Series Sunday: The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Another series by Cassandra Clare. The final book in The Infernal Devices came out on the 19th. It was called Clockwork Princess. I will do a review for it alone later. This series contains adult content. This series is a prequel to The Mortal Instruments series also by Cassandra Clare.

Oh my, this series is amazing! It has made me laugh, cry, scream, and everything in between. It's SO good! The story is very good. And I really enjoyed reading it. The characters are well-developed. The plot is phenomenal. And the book is the perfect mix of hilarious, action, romance, and heartbreaking. Especially the last book, Clockwork Princess. Warning, these books will make you cry. I know they made me sob. I was so sad that it ended, but it was very bittersweet. The books take place in Victorian era London, which makes it all the more enjoyable. The backdrop is different from that of my usual books, which is cool.

The main character is Tessa Grey. Tessa is smart, funny, and loves to read. As a book-a-holic, I can totally appreciate that.  She's strong in a special way. And although she doesn't know it at first, she's very special. In the first book, Clockwork Angel, she comes to London from America. Her older brother Nathaniel came to London in search of work and just sent her a letter saying he had found it and she could join him. But when she arrives, she's kidnapped by two women known as the Dark Sisters. She is told she has powers and is trained (AKA tortured) into learning how to use them. Then, along comes a shadowhunter (a race that is descended from the angel Raziel and hunts demons). His name is Will Herondale and he rescues Tessa from the Dark Sisters. Will is handsome, funny, and hates ducks (you find out why in the book). He is a true hero, even though he doesn't realize it. He may not be a knight in shining armor, but he is the one you want to show up, for he can crush the bad guys to smithereens. His best friend is Jem Carstairs. Jem is slowly dying from demon poison and has been for years. Jem and Will fight together and love each-other as brothers. Will brings Tessa back to the London Institute (a place where shadowhunters live), where she meets Jem, along with Charlotte, who runs the Institute, Charlotte's husband Henry, Jessamine, and the maid Sophie. She quickly becomes fast friends with all of them.

The series has an amazing plot with the perfect ending. I didn't like the ending (because it made me sob), but that's the sign of a good book and was what the story needed. Clare does a fabulous job weaving her story into a web with so many twists and tangles, everything seems to be connected. And there are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason, some of which will not be revealed until the next book in The Mortal Instruments series (the one this is a prequel for) comes out. For more information, check Cassandra Clare's website and Facebook page, along with her tumblr. Also check The Infernal Devices Facebook page. And the first book in The Mortal Instruments series is becoming a movie. It comes out in August. Check out it's Facebook page here. I give this series a full five stars!

Series Sunday: The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Part of the reason I'm doing this post is for another of Clare's books which comes out March 19, 2013. The third and final book in the prequel series to The Mortal Instruments series, The Infernal Devices series. The book is Clockwork Princess and will lead into the final book in The Mortal Instruments series which comes out in 2014, City of Heavenly Fire.

Just a warning, these books include topics not everyone enjoys. And there is some adult content towards the end of the series.These are some of my favorite books of all time. Like, all time. I have reread the books multiple times. I am completely in love with the characters. These books have something special that many others don't have. Clare is able to take me into this world she's created and give it life. Over and over again. Everything about these books are so strong. They are filled with humor, action, and romance. And a whole heck of a lot more. Like kick-butt girls. The author is able to make me smile, laugh, cry, and want to throw the book at something all at the same time. These are definitely incredible.

The main character is Clary Fray. Let me tell you, she is cool. She's atypical in the way that she doesn't start out the series being someone who's ready beat up bad guys without breaking stride. But she'd turn the world sideways and inside out to save someone she loves from page one. She inquisitive and an amazing artist (which I wish I was). The amazing thing about her is she knows she's not a typical heroine, but she uses everything, and I mean everything, in her arsenal to do what she feels is right. She's a strong person that I feel everyone can relate to. Then there's Jace. Oh dear, he is swoon-worthy alright. He's also hilarious. He has so many one-liners that make me roll on the floor laughing. He's far from perfect though. He uses humor to mask his flaws. Although his flaws aren't the flaws of humans, they are flaws none the less which make him seem more real. There's Alec Lightwood, the oldest of the Lightwood children. He comes off mean at first, but I really love his character. He brings something different and amazing to these books. Namely that he's gay. His younger sister Isabelle (Izzy) looks out for him. She is strong, and who doesn't love a girl who never wears heals less than six inches, has guys wrapped around her pinky finger, and has a golden whip. She's awesome-sauce. There's Clary's best friend Simon. He somehow manages to get in the funniest situations, often ending with Clary (and possibly Jace) rescuing him. But he finds ways to look after himself after awhile. He also has lots of funny t-shirts. That's definitely a plus. And I can't forget Magnus. He is the funniest, most glittery, best warlock in New York. He refers to himself as a free-wheeling bisexual at one point. And Simon calls him a gay and glittery Sonic the Hedgehog. Now just picture that. Other characters include Clary's mother Jocelyn, Luke, Max, Hodge, Maia, and the evil bad guy Valentine.

