The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices Discussion: Comparisons and Opinions!

Hey, y'all! So, I've finished both The Mortal Instruments series and the Infernal Devices trilogy, and after a month of reading them, figuring out how I feel about them, posting book discussions, and trying not to compare them to each other too much... I finally get to compare them! Before I start discussing the series, here are the links to my previous discussions:

The Infernal Devices

Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Prince

Clockwork Princess

Series Discussion

The Mortal Instruments

City of Bones

City of Ashes

City of Glass

City of Fallen Angels

City of Lost Souls

City of Heavenly Fire

Series Discussion

Let's begin with just a little bit about the background on my relationship with Cassandra Clare's books. 

My first venture into the Shadowhunter world was on the first day of January, 2012. I had just gotten a kindle for Christmas, and had been browsing Amazon, trying to see what books sounded interesting. I stumbled across City of Bones and it sounded interesting, so I read the sample. Immediately after, I downloaded the book, which I proceeded to read in a single day. I then read City of Ashes, City of Glass, and City of Fallen Angels fairly soon afterward. However, that's as far in the series, and apart from a City of Bones re-read, I hadn't touched any of Cassie Clare's books until this challenge began in May. 

Time to get into some comparisons!

Premise/Setting

The Mortal Instruments: TMI opens in New York City in 2007, with our main character, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray. She and her best friend, Simon, go out one night in the city and Clary sees three teenagers that no-one else can see. The next day, she sees Jace- one of those teenagers- again, just before discovering that her mother has disappeared. She learns that Jace and his friends are Shadowhunters- people who hunt and kill demons. As she tries to figure out what has happened to her mother, she discovers that her mother was part of this world- and that she might be as well.

The Infernal Devices: The ID opens in London in 1878. Sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray has just arrived in London to live with her brother, Nathaniel. She's taken captive by two warlocks called the Dark Sisters, who tell her that their boss, The Magister, has taken her brother hostage. She's told that the only way to save her brother is to learn to use a power she didn't know she had- the ability to change into different people using one of their belongings. If she does so, the Magister will marry her and her brother will be freed. She's saved from the Dark Sisters by William Herondale, a teenage Shadowhunter, who takes her to the London Institute. Tessa and her new Shadowhunter friends set out to find her brother and to discover who the evil "Magister" is and how to stop him before he can get to Tessa. 

Comparison: Because I started with TMI, its setting will always feel like home for me in this world. However, I'm a sucker for all things British (both my favorite band and my favorite book series are British!) and so I also really enjoy the London setting. As far as the time period, I definitely prefer current day (well, 2007). I got pretty tired of how proper many of the characters were in the ID. Basic premise-wise, I think that the Infernal Devices start out with the more interesting and exciting premise. Tessa is not only trying to save her brother, but also trying to save herself from The Magister. It's a little more compelling than Clary's initial quest of finding her mother.

Main Characters

Clary Fray (TMI) vs. Tessa Gray (ID)

Although these two characters go through similar situations (especially in the beginning), I feel like these two characters are very different. At first, Clary is a bit frustrating. She misses obvious things because she isn't thinking, she carelessly jumps into dangerous situations, and often when a battle scene would break out, she would just kinda... watch. However, as the series goes on, she grows and evolves. She learns to harness her new-found unique power and how to become a fighter, and by the end of the series, she's a much stronger character. Tessa, on the other hand, starts out as a pretty good character. She's extremely driven and is always willing to make herself useful to save her friends or herself. However, she doesn't grow much as a character. She stays pretty static throughout the whole series. 

Overall: I feel like Clary is the superior main character. She was really frustrating in the beginning, but due to the growth she shows throughout the series, she gets the upper hand. Tessa is a consistent character, but I think growth outweighs consistency. 

Main Romantic Characters/Relationships

Jace Wayland (TMI) vs. Jem Carstairs (ID) vs. Will Herondale (ID)

The male main characters are the ones that Cassie Clare crafts best. The Mortal Instruments has Jace: sarcastic, witty, and arrogant, yet completely lovable. The Infernal Devices has Jem and Will, both of which are very dynamic characters. Like Jace, Will is confident and sarcastic, but underneath a hard facade, he's a very conflicted, but loving and sweet character. And of course, everyone loves him because he loves literature and is constantly quoting the classics. Jem, on the other hand, is gentle but passionate, with the desire to be a great Shadowhunter. And as a violist, I personally love him because he's a violinist.

Overall: These three, along with Magnus Bane, are my absolute FAVORITE characters in Cassie Clare's books, so it's really tough for me to choose. If I were to pick a single favorite, I'd have to say Jace. I feel like Cassie Clare took inspiration from him when creating both Will and Jem, because combining them creates Jace. He's confident and sarcastic, with a definite soft side, and he's both a book lover and a musician. However, if I were asked to choose between the two series, I don't think I could. So though my favorite singular character of the 3 is Jace, the series are tied as far as characters. 

However, as far as the relationships go, we have a love triangle in the ID and simple relationship drama in TMI. The love triangle is the definite winner. I love all of the eventual couples equally- no losers here- but the drama surrounding the relationships is better in the Infernal Devices. She crafted a really great love triangle, and I found myself rooting for both Jem and Will. I love Clary and Jace as a couple, but so much of their drama seemed unnecessary. 

Cast of Main/Secondary Characters

Although Clary, Tessa, Jace, Will, and Jem will factor into this section, I'm going to be focusing more upon the other characters in their series. 

