Cassandra Clare's Works

Cassandra Clare is one of my favorite authors. The Mortal Instruments series first book is City of Bones, and it takes place in New York City. When Clary Fray witnesses a murder by three teenagers with strange tattoos and weapons, she immediately calls on the police. However, it turns out that only she can see the three murderers; they are invisible to everyone else. The victim's body seemingly vanished into thin air. She is unable to explain what she had witnessed, when her mother disappears and she is attacked by a demon. Immediately pulled into a world she didn't exist, she must trust the Shadowhunters who quickly become her friends as she searches for her missing mother, while slowly discovering the truths about herself and where she belongs in this world.

That pretty much explains the first three books in the series. The third book could've easily been the last, and finish off the series nicely, but the author decided to continue the series with a new plot, after the events in books 1-3.

The Infernal Devices is like a prequel series to the Mortal Instruments. Taken place  in London maybe a hundred years ago (not particularly sure on the time period, so more or less during that time) with different characters and a different plot. These series depict the same Shadowhunting world, and can be read separately without needing any knowledge from the other. However, in books 4-6 in the Mortal Instruments, it references some of the characters from in the past, so it's interesting to read both series, to give you an insight to the story. (Good to read them in the order they were published.) Choosing between the two series is hard; they are equally great.

Cassandra Clare has done an amazing job with expanding the world, and making it seem so real-like. The characters, the plots, the humorous voice of the characters that will keep you laughing in times of chaos. Many books I've liked, because of the plot and the characters, but very few pull me in so strongly that I can't stop reading until I reach the end. She's also terrific at setting up cliffhangers at the end of each book to keep you on edge until the next book comes out. Mysterious, suspenseful, amazingly well written. I recommend any of her books to anyone craving something good to read. My rating refers to Cassandra Clare's works in general.

My Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is one of the saddest books I've read. Clay Jensen receives an anonymous package containing a set of tapes. When he plays them, he is shocked to hear the voice of Hannah Baker, who committed suicide two weeks earlier. The rules are simple; listen, and pass them on. Through the tapes, Hannah brings Clay on a journey all over town, telling him the thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay becomes a first-hand witness to the pain Hannah had suffered, and guilt tears him apart as he discovers the truth about the role he played in Hannah's life.

This book was incredibly sad and emotional, but it was just an amazing book. Each tape, or reason refers to a different person. Thirteen people in all, starting from the first who unknowingly started a chain of painful events, to the last who was Hannah's last hope to turn things around. It shows the huge effect a small, or big action can do to scar a person for life. It's like a snowball; it starts out small, but the problems get bigger and bigger as time goes on. It shows the huge effect of someone who didn't do anything, who was a bystander, and how maybe things could've been different.

The only problem I had was that it was hard to distinguish the things Hannah was saying on the tape, and what Clay himself was thinking as he listened. But that was due to how they printed it out. It's a touching story, and full of mystery and suspense. A clever way (tapes) to tell the story of the person who committed suicide.

My Rating: 9 out of 10 stars