Putting Boys on the Ledge is the first book in The Girlfriend's Guide to Boys by Stephanie Rowe. The book centers on freshmen girl, Blue Waller with the help of her best friends in order to help Blue get "the most amazing boy", senior guy named: Heath Cavendish. Throughout the book Blue and her friends try to get Heath to notice her by trying a variety of tactics, from joining the school play to changing up her look. Meanwhile, Blue develops a friendship with Colin, the guy who's taking care of her barn chores while she's a part of the play.
When I started reading this book I realized that this book would have been better for a younger audience, mainly for kids in middle school. Despite the realization, I decided to continue reading it and I can honestly say that I didn't mind it! While reading the book, I definitely thought the book was quirky and cute and I couldn't help but compare my middle school self and even younger high school self to the over-dramatic main character, Blue Waller. To the young freshmen, Blue, a lot of the things that happened to her seemed like life and death situations even though they really were't. Most of us can agree that we used to have those moments all the time when we were younger, some still do it today as well, and when you look back at your younger self, you just can't help but smile and even laugh at how silly you were! That was what definitely happened to me as I was reading this book.
Something I didn't like about this book was that the plot felt slow and there wasn't really anything unique about it that made this book stand out. It just followed Blue on her quest to get the guy which got a little boring and redundant at times (sidenote: for some reason a lot of the books aimed at younger girls these days have the female protagonist after a guy for at least half of the book. Talking about gender roles and media in AP Lang. and Comp. really gets me thinking about this kind of things now). The characters didn't seem to develop at all, such as Blue's friends, they just kind of popped up when they were needed for some reason. I would have liked to see more interactions and relationships between the friends instead of being told about them. Just because this was a novel aimed at younger kids doesn't necessarily mean that these kind of elements should be thrown out the window.
Putting Boys on the Ledge by Stephanie Rowe did affect me as a reader because it really made me think about and look back at my middle school and younger high school self. It really hit me that I'm growing up, that I'm graduating next year and it made me think how it feels like I was just in middle school yesterday, being a complete drama queen back then and even sometimes today. Because it did have this affect on my I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars.
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The second book of the Hush, Hush Saga (Crescendo) starts off a few months after the events of Hush, Hush. At the beginning everything seems to be alright in Nora Grey's world. She feels calm and safe after the events of Hush, Hush especially now that Patch is her guardian angel and not only that but also her boyfriend. Life couldn't get any better for Nora. But then a seed of doubt is planted into her head concerning Patch and that's when everything falls into place.
Though Hush, Hush didn't seem like the ideal beginning for me, Crescendo definitely made up for it. This book was filled with ten times more mystery and surprises than the first book and it kept me guessing, it definitely wasn't predictable like the first book was. Like the mystery surrounding her dad's death, it was definitely something that had my interest throughout the book.
I liked how Nora grew on me in this book, though she continued to make reckless choices, this time I saw them as something that she had to do because there was a valid reason behind her choices. In the last book it felt like there was never any rational reasoning behind her choices which was the main reason that she annoyed me in the last book, ruining some of the reading experience for what could have been a really good book. So her character developed which made the book more enjoyable, for example, some of the things she did made her seem more fun. Meanwhile, Patch and Vee were their same old selves; Vee was hilariously inappropriate in the most inopportune moments and Patch still had that mysterious edge to him except this time he was the character that really bugged me because of the things he did. It would be nice if neither of the main characters got on my nerves in the next book, Silence. Hopefully I'm not asking for too much. The new character added was Nora's childhood friend who moved back to town, Scott. Like Patch, Scott was sketchy bot I still enjoyed reading about him because of his personality, it was different from Patch.
Becca Fitzpatrick's writing was amazing, like the first book. I always enjoy reading her descriptions because they always inspire ideas of my own to add to my writing.
All in all; the characters developed for the most part, the plot was mysterious, and the writing was better than the first book. I give Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick 4 out of 5 stars.