The Mortal Instruments has more characters that make up our core group. Aside from Jace and Clary, we have Simon, Clary's ever-faithful best friend, Alec, Jace's parabatai, and Isabelle, one of the best Shadowhunters of her age. We also have Maia, a werewolf, and Magnus Bane, warlock extraordinaire, who tend to toe the line between the core characters and the secondary characters. Then, of course, we have Jocelyn and Luke, who are the main adults in the series. However, in the Infernal Devices, Will, Tessa, and Jem are really the only core main characters. Jessamine, the reluctant Shadowhunter, Sophie, the maid, Charlotte and Henry, the heads of the London Institute, and Magnus Bane are all firmly in the secondary characters realm. 

Overall: I have to say that I care more about the cast of characters in The Mortal Instruments. While I feel like Clary and Jace are equal to Jem, Will & Tessa, the other characters in TMI are significantly stronger than the other characters in the ID. I absolutely LOVE Magnus Bane, and he plays a much larger role in TMI than in the ID. 

Overall Plot/ Quality

This is where my book and series ratings come into play. Let me give you a quick rundown on the ratings.

Clockwork Angel: 9/10

Clockwork Prince:  9.5/10

Clockwork Princess: 10/10

Infernal Devices trilogy: 9.75/10

City of Bones: 9.4/10

City of Ashes: 9.3/10

City of Glass: 10/10

City of Fallen Angels: 8.5/10

City of Lost Souls: 9/10

City of Heavenly Fire: 10/10

The Mortal Instruments series: 9.5/10

So, as you can see, the series have their differences. Although it's only 3 books, I felt like the Infernal Devices was a slightly better crafted and more consistent series. It started solidly, and just got better and better, concluding with Clockwork Princess, which has become one of my all-time favorite books. Personally, I think it's the best of all of her books. The Mortal Instruments is a little up and down for me. The original trilogy is pretty strong, concluding with City of Glass, my favorite book of the series. The misstep- for me- was the 4th and 5th books, which (in my opinion) didn't hold up to the earlier books. 

Overall: Although TMI has been more successful in past sections of this post, for me the clear winner was the Infernal Devices. I already gave it a higher rating, and the books were more consistent. 

Bonus Comparison: Covers!

This one's a toughie. If Clockwork Angel's cover was a little better, the Infernal Devices would win hands down because I absolutely love the covers of Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess. I like both of those covers better than any of TMI's covers. However, I really like half of TMI's covers (City of Glass, City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire) but the other half were pretty meh. 

Overall: I don't know which series has the overall better covers, but I do know for sure the best Cassie Clare cover:

Overall Opinions

The series definitely excel in different areas. I think the ID is better written, but I prefer the full cast of characters in TMI. I love the love triangle in the ID, and I love the time period of TMI. 

Objectively, I think that the Infernal Devices is the better series. The areas where the trilogy excelled were a little more important to the overall quality of the series, so it got the upper hand a little. However, subjectively, I love them both. I keep going back and forth between which I like more.

Overall: Both of these series are AMAZING. Harry Potter is, of course, my all-time favorite series, and I've always said that the Pendragon series is my second favorite. I'll have to wait until I re-read Pendragon to fully make up my mind, but I think that I can safely say that these two series share the second place spot now. Cassie Clare is certainly among my favorite authors. 

So, there you go, that's all for this summer reading post, and that's all for my May Cassandra Clare challenge! 

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all tomorrow!

The Infernal Devices Trilogy Discussion [Summer Reading Challenge]

Hey, y'all! I'm here with another summer reading challenge post! I finished the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare, and I've posted discussions about each of the books individually. Here are the links to all three posts:

Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Prince

Clockwork Princess

Now, I'm here to discuss the series as a whole, including my opinions about the entire series, my rankings of the books, rankings of the covers, and some of my favorite things in the series.

Series Summary

The Infernal Devices trilogy begins in 1878 and is centered around our main character, Tessa Gray, an American teenager who has just traveled across the Pacific Ocean to London to live with her brother, Nathaniel. She discovers that she has the unique ability to shapeshift into different people and finds herself becoming more and more entangled in the secret world of demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, and Shadowhunters (people who are half angel and half human, who protect people by hunting demons). She discovers that a mysterious leader named The Magister plans to use Tessa and her power as the centerpiece to a disastrous plan. And, in the midst of impending danger, Tessa finds her heart torn between two Shadowhunters.

Overall Opinions

I had read the first 4 books of The Mortal Instruments series (Cassandra Clare's other series, set in the same world, in present day) before reading The Infernal Devices, and had already fallen in love with the Shadowhunter world that Clare has created. This Infernal Devices series has only solidified my love of this exciting world. I had been extremely skeptical about its ability to impress me as much as The Mortal Instruments did, but I was happily extremely impressed. The characters at first glance seem like simple carbon copies of other characters Clare has created, but they are so incredibly complex and fascinating. The relationships between the characters are so well developed and beautiful, especially the love triangle. The love triangle is one of the best that I've read, if not the best. The three characters' relationships are all so unique and you know that no matter what happens, and who ends up together, everyone is going to have some sort of heartbreak. 

I fell in love with this trilogy in a way that I never expected. It's so hard for me to give it an actual star rating. A 5 star rating system doesn't seem descriptive enough for this series. Even a 10 star rating system doesn't seem descriptive enough. However, I'm not going to go crazy, so I'll go with a 10 star rating system. I don't want to give it a full 10 stars, just because I feel like I can't call it perfect. However, a 9.5 star rating doesn't seem to be quite good enough. I'm going to give it 9.75 stars out of 10. Excessive decimals? Maybe. But this series merited that rating. 

Ranking The Books

#3: Clockwork Angel

It almost pains me to say that this is my least favorite book of the series, solely because I loved the book so much. However, it just wasn't as good as the other two, simply because it was laying the foundation for the rest of the series. It wasn't quite as exciting as the other two books, and we hadn't yet gotten the development of the characters or the relationships between the characters that we grow to love in the last two books. And we don't get to see a ton of Magnus Bane. 

Favorite moment: Probably when Tessa and Jem first meet. It's too adorable.

