Review of City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Before I get into my review, I want to tell you that I don't do this very often. Cassandra Clare is the first author in which I had to wait for her books to come out, or at least, the first author that I cared so much about that I would cry every time I see one of her books on my bookshelf. She is the first author that I have continuously stuck with throughout the years, which is why it took so long to write this review. But here it is--so enjoy!

Somehow, words just cannot express this book.

But I will make a courageous attempt to try, although I most likely will fall short from expressing just how much Cassandra Clare has changed my life. In short, this book was a phenomenal ending to an equally phenomenal series. It has brought me all the feels. 

But here comes the life story of how I got to meet Jace and Clary. You can skip it if you want:
I started reading YA half a decade before I would even turn 13. Yeah. I read Twilight when I was eight years old. I read The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo when I was ten. Both times, my English teachers were horrified and tried to yank the books out of my hands. But no--I was hooked! I started reading a ton of YA beginning in the summer before middle school, mostly due to the fact that I spent all my time in the library because my house had crappy air conditioning. 

That is when I began the City of Bones. I had never read anything quite like Cassandra Clare, an author who could invoke so many emotions that at points, I didn't even know the name of what I was feeling anymore. I fell in love with Jace. I learned with Clary. I laughed at Simon's jokes, and I lived among the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders. 

At this time, there were only three books in The Mortal Instruments. When I finished all of them, I was so satisfied and so utterly happy that I began crying. Yeah, I was quite the emotional reader even back then. I loved Cassandra Clare--but then, no! I found out that there was another book in the series, and I became horrified and scared of how she would ruin the happy ending.

At the end of City of Fallen Angels, I began crying once again (the librarians looked at me weird, but I was too enamored with the book) because she had ruined everything Or at least, that's what I told my ten year old self. I angrily ranted to my older sister (who just rolled her eyes, as she didn't even like City of Bones. I know, the horror) who told me to calm down. 

I calmed down. And waited. And waited. And waited and waited and waited for City of Lost Souls to come out. When I got it for my birthday, I skipped into my room and read the whole thing. And once again, Cassandra Clare launched me into another emotional roller coaster, and left me craving for more! So I waited and waited, and at this point, I even discovered The Infernal Devices. But at the time, there was only one book out. So I waited for both of the series to release the next book, and I cried and had book hangover and thought my life would never be complete.

Fast forward to the release of Clockwork Princess. Even though it had a stupid movie sticker that I just couldn't get off and even though I was spoiled by the (beautiful but spoiler-y) inside cover, I adored it more than anything. And obviously, as per being an emotional reader, I sobbed at the end (and the middle. And the beginning). Because that was the end of Will Herondale (is it a spoiler saying that he isn't immortal? I don't think so--I mean, all mortals die so...) who had become the epitome of my prince. Well obviously, he was Will Herondale. 

Now, fast forward to the release of City of Heavenly Fire
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So here's my actual review! Thanks for waiting/reading my thoughts as an emotional reader:
This series is now ingrained into my childhood, and I hope that one day, when I am an adult and the Dark Artifices will be finished, I can always tearfully look back and proclaim, "I am a Shadowhunter." Even though I can not claim the rune powers of Clary or Jace's fighting skills (or his death wish), I can always say that I lived beside them. They were my heroes--they were my friends. By just turning through the pages of City of Heavenly Fire, I get a taste of the many lives I have had as a reader.

But enough with the sentimentality. (And I know I've said this two times already, but this is the actual truth) Review time!

Cassandra Clare has created such a rich and poignant world, one that I will continue to never forget. City of Heavenly Fire was heartbreaking, but only in the best way that, as Cassandra Clare said, I would never trade for all the glitter in Magnus's loft. She is truly one of the most eloquent writers I know, and her ability to combine comedy with sadness is still astounding, even after spending years with her books. 
This was truly a satisfying attending to a brilliant series. There is a war, there is romance, there is death, and there is tragedy. But isn't that just Clare combing all aspects of human living, and making it into something we all can understand--fantasy? This is a book about sacrifice, about love, about everything that can make me start sobbing like a little baby so I'll just stop it right there. 