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Hush, Hush is the first book in the Hush, Hush Saga written by Becca Fitzpatrick. Nora Grey is just your average girl whose father has recently been murdered and the murder is nowhere to be found. With that in mind it only makes sense that she should be a bit wary of her new, sketchy, biology partner, right? That's the logical thing that you think would happen or should happen. Is she though? It didn't really seem like it. Even though Patch is dangerous, unreliable, and totally sketchy, for some reason Nora takes it as an invitation that fine to be around. Which is on of the things that really bugged me about her!
One of my issues with this book was Nora, the protagonist. There were moments when she was annoying because a lot of the time she put herself in situations that could have been avoided if she hadn't done something stupid and reckless. So for some parts of the book, she was my issue. I didn't hate her, she was okay but I felt like her character development could have been worked on.
Characters that I enjoyed were Patch (the sketchy, biology partner) and Vee, Nora's best friend. I liked Vee because I felt she had more of a personality which was entertaining to read about, than the main character herself (hopefully that changes in the second book, Crescendo). Vee was witty which made her fun to read about compared to Nora who seemed somewhat bland. I enjoyed reading about Patch because even though the guy isn't exactly trustworthy, he is mysterious which seemed to be most of the book. Nora trying to figure out Patch and what he's hiding. We don't even know his real name because obviously Patch isn't his real name, I thought that at first it was a ridiculous nickname but eventually it grew on me.
The plot seemed seemed typical and there wasn't really anything that surprised me. I found it very predictable a lot of the time. Though the story wasn't original, I enjoyed the writing. The descriptions were different and I loved the imagery Becca Fitzpatrick was able to convey in my head. I'm not going to give up on the series because I think it has potential to be a good series, I can't wait to get started on Crescendo! I give Hush, Hush 3 out of 5 stars.
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Catching Fire is the second book in The Hunger Games series written by Suzanne Collins. After the events of The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta find themselves trying to suppress a rebellion across the districts, supposedly igniting because of them. In order to please President Snow, Katniss and Peeta must prove that they weren't rebelling in The Hunger Games, but that they were acting out of love for one another.
I finally have read Catching Fire, it took like a whole year, since I read The Hunger Games, but I've finally done it and I'm so glad I did!
In the beginning I was upset that it didn't start off right after that train scene from the first book, instead it took place a while after that happened which I feel didn't have the same affect. I would have rather read it in the present tense but instead I read about it in the past tense, so that was a bit upsetting. I liked that we get to see Peeta and Katniss after they have won the games, it felt relieving to have our heroes safe, even if it only lasts for a few chapters. I also loved the ending! An amazing cliffhanger which makes me really want to read the third book: Mockingjay, like very soon! I adored the new characters added in the book such as Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason, each of them were interesting to read about and I really enjoyed their personalities.
Things that I didn't like about this book is how the first 100 or so pages felt sort of slow, to me it didn't seem as fast-paced as The Hunger Games and it seemed to take forever for the plot to really go into affect but I did like how the rest of the book did pick up its speed, especially towards the end! Something I feel should have been added to was the Victory Tour, I felt like Suzanne could have added more detail to each district, I would have liked to know more about what they're like by descriptions not by being told.
All in all Catching Fire was a really good book that had me absorbed for a long time, it was filled with action, emotion and adventure and the cliffhanger has me wanting more! I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I can't wait to see the movie, I think it'll be interesting to see how they set up the arena and the last part of the book definitely needs to go in there, it'll probably be so hard to watch that scene but it needs to stay!
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Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi is book 1.5 in the Shatter Me series. The reason it's 1.5 is because it takes place between book 1 (Shatter Me) and book 2 (Unravel Me due to come out on February 5, 2013). You don't really need to read this book in order to read the second book but I decided I wanted to because it's from the antagonist's point of view. This book is also, as far as I know, only available as a digital book, so I was able to buy it on my phone.
Destroy Me follows Warner, the son of the leader of a dystopian society: The Reestablishment. The Reestablishment is divided into sectors and Warner is the leader of Sector 45. After being shot in the arm by Juliette in the first book, Shatter Me, Destroy Me follows Warner in his quest to look for Juliette, Adam, and Kenji.