Rating: Overall, continuing the 10 star system, I'd give it 9 stars out of 10.

#2: Clockwork Prince

This was a big step up from Clockwork Angel. We learn more about the characters in the series, the love triangle is incredibly believable and well-developed. There are secrets and betrayal that are just so incredible. There are so many more moments of action and excitement and I found it really hard to put down. It was really great.

Favorite moment: Maybe the moment when Magnus kisses Will. It's just too funny. 

Rating: I'd have to give it 9.5 stars out of 10.

#1: Clockwork Princess

I read this book almost in one sitting. If I hadn't been forced to go do some things (because unfortunately, there is such a thing as real life), I would have just sat there and read and read and read. This book was so action-packed. Something exciting was constantly happening. There were no slow points, and I just couldn't tear my eyes away from it. I was expecting Clockwork Princess to be better than Clockwork Prince (because the GoodReads rating avg. for Prince was 4.48, and Princess was 4.58). However, I wasn't expecting it to be that much better. The rating avg. for Angel was 4.29, so I figured that the difference between the quality of Prince and Princess would not be as large as the one between Angel and Prince. But I was wrong. I was astounded at how perfect of an ending it was. As I said in my Clockwork Princess discussion, I thought that it was the perfect combination of heartbreak and happiness. It was beautiful. 

Favorite moment: The epilogue. The epilogue. The epilogue. It was so beautiful.

Rating: It was a clear 10 stars out of 10. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Ranking The Covers

#3) Clockwork Angel

I've never been the biggest fan of this cover. I don't think it's a very good depiction of Will. The background is really pretty, but the cover is nowhere near as dynamic in person as it is in the above image. I'm sure the hardcover is a bit prettier, but either way, this one is easily my least favorite cover. 

#2) Clockwork Princess

This cover is gorgeous. Tessa looks great, and I love that she has the codex and her clockwork angel. I especially love the bridge in the background because of the meaning behind it in the series. However, I'm not a huge fan of pink or rose gold, and that's kinda the color scheme of the cover. Also, I'm not a big fan of the building in the background. The buildings on the other books look nicer. 

#1) Clockwork Prince

This cover. This cover. This cover. Jem Carstairs. The blue color scheme. It's so incredibly gorgeous. I don't have any complaints about this cover. It's so great. I don't even know what else to say. It's just beautiful. 

Favorites/Least Favorites

Favorite character: It's a toss-up between Jem and Will at this point. They're both really great and dynamic and I love both of them. I also really love Magnus. 

Least favorite character: I'm not going to be obvious and choose a villain. I don't like Jessamine. I honestly don't. I didn't feel bad for her at any point. 

Favorite ship: Tessa and Will. I love Tessa and Jem as well, but I like Tessa and Will more. 

Least favorite ship: *This is a small spoiler, proceed with caution!* I would have to choose Gabriel Lightwood and  Cecily Herondale. It wasn't instalove, but it was pretty close. 

Spoilers!

Favorite moment: In the entire series, the epilogue. The epilogue. 

Least favorite moment: When Will and Jem's parabatai relationship was ended. It was such a painful moment. I think it was beautifully written, and it was one of the sobbing moments. It's such a bittersweet moment for me. It was so well handled, but I hated that it had to happen. My heart went out to Will at that moment. 

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So, there you go, that's all for the Infernal Devices Trilogy Discussion! Have you read the series? What did you think of it? A chapter of The Secret Lightning Scar should be up on Saturday. Sometime between now and then, I plan on getting my City of Bones discussion post up, and maybe even a City of Ashes discussion!

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all soon!

Clockwork Princess Discussion [Summer Reading Challenge]

Hey, y'all! I'm here with another summer reading challenge post! As with the Clockwork Prince post, I decided not to update as I was reading. Instead, I have favorite quotes at the end of the post, like I did with the Clockwork Prince post. Let's get into the exciting conclusion of this series!

Book Summary

If you haven't read Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince, don't read this! I have to spoil the events of Clockwork Angel to talk about what happens in Clockwork Princess! 

The book picks up a couple months after the end of Clockwork Prince. Since showing up at the Institute, Cecily Herondale has begun her training to be a Shadowhunter. Jem and Tessa are preparing to get married, while Will continues to avoid Tessa. In the meantime, Mortmain and his automatons haven't been heard from, but soon, that's going to change. Among all the turmoil and Jem's looming illness, Will is still in love with Tessa. How will it all end?  

Overall Thoughts

WOW. This was a better and more thrilling conclusion to this trilogy than I had expected or even hoped for. Gone were the scattered slow moments of Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince. This book was so completely action-packed and exciting. Like with Clockwork Prince, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. The only difference was that it only took 50 pages before I couldn't put it down.

I was very satisfied with the way that the love triangle was handled. This is probably my favorite love triangle I've read. All three of the characters involved in it are so great and you know that no matter what happens, characters that you love are going to hurt. I thought it was so well-written and heartbreaking, but yet so incredibly satisfying at the same time.

I'm not even sure I can really criticize much about the book! Cassandra Clare crafted a trilogy finale with the perfect mixture of heartbreak and happiness, and I can't say too much except that I completely loved it. Honestly, the best part of the book was the epilogue. I'm just glad that my roommates aren't here, because I cried several times during this book. The epilogue was practically a complete sob-fest. 

So, before I get into the spoilery discussion, I'll give my rating of the book. I typically try to avoid giving books a straight-up 5, but Clockwork Princess deserves it. The 5 star rating was a complete no-brainer. 

Spoilery Discussion!

