Tuesday Review Day and Author Signing!

Yes. I am aware that it is Wednesday, however, yesterday I was too busy standing on line to see Cassandra Clare, Holly Black and Lauren DeStefano!!


Check the pics:

It was hard to snap a pic of DeStefano - she was way in the corner and there were lots of people. If you don't know who Lauren DeStefano is, she is the debuting author of Wither! After hearing her discuss her book, I wished I had a copy because it sounded so original and amazing, I put it near the top of my Wish List!

 

Meet Leona. She was sweet enough to let me take her picture, with a copy of CoFA, of course! She was there for the signing as well, but she stood out from the rest of the crowd with runes drawn all over her! I LOVE it! Why didn't I think of that? During the signing, each author read a little from their books and answered questions. Leona asked a great question to Cassandra Clare but for the life of me I cannot remember what it was, argh! So Leona, if you are reading this - please comment below with your question and its answer :)

Now for my review of City of Fallen Angels!

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

Written by: Cassandra Clare

Publication date: April 5, 2011

Released in Hardcover

424 pages

5 stars

Synopsis: City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever.

Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

My Review: Having read City of Glass so long ago, my memory of things past were a little rusty but thankfully it was a smooth transition into City of Fallen Angels! We start with Simon, living his new life as a vampire...who lives like he's still human. He has no idea how to be a vampire; he is completely naive about his own kind, which would usually irk me because I love a vampire who embraces his dark side and gives in to his instincts but in this case, Simon is learning more and more about himself and we get to witness him slow acceptance of Downworlders in his life and vice versa. He doesn't know who to trust outside of his Shadowhunter circle where he is slowly starting to feel like he doesn't fit in anymore. An upside? Well, he now has "sexy vampire mojo"!

I was happy to see Clary wasn't still helpless and clueless. She seemed to have taken a crash course in Shadowhunter 101 and learning to understand her powers. Was there enough Clary and Jace in the story? No, not for me, anyway. I wanted every chapter, every paragraph, every sentence to revolve around them! In fact, a whole book on the mystery that is Jace Wayland/Lightwood/Morgenstern or whatever...would be nice! *hint-hint* Something like a "Midnight Sun" - if we could ever get the rest of that! I did not care for "brooding" Jace. He was absolutely no fun. No fun at all. All that "woe is me" drama was a little repetitive and a lot unnecessary. As if Clary and/or Jace could deny how much they love each other.

What I appreciated most in this sequel was finally getting to see Isabelle vulnerable. She didn't reveal everything, it was just like peeling back a layer. I hope there is more to come. That reminds me, I learned on Twitter (as a follower of @cassieclare, of course) that in the sequels to follow, we will finally be introduced to...wait for it...the Iron Sisters! The female equivalent to the Silent Brothers, which  creep me out and are still quite the mystery, but I can't wait to find out what the Iron Sisters can do!

City of Fallen Angels was so much like the first three in The Mortal Instruments series, full of suspense and mystery, you have no idea who is behind everything until Cassandra Clare wants you to know!  Throughout the book there are small moments of impact (action scenes) which are kind of like battles but they are just warning signs that the big one is coming! A war is about to begin.

Overall:  I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel. Cliffhanger of the year - I can't believe it!

Caster Chronicles Book Three Title Reveal!!!!!!

Yesterday, Margaret Stohl revealed on the Beautiful Creatures website, the title of the third book in the Caster Chronicles series!

Beautiful Chaos 

Isn't it just...amazing, intriguing and full of promise?? I LOVE it. I have to be honest, I haven't read Beautiful Darkness yet, although I do need to choose my next read...

Ready for more? The cover will be revealed Thursday, March 3rd @ 3pm EST on MTV Hollywood Crush! Click here or the link above to go to the Beautiful Creatures website for more details.

Also on the website, there is talk about "the Beautiful Creatures & series movie adaptation"! I don't know where I was when this information was released because I had no idea? Exclusive news on that will be released with the cover.

Any fans of the Drake Chronicles by Alyxandra Harvey? If you're answer was no and you're about to skip this part, I implore you, to please read these books! They are so addictive! I just came across the title of the fourth book in the Drake Chronicles, it's...wait. I should present it like the title above right? I mean, it's only fair. Okay, ready...

Bleeding Hearts

It's set to release November, 2011! I can't wait!

So maybe you're not all Drake fans but I know, I KNOW you guys are Mortal Instruments fans! That being said, remember the end of City of Glass, Jace leaves a letter for Clary before he goes out on a dangerous mission? Have you been wondering what he wrote in that letter? Well one way to find out is to purchase your copy of City of Fallen Angels from Barnes & Noble. They, and only they, will be selling copies of COFA with the Jace's letter inside! Click here fore more info.

See the sticker below?

Pretty cool huh? Even though promoting B&N makes me feel like a total trader to Borders. 

Can a girl love both? Time will tell.

Books, Book-to-Movie News and Review!

Hello Beloveds!

It is officially 2011 and so far it's been great - book-wise anyway! Unfortunately, I was not able to come back with new layout like I wanted to but that doesn't mean I'm giving up on it! I've been gone for so long, I wanted to give you as much as I could. So what I've got for you below is a little bit of everything: new books I've added to my shelves, some great book-to-movie news and updates, and my review of Last Sacrifice!

To get it started, here are the amazing books I've gotten between Christmas presents and Borders Gift Cards!