Though it's not necessary to read this book before the second book, I decided I would because I thought it'd be interesting to read from Warner's point of view. What I liked about it is I was able to understand him a little bit more but it also left me with the same questions: Why is Warner the way he is? And what is with his obsession with Juliette? These questions were somewhat answered in the book but I didn't think it was enough and I really wish the author, Tahereh Mafi would have expanded more in her answers.
I liked that I was able to see a different side of Warner. In Shatter Me he seemed cruel and relentless but in this book I find him a lot more vulnerable and I almost feel bad for the guy.
What I didn't like about the book was the plot, well, actually, more like the lack of a plot. I don't know if it's because this book is in between two books but shouldn't a book still have a plot even though it's shorter than your average book? Not much really happened except that I got to see what he was up to after the events in Shatter Me. One of the most interesting things I would say happened was meeting his father and how he interacted with him, that at least helped me understand, a little, why Warner appears to be cruel.
Destroy Me was easy to read in a short time period, I liked seeing things from Warner's point of view, but I didn't like the plot. I give Destroy Me 3 out of 5 stars.
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Reached by Ally Condie is the third and final book of the Matched Trilogy. It was released a while ago on November 13, 2012. The book takes place after the events of Crossed. This book is told from the point of view from three different people the main characters, Cassia Reyes, Ky Markham, and Xander Carrow.
What I liked about this book was the fact that it was told by different point's of views, I always like it when an author does that because it gives me insight on different characters and it helps me get to know the character better and understand why they're doing what they're doing even if I don't support them for some reason. It's no different with Reached, I enjoyed reading each characters story and I liked seeing that they were doing their own thing and they weren't just moping around for their loved ones like some characters sometimes do in stories.
Another thing I liked about this book was the style, like the first two in the series, Reached was beautifully written. I feel like you'd understand once you've read the books, there's something about Ally Condie's writing that it poetic and almost lyrical. Her style is almost whimsical, it's fancy and it's somewhat playful and I absolutely adore it! When I was reading this series I thought so much about the style of her writing and how much I wished I could write just as good as her one day, hopefully I will be able to at some point in my life.
There are few things that I didn't like about the book but the biggest one would probably be the lack of foreshadowing, some things just sort of felt like they were thrown at me and I was definitely not expecting them. I felt like Ally Condie could have worked on that a little more by actually dropping some hints every now and than so I wouldn't be confused on where that came from.
All in all, I adore this series, it's different from other dystopia novels I've read (and since The Hunger Games, it's been a lot) and the biggest difference is her style of writing. It's beautiful and to me, it makes her really stand out. I'm sad that this series has ended but a movie is set to come out so obviously I'll go see it! I give Reached 4 out of 5 stars.
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The List by Siobhan Vivian is a book that brings different elements to it. To me, it seems to be a mix of Pretty Little Liars (except a lot more tame) and Gossip Girl, which is different.
What happens is each year before homecoming, a list comes out. This list picks two girls from each grade, this list picks one pretty and ugly girl from the freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior class. The List basically chronicles how each girl, who made this years list, handles being called pretty or ugly by the entire school.
I liked that this book had all the characters deal with this list in different ways. They all faced self-esteem issues, ridicule, and judgement from all their peers which is what school can be sometimes be like. So I like how honest this book was. The characters were all great, I liked the layers they had to them and I liked how my thoughts about them changed throughout the story. I like the sense of mystery added to it when we find out who created this years list. When we find out who made the list I feel like it comes out of nowhere, like it wasn't foreshadowed or really discussed much, so I feel like it should have been. In the beginning I really didn't wonder who created the list because I feel like the author, Siobhan Vivian didn't make it a big deal. So when it's revealed who created it I was sort of blindsided since it comes out of nowhere. I also felt like the book could have been a little longer, it almost felt rushed.