This book was so beautiful. Dare I say perfect? Maybe. There are so many things that I want to talk about that I just can't because SO MUCH happened! Jessie's death was so sudden and unexpected. And then, Jem's impending death and Tessa's capture immediately after. Will's journey to save Tessa, and his pain when he feels that his parabatai is dead. The shock when we realize that Jem isn't dead, but has become a Silent Brother. The realization of what Tessa really is, and what she can do... It's just so many story lines weaving together, creating a completely action-packed book.

Ok, so William Herondale. I love Will Herondale. I understand all the love now. I get it. I still completely love Jem, and I'm sure I will continue to. At this point, I think I love them equally as characters. I definitely believe that the love triangle reached a beautiful conclusion. And that epilogue though. Tessa and Will got married, just as everyone knew they would, and they had a long and happy marriage. And then we see Jem and Tessa in 2008 when he's found a cure and they can be together. Cassandra crafted the perfect way for Tessa to be able to love both of them and to be with both of them, and it had me in tears.

Also, side note- Magnus Bane. He and Will's relationship is too great, and I absolutely love the part that Magnus plays throughout this series. I'm so glad that I get to see him again soon when I read The Mortal Instruments!

I honestly don't think that Cassandra Clare could've crafted a better conclusion. If I were to complain about one thing, it was that the couples ended up a bit too perfectly. Everyone ended up with someone. And yet, it didn't really bother me, because who doesn't like a happy ending?! This book was all that I could've asked for and more.

Favorite Quotes

Not all of the places marked in the book are below- I picked only my absolute favorites for this post- because as you can see, I have several marks in here. Like with Clockwork Angel & Prince, the blue tabs are Will moments, the purple tabs are Jem moments, and the green tabs are everything else. Per usual, I think most of the green moments are Magnus Bane. Because he's Magnus Bane.

Page 20: [Jem]"Unfortunately, you may have to delay your plans for sororicide a bit longer. Gabriel Lightwood is downstairs, and I have two words for you. Two of your favorite words, at least when you put them together."
"Utter simpleton?" inquired Will. "Worthless upstart?"
Jem grinned. "Demon pox," he said.

Page 135: [Charlotte] "Will, I have already been up all night copying down the relevant parts. Much of it was-"
"Jibberish?" Jem suggested.
"Pornographic?" said Will at the same time.
"Could be both," said Will. "Haven't you ever heard of pornographic gibberish before?"

Page 227: "One girl, who is not Nephilim, is not, cannot, be our priority!"
"She is my priority!" Will shouted. 

Page 422: "Well, I think Henry and Magnus should go first," Gabriel said. "They invented the blasted thing."
Everyone turned on him. "It's like he's replaced Will," said Gideon, eyebrows up.

Page 522: "Mr. Rochester never courted Jane Eyre," Tessa pointed out.
"No, he dressed up as a woman and terrified the poor girl out of her wits. Is that what you want?"
"You would make a very ugly woman."
"I would not. I would be stunning."

Page 539: "Marry me," he said. "Marry me, Tess. Marry me and be Tessa Herondale. Or be Tessa Gray, or be whatever you wish to call yourself, but marry me and stay with me and never leave me, for I cannot bear another day of my life to go by that does not have you in it."

Page 557: But this was not Brother Zachariah. This was Jem. 

Also, the rest of the entire epilogue. It's perfect.



So, there you go, that's all for this summer reading post! I plan to have the series overview post up tomorrow, and then a chapter of The Secret Lightning Scar should be up on Saturday. Sometime between now and then, I plan on getting my City of Bones discussion post up, and maybe even a City of Ashes discussion!

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all tomorrow!

Clockwork Prince Discussion [Summer Reading Challenge]

Hey, y'all! I'm here with another summer reading challenge post! This time, I decided not to update as I was reading. I began doing it, but got so engrossed in the story that I just didn't want to put it down to write notes. I also realized that I was doing it more for my benefit than anything, so I decided to try it without, just to see how it works.

Book Summary

If you haven't read Clockwork Angel, don't read this! I have to spoil the events of Clockwork Angel to talk about what happens in Clockwork Prince! 

OK, so Clockwork Prince picks up not too long after Clockwork Angel. Mortmain has escaped, but is still trying to get Tessa to use her powers, while Tessa is trying to figure out what she really is. In the meantime, Benedict Lightwood challenges Charlotte for the running of the Institute, and if the Shadowhunters living in the Institute can't find Mortmain in time, Benedict will take over. It's up to Tessa and the Shadowhunters to uncover the secrets of Mortmain's past and to find him before it's too late. 

Overall Thoughts

I really loved this book. I really enjoyed learning a lot of the big secrets surrounding the series, as well as seeing the relationships between the characters develop. There was one big secret- with two separate revelations attached to it- that I just couldn't keep my mind off of throughout the entirety of the book. The things we did and didn't figure out were just so intriguing and once I got about 200 pages in, I just couldn't put it down. 

One aspect of the book that I really enjoyed was how believable the love triangle was. Typically, the love triangles in YA books are completely unbelievable, and it's overtly clear who the main character will end up with (c'mon, did anyone really think that Bella was going to choose Jacob over Edward? Really?). And while I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on who Tessa will eventually end up with, it could just as easily end up going the other way, and I really like that. Kudos to Cassandra Clare for creating an actually believable love triangle! I do think that this book was focused a little too much on the relationships, but it seems like that was a little necessary, given how vague and unresolved it was in Clockwork Angel.

I also think that the similarities between the characters in the Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments became just a bit less pronounced, specifically in the comparison between Jessamine from the ID and Isabelle in TMI. I also think that the difference between Alec from TMI and Jem from the ID is more pronounced than I originally thought. I still think that Will and Jace are fairly similar and that Tessa and Clary are pretty similar, but the comparisons between them are also slightly less pronounced than it seemed in the beginning, especially with some of the discoveries in Clockwork Prince.

