The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare Booktalk & battle between TID and TMI

Synopsis: The Clockwork Price is Cassandra Clare's final installment in her The Infernal Devices trilogy. It follows Tessa's journey towards marriage and the troubling illness which seems to be catching up to her fiancée with haste. After a few shocking discoveries about Mortmain's whereabouts and his intentions, and after a sudden kidnapping of a much loved Downworlder, the race begins to save Tessa's life whilst Jem's progressively nears the end. The members of the London Institute face a big decision to make, betray the Clave or betray each other?

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SPOILERS

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So I just finished reading Clockwork Princess and was left literally shattered. The book throws so many different emotions at you that it's seriously too much to deal with. When Jem died, or when we at least thought he had, I cried for about 3 hours straight. The way Cassandra described Will's pain and then Tessa's grief made me feel like I myself had lost someone and without him in the story it kind of felt like I had! Admittedly, I think Cassandra should have left Jem dead. He had said his goodbyes and made peace without everyone (except maybe Tessa) and I had just about managed to stop crying when WHOOPS JEM POPS UP AGAIN. I was so confused at first and felt kind of angry to be honest because I didn't want some miraculous cure to have popped up last minute which would have been completely cliché and predictable. I didn't expect him to become a silent brother, he never really mentioned even considering it before and I'm sure he told Tessa he would never wish that life for himself? What changed? We never really found out...

I don't mean to rant because I genuinely did love this book but I did not like the epilogue. I thought the ending was perfect; Tessa was going to marry Will which was what I had been rooting for since the very first chapters of Clockwork Angel, basically everything ended happily. The epilogue was sad, the description of Will's death was heartbreaking but it was expected. I half expected Tessa to make some big gesture of suicide so she would not have to see all her loved ones die but it because obvious pretty quickly that that wouldn't happen. The description of modern day London was strange, I was so absorbed in the 1800s that i'm not entirely sure I liked the transition to 2008. When Jem turned up as his old self, I knew I would be irritated by what came next. How could Tessa simply swap the love of her life like that? I felt it was a kind of betrayal of Will's memory but I do understand that she loved both of them.

Overall however, this was an amazing end to the trilogy. The way Mortmain was defeated was suprising and a realllllly bizarre plot twist which I loved! I'm glad that everyone was together with someone in the end, Sophie had Gideon and Cecily had Gabriel. I really liked the character development of the Lightwood brothers in this book, I felt it was convincing and a nice addition to the Institute family. Cecily was also a really likeable character, she reminded me of Will and I simply love him and she was just really straightforward and likeable.

Now to the second part of this blog post, which was better, The Infernal Devices or The Mortal Instruments?

I loved the The Infernal Devices probably because it was set in London, it was set in one of my favourite periods of history and the characters were really well developed because there were less of them.

The two books obviously shared the same characters but the storyline in The Mortal Instruments was much more detailed and in depth simply because it is spread out over more books. I found myself surprised more in The Mortal Instruments, there were more shocking twists and more subplots within the overarching plot.

The Mortal Instruments however was not perfect, some books in the series were better than others, City of Glass being the best and City of Ashes being the worst in my opinion but I feel The Infernal Devices generally sustained the same level of quality.

The Infernal Devices was definitely written better, I feel Cassandra gets better at writing with every book she publishes and this trilogy was well thought out, the storyline of all three books was clearly carefully planned and it was generally a very easy read without too many unanswered questions.

Overall, I feel The Infernal Devices was better because the characters were more convincing and a story is nothing without its characters. The research for this book was extensive; Cassandra must be well travelled and well read to be able to write about places in London which I myself have not even heard of despite living there for 18 years. With the release of City of Heavenly Fire being released in a matter of months, my opinion may change depending on how the series in rounded up and how heartbroken Cassandra's ruthless and inevitable slaughter of main characters will leave me.

Please let me know which you think is better, TID or TMI?

Shades of Earth (Third Instalment in the Across the Universe Trilogy) by Beth Revis - Book Review

Synopsis

This is the third instalment in the Across the Universe trilogy, which explores the same themes as the other two books; the narrative is similarly split between Amy and Elder and it still follows their lives aboard the space ship Godspeed which embarked on a 300 year mission to the planet Centauri Earth. In this instalment however, Elder has decided that leaving the ship Godspeed for the new planet which actually exists on Godspeed's doorstep is worth the risks that Orion has warned about. Upon arrival, Amy and Elder as well as the Earthborns which have now been unfrozen, including Amy's mother and her father who takes position as leader, find that the monsters Orion feared are very real indeed, they come across strange dinosaur like birds, strange reptilian footprints and flowers which make you pass out amongst other interesting discoveries about their new home. They soon find that they may not be the first humans to step foot on this supposedly undiscovered planet, it soon becomes a race for survival to uncover hidden secrets and fight against an enemy who the members of Earth and Godspeed were very much unprepared for. 

