City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

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When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . 
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

My thoughts 

I simply loved this book, and I was totally mesmerized by the universe that Clare has created. It's unique, fascinating and exciting. It simply had everything and even more. Clare is a magnificent writer. She makes everything seem so real and believable, and all the characters in the book felt like real people.

The story was great, I simply could not put the book down, while I was reading it. I liked the whole introduction to the shadowhunters, and how everything is slowly uncovered. And I love a book where you're constantly guessing how it all fit together, just to be suprised most of the time anyway. There were several plot twists I hadn't seeing coming (and that's always something), and after that last part of the book I was completely shellshocked. What a turning point!  

Clockwork Princess snippet

So I just found this new snippet from Clockwork Princess that Cassandra Clare has recently posted:

Slowly, Jem put the violin back in its case, and laid the bow beside it. Only then did he turn to Tessa. His expression was shy, though his white shirt was soaked through with sweat and the pulse in his neck was pounding.

“Did you like it?” he said. “I am not good with words, so I wrote how I felt about you in music.”

 

Awww..

 

I'm so looking forward to read it, but it just seems like forever till March!! I don't know how I'm ever going to wait that long?! *sigh*

But I have endured since January, and it's only a little bit longer now. And even though I'm sooo excited to read it, I'm a little worrid too. I can't see how this is going to end well at all.

Night World # 1 by L.J. Smith

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This is a collection of the first three books in the Night World series. It includes Secret vampire, Daughters of Darkness, and Spellbinder.

The Night World isn't a place, it's all around us. It's a secret society of vampires, witches, werevolfes and shapeshifters. There is only two rules: never tell a human about the Night World, and never fall in love with a human. Breaking these rules result in deathly consequences. These are the story of what happens when the rules are broken. 

My thoughts 

In Secret vampire Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and has only so few days left. Her best friend, James, is the only one who can help her, but to do so he has to break the first rule of the Night World, so he can make Poppy immortal. And he might also just be about to break the second rule.

I really loved this story. It so sweet, and yet a bit sad. Poppy is a strong and wonderful person, who really enjoy and embraces life. She is so happy and cheerful, that it truly makes me smile just reading about her. Then she is diagnosed with cancer and her world is turned upside-down, which isn't all that strange, considering. But I liked her reflections over life and how she handles everything afterward. Even more I liked her reaction when James tells her about what he is. She doesn't just accept it or act like it's the most normal thing in the world.
James is very sweet, and I liked him a lot. It was interesting to watch him come the realization about how he feels about Poppy, and then to how he'd do everything for her.

Morira - Death Wanders by Helene Krejsager

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For many years Morira has lived as a vampire in the shadows of New York. Now she is forced to adjust to a life among humans as she seeks knowledge of the mysterious Uriel White. In the journey from the darkness of the night to a life in the light of the day, Morira learns to love and care for the humans that surround her. It is during this process of change that Morira has to decide if she cares enough for a human to be willing to give her own life to keep him safe…

My thoughts 

I liked this book. It wasn't very long, but I think it was fun and sweet.

The story was good and flew easily. Everything happened in a the right pace, and most importantly I think there was a good balance between exciting action and character interacting. The writing was fluently and didn't draw much attention to itself, which I always appreciate.

Morira is an independent and strong person, who does not hesitate to do what she thinks is right - even it might compromise her own life. At times she had a funny angle at things - especially when it concerned things she didn't quite understand - and she made some hilarious comments on mankind at times. She developed a lot over the book, and it was fun to watch her slowly gain her footing as a human or, well, as a supposedly human. She went from being a badass killer to questioning her new life and wanting a change. I always like when a character goes through a life changing experince and actually does change.

Uriel was just the sweetest, yet mysterious guy. He looked after Morira and was very protecting of her, and while she could protect herself in combat a crying baby might just overthrow her. But then Uriel always seem to be there and guide her through. And without giving too many spoilers, I can say there is something not very ordinary about him.