So, before I get into the spoilery discussion, I'll give my rating of the book. I really, really loved Clockwork Prince. I'd say that with all of the character and relationship developments, as well as all of the secrets that were uncovered, I'd say that Clockwork Prince would have to be at least a 4.5 out of 5. I may end up giving it a higher rating (and if so, I'll say it in the series wrap-up), but I'll leave it there for now. 

Spoilery Discussion!

Ok, so William Herondale. I was really surprised when I found out about how he believed that he had a curse on him. It explained so much of his erratic behavior. At this point, I'm really interested in seeing Will in his natural state rather than forcing himself to push people away like he had been for so many years. We've only gotten a small snippet of his normal self, so I'm excited to see what he's really like. Maybe he'll be less like Jace once his cold exterior has been torn away.

I thought that Jessamine couldn't get any more unpleasant, and then... she betrays the Shadowhunters. It's not completely surprising, just because of how desperate she was to find a husband and to get away from the Institute, but I didn't expect her to betray everyone in the Institute just to get away from being a Shadowhunter. As much as she and Isabelle seemed similar in the beginning, Izzy loves being a Shadowhunter, and would never do that. I'm interested to see how this plays out in the end and if Jessie will come back to the right side, end up finding someone, or maybe even choosing to be a Shadowhunter.

The love triangle was also really interesting in the book. We can really tell that Tessa is really conflicted with whether she's in love with Jem or Will. However, it does seem to me like she's going to eventually end up with Will. As much as she seems to really care about Jem, it's obvious that she wants to be with Will more than she does with Jem. Even though Cassandra Clare has made it believable for her to end up with either, I think that she will end up with Will, and I think that she should end up with Will (As much as I personally might choose Jem). Also, what's going to happen with Jem? If Jem gets killed off, I swear I will be murderous. And it's very likely, considering the fact that he's really sick. I'm just worried for him.

Aside from Will and Jem, the best character in the book is of course, Magnus Bane. I just love that Magnus is in both the Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments. He's one of the most hilarious and interesting characters in the entire series, and I just love how he manages to turn up out of the blue with some hilarious comment. Plus the scene where he kisses Will is just absolutely hilarious. Magnus is just great.

Plot-wise, I like that we're still in the dark about what Tessa really is. I'm really intrigued with the claim that Tessa's mom was a Shadowhunter and her dad was a demon. Is it possible? Is it not? If it's true/possible, and Shadowhunter blood is dominant, then does that mean that Tessa is technically a Shadowhunter, just with a special ability? Cassandra has created a lot of suspense leading up into the last book, especially after that intriguing ending with Cecily Herondale showing up at the Institute. What brought it on? And that last battle with the huge automaton was really exciting. What's going to happen now that Nate, the Magister's only confidant that we know about, is dead? I have to hand it to Cassandra, she's done a great job getting me excited about Clockwork Princess!

Favorite Quotes

Not all of the places marked in the book are below- I picked only my absolute favorites for this post- because as you can see, I have several marks in here. Like with Clockwork Angel, the blue tabs are Will moments, the purple tabs are Jem moments, and the green tabs are everything else. I think that a couple are Magnus moments, and another is the Henry/Charlotte adorableness.

Page 33: "Reparations," said Jem very suddenly, setting down the pen he was holding.
Will looked at him in puzzlement. "Is this a game? We just blurt out whatever word comes next to mind? In that case mine's 'genuphobia.' It means an unreasonable fear of knees."
Oh, William. Always the logophile.

Page 86: Tessa snorted. "And what color do you suppose the inner depths of your soul are, Will Herondale?" "Mauve," Will said.
Yes, Will Herondale, the first color I think of when I think of you is mauve.

Page 255: "Sophie did this?" he [Will] said, not for the first time...
"Yes," Tessa said, "and do stop repeating it."
"I think I may be in love with you, Sophie," said Will. "Marriage could be on the cards."

Page 318:"I am brave," Will said. ...
"Yes, you are," Magnus said, and kissed him. It wasn't the most dramatic kiss, but Will flailed his free arm as if a bee had landed on him; Magnus had to hope Camille would assume this was passion. When they broke apart, Will looked stunned. So did Camille, for that matter.
Magnus Bane, always one with a flair for the dramatic. Gotta love him...

Page 319: "Did you just kiss me?" Will inquired. 
Magnus made a split-second decision. "No."  
"I thought-"
"On occasion the aftereffects of the painkilling spells can result in hallucinations of the most bizarre sort."
Oh, Magnus...

Page 438: Meanwhile, Will appeared to be singing a song about how he had been right about demon pox all along.
"Demon pox, oh, demon pox,/ Just how is it acquired?/ One must go down to the bad part of town/ Until one is very tired./ Demon pox, oh, demon pox/ I had it all along-/ No, not the pox, you foolish blocks,/ I mean this very song-/ For I was right and you were wrong!"
"Will!" Charlotte shouted over the noise. "Have you LOST YOUR MIND? CEASE THAT INFERNAL RACKET!..."


So, there you go, that's all for this summer reading post! I plan to have a One Day Tumblr Challenge post up tomorrow. Hopefully, if I read quickly enough, my Clockwork Princess post should be up either Monday or Tuesday, and my series overview post should be up the following day. The rest of my plans are a bit up in the air, but I do plan on having another chapter of The Secret Lightning Scar up on Saturday. That might change, but that's the plan for now.

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all tomorrow!

Clockwork Angel Discussion [Summer Reading Challenge]

Hey, y'all! I'm here with my first summer reading challenge post! I decided to try something a little different and write this as I was reading, since this trilogy is (almost) the only thing I'm reading this summer that isn't a re-read. I made sure to note the page that I was on whenever I decided to make a comment or quote. I may or may not continue this format for everything this summer, but it did help to break up the reading and to collect my thoughts, so I might keep on doing it.

