The One (Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

Okay, so let me start this off by saying that I read this book in about a day. One. Single. Day.  I have been waiting so long for this book to come out and I was so excited when it did! I had pre-ordered it months in advance (much to the dismay of my boyfriend who thought I was crazy.. sorry not sorry), and was so excited when I got the email from Barnes & Noble that it had shipped.  Not only did I pre-order the book, but I pre-ordered a copy that Kiera Cass had signed herself.  How awesome is that? I was so excited!

Anyways, onto what I actually thought of the book itself.. If you have not read the first two books, I would highly recommend you do that first! You can read what I have to say on the first two here.

Of course, I'm going to start off with, I was SOOOO happy that they did finally end up together.  I really liked that Kiera Cass took her time getting them fully together and then threw in a little rift between Maxon and America at the very end to get you to think, dang maybe they won't end up together? I really enjoyed how she even made me like Celeste and feel bad when (SPOILER) she gets killed in the end. Another thing that I liked about the book was that America stayed true to her roots until the very end.  She fought for Aspen as a friend, and she stayed humble throughout the whole experience, not letting it change her for the worse.

Even though, overall I was happy with the ending, I feel that Ms. Cass could have done a little more with the rebel piece. The Southern rebels are mentioned, and attack the palace a few times, but they never really come into play after two appearances.  The Northern Rebels are the only ones that we grow to know and it's only their explanation of the Southern rebels that we get.  I really enjoyed that Maxon and American were sneaking around trying to help the Northern Rebels and change the way that the country is run.  I also liked that we got to know more about Maxon and the way he worked, but the book wrapped up a little too quickly.   Overall, it's a great, quick read and I really enjoyed it! It's not your typical fairy tale story about a girl coming into the royal family and falling in love with a prince, it runs deeper than that.

In case you get confused on who all of the Selected girls are, Kiera Cass has included a list on her website! Find it here. She has also announced a new novella called "The Queen" which will take us back to Queen Amberley's selection time. Read about it on Ms. Cass's website here.

Want to own it? Here it is on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

(Copyright, Kiera Cass 2014)

Quick Review:
Title: The One (Selection Book 3)
Author: Kiera Cass
Pages: 217 (ebook)
Recommended for: Young adult girls

City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments #4)

City of Fallen Angels is number 4 in the Mortal Instruments series. Let me tell you, when I was starting this book, I thought wow, everyone is getting along! The war is over, everyone is alive and well and Clary and Jace finally get to be together without thinking they are brother and sister... Boy was I wrong.

So it is true that in this book the war is over and Clary is back at home training to become a real shadowhunter like her hunk of a boyfriend Jace.  Everything is fine and dandy, and Clary's mom and Luke are planning their wedding! Too good to be true right? Absolutely. All of the sudden, shadowhunters are turning up dead everywhere. Nobody can figure out who is murdering all these innocent people, and why they are only targeting shadowhunters. Poor Simon has also told his mother that he is a vampire when she finds vials of blood in his room, and he gets kicked out of his house. Clary can't ask him for help because he's clearly dealing with some of his own issues. The story feels like something you've read before, because it follows the same basic plot line as the previous books. I was kind of hoping that Ms. Clare would leave Jace and Clary to be, but of course they have their own trials and tribulations in this book again. Alec and Mangus develop together as a couple, and new demons are introduced and take on a big role in the book. The ending did catch me off guard as much as it could..

Overall, this book was not terrible. I think that as someone who hates to leave a series unfinished, it was not unbearable to read. I just wanted something a little different, maybe the characters to develop more and Clary to become less whiny. But hey, you can't have everything.

Here's the book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

                                          © Margaret K. McElderry Books, Cassandra Clare

Quick Review:
Title: City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments Book #4)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 424 (paperback)
Recommended: Young adult girls, 14-17 (or 22!)

Educational Books? People Read Those?

Happy 2014!

This post is about an educational book. It's not a fun, young adult/teen book that I usually like to read, however, this book was sent to me by my friends at Librarything, and so I read and reviewed it. The book is Exploring Critical Issues in Gifted Education: A Case Studies Approach by Christine Weber.

