{Review:} Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Angel
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA Fiction
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (August 2010)
Hardcover: 496 pages
ISBN: 9781416975861

Source: Library 
Available on: Amazon

Rating: 4 out of 5

Description on GoodReads:

"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 don't know what to say about Clockwork Angel.

Let me start by saying that I love the Mortal Instrument series and that I was really looking forward to reading this book.

Overall, I liked the book and it was a good beginning to the Infernal devices series but I was left feeling a little empty.

Let me explain, I really like the characters, shape-shifting Tessa, sweet Jem, and bad boy Will. Yet, something was missing that didn't allow me to relate to them as I did with the Mortal Instrument characters.

Clockwork Angel just left me with too many unanswered questions I understand that, that is what the first of series is supposed to do, but I was just left confused. We still don't entirely understand what Tessa is, and what is troubling Will. Not to mention the strange relationship between Tessa and Will. I really hope the second gives us more answers and more romance.

One thing I did love was the appearance of Magnus Bane. I guess he really is old.

I can't wait to read the second book of this series, to get some answers!

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{Review:} Passion Play by Beth Bernobich

Title: Passion Play
Author: Beth Bernobich
Genre: YA Fiction
Publisher: Tor Books (Oct 2010)
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN: 978-0765322173
Source: GoodReads Giveaway (ARC)
Available on: Amazon


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description on GoodReads:

The daughter of one of Melnek’s more prominent merchants, Ilse Zhalina has lived most of her life surrounded by the trappings of wealth and privilege. She has wanted for nothing and many would consider her lot a most happy one. But there are dark secrets even in the best of families and Ilse and the women in her family have learned that to be beautiful and silent is the best way to survive. 
However, when Ilse fianlly meets the colleague of her father’s selected to marry her, she realizes that this man would lock in her a gilded cage. In her soul, she knows he is far crueler and more deadly than her father could ever be. 
Ilse chooses to run from this life. Her choice will have devastating consequences and she will never be the same. 
But she will meet Raul Kosenmark, a man of mystery who is the master of one of the land’s most notorious pleasure houses…and who is, as Ilse discovers, a puppetmaster of a different sort altogether. Together they will embark on a journey that will reshape their world. 
Lush fantasy. Wild magic. Political intrigue and the games of seduction and treachery to gain control of a kingdom. PASSION PLAY is all of these and more. It is the journey of a woman who must conquer her passions in order to win all that she desires.

Review:

Passion Play tells the story of Therez, the daughter of on a prominent merchant. She was raised in a world of wealth and privilege but everything changes when her father arranges her marriage to an older evil man. She finds that the only way to escape her arranged marriage is to run away.

I was very surprised with how the story unfolded. From the cover and the name, I assumed this would be another adventure YA romantic book. It has many of the elements but this is for a more adult audience.

She runs away attempting to escape a hard life of submission, but what she finds is far worst. She soon realizes that the intrigue and politics she tried to escape from are everywhere and that she must learn to play the rules of the game to survive, running away is not an option.

Overall, I enjoyed this story it is a great start to the series. I would have liked the author to focus more on the love scenes than the rape scenes but I guess she found it necessary to tell the story. Passion Play is just another example that one should not judge a book by its cover.

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{Review:} The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA Fiction
Publisher: Scholastic Press (Sept 2008)
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN: 9780439023481
Source: Library
Available on: Amazon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description on GoodReads:

"In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.  

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love."

Review:

You probably have seen this book in every bookstore and heard many people speak wonders of it. I myself did, yet for some reason, I was hesitant on reading it. It might have been the strange name or the dark mystery looking cover. It might also have been because the story takes place in a post-apocalyptic future. For whatever reason, I am happy I finally decided to read it.

I am not going to summarize it because I really believe that you should read this one and experience on your own. What i am going to do is tell you what I loved about it.

I loved the setting. The story takes place in the post-apocalyptic North American continent (they never say the year) that is named Panem. The continent is divided into 12 districts and is controlled by a government that resides in the center city called the Capitol. The 12 districts are exploited to sustain the main city. To remind the 12 districts of who is in power and suppress any attempts of rebellion, they created The Hunger Games.

The games consist of 2 children(12-18), boy and girl, are selected randomly from each district to enter an arena where they will fight to survive their environment and one another until only one survives. If this was not bad enough, the whole thing is televised for all of Panem to see.

This grasped my attention from the beginning and I was unable to put the book down.

The story is told from the perspective of Katniss Everdeen. She volunteers as a tribute from district 12 when her younger sister is chosen. She is a strong female character, a surviver. She enters the games and is determined to keep the promise of surviving she made to her sister. Things begin to get blurry when she is asked to (act) as team with Peeta Mellark (the other tribute of district 12).

She is very confused about her relationship with Peeta. On the one hand, she is grateful, because he once saved her life by giving her food when she needed it the most. On the other, when the games begin he will be her enemy. Things get even more confusing for her when, Peeta confesses to have an unrequited love for her during his interview portion. She believes that it is a strategy to gain supporters to help them by sending gifts during the games. She decides to play along but how much is she acting and how much is she starting to feel for Peeta? Is Peeta's love real or a survival strategy? How is she to trust someone who's survival means her own death?

I highly recommend this book. It is one of the best I have read in a while. If you are looking for a love story is has it. I can't wait to read the next instalment in the trilogy.

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