I had any sense of what she was saying. 

The story follows Michele and her romantic, heartbreaking journey through the past. Michele is a time travelor. She has a special skeleton key that can transport her back to the past, usually to one of her ancestors. There she meets a boy and essentially sets the entire story. 

About two thirds of the book is spent in the past which is alot considering the book is only about 250 pages. 

The research that went in to this novel is also astounding. At the end of the novel, there is a little section briefly explaining the historical facts mentioned in the story. After reading them, I'm now very curious about New York (where the story takes place) around the 1900's and the whole aristocratic lives then. I also remembering crying at some point while reading Timeless. 

The climax of the story was really a climax, unlike other books. I won't tell you what happened because that would ruin the story but i will tell you that the "to be continued" ending is a happy one so no matter how heartbroken you may feel, know that everything will be alright...in the end. 

Timeless truly reveals the love one can feel for another and how hard they would go to stay with their beloved. I would definitely recommend this book for all romance readers, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I absolutely can't wait for the sequel!




5/5!
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)

[REVIEW] Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Published: December 2010
     Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)       
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: Vampire Academy #6 [end]

The astonishing final novel in Richelle Mead's epic series!
 
Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them. (From Goodreads)

First of all, if you like to read about vampires and you haven't heard of the Vampire Academy series, then you're definitely missing out. 

The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead follows mainly Rose Hathway and her trials as a guardian and dhampir. A dhampir is a half blood vampire and are usually guardians to the moroi, which are the full blooded vampires. Rose's best friend, Lissa is a moroi and a royal one too, she's the last of her family, the Dragomirs.

In the last book, Last Sacrifice, the whole plot twist , is that there is ONE more Dragomir and Rose is ultimately dragged in to more fighting and turmoil in her attempt to find this vampire so Lissa's family could represent in the Clave. 

A summary of what happened beforehand and how it all adds up to the last book would be too long so i suggest you go and read the past five books. If you didn't read them and just read this one, many of the relationship issues would be confusing and the characters often reflect on past events in the previous books so reading the previous ones would benefit the reader and provide the maximum shock. I love the Vampire Academy series but this final edition just left me speechless, in a bad way. 

The main reason why i liked this series was the action you got when you read each word. Every time i read a scene, i could fully picture it in my mind but in this book, the scenes are dull and often uneventful. Because Rose is seperated from Lissa throughout the book, the author found a clever way to switch back between characters and settings but in my opinion, that sort of took away from each setting and i couldn't submerge myself completely in to the book this time. 

I was very excited to see some more of Rose's relationship problems and dissapointed that the series ended just when everything seemed good, i wanted to know about her life after this book but the author has already stated that there will be no more books in this series. 

New characters do appear in this book but they are characters mentioned in past ones already but never to make an appearence. 

The book is much too long in my opinion. it's about 600 pages and maybe half of it was just useless conversations. I remember reading and reading, page after page until one climatical part then going back and just reading uneventful talk. The plot twist and the revealment of the last Dragomir was unpredictable but predictable in that you sort of had a small idea as to who the author would choose in an attempt to surprise the readers more.

Overall, i really recommand reading the Vampire Academy series and when you get to the last book, just think of it as the build up of something much more exciting because the true action doesn't happen until the last 50-100 pages or so.

3/5
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)