Mini Review: The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

• Pub. Date: February 22, 2011
• Publisher: Random House Children's Books
• Pages:512
• Series: Iron Codex #1
• Goodreads/Amazon/Book Depository

      In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.

     Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.

First Line: There are seventeen madhouses in the city of Lovecraft.

Review: I really need to read more steampunk because I really enjoyed The Iron Thorn. Now it did take me a few chapters to get fully sucked into the story since I felt it started off a little slow but once things took off and all these crazy twists kept being thrown in and people not being who you think they are ... well I was totally invested in the book.

The romance scenes could have been done more better they were a little lackluster but the characters Aoife ( I still am not sure how to pronounce that), Dean and Cal were all very intriguing. I loved Dean because of how strong of a character he was and then there was Cal who is Aoife's best friend and was a total surprise in many ways. And then Aoife who was just as strong of a character as her male counterpart Dean. The girl had balls and was not afraid of a little adventure.

Overall the world building was done very well and quite unique. I found this to be an enjoyable read and will be picking up the next book soon.

Review: Clockwork Prince ( The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

• Pub. Date:December 2011
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 528
• Series: The Infernal Devices #2

http://www.cassandraclare.com/

"In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.


With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.


Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?


As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart."

First Sentence: 
The fog was thick, muffling sound and sight.


Review: Wow just wow! Clare has definitely outdone herself Clockwork Prince was INTOXICATING!..Epic Page Turner... Exhilarating...well you get the picture. Way better than Clockwork Angel which I also gave 5 stars to. Which is why when I compare the two this book deserves much more than 5 stars, I'm seriously thinking about adding an extra rating for books that surpass the 5 star rating. Anyways on to the review of Clockwork Prince.

 I am torn between Jem and Will. Especially after the big revealing of Will's secret I love them both, everything makes sense about Will now. Than there is the love triangle between Jem, Tessa and Will...I am not a fan of love triangles but I am a fan of this one, if you want to talk about heartbreaking this is it. There were parts where I dreaded to turn the page because of what I knew was coming and  since I love all three characters just the same it was hard to see their heart get crushed.

Anyways so much happens in the lives of all the characters in this book, from Henry and Charlotte,  Jessamine and Nate, and of course Will, Tessa, Jem, and then there is Sophie who plays a bigger role as well. We also see more of the Lightwood brothers Gabriel and Gideon. And of course Magnus Bane who is just awesome.

I'm also still trying to emotionally collect myself after the ending of Clockwork Prince. Such heartbreak I can't believe I have to be tortured for a whole year before I can get my hands on the next book in the series. Cassandra Clare also leaves us with a major cliffhanger, one that I was not expecting at all!

Overall go read it NOW! I still can't get the charcters out of my head it's like they have been weaved into my soul. Clare I have no clue how you do it but you are amazing.

Review: Clockwork Angel ( The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel ( The Infernal Devices#1)by Cassandra Clare

• Pub. Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Format: Hardcover , 476pp

"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."

Review:I can't believe I waited so long to read Clockwork Angel. Telling you that it is a captivating beyond breathtaking read barely expresses how much I fell in love with the world and the characters Cassandra Clare has created. 

I would love to sit here and talk about every single character in the book since they all were remarkable in their own way but i'll just stick with the three main Tessa, Will and Jem. 

I didn't know what to think of Tessa, but as the plot progressed not only did I learn she is a book lover but she is her own person. She does not sit back and just let things happen. She takes action and is not afraid to express herself. 

Will, now he is a character I should dislike because of how harsh he is towards Tessa, but I can't help it I love him. We barely get a grasp of who and what he is about. I'm really eager to continue the series just to find out what happened in his past that has made him so "untouchable." The only person that gets through to him is Jem and of course now Tessa. 

Jem, oh sweet Jem. I adore him. He is the complete opposite of Will. He is kind, humble, and not afraid to show Tessa he cares for her. 

If someone asked me to pick between Will and Jem I would seriously be torn between the two. They are both amazing characters in their own way. 

Clockwork Angel has definitely made my list of books to re-read. Usually I read a book - like it and then never pick it up again, but this is one of the rare ones where I will thrust myself into it's world over and over again.