So here's the review:

I liked the case studies approach that this book had to offer, however, some of them were dry and hard to get through.  The book itself is very dense and offers a lot of information that might be helpful to someone who is willing to look past the dry-ness of the writing. The topic of Gifted Education is a topic that is neglected in today's society and I was really hoping that this book would help highlight some of the issues facing teachers when it comes to gifted education. This book might be have an application in a grad school program focusing on Gifted Education, but I don't think it's a book that can be read quickly without having others to discuss the case studies with.

Overall, I'm not a big fan of reading educational books for fun. This was like forcing myself to read a textbook even though I didn't have a class it applied to. If I did have a class it applied to, it may be easier to read and take from.

                                                             (copyright Christine Weber 2013)

Here's the book on Amazon.

Overall, I give it a 4 out of 5 stars because it is interesting and educational, just not my cup of tea.

City of Glass (Mortal Instruments Book #3)

City of Glass is the fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.  I'm telling you, although these books are for young adults (I still consider myself a young adult, I'm only 22) they really suck me in! I couldn't put them down!

City of Glass picks up where City of Ashes leaves off, much like City of Ashes did with City of Bones.   I love that in these books, certain things do get tied up at the end, but there is always that burning question or problem that still is left unanswered or unsolved for the next book to pick up. That's the sign of a great author, someone who really won't let you put their series down and keeps you coming back for more and more.  Oh and of course, as I'm sure you know.. Don't continue reading if you haven't read City of Ashes, or if you're okay with spoiler alerts read on! 

This book is great. I didn't know what to expect once Simon became a vampire, but I really like that he is semi-normal and can walk in the sun, every since he fed off Jace. Clary is now still trying to save her mother's life and to do so, she has to travel to the City of Glass, the home of all Shadowhunters.  Clary enters the city without permission (which is against the law) and is met by worse and worse news.  Jace doesn't want her in the City and Simon was thrown in prison by the Inquisitor because they are skeptical of a vampire that can walk in the sun (uh yeah, I'd be too!). Clary must find the friend of her mother's to help save her mother's life before it is too late.  Valentine is on his way to destroy all Shadowhunters and allow demons to rule the world.  Clary must convince Shadowhunters to fight along side of their eternal enemies, werewolves, vampires and fairies to help stop Valentine and the demons he is planning to bring into the world. Luckily, Clary finds out she has a magical power that can aid the "good" side in the fight and she has to decide how she can use it to help.  

Definitely a must read! Find it on Amazon here and Barnes & Noble here. 

© Margaret K. McElderry Books, Cassandra Clare

Quick Review:
Title: City of Glass (Mortal Instruments Book #3)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 576 (paperback)
Recommended: Young adult girls, 14-17 (or 22!)

City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments #2)

City of Ashes is the second book in the Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. Don't read this post before you've read City of Bones, unless of course you're okay with Spoiler Alerts!


City of Ashes picks up right where City of Bones left off.  Clary's mom is still in a magic-induced coma, she still knows about the Shadowhunters and knows even more now about demons, werewolves and fairies than she ever wanted to know. Clary is torn between leaving this new Shadowhunter world behind and returning to her normal life with her best friend Simon, or becoming a full fledged Shadowhunter with the help of Jace, the guy she just found out is her brother but she still just can't seem to shake him from her mind.  Clary needs to help her mother get better and get out of her magic induced coma, and the only way to do so is to track down her evil father Valentine.  All of the sudden, downworlder children are dying everywhere and being drained of their blood. Clary sets out to see if Valentine is behind this, and if he is, why does he need their blood? After realizing that the mortal instruments have been stolen and that Valentine is in fact behind all of these murders, Clary needs the help of Jace to take down their father. However, Jace was raised by Valentine and has personal connections and fond memories of Valentine, while all Clary knows about her father is that he left her mother and never came back for them.  

I liked the sequel because it was just as good, if not better than the first book.  While the first book seemed to have a lot of loose ends, the second book ties up some of them and creates it's own loose ends leaving you wanting the third book immediately.  Luckily, I started these books after they were all out and didn't have to wait for the next one to come out after finishing the previous books. We all know it's the worst when you have to wait extra time for the sequel to be released.  

