Review: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3) by Cassandra Clare

Spoiler warning! This is the 3rd and final book in The Infernal Devices trilogy and this review will contain spoilers from books 1 and 2. I haven't reviewed those books on the blog but you can find out more about Clockwork Angel on Goodreads here, and if you've read that then Clockwork Prince is here. This review will be as spoiler free as possible when it comes to what happens in Clockwork Princess because I don't want to give anything away to others. Please respect that in the comments!

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

[Goodreads page]

Author: Cassandra Clare Website|Twitter
Published: 19 March 2013
Format: Paperback
Pages: 568
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Paperback
Book Depository: Paperback

Source: Borrowed

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy?
Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. 

My Review:
I was so relieved to finally have this book in my hands. There was so much build up, from the cover reveal to the book trailer. It's been so hard to avoid spoilers especially, so this will be a spoiler-free review in that I won't give away the ending, or any plot twists or resolutions. I'll just recap basic plot points and state what I did and didn't like.

Clockwork Princess starts out with Tessa preparing for her wedding to Jem and with the threat of Mortmain still looming. There are two parts of this review because I need to cover how I felt Clockwork Princess worked as a book on its own, and how it worked as a conclusion to the series. As a book in itself it was fantastic, because within fifty pages there was a whole load of action and fighting which wrapped me up that Shadowhunter world and had that great sense of familiarity. It reminded me what I loved about these books and gave me all the action and excitement I was hoping for!

The story itself throughout this book was definitely full of suspense and drama. I really was fearing for a lot of the characters. So much was happening around them that there was that real sense of danger. The first two thirds of the book feel like everything is building up slowly and then suddenly the last couple of hundred pages go by in a whirlwind of action and emotion.

One of my favourite parts of this book was definitely the characters themselves and how they got a real chance to shine. In particular I loved discovering more about Cecily who showed herself to be a real fighter. Her relationship with Will and how they were rediscovering each other was very touching. I also enjoyed the challenging relationship between Gideon and Gabriel Lightwood. All the characters are put to the test and some people come out better than others, but they all had something to add to the story and even the smaller characters (Sophie for instance, who I was really rooting for!). Will's humour was a great presence in this book to lighten the tone which was brilliant, and I have so much love for Jem who has probably become one of my favourite characters over the course of the trilogy. And this book definitely pulled at the heartstrings! There were some really emotional moments and I felt myself getting all emotional for these characters I'd grown to know and love, or even grown to loathe!

Looking at Clockwork Princess from the wider angle of it being the last book in The Infernal Devices trilogy also gives me a lot to say. In particular I loved how elements of the history of the world Clare has created are explored more fully (Henry's inventions for example) and this book definitely gives you a lot of insight as to how all the characters from this book link up with those in The Mortal Instruments. The copy I read had a family tree at the back which was fascinating to read, but only look at it once you've read the book. Luckily I'd been warned about that before starting so I knew not to peek because it gives a lot away. But I adored how the characters all interconnected with each other.

On the other hand, the thing I was most anticipating from this third and final book was the resolution of the love triangle between Tessa, Jem and Will. I'm not going to give away what happened but I will say that I wasn't particuarly happy with the ending. Nor was I happy with what happened during the course of the book. There was one scene that made me really lose respect for Tessa and from then on it somewhat tainted my enjoyment of the book. It was near the end so it was only about a hundred pages where it niggled at me, but I was very disappointed. I've discussed my feelings about it with other people and nobody seems to agree with me, so it's obviously a very personal opinion on the matter and something that probably won't bother everyone.

The climax to the book, though, was incredible. Not only was there action but there were huge twists I just did not see coming. You know when you have to text your friend in allcaps when something jawdropping happens? Yeah, I did that. My mind was completely blown away by some of the closing action scenes and I just couldn't put it down. I read this book in about three days which is super quick for me when it comes to a book of this size.