Other than the fact that it felt rushed and there was a lack of foreshadowing, I think The List was a nice book to read. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
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Anna and the French Kiss is written by Stephanie Perkins. The book is about teenage girl, Anna Oliphant, who is sent off to boarding school, in France, because her dad feels like she should gain experience in a different culture. Initially, Anna isn't so happy because she isn't ready to leave behind her home: Atlanta, Georgia as well as her friends and her crush who can potentially become something more. She's also weary about starting her senior year in a different country, with different customs, trying to make new friends, and learning who she is and what she really wants.
What initially drew me to this book is the cover, I know the saying: Don't judge a book by its cover. The thing is, I do judge a book by its cover, if the cover is appealing in any way to me than chances are I'll pick it up and read the summary on the book. When I saw the spine on Anna and the French Kiss, it immediately drew me in because the Eiffel Tower was on it. Since I'm totally in love with anything French related I knew I had to try this book, so I did and I didn't regret it.
Lately I've been reading a lot of paranormal books so it was refreshing to take a break from those and to immerse myself into this book which was like a scoop of strawberry ice cream!
I loved the quirky character, Anna and I loved seeing how she got through this huge change. If I were in her place though, I think I'd be ecstatic to go to Paris! True, I'd miss the people I care about but it's not like I'd cut them out of my life completely. Anna wasn't happy at all going to a boarding school in Paris but she eventually grew to love it. In the end she didn't consider it her home, she didn't consider Atlanta home either but she did find something else that she considered home and it was super adorable!
The romance, was definitely something I adored about this book. It was something typical and something everyone is able to relate to because like all of us, Anna can't help but wonder if the guy she likes is into her as well.
This book was really cute, I loved how the story takes place in France, Anna is amazingly quirky and easy to relate to, all the other characters like St. Clair and Mer are really fun to read about, and the romance in this book was adorable! I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
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Masque of the Red Death is the first book of the Red Death series. The book is written by Bethany Griffin and is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's short story, The Masque of the Red Death. I remember being fascinated by Poe's short story when I first read it back in my freshmen year of high school in my language arts class. I loved how creepy it was and how Poe spent the entire time describing these beautiful rooms only to kill off all the people. When I heard about this book and how it was inspired by Poe's short story I was immediately intrigued on how Bethany Griffin would be able to portray his story into her own and I wasn't disappointed.
Throughout the book the tone is mysterious, dark, and haunting which I think is amazing and I enjoy Bethany Griffin's style when it comes to her writing. It's different from other books I've read, I'm not exactly sure what about it is different though. Her writing perfectly creates an image in my head which is always a good thing to accomplish within a reader.
The world she has created with the help of Edgar Allan Poe is amazing to imagine. The main character, Araby Worth, lives in what seems to be in a dystopia society. Her world is succumbed by a plague where most of the population has died because of it. The people left try to avoid the plague by wearing specially designed masks only the rich can afford and the poor are forced to save up to buy one while running the risk of getting affected by the disease before they're able to save themselves.
I like how the people wear masks, I think it just adds to the mystery and the intrigue in this book. I love how the book has steampunk elements in it and I love how Araby joins forces with Elliot in hopes of creating a better world than what Prince Prospero has led.
I enjoyed reading about the characters, at first I didn't really connect with Araby which made it hard for me to read the first half of the book but along the way it got better. I loved her friends, April who is completely different from Araby. Elliot, April's older brother was entertaining to read about and how he interacted with Araby was even more fascinating. Will was sweet to read about because at first you think you know who he is, a bad boy but you later find out you're wrong.
The betrayals in the end of the book were shocking because I honestly didn't see them coming, it was as if they were pulled out of thin air so I had mixed feelings about them.
Some things that annoyed me about the book would probably be that there were moments when things were abrupt sometimes it lacked a good transition which sometimes confused me but otherwise there wasn't really much to complain about. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars and I can't wait to read the next book, Dance of the Red Death.
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Beautiful Darkness is the second book of The Caster Chronicles, written by the two friends, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
I read the first book of the series a couple years ago and I enjoyed it, I thought the characters and their personality were different than what I had read before. Lena Duchannes and Ethan Wate were unique characters with their little quirks that I enjoyed like Lena carrying around a tattered notebook everywhere she went and the necklace she used to keep small things like a button, or a small sharpie Ethan gave her, small things like that.