Take away from this post: Keep reading the Mortal Instruments Series... You won't regret it.

                                             © Margaret K. McElderry Books, Cassandra Clare


Quick Review: 
Title: City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments Book #2)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 464 (Paperback)
Recommended: For young adult girls, 14-17 years old.

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book #1)

So it's been awhile since I posted, but I'm going to keep posting, even if nobody is reading, but for myself so I can keep track of my books I've read and what I thought about them.. 

So.. City of Bones.. Here we go...

I started reading City of Bones and when I was half way through I saw a preview for the movie that was coming out. So naturally I started picturing Lilly Collins as Clary.  Now she is actually close to what I originally pictured for Clary, but the guy who plays Jace? Not at ALL what I pictured Jace to look like. But that's besides the point. Especially because I haven't seen the movie yet, and don't want to until I finish the whole series and it comes out on Redbox so I can only rent it for $1.  I know I'm probably going to hate it since it will most likely be nothing like the book.. (Why do they always do that?)

So.. City of Bones.. This was a great book. Starts off with Clary seeing this beautiful people (Jace and Isabelle) go into a club and disappear. They all have strange tattoos and Clary's friend Simon, can't see the people with the tattoos.  Clary follows the people and gets herself into trouble and then ends up back at the Institute, where Jace and Isabelle are living. Clary feels herself drawn to Jace because he is so beautiful, but he acts snobbish and stuck up.  It's a typical story of girl meets boy, girl has a crush on boy, boy has crush on girl but acts like a jerk. A story most teenage girls can relate to. Then come the demons... Clary is introduced to the "Shadowhunter" world.  A dangerous world full of demons and angels and murders that disappear in an instant. Clary must enter this world to help save her mother who is attacked and taken by demons.  It's up to Clary to learn how to be a Shadowhunter from Jace and the Lightwoods to save her mother from whatever force has taken her.  

This is a great book. It's riveting and really captures your attention from the very beginning. It doesn't take long for the book to get rolling and I really enjoyed it.  

Here is the book on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble..

© Margaret K. McElderry Books, Cassandra Clare

Quick Review:

Title: City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare

Pages: 512 (paperback)

Recommended for: Young adult girls 14-17 years old

Ascend (Trylle Trilogy #3) by Amanda Hocking

Ascend is the way every single trilogy or even series should be ended.  Kind of like what J.K. Rowling did with the Harry Potter books, Amanda Hocking included a short epilogue that explains where the characters are in the future. It's amazing. Hocking ends the story and sums everything up, then she does a little "where are they now" type thing.  Perfect. Just the way I like it.

Wendy has discovered now that in order to save the Trylle from the deadly Vittra, she must sacrifice herself to the Vittra King, who also happens to be her father.  If she doesn't surrender to the Vittra, then the Vittra will mount an enormous attack on the Trylle that the Trylle may not be able to survive. Wendy must decide what to do. Chance a fight with the Vittra or sacrifice herself so her friends can be safe.  Among Wendy's decisions is to decide what guy to choose to be with forever.. Loki or Finn? Finn or Loki? Wendy does get married in the book but you'll just have to read it to find out to who..... The future of the entire world rests in Wendy's hands and it's up to her to figure out what to do to save the world!

Excellent series and easy to read. I really enjoyed reading these books, and I think it only took me about a week to power through all three of them.  I would definitely recommend checking them out! I've also been looking into Amanda Hocking's blog, where I found out that she has sold the movie rights and someone is now trying to make a movie out of the books! Fancy shmancy. I hope they do a better job with these than what they did with the Beautiful Creatures novels.  That movie adaptation was atrocious. But that's besides the point.. read the Trylle trilogy! You won't regret it!

Want to buy it? Here it is on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

                                                   © ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, Amanda Hocking

Quick Review:
Title: Ascend (Trylle Trilogy #3)
Author: Amanda Hocking

Pages: 326 (paperback) including the "bonus" story

Recommended for: Young adult girls, with some reservations about the language and content. Probably ages 14+