Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Since I'm waiting for Cassandra Clare's City of Heavenly Fire (book six in The Mortal Instruments series which comes out in 2014) I decided to pick up the first book of her prequel series, The Infernal Devices. And it was amazing! I can honestly say that I liked this book more than City of Bones (book one in The Mortal Instruments series) and the characters were intriguing -- I could relate to Tessa, Jem's really nice and his past is quite sad, and Will seems to be keeping many secrets. I recommend this book for fans of urban fantasy, fans of steampunk, and fans of The Mortal Instruments series.

Summary (from GoodReads):
 

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

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The Infernal Devices Trilogy

BOOK ONE: Clockwork Angel
BOOK TWO: Clockwork Prince
BOOK THREE: Clockwork Princess (RELEASES MARCH 19, 2013)
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~thespectacularbookworm



The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

First of all, I'd heard many great things about this book before I started it, so naturally I had high expectations. AND IT EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS! This book was funny and beautiful and real and heart-breaking. I recommend that you read it if you like realistic fiction and/or romance. But be warned -- this book is extremely sad.

Summary (from GoodReads):

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

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You should read this book!

~thespectacularbookworm

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book was pretty good. I liked Melinda's (the main character) voice -- Laurie Halse Anderson completely three-dimensionalized her. She was sarcastic and kind and real. This book is gripping and honest and I recommend this for fans of realistic fiction and fans of the book Thirteen Reasons Why. There's a movie, too (I haven't seen it though).

Summary (from GoodReads):

Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe. Because there's something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.

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~thespectacularbookworm

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

CAUTION: This is the fifth book in The Mortal Instruments series. To see my review of the first one, click here.

So this book was really good! Definitely one of my favorites in the whole The Mortal Instruments series. This book was gripping --it's 534 pages and I finished it in just a few days. It was hard to put down and full of action, romance, and humor. I don't know what I'm going to do until the last book comes out (it doesn't come out until 2014). Well, as usual, I recommend this book for lovers of urban fantasy and The Mortal Instruments series. :)

Summary (from GoodReads):
  Jace is now a servant of evil, bound for all eternity to Sebastian. Only a small band of Shadowhunters believe he can be saved. To do this they must defy the Clave. And they must act without Clary. For Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace's soul. Clary is willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?




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The Mortal Instruments Series
BOOK ONE: City of Bones
BOOK TWO: City of Ashes
BOOK THREE: City of Glass
BOOK FOUR: City of Fallen Angels
BOOK FIVE: City of Lost Souls
BOOK SIX: City of Heavenly Fire (RELEASING IN MARCH 2014)

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~thespectacularbookworm

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

CAUTION: This is the fourth book in The Mortal Instruments series. To see my review of the first, click here.

This book was good, but I didn't think it was the best out of The Mortal Instruments series. Of course, there was still action, romance, and humor, but it wasn't my favorite of The Mortal Instruments books. I recommend this for people who like fantasy, and, obviously, fans of The Mortal Instruments series. :)

Summary (from GoodReads):
The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And - most importantly of all - she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine's Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary's best friend, Simon, can't help her. His mother just found out that he's a vampire and now he's homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side - along with the power of the curse that's wrecking his life. And they're willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he's dating two beautiful, dangerous girls - neither of whom knows about the other one.

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

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The Mortal Instruments Series
BOOK ONE: City of Bones
BOOK TWO: City of Ashes
BOOK THREE: City of Glass
BOOK FOUR: City of Fallen Angels
BOOK FIVE: City of Lost Souls
BOOK SIX: City of Heavenly Fire (RELEASING IN MARCH 2014)

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~thespectacularbookworm