When I started reading Beautiful Darkness, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Usually I have a pretty good idea where the book is going to go but not with this series, this series always has me guessing and always has me constantly being wrong, which I'm not used to. I enjoy the element of surprise in this book, it's nice to have me guessing.
The world the authors have created is just amazing! I love the ideas, the creativity and all the thoughts they put into creating such a complicated and a beautiful world.
New characters included Liv who I really liked reading about because she was definitely different from Lena. Liv was sarcastic and smart meanwhile Lena is more shy and thoughtful. The addition of Liv and the new guy, John Breed was nice too. We didn't get to see as much as John Breed like we did about Liv but I can't wait to see what he has to contribute to the story, him being a half-breed.
In the end I give Beautiful Darkness, 3 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed some of it but there were moments in the book I had to force myself to continue to read. I do like the series though, so I'm going to continue reading it.
(315 words)
Crossed by Ally Condie is the second book of the Matched series. Last week I did a book review on the first book of the series which can be found here: Matched book review .
Anyways, I thought Crossed was equally good as the first book, Matched, if not better! I enjoyed the plot, the writing of this book seemed to be ten times better than Matched, the characters development, this book was definitely worth my time.
After being separated, Cassia and Ky are on their own journeys, trying to get back to each other. From the very beginning of Crossed, I could tell, Cassia and Ky had grown as characters. In this book I saw them each in a different light. Cassia was tougher and she wasn't afraid to get what she wanted and she was able to get it successfully. I did not think Cassia was robotic like I initially believed in, Matched, there was more to her in this book because she was becoming a survivor, she was learning how to survive.
Ky was definitely not the same guy you meet in, Matched, he was also tougher and he seemed ten times more wiser then in the first book. Since you read the point of view from both Cassia and Ky in Crossed, you get to connect with each character better then in Matched because you only got Cassia's point of view.
The plot was nice, each character was on a mission and they didn't run into distractions and the book wasn't overflowing with romantic moments like some books tend to be. But when you did have romantic moments, they weren't cheesy, they were genuinely sweet.
I believed the writing in, Crossed, was simply beautiful! The descriptions, the dialogue, it was all amazing and beautifully written. I definitely love reading Ally Condie's writing and I can't wait to read more of it in the future! My favorite quote in the book has to be from Cassia on page 346 (in the hardcover version of the book):
"Everyone has something of beauty about them. In the beginning for me, it was Ky's eyes I noticed, and I love them still. But loving lets you look, and look, and look again. You notice the back of a hand, the turn of a head, the way of a walk. When you first love, you look blind and you see it all as the glorious, beloved whole, or a beautiful sum of beautiful parts. But when you see the one you love as pieces, as whys- why he walks like this, why he closes his eyes like that- you can love those parts, too, and it's a love at once more complicated and more complete."
I just love that quote, it's probably going to be one of my favorite quotes ever because it's such a beautiful thought and it's so true. What I love is how Ally Condie is able to evoke so much emotion in words rather than actions, it's what I would love to accomplish one day as a writer.
The new characters introduced were amazing, Eli and Indie were a wonderful addition to the book and I'm hoping to see them in the last book of the series, Reached, which comes out November 13, 2012 (I can't wait!). Eli did remind me of Bram, Cassia's younger brother, and I just loved how innocent this boy was and how strong he was emotionally even though he had been through so much, the same goes for Indie. Indie was someone I was wary of and I'm glad she was a part of the story because I loved her character since she was so similar to Ky and so smart and cautious.
Because of everything I loved about this book, I would have to give it 5 out of 5 stars.
(525 words, not including quote from book)
Matched by Ally Condie is the first book in the Matched series. The book follows the protagonist, Cassia Reyes who has just attended the matching banquet and has been matched with her best friend, Xander Carrow. The society where Cassia lives is that of a dystopia, the Officials decide where you work, when you die, what you eat, and who you love. After there has been a "mistake", Cassia begins to see Ky as more than a friend and begins to have doubts about the world she lives in and the rules that are enforced and followed without hesitation.