There was a nice sense of finality at the end though and I felt everybody had their own story wrapped up, so that when you finish it feels like a nice place to end. Overall I've really enjoyed this trilogy and it's one I hope to re-read in the future. The writing is so beautiful and the characters so funny and a joy to read about. I was hoping this would be a 5* book but I'm definitely leaving it with some sense of disappointment, although I know plenty of people thought the ending was the perfect way to leave it.

Rating: 4*
Books like this: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Review: Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) by Laini Taylor

Spoiler warning! This is the second book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy and so this will contain spoilers from the first book. If you haven't read that then I'd avert your eyes or go and read my review of Daughter of Smoke and Bone instead. You have been warned!

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

[Goodreads page]

Author: Laini Taylor Website|Twitter
Published: 8 November 2012 (Hodder & Stoughton)
Format: Hardback
Pages: 528
Amazon: Hardback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Hardback|e-book
Book Depository: Hardback

Source: Borrowed from library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living – one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers’ arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.

Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel – a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world. 

My Review:
It feels like so long ago that I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone and was left hanging just waiting for this book to be released! I finally managed to get Days of Blood and Starlight from the library and was super excited to start. The story picks up with Karou missing, much to the distress of both Zuzana and Akiva. On top of that there's a steady undercurrent of unease and building tension throughout both the human world and Eratz.

The book opened up with a chapter from Zuzana's point of view and that made me so happy! She was probably my favourite character from the first book and my love for her only intensified in this one. Straight away I was reminded of the humour and incredibly witty and clever characters Laini Taylor has created. Opening with Zuzana also gave you a glimpse into what life has been like since the events of the previous book. I found it really interesting to see how Zuzana and Karou's friendship has been tested by Karou disappearing. I particularly liked the inclusion of emails from Zuzana to Karou which mixed up the narrative a bit.

It takes a good couple of chapters for it to be revealed just what has happened to Karou and what she's up to now. I don't want to say too much or spoil the revelations but I loved her role in this book. Of course it was really interesting to discover more about her character and life as Madrigal and get that exploration of her character's past, but I was far more gripped with what was going on in the present and Karou's role in that.

The whole story feels a lot darker than I remember the previous book being, and has that brooding undercurrent of war and tension.The book focusses on several characters and their individual stories to reflect what is happening in the wider world. I liked some of the smaller characters and their sub-plots, but the downside was that there were some parts that didn't grip me. Mainly Akiva's story. I just found myself losing interest in Akiva's chapters because my mind was with the other characters elsewhere. His story itself I can see is completely necessary to get an idea of what is going on in the war and the wider tale. Towards the end of the book as everything started to come together I appreciated the chapters a bit more. Despite the fact we see lots of different people and their perspectives, the writing always flowed beautifully and it still felt like one complete tale and not lots of separate ones.

Speaking of the writing, I was once again completely blown away by Laini Taylor and her absolutely beautiful writing. I would find myself stopping and rereading sections just to soak up a particular sentence and quote. It really is some of the most elegant writing I've ever had the pleasure to lose myself in.

I was a tad worried how I would get on with this book with not having read DoSaB for a while (I read it last summer) because I'd heard there wasn't much recapping. I didn't really have any difficulty with recalling details whilst reading Days of Blood and Starlight and I was able to keep up pretty easily. I'd still like to go back and reread the first book and that's something I'll try and do as soon as possible. The only problems I had really were the amount of characters (keeping up with who was who) and some of the more heavy fantasy moments, which I had to stop and take a bit slower.

Days of Blood and Starlight did feel a tad darker and different to Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and at times I found myself longing for the familiarity of Prague and Karou's old life, but overall I absolutely loved this book and loved falling in love with the characters and writing all over. The climax to the story was incredible and I'm once again on tenterhooks waiting for the next book so I can discover what's going to happen to the world and the characters. If you haven't yet checked out this sequel then I'd highly recommend you bump it up your to-read list!