SPOILERS

Review: Okay this book was by far the best in the trilogy, it could have had its own trilogy leading on from this book alone because there was is so much that can still be explored within the Shades of Earth main plot. The 5 stars admittedly are given mainly because the ending of the book was just OMGDFSDFLNRK<GNRELNLARNELFN AMAZINGLY FANTASTICALLY EMOTIONALLY SATISFYING. Basically we are led to believe that Elder has died saving Amy by blowing up the space station which housed the biological bomb which would have killed the rogue hybrids who were keeping Amy hostage and actually converted her into one of them! Revis does this thing with the chapters when instead of having the narrative alternating between Amy and Elder, IT'S JUST AMY AND ELDER HAS NOTHING BUT A BLANK PAGE BUT IT'S NOT BLANK NOW BECAUSE OF MY TEARS. Like seriously I was BAWLING like a baby when Elder had 'died', I was just waiting for Amy to commit because lets be honest she'd lost her home, her parents who she waited 3 months to unfreeze and now the love of her life, how she was less of an emotional wreck than me I have no idea. Then just when you think the trilogy will end and you're getting ready to throw the book across the room, AMY FINDS ELDER IN THE FOREST WITH HIS CRASHED ESCAPE SHUTTLE OMGAAAAAAD! You'd think the tears would stop at this point but no, it was such a beautiful reunion where he was all like "I don't care if you're a hybrid" and she's all like "you came back to me" and he was like "always" and GOD BETH REVIS WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME. This was possibly the best ending of any trilogy (apart from The Hunger Games) that I have ever read and it makes up all the nitty gritty bits that annoyed me about this trilogy.

Basically this book brought up SO MANY MORE QUESTIONS in every single Chapter like how has Phydus got onto the planet? What's Orion's last clue? Who are the aliens? I raced to the end of this book just to get some answers! Everything was revealed all at once in just a few chapters which I found a lot to take in and it all became very confusing at points that I think I missed some bits. Firstly, what actually happened to the first colony? So they weren't killed off they were injected with Phydus and the gen mods right? Or were they killed off by the FRX?! Also, how did Dr. Gupta and Emma etc get Phydus into their system? Is that how the rogue hybrids killed them off? I'm still a bit confused here but the rest all clicks into place nicely.

There were so many surprises in this book, I was NOT expecting Chris to be a rogue hybrid at all, I was so shocked and actually refused to believe it for a while hoping he was being blackmailed by them or something! To be honest though, I find it a bit odd that Colonel Martin just welcomed him into the colony like surely if he was from the first colony, Amy's Dad could hold him hostage and get information out of him or something?! But instead he trusted this COMPLETE STRANGER from ANOTHER PLANET who he's known for FIVE MINUTES to look after his wife and daughter, rookie mistake Colonel. 

I also think Amy was waaaaay too forgiving with the rogue hybrids, they had killed a third of her colony and both of her parents but she didn't have any real desire for revenge or justice which I thought was slightly unrealistic. 

Beth Revis deserves a round of applause for the setting development in this book though, she created a whole new world from her imagination and managed to squeeze enough detail about this new world as well as an actual substantial story all in one book which takes some trilogy's a couple of books to do. The story was so original, from the pteros to the solar energy cubes. What I really like about this whole trilogy is that it's very dystopian but still very relatable, developments such as the grav tubes and the cubes are things which our current generation may not be too far away from, I know this story is set centuries in the future but still, hopefully when I'm an old lady I'll be able to press a button and get my dinner delivered to me through a hole in my wall.

Also, the development of Amy and Elder's relationship was so perfect. I'm actually glad that Chris was in the picture to mix things up between the couple and actually make Amy realise how much she loves Elder. Whats more, their sex scene was approached so well, the way that Elder didn't want to pressure Amy into anything and they were both so honest with each other about what they wanted. They didn't actually say 'I love you' to each other which would have been nice, but it was implied that they both loved each other though so I'm still happy! Their relationship seemed so difficult, they both had different responsibilities but they still made every effort to stay in each others lives and in the end Elder puts Amy's life before any of his other responsibilities.

Ahhhhh well done Beth Revis, you have absolutely outdone yourself with this last instalment! 

A Million Suns by Beth Revis - Book Review

So I promised I'd blog my book reviews as soon as possible and I finally put this book down about 10 seconds ago so there's no denying my efficiency!

Synopsis: This is the second instalment in the Across the Universe trilogy. This book will throw plot twists and cliffhangers at you, it will make you fall in love and may even make you want to become an astronaut, I know I'm reconsidering my future job now! This book continues from the first instalment in following the narrative of the two protagonists. Whilst Elder struggles to lead in the face of a population who are seeing things for how they really are now that they're off Phydus, Amy pieces together the clues Orion has left her which will eventually lead her to make a decision which will change the fate of the whole ship. This book has everything; romance, action, rebellion, suspense and a flexing load of stars;)

SPOILERS

Review:  I must say, I gave this book the same number of stars as it's predecessor (see Across the Universe review below) but I do think this second book was better than the first though it takes a lot for me to give a book 5 stars so 4 was what it's got I'm afraid. 