That being said, in the "As I Read" section, there are spoilers for this book (and The Mortal Instruments, perhaps) since I did update as I was reading. I'm going to put my overall opinion and book discussion down below the "As I Read" section, and there will be a non-spoilery section, so if you want to scroll down there and check it out, you can!

Book Summary

No spoilers in this section! Our main character is Tessa Gray, a teenage girl from New York City, who is travelling to London to meet up with her brother, Nate. Once she gets there, she's kidnapped by two women called the Dark Sisters, members of something called the Pandemonium Club. Tessa discovers that she has the ability to change into different people, and that The Magister- the head of the Pandemonium Club- wants to use her because of this power. She escapes and takes refuge with London's Shadowhunters- people who fight to rid the world of demons, and finds herself in the middle of a conflict which has more to do with her than she originally believed.

As I Read...

Page 86: Tessa: "Perhaps he's in love with Agatha." Will: "I hope not. I intend to marry Agatha myself. She may be a thousand years old, but she makes an incomparable jam tart. Beauty fades, but cooking is eternal."
Amen, Will Herondale. Amen.

Page 100: Jem plays the violin! Love, love love!

Page 130: "Well, she's not responding to my advances," he observed more brightly than he felt, "so she must be dead."
Will Herondale: constantly reminding me of Jace...

Page 186: I think I'm officially in love with Jem. He's such a sweetie. I just wanna give him a big hug.

Page 201: "How clearly can you see the thoughts of the dead? For instance, if I gave you an item that had once belonged to my father, would you know what he was thinking when he died?"
Jem's doing a great job of tugging at my heartstrings...
Also, his eyes are silver. I've always thought that grey/silver eyes are extremely attractive.

Page 224: "Sometimes, when I have to do something I don't want to do, I pretend I'm a character from a book. It's easier to know what they would do."
Will Herondale gets me, y'all.
But I still think I like Jem a bit more.

Page 233: MAGNUS BANE! Magnus Bane has entered the book and everything is sunshine and rainbows and glitter.

Page 268: "There was a time I thought I was a ferret," Will said, "but that turned out to be the opium haze. Did you know it had that effect? Because I didn't."
So sassy, William.

Page 272: OK, Cassandra Clare, stop being so secretive. I just want to know what's wrong with poor Jem. Gabriel said something about Jem when Will referenced opium, but I'm not sure that really makes sense. It almost seems like there's a demon inside of him, but I would think that would be causing him to act oddly, and it doesn't. Hmmm... hope it's answered in this book.

Page 275: I'm setting it down for the night, so I figured I should give my opinions so far. Unlike most of the first-time reads I've had so far this year, I find it very hard to read this series critically. I fell in love with TMI two and a half years ago, and it's been a long time since I've dived into this world. Reading the ID is almost nostalgic, even though it's set in a different time with different (but similar) characters. I have a feeling that although better series exist, probably with better writing, plot, whatever, all of the books set in the Shadowhunter world will probably continue to be among my all-time favorites because of how head-over-heels I fell in love with TMI upon a first read.

That being said, I'm really enjoying Clockwork Angel. I wasn't so sure at the beginning, but once we fully delved into the Shadowhunter world (nephilim, vampires, and warlocks- oh my!), that "Cassandra Clare book" feeling hit and it felt very familiar. Not in the way that it's unoriginal or anything, but rather that I understand this world and feel at home in it. It was especially nice to see characters who overlap from TMI, such as Magnus and Camille. Although I daresay I wasn't terribly excited to see Camille.

Page 293: Kudos to Cassandra Clare for waiting until almost 300 pages in to really get into the romance. The romance in so many of the books I've read lately has felt like instalove, whether because it was actually instalove or because it seemed rushed. But Cassie's taking her time, and I like that.

Page 307: Now I'm really curious why everyone seems to love Will Herondale. He's cool and all, but Jem is so sweet . And he plays the violin.

Page 338: Finally! Finally, we’re going to learn about Jem’s illness!

Page 340: Addicted to demon poison… wasn’t expecting that one. But my guess wasn’t terribly far off!

Page 399: Well that’s a plot twist if I do say so myself… Didn’t see that one coming. We’d gotten so used to the idea that de Quincey is the Magister. It’s pretty clear to me at this point, now that we know that de Quincey is not the Magister, that it’s actually Mr. Mortmain. And if it’s not, then we at least know that he’s a villain, because he claimed de Quincey was the Magister, as well as claiming that Mrs. Black was alive again. But we’ll see what happens. 

And... that's where I stopped taking note of things because I got so into the book that I simply couldn't put it down. So much happened, and it was just so crazy. Anyway, on to the non-spoilery overview.

Overall thoughts...

Now that I'm getting into this series, a lot of the hype surrounding it is surprising to me. Everyone has said that it's way better than The Mortal Instruments, but so far I'm just not seeing how it's leaps and bounds better. Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely loving this series so far. I'm just a little surprised by the fact that everyone seems to think it's so much better. So far, I think the books are on the same level. But who knows, the second and third books could be even better.

That being said, just as I loved The Mortal Instruments series, I'm loving The Infernal Devices. At first, I was a bit annoyed at some of Tessa's antiquated tendencies even though they were common for the time, but once we got into it, that went away a bit. I've said this before, but I love this Shadowhunter world that Cassandra Clare has created and it's always a pleasure to dive back into it.

Also, although I really like Will Herondale, I once again am surprised by the intense love he gets on booktube. Compared to Jace from TMI (the obvious comparison, here), I still prefer Jace. Honestly, I'm really loving Jem a lot more than Will. Obviously, there's a lot more to find out about Will, so I guess I could change my mind, but I think Jem has sufficiently stolen my heart.