Beginning Matched was somewhat difficult, I liked the idea behind the book but it didn't really capture my attention in the first couple of chapters. As I continued to read about Cassia's world, the rules, and everything else about it I found myself interested in it a bit more. Some of the concepts about the book were confusing at times so I had to reread a couple of pages more than two times. I'm still not so sure about what Cassia really does as a job, I get the basic concept about it but it's still a bit fuzzy. At first I felt like Cassia didn't have much emotion, she felt sort of robotic to me but then I thought: Well she lives in a society where thinking and feeling isn't really required so I guess it made sense for the story. I enjoyed seeing the transformation with Cassia's character because she started off weak but throughout the story certain events made her think in a different way and her thoughts became deeper and it was amazing to read. As the story progressed, I found myself hooked about halfway through the book. Cassia begun to change and I could tell she was feeling emotions, her actions no longer seemed as robotic to me.
The relationship that developed between Ky and Cassia seemed sort of sudden but I grew to enjoy the relationship and it seemed pure which was good. The ending has me very excited for the next book, Crossed. So I plan to read that book this week so I can give it a review next Sunday, hopefully that happens though.
In the end, Matched was a lovely book to read it was beautifully written and it almost seemed like poetry at times which is ironic because some poetry is banned in Cassia's world. I give Matched by Ally Condie 4 stars out of 5 and I can't wait to see what and where Cassia's journey, in search of Ky, leads her!
(432 words)
The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead is the second book of the Bloodlines series. Sydney Sage is the beloved protagonist of the Bloodlines series which is a spin-off series of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. In order to completely understand the Bloodlines series I would recommend reading the Vampire Academy series first, you don't have to but I would advise you to do so.
Sydney Sage is the complete opposite of the protagonist of the Vampire Academy series, Rose Hathaway. And I'm not going to complain about it, Sydney is the kind of person who really thinks through her decisions (except in one scene in the book), she's not spontaneous, she's extremely smart and she follows the rules and in The Golden Lily she is no different. I like reading about Sydney because she can be socially awkward and she's unsure of herself and what she's really capable of which makes her easy to relate to.
I like the relationships she has which each character, all the vampires, the dhampirs, the Alchemists, and all the humans in the book. It's fun to read how she interacts with them, I especially like how she interacts with the people she's meant to work with, Adrian, Jill, Eddie and the new additions Sonya, Dimitri, and Angeline. Her interactions with her new friends were really believable especially the moments she had with Adrian, it was nice to see that Sydney brings out the other side of Adrian a lot more often than anyone else could. When Adrian and Sydney talked, I could tell there was a lot of emotion between Sydney and him and it was fun to see how she so oblivious about the emotion.
The mystery in the book was great and it was consistent throughout, you would get hints here and there about certain people and it finally tied up together in the end.
The Golden Lily was not disappointing, it was thrilling, emotional, charming, and funny. I enjoyed reading the adventure Sydney and her friends had and I can't wait to read the third book in the series, The Indigo Spell, due to come out February 12, 2013. So, I give The Golden Lily five out of five stars for being able to entertain me and keep me guessing until the very end like a good book should be able to do and for making me go through that ending which was so heartbreaking!
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The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross is the second book of The Steampunk Chronicles. The book takes place after the events of The Girl in the Steel Corset which means Finley and her friends head to the United States in order to help their friend Jasper which leads them into even more dangerous situations than before.
The book was told from Finley, Griffin's and Jasper's point of view. I always enjoy reading the point of view from other characters besides the hero or heroine, in this case that would be Finley, because it gives me insight on the character, so that's a positive in the book. I liked reading about the new characters in this book besides Mei, I didn't like her from the beginning because of this vibe I got. But I admit her character was interesting to read about, the collar around her neck didn't seem to have been mentioned enough as I thought it should have been. But I do realize that the collar was basically what kept the story going and it didn't need to be mentioned on every single page but I feel like it should have gotten more attention.