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. Damn you Beth Revis for writing a book which literally took up 99.9% of my thoughts whilst I was at work, I haven't had much of a social life in the past few days because all I want to do is come home, lay in the sunshine with a glass of Pimms (very British) and read this book! It is such a page turner, the tension was insane... every single chapter revealed a little bit more about Orion's big secret and I found myself trying to decode his clues and getting nowhere, I would suck as a detective.

I am so glad that Elder and Amy's relationship deepened in this instalment, their affection for one another was so much clearer and there were more kissing scenes, an almost sex scene (I proper sound like a creep now) but Revis made explicit that the romance between the two wasn't the whole focus of the trilogy and so much else happened in this book which the romance could just develop alongside and it didn't overshadow this. Elder and Amy did argue, what couple doesn't? But it wasn't repetitive and the repercussions of these disagreements weren't dragged out like some writers tend to do, they were resolved and the plot could move on!

I was so happy when Luthor was killed, although we didn't exactly find out who killed him, I guessed it was Doc with his med patches. He could have gone on to become a villain type character in the last book but as the plot went on I realised that there will probably be enough villains in the next book anyway especially now that Orion is becoming unfrozen and Doc is on the loose still. I'm glad that Revis didn't try to make Luthor's character seek redemption or something like that because some writers tend to turn their villains into heroes but there was no way I would ever warm to Luthor!

We got to learn a lot more about the other inhabitants of the ship seeing as everyone is now off Phydus, such as Bartie and Victria which I liked because it meant we saw outside the bubble of the main characters. 

If I had one little criticism it would be that Revis sacrificed logic in her plot development in exchange for the creation of tension and suspense... Orion was leaving Amy clues and some sort of puzzle which would eventually lead her to his secret but at the same time he kept stressing how 'time is running out'... he could have just told her all at once! Why make her find out bit by bit when the clock is ticking and food is running out? It made me race to the end of the book and I love it when I get this endorsed in a book but in retrospect it was all a bit contradictory. 

Book Review - Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Synopsis: The narrative is split between the two protagonists; Amy who decided to follow the path of her parents and freeze her body which would then be placed on the spaceship, Godspeed, which is to then travel for 300 years to another planet similar to that of Earth. The second narrator is Elder who will succeed his superior, Eldest, in the running and control of Godspeed. Basically one day Amy's body is mysteriously unfrozen, she turns out to be the first of many and the hunt soon begins for the perpetrator. Not only is the ship and its residents under absolute control, the whole ship itself is a lie. Amy and Elder's relationship slowly blossoms amongst mindless, horny rabbits, a corrupt leader and a Doctor who believes throwing drugs at a problem will eliminate it.  

SPOILERS

This was possibly the strangest book I have ever read. It is based on the most abstract concept, read the synopsis above to find out exactly what it is about but basically it does take a few chapters to get into it. Overall I thought it was a really good read, the structure is really interesting and adds to the suspense really well because often one chapter will end on a cliff-hanger and you have to read through the next chapter before things are revealed by which point another cliff-hanger has emerged!

I love the kind of detective-story aspect of this novel; I was pulling my hair out at points trying desperately not to look to the back page to just find out who was pulling out the ice tray things or whatever they're called! All this suspense made me turn the pages so quickly I finished the book in a matter of days (which is rare for me because normally I drag out books I enjoy because I don't want them to end!). I won't give away who the murderer is because if you're reading this and haven't read the books then please go read it now and guess for yourself who you think it is. All I'll say is the answer isn't as straightforward as you may think and I was so surprised by all the twists at the end of this book.

The book took a really dark turn at one point, the bit where Luthe and the feeders tried to rape Amy left me gaping in shock, this is definitely a more mature Young Adult novel. The description of the period called 'the Season' basically consisted of loads of couples having sex on any surface they could find. It actually made me feel really uncomfortable reading it which is obviously the effect but I;m not sure it was worth it! The Season could have been described in another way if you ask me but that's just my opinion. Amy's feelings after the rape were sort of glazed over, she didn't seem too upset about it but at the same time I suppose I'm glad this event didn't pervade the narrative. Generally though I don't think the rape added much to the storyline, Luthe's characterisation wasn't developed, he wasn't mentioned again and Elder never found out... was it really necessary?

My favourite character was probably Harley, at first I thought it might turn into a love triangle between him, Amy and Elder but I was relieved when the plot didn't head in this direction!

If I did have one more little criticism (little I swear!) it would be that some things weren't explained. For example, we never really find out what happened to Earth to make this mission even necessary or if anything happened at all. At first I thought there was some kind of apocalypse but then as the story went on I realised that might not have been the case. Also, we never really find out why the ship left a year later than planned, something that was revealed in Chapter 1. Hopefully these little details will be explained in the next book but it was just something I was waiting to be revealed throughout this first one.

All the numbers and terminology do get slightly icky sometimes and I'm not a big fan of Maths myself so calculating the number of years left or the number of years travelled made my brain hurt so I just sort of went with the flow which I recommend for a more relaxing read! The concept of the novel is abstract to say the least but after a while you find yourself so absorbed in the storyline you forget that the characters are actually floating in the middle of space with no escape.