Immortal Beloved (Immortal Beloved, #1)

Infinite Days (Vampire Queen, #1)

Crescendo (Hush, Hush, #2)

Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, #1)

Supernaturally (Paranormalcy, #2) - tentative release date - September, 2011

Spells (Wings, #2)

Matched (Matched, #1)

 Out For Blood (The Drake Chronicles, #3)

Each one of those covers are more beautiful in person! I can't wait to read all of them! However, I think the next one off the TBR pile will have to be I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, #1) by Pittacus Lore. The reason? Well, as I watched the Winter Season Premiere of Pretty Little Liars (which was awesome), I saw a preview for the movie version of I Am Number Four!! How amazing!? It comes to theaters (near me) February 18, 2011! On top of all that, the movie was made by Michael Bay! The same guy who did the Transformers movies and some other great movies I can't seem to remember right now. Don't miss it!

Also, in book-to-movie news: actors have been picked to play Jace and Alec in the City of Bones movie! I wish - I really do - that I had names and pictures to share with everyone, but it appears that those are still under wraps :(  What I get from Cassandra Clare's Twitter is that these guys are really hot!! If anyone finds out who they are, PLEASE let me know!!

Now, if you're still reading this super long post - here is my review of Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead.

Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, #6)
Written by: Richelle Mead
Publication date: December 7, 2010
Released in Hardcover, 594 pages
Penguin Group (USA)

Synopsis: She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back… and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you?

How I Came To Read This: Are you kidding? I couldn't wait for this to come out!!!

My Review: It's been roughly seven months since I read Spirit Bound, the the minute I started reading Last Sacrifice I fell right back into the world of Rose! It was so easy to get back in the swing of things. The story picks up  right where it left off and wastes no time getting to the action. The plot in this series is so intricate, so detailed, I don't know how Mead does it! Not one page of these books are boring. Never a dull moment. Never. My friend and I were discussing it last night and we were comparing them to other books. How, in Vampire Academy, so many different things happen, there are so many issues that so many different people have to deal with and each character has his or her own background and motives and secrets. In other books, one thing happens and they deal with that one thing the entire book. Mead gives us a multitude of situations to imagine, each one exciting, jaw dropping and seemingly impossible to get out of! Enter...Rose!

Last Sacrifice is my favorite Rose. As funny and witty and kick-ass, as Rose is, her nobility is my favorite part of this book. She's been framed for a horrible crime she didn't commit and for said crime is being hunted by guards who have been instructed to shoot-on-sight! In spite of all that, she fights, almost literally, to the death to clear her name, do the right thing and above all else, protect Lissa.

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

AT THIS POINT, I WILL BE DISCUSSING DETAILED PARTS OF THE BOOK! PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK. NO, REALLY. IT WILL RUIN IT.

Here is what I liked and what I didn't like. I loved that Rose and Dimitri went on a journey, pretty much just the two of them. It was exactly what they needed to work things out and seeing as how that's exactly what happened, I was was very happy with the results. What I didn't like was that Adrian got hurt because of it. He was crapped on this whole book and I felt that Rose should have been made to find the time to tell him. And the way he found out? OMG. Okay. I also liked that they found Sonya, restored her, and she was helpful, not resentful or bitchy. Without her they wouldn't have found the last Dragomir! Which is what I didn't like. I was so excited to be following Rose while she looked for the Lissa brother or sister. With every turn of the page, we would get closer and closer, I was on the edge of my seat. But...when the sister, it turns out, was revealed, I deflated. It didn't bother me that it was someone we all knew. Someone we've known all along! No, what bothered me was that it was Jill! I was hoping for someone more exciting, more interesting. Instead, she was this scared little girl who wasn't even happy to find out she was royalty! Absurd! Speaking of royalty, Lissa becoming Queen? I like it, for all the reasons that are pointed out in the book. She was preparing for it the whole time, we just didn't know it. Finally, my biggest disappointment was the very end. I'm actually torn. Lissa and Rose losing their bond. That, I do not like. It made them unique, special. Without it I felt their loss. However, I know it means they can both have their own lives and I guess that's good, too. Whatever. I still don't like it.

!!SPOILER ALERT OVER!! 

Who Should Read This: Honestly, if you haven't gotten into this series yet, I can't imagine why. It's got it all! Action, romance, politics, friendship, secrets, twists and turns, and a happy ending to top it all off!

Good news and bad news...then GREAT NEWS!

Hello Everyone! I've missed you so!

I've got goods news and bad news but then I've got something to cheer us all up! The good news is that I finally got my computer back! The new keys are great and it feels nice to be able to just type without having to worry about the missing keys. The bad news is that it appears while someone was handling my computer, they dropped it. The lower right corner is broken and the edges are sharp, I keep scraping my hand and arm on it. Luckily, it is still covered by warranty and they're paying for S&H both ways this time.

Sooo, to distract me from this disappointment, here's the great news. While I was out of the blogosphere, those agonizing two weeks, something amazing happened! The cover of Cassandra Clare's fourth installment in the Mortal Instruments Series, City of Fallen Angels, was revealed...and I am in love!!!!

 

Isn't it gorgeous?! I love Clary's hair, flying wildly around her, it makes her look magical. Like her hair is floating alive with it. I like the hint of runes on  her body, too. Simon looks strong and confident. Ready. For whatever!

There's more! If you've been living under a rock or maybe half-under a rock (like me, who is a little late), City of Bones, the first book of the Mortal Instruments Series is set to come to the big screen! That's right...Jace...big screen. Lily Collins has already been cast to play Clary Fray!

She's definitely channeling Clary with the curly hair! I'm very happy with this choice but even more excited to see who will be picked to play Jace! I don't know what I'm looking for, but I'll know it when I see it! Click here more movie updates on Cassandra Clare's website.