I did like reading about Wildcat she was tough and she was refreshing to read about, hopefully my intuition is correct and she'll become a bigger role later on in the series. It'll be interesting to see what she brings to the series alongside our beloved characters. Dalton, to me, didn't seem to be this huge bad guy everyone made him seem to be. I know he was ruthless and a killer but I felt like he wasn't too bad.
Action seemed to be a lot more common in this book than the first one which was exciting to read about and I loved the small mentioning of the clothes because I love the dresses they wore back in the 1800's, I have this weird fascination with them.
All in all the book was good, I didn't like it as much as the first book but it was good. I'll give The Girl in the Clockwork Collar three stars out of five and I can't wait to see what Kady Cross has in store for the next book in the series, The Girl with the Iron Touch.
(385 words)
I've been sick for the last few days so I haven't been able to do much besides my homework, which isn't fun, and read and I really wanted to go to my friend's party and I've also been texting my friends. But since I've been sick I took this entire day reading City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare because I haven't read it until now because I don't know about you guys but I'd rather check out books at the library instead of spending the money I don't have. Since there are many, many people who apparently think like me, there is always a long waiting list for a newly, released book. Last week I finally got the book but I never got a chance to start it until today. I woke up this morning knowing I needed a book to review for my blog so I decided to go with City of Lost Souls and I'm glad I did make it the center of my first book review because like everyone I have thoughts and opinions over the book.
First of all City of Lost Souls basically starts off after the events of City of Fallen Angels have transpired. No one has any idea where Jace could be and everyone is obviously worried that not only is Jace missing but Sebastian is as well. I'm not really allowed to give a full summary so that's as far as I'm going to go, if you really want a full summary go to Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon like I do.
I definitely liked City of Lost Souls a lot more than City of Fallen Angels. I thought the last book was okay but it just didn't draw me in like the first three books of the series did, it didn't completely catch my attention. I'm usually a pretty fast reader who can get a five hundred page book done in two to three days even with school in session. But City of Fallen Angels took me like two weeks to get done, which isn't normal for me. Meanwhile I was able to get City of Lost Souls done in less then twenty-four hours which honestly shocked me.
What really captured my attention about this book I guess was how everyone was in a race against time basically. Every character had a purpose, everyone was up to something and I liked how Cassandra Clare not only gave us the P.O.V's from Clary and Jace but also from Simon, who I have become a huge fan of since City of Fallen Angels, Isabelle, Alec, Maia, Jordan, Magnus, even from Jocelyn and Maryse. I really enjoyed reading about how everyone was doing something with a common goal in mind, saving Jace.
As always I enjoyed the descriptions and I enjoyed some of the conversations between the characters, entertaining as always. A conversation that really stood out for me was when Isabelle was telling Jordan that she doesn't give "false reassurances", for some reason that really stood out for me.
One part that really annoyed me was a comment made by Clary on page 97: "Whatever was happening between her brother and her mother, it was something that had nothing to do with her." I don't really know how to explain it but that comment just bugged me so much when I read it and it's still bugging me because whatever is going on between Sebastian and Jocelyn does have something to do with her. First of all it's her mother and I know she doesn't acknowledge Sebastian as her brother but the dude is going to keep coming back whether Clary likes it or not. I know blood doesn't necessarily make a person your family, it's the relationship you have with them and I realize that, but she should realize that he's going to be a part of her life. Whatever affects her mother should affect her in some way but that's my personal opinion.
All in all I thought the book was pretty good, it was eventful and it really had my attention. I give the book 4 stars out of 5.
So that was my first review and I promise you they'll get better, til next time!
Putting Boys on the Ledge is the first book in The Girlfriend's Guide to Boys by Stephanie Rowe. The book centers on freshmen girl, Blue Waller with the help of her best friends in order to help Blue get "the most amazing boy", senior guy named: Heath Cavendish. Throughout the book Blue and her friends try to get Heath to notice her by trying a variety of tactics, from joining the school play to changing up her look. Meanwhile, Blue develops a friendship with Colin, the guy who's taking care of her barn chores while she's a part of the play. 
