I GOT 50,000 WORDS ON MY NOVEL!!! WOO-HOO!!! I AM STOKED!!!
This GIF totally explained how I felt. It’s a bit creepy, actually. I had a one-person dance party to the song “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. It was awesome. In celebration of this wonderful occasion, everyone gets virtual cake!
I actually have some stuff to cover. I finished City of Lost Souls. My review will appear here shortly. I also will be getting Scrivener shortly. I guess that’s it. On to the review!
Book Review: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Title: City of Lost Souls
Author: Cassandra Clare
Number of Pages: 534
Genre: YA Fantasy
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
Summary From Cover: The demon, Lilith, has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from his captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing, but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father, Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.
No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away – not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has brought – Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?
Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved – and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Seelie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this Earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell – a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.
And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?
Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.
CAUTION: Spoilers Below; Read At Your Own Risk
Discussion: This book was very hard to rate. I gave it five stars, but it wasn’t easy. At first, it was going to be 4.5 stars. Then three, and finally five. Why was it so hard? Read below.
The biggest thing about the book that jumps out at me is how emotional-rollercoaster-y it is. There’s love, there’s depression, there’s sadness, there’s almost-death, there’s confusion, there’s happiness (but it’s very short), there’s anger–pretty much all of it. And although most of the emotions were in the top three of sadness, anger, and almost-death (if that’s an emotion…?) it was a good read. But this is why I kind of jumped to three stars, because it wasn’t very happy. Very rarely were the characters in a calm, relaxed, happy state.
There was a lot of conflict, which is always good, but it didn’t seem like there were very good or solid resolutions. Sure, they save Jace, but Sebastian’s still out there, raising hell and the like. And Magnus pretty much is still mad at Alec at the end of the book (kinda why they break up).
The characters sometimes acted (in my opinion) a bit on the dimwitted side. When Clary loses her ring, she doesn’t even think to look in Sebastian’s room until it’s too late! Hello, Clary! Gah!
But I did enjoy the book because of…
- the characters, despite being dimwitted at times, are very relatable and sweet, and I can really connect with them
- the action! I love action. It made it really exciting.
- the sweet romance; I am a sucker for that.
- the writing. I really do adore Cassandra Clare’s writing. It is practically flawless; every sentence flows beautifully, gracing the next and perfecting the first.
- the descriptions. Clare does a wonderful job of describing every little detail while not making it go on an on.
- the cover art! I mean, it’s just pretty!
- the villain. Clare makes him not just evil ‘cuz he’s evil, but gives him a reason. You do not know how much I hate undeveloped characters with no reason to do anything; they just do it because the author makes them.
And now for some random pictures of my lovely kitty, Mattie aka Mattipuss.
Isn’t she adorable?
I have to go.
Bye,
Chloe
Free As a Girl With Wings 