I liked the description of Morira's adaption to the human life and her struggles to fit into a world, she no longer seems to be a part of. It was also interesting to follow/read about a character who looks on humans from the outside, and it sometimes made me think why do we actually do this, and how we come to understand that. It was a bit like a study in the human behaviour, but in a good way.
It was also fun to read about Morira's struggle with her feelings, and how she slowly recognized exactly what those feelings meant.

I think it is an interesting and promising debut from the author, and I hope we will see a lot more to her in the future.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.

My thoughts 

So I've been wanting to read this for a while, since it had gotten some really good reviews, and I got curious. Then I went to the store, and they didn't have it anywhere, so I was almost like, yeah whatever. But I persisted, and eventually I got my hands on it, and.. wow. Just wow. I did not see that coming!

I really liked this book, it was funny, exciting and thrilling. I read it in two days straight (well, I did have to go to school and sleep). It was just plain awesome!

I have been looking for this kind of book in like forever, you know, a book where the main character aren't just head over heels in love with each other, but with a good deal of arguing and heaty banter. I've found some books that have it, but it always only last for a short while, and then they are like crazy in love. Sigh. But not Obsidian. Nope. Katy and Daemon has this hate/love relationship (with emphasis on the first), and you never know where and how an argument is going to end. It continues through the book, and doesn't just end with a total submission from any of them. 

The story was fantastic, and I liked the new element of, er, supernatural. It was new and exciting, and I have not seen anything like it before. (And if you heard that it resembles Twilight, it is not true. At all.) Anyway, it was well-developed and with some interesting twist, though perhaps not very surprising all the time.

Katy was a great character, she did not take any crap, especially not from Daemon. She has courage, she is independent, and she has a mind of her own. Yes, you heard me - she does actually do a lot other than drooling over Daemon. She stands her ground, and doesn't just take anything from him. On the contrary. I think some other books could learn a lot from this. And did I mention she is a book-blogger? Well, she is, and that just makes it even easier to relate to her. She understands the passion for books.
Daemon is the essence of the hot, but bad main character. On the out side Daemon is really an arrogant douchebag, but underneath he is actually a very sweet and deep guy. He has his reasons for being the way he is - and boy, are that good reasons.

The writing was very good, it flew effortlessly. I loved Katy's sarcastic comments, and I have to admit than some of them definitely made me laugh out loud. Which reminds me, the humor in this book was great, making me laugh much of the time. Especially the constant banter between Katy and Daemon.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Onyx.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

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For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My thoughts 

I very much enjoyed this book, and this version of werewolves that Maggie Stiefvater has created is intriguing, while it adds a kind of sadness and longing to the story.
While I liked the story and how it unfolded, I did think some of the plot twist seemed a bit unrealistic. That said you might claim that this is in fact fantasy, and therefore doesn't have to be realistic. And while I do agree to that in some extent, I think it has to be believable when you mix fantasy and reality. But it was a minor part of the book, so I didn't really mind much.

The characters were well developed, and they were very believable and likable. The story is told in turns by the main characters Grace and Sam, that blend well together, and enables an understanding of both characters.
I liked that Grace is an independent and strong character, who relied very much on herself, while Sam is more sensitive and fragile and depends a lot on his 'family'. It was nice for a change that the male character didn't have to have this strong, overpowering, I-take-care-of-you personality, though not saying Sam is weak or anything, but.. you get the picture.
Their relationship was melancholy, always like their time together would be the last, but it also made them cherish every moment and make them special.

What I liked the most was the writing. Maggie Stiefvater has a very poetic way of writing, which kind of leaves the impression that Sam's lyrics and his personality are in the whole story.

Overall, I liked the book very much, and there was both funny and sad moments, parts that were pageturning exciting, and parts that were sweet and romantic. A bit of everything really.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 

Finally, I'm going to post some reviews soon! Been a little busy with school lately, and therefore haven't quite had the time to write - or read...
Coming up are my first reviews about some various books.