One thing I did have a small problem with is that Cassandra Clare has kinda created the same dynamic between the main characters in this book as she did in City of Bones. We have our female protagonist, who is new to the Shadowhunter world and is trying to learn about it, while simultaneously worried about a family member. We have one lead male- sarcastic, charming, witty, moody- but who seems very deep and has some family issues. Then, there's our other lead male- a bit quiet and unassuming, parabatai with the other lead male. Finally, we have our secondary female, who is very feminine and who we immediately dislike (but will probably come to love at some point). I love the dynamic between these characters, but the similarities are undeniable, and it seems really unoriginal to practically write the same characters again. But yet, I love them.

Another small complaint is that I think Cassandra assumed that the reader would have already read The Mortal Instruments. While I definitely think that the reader gets a good sense of the Shadowhunter world, I don't think that it was explained as thoroughly as in TMI. But I have a feeling that most people wouldn't pay too much attention to that.

As I was reading, I marked parts that I really liked. The blue sticky notes are Will moments (mostly an especially sassy comment), the purple ones are Jem moments (mostly places where I exclaimed, "Aww!"), and that one green one that you can barely see is where Magnus Bane shows up. Because it's Magnus.

OK, before spoilers, I'll give my overall opinion. I really enjoyed Clockwork Angel. I loved the characters and the world and the plot, despite a few minor flaws. Overall, I'd have to give it 4.5 stars out of 5.  

Spoilery Discussion!

I almost didn't do a spoilery section, but I did want to talk about those twists near the end. 

Honestly, I didn't see the twist coming at all. Usually, I can see what's coming, but when it was revealed that de Quincey wasn't the Magister, I was really surprised. Although only a couple characters told us that he was the Magister, it was extremely easy to accept, and when we were told otherwise, I was surprised. As I mentioned in my last "As I Read" update, I did figure out what was going on immediately upon being told that de Quincey wasn't the Magister. However, I still failed to realize that Nate betrayed his sister. That one surprised me too.

I was also surprised when we realized that there's a good possibility that Tessa can't have children, because I was pretty sure she'd end up with Will and that we'd learn a bit about her great-great-great grandchild in TMI (not going to go into that, in case you haven't read TMI). However, since we really aren't sure if she's truly a warlock, maybe she can have children? Who knows...

So Tessa, Will, and Jem. I wouldn't be surprised if Tessa and Will ended up together. But seriously, Jem is the one she should end up with. I really, really, really love Jem. As seen in my book marks, there were so many parts where Jem was just so sweet. He's sarcastic and funny like Will, but he's just so sweet. I want to give him a big hug.

OK, so that's all for this summer reading challenge post! So, the preliminary plans for the posts this week are: CDs On My Shelf will probably be out on Thursday. My As I Read for Clockwork Prince will probably be out Friday or Saturday. My One Day Tumblr Challenge post will be on whichever of those two days that the Clockwork Prince post isn't on. And that's about as far as I've gotten. 

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all in a few days!

MASSIVE Book Haul #1!

Hey, y'all! I've gotten a ton of books lately, so I figured that I might as well show y'all what I got! I wanted to post this last week, but one of my orders took FOREVER to get here. But they finally got here yesterday, so I can finally show them to you. I bought all of these in the month of April (or right at the tail end of March) so I'm just slightly embarrassed at the sheer volume of books in this haul.

So, here's my attempt at picking up all the books like all the booktubers do... let's just say it didn't turn out great. But I didn't drop them, so that's a plus!

THE TOWER OF TERROR

So, since I got them in several different places, I'm going to divide this up into different sections, going in order of when I got them!

Full-Price Books

I got all of these books in multiple different purchases, but these are the only books I purchased either at full or mostly full price- on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble.

Clockwork Princess- Cassandra Clare

I bought this on Amazon a few weeks ago. It was constantly sold out at Target, and I couldn't find it at any used bookstores. I'm planning on reading this trilogy in the near future, so I decided to buy it, because Amazon was the cheapest price I could find. I can't wait to finally get into this trilogy, because I've heard so many great things about it!

The Book Thief- Marcus Zusak

I got this one on Amazon around the same time I bought Clockwork Princess. It was $8 on Amazon, which is the cheapest I've seen it anywhere. Catriona from the Little Book Owl on Youtube always says that this is her favorite book, and so many other booktubers really love it, so I'm just really excited to get to read this.

Ignite Me- Tahereh Mafi

This is my first Barnes & Noble purchase of the haul. It was a comparable price on Amazon, and I just decided to go ahead and get it at B&N because I'm reading the trilogy right now (I'm right near the beginning of Unravel Me), so I'm well on my way to reading this and plan to complete it by the end of the month. First of all, this cover is just so gorgeous! The orange and blue are gorgeous and it's such a pretty turquoise color on the spine and I love the textured-looking color. Just so pretty. So is the Shatter Me cover (the paperback, not the old original hardback cover). Anyway, this is my series of the month, so expect a post on it at the end of April!

The Giver- Lois Lowry

I got this one at Barnes & Noble as well. It was a bit of an impulse buy because it was only $7. Surprisingly, I never had to read this for school, but I'd wanted to read this for a long time, and since it was inexpensive, I decided to go ahead and get it. I actually already read this. I haven't done any sort of review on this, but I'm thinking that I might do a stand-alone mash-up review, and this would definitely be included.

Burke's Used Books

All of these books are from a trip to Burke's Used Books (a used bookstore near my school) last weekend!

Animal Farm- George Orwell

I've been hunting for some interesting classics, and I read George Orwell's 1984 earlier this year and really enjoyed it, so Animal Farm was pretty high on the list of classics I wanted to buy. I found this in great condition for only $2, so I snatched it up!

