[Review] Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Series: Infernal Devices, #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publishing Date: Aug. 31, 2010
479 Pages
Format: paperback, won
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis 

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...

My Review

I won a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster in 2014 for a 31 days of reading giveaway. Unfortunately, it's been sitting on my shelf since then! I decided to pick this one up recently, and I'm really glad I did! I really liked this book and I'm very interested in reading the rest of this series and the Mortal Instruments series as well. It's full of fantasy and interesting characters. I wasn't sure if I would be super interested in this steampunk world. But once I started reading, I was hooked. I really liked the characters, especially Tessa, Will, and Jem; they were unique in their own ways. Will was a tough character to figure out, and I'm not sure I quite have, even after the book ended. And I feel really bad for Jem, but I can't elaborate without giving anything away! This book was full of adventure and suspense. I wasn't sure what was going to happen or which characters I could trust. Overall, it kept me interested and wanting to know more. 

Don't be ashamed...

We've all probably heard of slut-shaming. But what about book-shaming? How many times have we seen what someone else is reading and think (or say) "You're reading that?!" Think about it. We've all probably done it when we saw someone reading or raving about Fifty Shades of Grey. I'm pretty sure I've done it. And the more I think about it, I'm not proud of it. 

Don't be ashamed of what you love to read. Whether it's romance, fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, mysteries. Over the last few months, I've realized that it really doesn't matter what I love to read. I shouldn't be ashamed of the fact that I love reading romance novels. Some people might think they're all works of fluff; but I don't. I love reading stories about love and romance and happily-ever-afters. I also really love mysteries; I try to figure out who-dun-it, but it doesn't always happen. Now these aren't the only kinds of books I like to read, but my point is, we shouldn't worry about what other people, other readers, think is "okay" to read. 

Sometimes it's not quite so direct as someone saying something; it could be a passive aggressive post in the blogging world or just the perception The time I feel like this happens the most is when I go to write a review and I see how other people didn't like it as much as I did. But that shouldn't change my thoughts on the book I read. Sure, it might make me think about it a little more, but generally it doesn't change my opinion much. Just because someone else doesn't like that book, or that genre, doesn't mean it's less or inferior to other books or genres. 

Life's too short, and there are too many books to not read what you like. 

[Review] Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Let The Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Series: Sky Fall, #1

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publishing Date: Jan. 1, 2013

404 Pages

Format: paperback, won

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Goodreads rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis 

Vane Weston should have died in the category-five tornado that killed his parents. Instead, he woke up in a pile of rubble with no memories of his past - except one: a beautiful, dark-haired girl standing in the winds. She swept through his dreams ever since, and he clings to the hope that she's real.

Audra is real, but she isn't human. She's a sylph, an air elemental who can walk on the wind, translate its alluring songs, even twist it into a weapon. She's also a guardian - Vane's guardian - and has sworn an oath to protect him at all costs.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both their families, Audra has just days to help Vane unlock his memories. And as the storm winds gather, Audra and Vane start to realize that the greatest danger might not be the warriors coming to destroy them, but the forbidden romance growing between them.

My Review

I won this book in a giveaway last year from Simon and Schuster, and unfortunately, it had been sitting on my shelf ever since. But I've decided to make an effort to read book that I've had for a while, or slowly start to get rid of them. I'm a bit of a book hoarder, so this is going to be difficult. But at least I started and picked up this one from my piles! 

Audra is Vane's guardian and has been watching over him for the last 10 years, without him knowing. Her job is to protect Vane and eventually teach him about his past and how to learn about the wind. Vane is a bit cocky, which is kind of funny since he apparently hasn't had a girlfriend or a successful date. And Audra is all work and no play. She's determined to teach Vane what he needs to know, but can't let herself become involved with him. 

This book is an interesting concept and something I wasn't sure how I'd feel about. I've picked it up a few times thinking I'd read it next, but then picked something else. But I set my mind to it this time and read it. The writing is well done and the characters are pretty well developed. You can tell how much they care about each other by the way they interact. However, this wasn't my favorite book. Just something about it didn't hold my interest as much as I hoped. 

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