Rating: 4*
What to read next: The next book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy is expected to be released in 2014.
Books like this: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

 Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

[Goodreads page]

Author: Wendy Higgins. Website|Twitter
Published: 1 May 2012 (HarperTeen)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 453
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Paperback|e-book
Book Depository: Paperback

Source: Bought

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns? 

My Review:
I bought this book on a bit of a whim when I had a gift card to spend, and didn't know too much about it. It sounded right up my street from the plot summary as I love books about angels and that cover totally drew me in! Sweet Evil follows Anna, a girl who's always been a little bit different due to her ability to read people's auras. When she meets drummer Kaiden Rowe, who is also a bit different, she starts to learn more about her past and her abilities, as well as getting to know Kaiden a little better too.

The story starts with a prologue which explains Anna's birth and how she came to be an orphan. I was definitely hooked at the beginning and got really into the story and the writing. I loved learning more about Anna's history as the world is slowly unravelled around her. I found all the angels and demons stuff intriguing at the start and it seemed like just the kind of thing I would enjoy.

I really loved Anna as a character. She's shy and a bit of a goody-goody, which is something I myself can relate to! I liked how we get to see her at school where she's a bit of a misfit, and learn how her ability to see people's auras and read their emotions has been more of a curse than a blessing. As for the other characters, I really liked her friend Jay, but I think he was wasted as a character. He seemed to be such a nice guy but he was just there in the background most of the time. Then there's Kaiden who's the love interest and the typical bad boy type, which doesn't always win me over. Overall I didn't care for him too much, although I did find certain aspects of his personality interesting. He did seem to care for Anna and I did like their relationship in some parts of the book, as they're getting to know each other. The steamy kissing scenes certainly drew me in! But I think I wanted a bit more from him as well.

As with most books that are the first in a planned trilogy, there was a lot of world building. I did enjoy exploring the powers of the characters and how the demon world worked, but when it domimnated Kaiden and Anna's conversations it got a bit tiring. The book is about 450 pages and I felt that could probably have been cut down a lot to stop it dragging.

After about the halfway point was when I started to have more problems. Anna's adoptive mother Patti starts out being this overly protective caring type who forbids her to see Kaiden, but then for some reason she decides it's perfectly acceptable for Anna to swan off on a massive road trip with him - just the two of them alone. I just felt it was totally out of character for her to allow that and it made the rest of the story a bit unbelievable. When more about the children of demons was revealed I kind of found some parts annoying - mainly their roles and why they had to do the things they do. I don't want to spoil too much as these parts happen later on the book, but I just wasn't sure how I felt about why certain things were the way they were.

The one other thing that niggled at me was the religious aspect of the book. You expect religious elements where angels are involved, but there were a few parts where it didn't feel relevent to the story at all. I didn't mind that Anna was religious, I actually thought it was a nice addition to her character, but there were times where I felt like it was thrown in to try and balance out the drugs, sex and rock and roll. And then there was one conversation on abortion that wasn't relevant to the plot or the characters and I had no idea why it was really there.

This book did feel like it had a lot of potential. The writing was good and I enjoyed most of it. I liked the high school drama and the characters were interesting. I might still check out the sequel because, despite my niggles, I did enjoy reading the book.

Rating: 3*
What to read next: Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins, book 2 in the Sweet trilogy published in May 2013
Books like this: Evermore by Alyson Noel, Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate

[Goodreads page]

Author: Website|Twitter
Published: 1 July 2010 (Corgi Childrens)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 480
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback|e-book
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Borrowed from library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce – he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret...even if it kills her.

My Review:
I was looking forward to this book because I'd heard good things, and I enjoyed The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove which is by the same author. Fallen follows Luce, who finds herself at Sword & Cross reform school after a life of seeing shadows and one particularly tragic event in her recent past.

Fallen had a lot of the things that make up a great book for me. I love a good boarding school tale and reform schools in YA usually go down well with me (The Summoning, Hex Hall etc.) so as I started this book I thought it had great potential. The opening of the book certainly grabbed my attention but it very quickly started to go downhill.