The plot in this series is amazing. The books always tie up, but leave you hanging at the same time.  I'm always hungering for more of her books. And lucky me, they won't be ending anytime soon. The Mortal Instruments is an amazing series. I fall out of my seat when reading them, getting weird looks. I squeal when I get new ones and when I read them, getting more weird looks. I break down crying after I read them, sad to say goodbye, if only for a little while, getting even more weird looks. One of her soon-to-come-out books is supposedly going to make readers cry, but my tear ducts and I are up to the challenge. Clare is just that good. I give these books five stars. For more information, check out the author's website, tumblr, and Facebook page, along with the website for the various series in The Mortal Instruments world. The first book in the series, City of Bones, is becoming a movie! Check out the movie's official Facebook page. And don't forget the Facebook page for The Mortal Instruments, the Facebook page for the prequel series The Infernal Devices, and the Facebook page for the sequel series, The Dark Artifacts, in which the first book, Lady Midnight, comes out in 2015.

Series Sunday: The Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStefano

The Chemical Garden Trilogy is really good. It has a lot of adult content, so it's not for young readers. It takes place in a future world where scientists messed with genetics and now females die at twenty and males at twenty-five. This obviously creates some... trying times. There are some things I find a bit over the top, though it's not completely out of the question for the world they live in. Girls are kidnapped very young by Gatherers to be married off, killed, or put into prostitution. Yeah, not exactly my dream future. But I think it's well portrayed and there's just enough weird to not freak me out too much.

The main character is Rhine. She's kidnapped by a Gatherer in the very beginning. She is then married off to a man named Linden Ashby. Even though she is facing something that most would crumble under, she stays strong. She is able to keep what she wants in mind as she plans for escape. Over the course of the series, she only grows stronger. She fights for what she believes in and is rewarded for that after loads of pain and heartbreak. Other characters include Gabriel (whom I happen to like a lot), Linden, Jenna, Cecily, Vaughn, and her twin brother Rowan. This story would not be complete without any of them.

The plot is well developed. It gets a little murky in the second and third book, but I'm able to sort it out by the time I finished. When I read the second book, it didn't seem that it fit in with the rest of the series, but after reading the final book, everything made sense. Let me just say this, nothing is EVER a coincidence. Authors almost never throw in something for no reason. For more information on the author and series, check out these links. Here's Lauren DeStefanos' Facebook page, her website, and the series' website. Having said that, I give this series' four stars.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I died inside while reading this book. It's that good. It came out in the beginning of February and I got it the day after it came out. I read it in less than 24 hours. It's since been sitting on my to-be-reviewed list (which is getting really long). Anyway, I love this book. Personally, I like the first better. But it's still a great book. If you look back in the blog, you'll see my review of Cinder. I doubt you could find a better dystopian series out there. There are some equals, but none better than it. Just a recap, this book takes place in a world where there are people living on the moon called Lunars and their evil queen Levana is threatening war on earth.

The main character over all is Cinder. She is a strong heroin who found out some VERY interesting information about her heritage at the end of book one. She has since been arrested for being Lunar and illegally coming to earth. She breaks out of prison and brings fellow inmate, Captain Carswell Thorne, along for the ride, using his ship as an escape vessel. Captain is a funny character, much like Han Solo from Star Wars. The other main character is Scarlet. She is a very strong young woman who defends her elderly grandmother at any slight offense. She also happens to have fiery red hair, which I love. She stumbles across street fighter, Wolf, and soon finds out that her grandmother is missing. He joins her on her search for her grandmother. Wolf is... complicated. If you've read Meyer's short story "The Queen's Army" you'll know what and who he is, but Scarlet doesn't figure it out for a while.

Scarlet is well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I recommend it to any and all fans of dystopian YA novels. It is a fun read. And so far, both of the books are based off of fairy tales, the first being Cinderella and this one being Red Riding Hood. It seems to be a popular idea recently. Check out the author's Facebook page and website, along with the official series Facebook page. I give this book a hearty five stars.