Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Publication Date: May 27th, 2014

Paperback/Hardcover: 725

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Find it at: Goodreads / Bookdepository

Summary:

In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.
Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.
The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

Review:

I’m not completely sure why but it took me a long time to decide I should pick this book up. I mean, I was curious to see how the Mortal Instruments would end, of course, but I held back on starting City of Heavenly Fire.

I finally started reading this book when Lady Midnight came out and actually thought it was good. I have to confess I’m one of those people who believes this series could have ended nicely in City of Glass but was not disappointed with City of Heavenly Fire.

I really liked the way the characters grew in this book. Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, Alec and Magnus are great and all of them brought something essential to the story and the relationships between them were always able to keep me entertained and I have to confess I do think Sebastian makes a good villain.

When it comes to the story, I think it developed and ultimately ended nicely. Nothing is overly rushed, on the contrary, and it works here. The story does culminate as it should and I think it was a good end to a good series.

I’m ready to start reading Lady Midnight now!

Rating: Worth Yout Time (4 Stars).

Review - Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Title: Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Publication Date: September 24th, 2013
Paperback/Hardcover: 364
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Find it at: Goodreads / Bookdepository

 Summary:
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

Review:
I confess I had been meaning to read this book for a long time but only recently got around to doing it.
I thought the premise for Vicious was very interesting and so I had high expectations for the book. Gladly, I was not disappointed.
I quite enjoyed the characters in this book and have to confess that Victor was my favorite. He’s extremely complex, dark and mysterious. He’s methodical and intelligent and will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.
Eli is as ambitious and as hard to peg as Victor. As I read I knew exactly which one of these characters I wanted things to work out for but I realize both of these characters are complex and it’s not easy to qualify them as either good or bad. Probably because, at times, they can be both.
I also really enjoyed the secondary characters and thought they all brought something important to the story. Mitch and Sydney, especially, give us a different insight into Victor.
Plotwise, Vicious is extremely well-written and develops at just the right pace. I enjoyed the fact the readers get to understand what happened in the past and made our characters who they are in the present.
All in all, Vicious is one of the best books I have read lately. It is extremely well-written and thought-out and the characters are simply flawlessly fleshed out. The plot is imaginative and had me hooked right from the start.
I would definitely recommend Vicious to all fantasy fans.
This is definitely a must read.

Rating: Must Read (5 Stars).

Review - Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass 03) by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass 03) by Sarah J. Maas

Publication Date: September 2nd, 2014

Paperback/Hardcover: 562

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Find it at: Goodreads / Bookdepository

Summary: 
She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.
Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.
Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.
The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Crown of Midnight.

Review:   

It took me a while to start reading Heir of Fire but I’m glad I finally got around to doing it.

Heir of Fire starts shortly after Crown of Midnight ended and, this time, Celeana finds herself learning how to control and use her magic while potential allies and enemies rally and rise around her.

Celeana, Chaol and Dorian are all back and they are all still very good and interesting characters. This book revolves a lot around Celeana growing into her power and facing some of her demons, which I enjoyed reading about.

Some new characters are introduced into the story. There’s Rowan, who’s the silent, brooding time but who also plays an important part in helping Celeana train and open up about her past. He’s a very interesting character as well as a powerful ally for Celeana.

Then there’s Aedion, whose main goal is to find Celeana, protect and help her regain what’s hers by birthright.

Finally, there are the witches who are helping the king so they can regain their power.

Plotwise, this book is all about setting up future events. I do confess I’m still Team Chaol and had hoped he and Celeana would be thrown back together and find a way to mend things but this book really isn’t about romance.

That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and liked the addition of a few new characters because I believe they all will have an important part to play in the next book.

Throne of Glass is still a great, interesting and well-written series and I’m looking forward to the next book.

Rating: Somewhere between Worth Your Time and Must Read (4 Stars)

Review - Red Queen (Red Queen 01) by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen (Red Queen 01) by Victoria Aveyard

Publisher: Orion

Publication Date: February 10th, 2015

Paperback/Hardcover: 2382

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Find it at: Goodreads / Bookdepository

Summary: 
The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.
But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Review:   

There was a lot of hype surrounding this book when it first came out so I was excited and curious to read it. Gladly, the book did not disappoint me.

Mare is Red girl living in a world ruled by Silvers. She knows she’s supposed to join the war raging on once she turns 18 and has accepted her fate until a series of unexpected events thrust her into the middle of the Silver court. As a new and mysterious group rises to fight against the Silver rule Mare has to decide what course of action to take while trying to keep the ones she loves safe.

Mare is definitely a good main character. She’s strong and determined and willing to do whatever is needed to survive and keep her family and friends alive and safe. She’s thrown into a difficult situation and her decisions might not always be the best but I think that, in a way, is completely normal given the circumstances and her need to trust someone and not feel so alone.

I must confess I’m not completely sure about Cal yet, though. I did like him in the beginning but then, some of his actions left me wondering about him.  I do think he’s a good character and, hopefully, we’ll learn a lot more about him in the next book.

Evangeline I , of course, hated but I guess that was the point and Maven turned out to be an interesting character as well.

Plotwise, the story developed nicely and at a good pace. I think the author did a great job creating this world divided between Silvers and Reds. The story is full of intrigue, deceit, twists, turns and a little romance.

Although I did figure out some things and people where not what and who they seems to be, some events at the end of the book still surprised me a little.

The book ended in a curious way and I can’t wait to find out what will happen next.

All in all, Red Queen is an entertaining and interesting story that’s well-written and imaginative.

This is a great start to a new series and I can’t wait for the next book! 

Rating: Somewhere between Worth Your Time and Must Read (4 Stars)