Here's where it went wrong - the guys. There are too many of them! I'm all for a good love story but this book three in too many make characters in such a short space of time that I started to get confused very quickly. Trevor, Daniel, Cam, Todd, Roland... I couldn't keep up!

Eventually it starts to be a bit of a triangle between Luce, Daniel and Cam but it was just ridiculously annoying. Luce didn't seem to have chemistry with either guy and the guys themselves had zero appeal for me. I found Luce's obsession with which guy she liked completely annoying. At the end of the day I really didn't care who she got with.

I was holding back my opinion of the book as a whole until the twist has been revealed at the end, but disappointingly the twist ended up being exactly the same as another book I'd already read. And that book did it better.

I don't know whether I'll give the next book a read. I know people who love the series so if it got better I might consider it. I think I was more interested in finding out about the world this book is set in which is only briefly touched upon in Fallen. But for now I have no desire to find out how things turn out.

Rating: 2*
What to read next: Torment by Lauren Kate, book 2 in the Fallen series
Books like this: Evermore by Alyson Noel, Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Review: Silence (Hush, Hush, #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick

Spoiler warning! This is the third book in the Hush, Hush series. If you haven't read Hush, Hush or Cresendo then look away now! You can read my review of Hush, Hush here and my Crescendo review here.

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

[Goodreads page]

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick.Website|Twitter
Published: 7 June 2012 (Simon & Schuster Children's Books)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 440
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback|e-book
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Borrowed from library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past, bridged two irreconcilable worlds and faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust - all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth.

My Review:
I loved Hush, Hush, and whilst Crescendo didn't quite live up to it, I was still really excited to read Silence. The book starts out with a really interesting twist, which is that Nora has amnesia. Cue her trying to piece back what has happened to her and figure out what's going on in the world around her.

At first I really loved the amnesia angle. It felt like a fresh approach to the story, and sometimes in the middle of a series you really need something to shake it up a bit. I became bored of it quite quickly, though, I'm sad to say. The main problem was that Nora had pretty much forgotten everything that had happened in Hush, Hush and Crescendo. Her trying to figure out what had happened in her past just became one huge recap of the previous two books which I didn't really need. All the way throughout the book, Nora is constantly questioning herself and what is happening. The annoying thing is that, as a reader, you have all the answers to those questions so there's no suspense to find out what happened - you already know!

The recapping took up over half the book, which meant there wasn't much of an actual plot. I got bored quite quickly and would find myself struggling to get through it. It didn't help that I seem to have lost all connection with Patch and Nora. That perfect chemistry they'd had in the first two books just felt like it fizzled out a bit.

It wasn't all bad. Hank still makes a great villain and there's a bit of action towards the end which got me back interested in the story. I just can't help be disappointed in this book. I felt like this series had so much potential. I hope there's some good stuff waiting to happen in the final book in the series which is released at the end of the month. I feel like this should maybe have been a trilogy, not a four book series, because I don't think enough happens plot wise in Silence, especially not to justify the length of it. It could have been so much shorter.

Still worth reading if you like the characters and the world but nowhere near as good as the previous two books. I was really torn between a 2 and a 3 star rating. Taking into account the series as a whole, it'd probably get 3, but I know I've enjoyed 3 star books a lot more than this. So it's 2* I'm afraid.

Rating: 2*
What to read next: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick, the fourth book in the Hush, Hush series
Books like this: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Review: Crescendo (Hush, Hush #2) by Becca Fitzpatrick

Spoiler warning! This book is the second in the Hush, Hush series. If you haven't read Hush, Hush then look away now! Or read my review of Hush, Hush right here.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

[Goodreads page]

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick. Website|Twitter
Published: 28 April 2011 (Simon & Schuster Children's Books)
Pages: 432
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Borrowed from library

Plot Summary (from Waterstone's):
Nora should know better than to think her life can return to normal after falling in love with a fallen angel. And Nora's life isn't normal - her dad was murdered, and the facts about his death just don't add up. Now Nora's own life is in imminent danger. Are she and Patch strong enough for the battle ahead?