Anthem- Ayn Rand

I read this in 9th grade and really enjoyed it. What can I say? I like classic dystopian! Anyway, this was $3 and although I wanted the well-known Signet cover with the light bulb on it because that's the one I read in the first place, but aesthetically, I like this one better. The only thing I'm a little worried about is that there's a little blurb in the beginning about editing, and I'm not sure what exactly was edited, but I'm hoping it's not a really weird edition. I'll find out eventually though!

Frankenstein- Mary Shelley

Yet another classic! This was on the list of classics I wanted to read, and since it was $1.50, I couldn't pass it up. It's the same person who edited the copy of Anthem that I have, so hopefully this one is edited well. Anyway, I don't plan on picking this one up to read it for a while, but I couldn't pass up that super low pricetag.

Speak- Laurie Halse Anderson

Although I haven't heard a lot about this book lately, I remember hearing a lot about it not that long ago. I know it's considered by many to be a YA contemporary classic. I've always liked this cover, and it was only $4. Surprisingly, this was the most expensive book I bought on this trip. 

The Last Olympian- Rick Riordan

I started this series back when there were only three books in it. I never continued on once the fourth and fifth book came out, but I did end up buying the fourth book at some point. This was the only one I was missing, and since it was only $4 and in good condition, I decided to go ahead and get it. Maybe I can marathon this series later in the year!

Dear Killer- Katherine Ewell

So, at Burke's, if you purchase more than $5 in books, you get a free ARC (Advance Reader Copy) off of a table. This one sounded the most interesting, so I decided to pick it up. It'll take me a while to get to it, but I know a couple booktubers are planning on reading this soon, so it'll be nice to get some opinions on this book!

Goodwill Bookstore

I bought all of these at the Goodwill bookstore near me. None of them were more than 2.99, which is really exciting, but the bookstore is closing at the end of the month, so it's my last time to get to go there.

Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury

I actually read this book at the beginning of the month, and when I saw this, in this really cool cover, in decent condition, FOR 99 CENTS. This is another one that might end up in the standalone post, so I won't go into my feelings about the book, but clearly, I enjoyed it enough to buy it. 

To Kill A Mockingbird- Harper Lee

This was one of the best books I read in high school. For some reason, I'd never happened to purchase it, but I found it for $2, so I thought I'd go ahead and buy it. There were several copies for only a dollar, but they weren't in good condition, so I grabbed this one.

The Lord of the Flies- William Golding

Yet another book I read in high school. I remember liking this one pretty well. It was never my favorite, but at that point I wasn't a big fan of classic literature. But it's definitely one of the better classics I've read. This copy is just a little beat up, but it was only a dollar. So I decided to pick it up!

Carrie- Stephen King

This is another book that I read earlier this month. Once again, I'm planning on doing a review of some stand-alones I've read recently, so I won't go into too much detail about my opinion, but once again, I liked it enough to buy it. I really like this cover of the book, and it was $2, so it was a no-brainer for me.

One Day- David Nicholls

I saw the beginning of this movie with my mom (until she turned it off because she didn't like it) and the concept was really interesting to me, and since it was only $3, I decided that it was worth giving it a try. I probably won't pick it up for a while, but at $3, it was too hard to pass it up.

A Storm of Swords- George R.R. Martin

You have no idea how excited I was to find this! So, I really like the tall, trade paperback editions of the A Song of Ice and Fire. I've never been a huge fan of mass-market paperback novels. 

Look at the trade paperback next to the mass-market paperback!

However, the trade paperbacks are so much more expensive and it makes me sad that I have to pay so much more just to have the other edition. But I found this one for $2.99. As opposed to the almost $20 that it is new. It's a little damaged and frayed, but not too bad. I'm so glad I found this!

Book Outlet

All of these books were from an order from the Book Outlet. It took a while to get here, and I was terrified when it came, because this is what the box looked like:

Personal info is blocked out, obvi.

I was really worried that my books would be damaged because, seriously look at that ginormous hole/rip! But everything was in perfect shape (well, mostly perfect). But I'll get into that in a bit. 

The Chronicles of Prydain- 

#1- The Book of Three

#3- The Castle of Llyr

#4- Taran Wanderer

#5- The High King

So, these are the books that the 1985 Disney movie, The Black Cauldron, is based on. The Black Cauldron is the second book in the series, and as you can see, it's the only one that I did not buy, because it wasn't available on the Book Outlet. I'm under the impression that the movie is based off of more than just the actual Black Cauldron book of the series, but I'm not sure how exactly how that plays out, but I really love the movie. Although it's one of the lesser known Disney movies, it's really interesting, and I want to learn about the rest of the world and see what else happens in the plot. I'm excited to get into these. Also, I'm impressed with how absolutely pristine these books came. Not even a single bent corner. So nice. And the $3 per book wasn't so bad either.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore- Robin Sloan

I've been wanting this book ever since I first heard about it. I love the typography on the cover, but that's not the important thing. I don't read a ton of adult novels, but this one just sounds so interesting. Since it seems to be a bit of a lesser known book (I've seen a few booktubers talk about it, but not a lot. I'm not sure how popular it is outside of booktube), it seems like it's always just a little more expensive. I found it in paperback at Burke's for $15. In this haul, I didn't spend more than $4 on a book, but that one was $15! What? I'd never seen the hardcover for less than $20. But then, I saw this on the Book Outlet, hardcover, for only $7. i didn't even hesitate to get it. This is #1 on my list of stand-alones to read. My only complaint is that some of the back rubbed against something and got something black on it.

So, there you go, all 21 books in this book haul! That was a lot longer than I expected, but I'm genuinely extremely excited about all of these books. I hope you enjoyed this post! I might be doing more of these in the future, because I'm finding myself buying several books. 

Anyway, if y'all like my posts, it would be awesome if you would follow/subscribe to my posts, as it lets me know that y'all are enjoying what I'm doing. Thanks for reading, y'all. See you on Saturday!