The Fault in Our Stars

Okay, I know I haven't been posting lately. So I have a lot of books to review and catch up on.

Description: Hazel meets Augustus at Cancer Support Group and falls in love with him. Although her life has never been normal again after she has been diagnosed, she still finds a world where she can enjoy herself. But is cause her to re-examine life and death and the legacies everyone leaves behind. (Very brief, I know.)

The Fault in Our Stars was the first book I read by John Green, and what struck me most was the unique style he wrote in. Even in such a sad story and such a serious topic, he still manages to bring humor into it that makes the story more light-hearted. The interesting characters, the sarcastic jokes, left me smiling the whole way. Though I admit that the plot didn't seem very promising, John Green is an author that writes well and causes his readers to think deeper into the heart of the story, to have mixed feelings, and to relate to the characters he presents. I really enjoyed this book.

My Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

City of Lost Souls

Okay! So the City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare is the fifth book in the Mortal  Instruments series. Which also means that if you haven't read the first four books, this review will have a ton of spoilers. (Hint, hint.) Ah, so now that everyone who didn't want the book to be spoiled for them has left, onto the review.

Recap: Basically, Jace is now "part" of Sebastian. Stab one, and you'll also have stabbed the other. Wonderful, considering that Sebastian has the whole Clave on his trail, his murder high on their priorities. Jace is just another Shadowhunter, so who cares if he dies in the process? Well, Clary, Isabelle, Alec, Simon, and Magnus are all naturally worried. And the rest of the gang.

So they have to track Jace and Sebastian down, and find a way to kill Sebastian without killing Jace, and they also have other things going on, and yeah. I feel like I'm doing a terrible job at this review. Okay... moving on.

This book was good. I enjoyed it, as I enjoy all of Cassandra Clare's books. They are just so well-written, and in such a fascinating world. However, somethings were just getting old after, what, five books? The romance thing was a bit annoying. There are 4 or 5 couples among the main characters, not counting the side characters. Plus, the epilogue at the end hinted at yet another problem for the next book. Not that cliffhangers and suspense isn't what I usually crave, but it's just too much!

Some people say that the author should've just finished the series after book 3, but I don't agree. I think it's still interesting to see the aftermath, and explore more of the various problems that pop up. I love this series. Yes, there are some things that annoy me greatly, but those are minor concerns. I love how it also ties in to the Immortal Instruments series, and can't wait to read the last books of both series. Same as always, great book.

My Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

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

Airhead

Airhead by Meg Cabot features Emerson Watts, who is the typical tomboy, and never paid much attention to teen sensations, including supermodel Nikki Howard. However she was forced to go to the Megastore grand opening to watch over her younger sister, Frida. But you can never predict when disaster will strike, and this time Em Watts won't be coming back.

The saying on the front cover says it all: It's what's outside that matters.

Okay, I had this book recommended to me. I was a bit hesitant at first because this genre wasn't really my type, and the first couple of chapters weren't exactly anything special, but by the time I got a third into the book, I was hooked. Basically, Em Watts, the tomboy, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. At almost the same time Em was crushed underneath by a TV screen, harming her body beyond repair, but leaving her brain still intact, Nikki Howard's brain shut down, leaving her brain-dead. What do they do? They transplant Em's brain into Nikki's body. The tomboy into a supermodel's body.

Get the idea?

In order for this to work, Em must let go of her old life, letting everyone declare Emerson Watts officially dead. She has to pretend to be Nikki, and make everyone believe that Nikki is still alive. Em is devastated. A tomboy, pretend to be a supermodel? No way. But if she refuses, the consequences are deadly. How hard can being a supermodel be anyway?

Much harder than Em would've thought. She instead discovers a very complicated lifestyle that she is not used to. But it begins to broadens her view of everyone in general. But she's still not ready to leave her old life behind.

The part I liked was when Em started to live like Nikki, and interact with the people in Nikki's life. The characters were what made me hooked to this book. Real, lively characters that make this story come to life.

And just when it starts to get really interesting, the bomb drops. Don't you hate cliffhangers?

Ah well. All in all, an amazing book.

My Rating: 8 out of 10 stars