My Review:
I really enjoyed Hush, Hush so I was excited to pick this book up! It's not all roses for Nora and Patch as their relationship faces new obstacles and Patch is acting even more mysterious. Throw in a guy from Nora's past and more problems with Marcie Millar and Nora's got a lot on her plate.

What was great about this book was that it delved a little deeper into Nora's family. There's more of a focus on her dad's death and even her mum gets a bit more notice. I love all the description and tension throughout the book. I think the stand out character for me, though, is Vee. She just adds that fantastic wit and humour throughout and some of the stuff she comes out with is brilliant. Every book should have a Vee!

When it comes to the relationship between Nora and Patch there's a lot of bickering and jealousy, which wasn't quite what I was hoping for. Patch had won me over as a bad boy in the first book but I wasn't sure he had he same allure this time round. I think the thing with this series is that so much of the book hangs on Patch being mysterious to make the story work. You spend the whole time as a reader wanting to know what he's really thinking and really up to but sometimes I can't help but feel sorry for Nora. I just wish she had more to be happy about! There's definitely a certain pull between them though that made me still care about what happens. I think the author gets that tension between them pretty spot on.

In this book we also get to meet Scott, a guy Nora knew as a child. He adds a new element of mystery to the book as Nora's sure there's more to him than he's let on. With so many shady characters it's so hard to work out who's just being secretive and who's genuinely up to no good. It meant I was completely in the dark by the end which I loved, but sometimes I was struggling to keep up!

This being the second in a series, it really builds up the world that Fitzpatrick has created which is so detailed and intricate. I totally love her writing. It's so addictive! And as with Hush, Hush, the ending to this book was what really made it. There was plenty of drama, action and revelations which had me on tenterhooks!

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick, book 3 in the Hush, Hush series
Books like this: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Goodreads page

Author: Laini Taylor. Website, Twitter
Published: 5 July 2012 (Hodder)
Pages: 448
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback|e-book 
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Received free review copy from Waterstone's.

Plot Summary: (from Book Depository)
Errand requiring immediate attention. Come. The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came. In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole. Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

My Review:
I entered a draw to win a copy of this from the Waterstone's Facebook page (it's a review copy so I've also posted a review on their website). I was so excited because it was a book I'd already come across and was wanting to read! I wasn't sure initially if it was YA fiction but I've seen it reviewed on a lot of other YA blogs, and the main character is a teenager so I think it appeals to that market. I'd probably class it as crossover.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone focuses on Karou, an art student living in Prague with a nuisance of an ex-boyfriend. She's grown up having to balance her studies and social life with her other life; running errands for the mysterious Brimstone who inhabits a shop the other side of a portal. Suddenly things start happening around Karou. Hand prints start appearing on portal doors and she has the fear she's being followed.

Firstly, I loved Karou. She's an absolutely fascinating character and so witty. I loved her friendship with Zuzana and the two of them had some hilarious moments that endeared me to them both. She's strong and capable, with a slightly cheeky side and her doubts about herself and who she truly is make her even more intriguing.

The plot itself is gripping, with plenty of mystery. I was kept in suspense throughout, waiting to discover what was going on. Whilst the majority of the book is written from Karou's perspective, you get glimpses from other characters which gives you more insight into the world the book takes place in.

The book is beautifully written. I adored the descriptions of Prague which is such a beautiful setting for the story. The magical and mythical elements of the story were so captivating, as well. I love books that leave me feeling wrapped up in the words and the writing.

The only thing that lead me to mark the book down a star was just the way the information was finally revealed towards the end. I would have preferred it to be done a bit differently because I felt the pace dragging a bit towards the end. Other than that, though, it's a book I would highly recommend.

If you love all things magical and mysterious, or you're a fan of angels and myths and legends then this is definitely for you. But this book has the potential to open up new worlds to readers looking to discover something a little different.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, the sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Books like this: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.