Something I continue to love about Cassandra Clare is how she can incorporate other worlds of Shadowhunter (ie: Tessa's world) with the modern one (Clary's world). Any mention of Will, yeah, I break down crying or giggling. When Tessa came, I cheered (and scared my neighbors because I was reading it on my front porch). And when Clary mentioned the Herondale family, I immediately burst out laughing, picturing Will's response to that. She has constructed these characters in a way that is so realistic, even amongst the werewolves and demon-hunters (ok, shadowhunters. Demon-hunters sounds cooler). 

It is because I can connect to these characters so well, despite having practically nothing in common with them, which is why I have continuously supported Cassie Clare's work. That's the reason I fangirl every time she answers a question about the shadowhuter world on tumblr--that is why I stalk her page and read the lengthy FAQ about the shadowhunter world, even though I already know everything.
I will not forget the Shadowhunter world, and I continue to miss Clary, Jace, Simon, Magnus, and every single living being that resides there. Thank you, Cassandra Clare, for this spectacular journey.

 You can also find this review on my Goodreads

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets Review!

Okay, before I start this review, can I just say how absolutely beautiful this cover is? It's so simplistic and meaningful, exactly like the novel. It portrays it wonderfully. Also, stick around to see Jesse Andrews' review of this book (it's really hilarious and a major part of why I picked up this book in the first place)!

Anyways, here's my review for Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos :)

Actual rating: 4.35 stars

For a year, I've been seeing an imaginary therapist. Her name is Dr. Bird. She is a large pigeon, human-size. She wears no clothes. Because she's a bird. 

This is the type of person James Whitman is. He hugs trees and talks to Dr. Bird when he's feeling depressed. He is the type of person who memorizes Walt Whitman, likes to yawp, and risks his life to save injured animals from buses, even though sometimes those animals turn out to be Tastykake wrappers, and he turns out with a broken arm. He crushes on Beth, the president of the lit magazine that no one reads, and tries to write Whitman poetry like Whitman writes.

That is his quirkier side. He has a darker one, as does everyone.

I go up to the tree that has preexisted me and might outlive me. I press my arms around the trunk and feel the bites against my inner arms... and I think about anxiety and medication and worry about losing myself or sinking further into this kind of stupid behavior. I can't keep going on like this. 

He tries to distract himself from life, but sometimes life forces him to not be distracted. James wants to know why his sister was expelled, and he finds it difficult to live without her. He's plagued by guilt because all throughout his childhood, their parents (the Banshee and the Brute, as he nicknames them) beat her for things he had done, and he never thought would be discovered for. Every single time, his sister Jorie had taken the blame, until she had gotten expelled and then brutally kicked out of the house. 

Now, James is alone. He wants to know why because he thinks there must be a reason, as others have done what Jorie did and have only gotten suspended for a week.

This is the novel: a tale of James Whitman's song of self. It includes Beth (his crush), Derek (his kinda friend), Jorie (his sister), the Banshee and the Brute, and of course, Dr. Bird.

My thoughts: 

Evan Roskos' debut novel was absolutely hilarious and deep at the same time. His style of writing is one of ease, so it was exceedingly easy to fall deep into the story and not surface until it is finished. This novel was poignant and captivating, and James was the most eccentric (yet not completely crazy) main character that I've seen in a long time. This book tackles really serious issues in the best way possible, with a fucking barbaric yawwwwwwwwwwwwwpppppppp!

Sorry, I had to include that.

If you're still not convinced to at least give Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets a try, here's some small excerpts from around the novel:

Page one:I yawp most mornings to irritate my father, the Brute."Yawp! Yawp!" It moves him out of the bathroom faster.He responds with the gruff "All right." He dislikes things that seem fun

Page 26:I do not tell Dr. Bird I want to kill myself sometimes, but she knows. She's up in my head. She perches on the power lines of my thoughts
Page 148:I tell Derek that I had a great moment with Beth."A moment?""Yeah. More than a moment, but tere was a moment that was very important, I think.""Did she touch you where you pee?" he asks."Metaphorically.""I'm not sure how that even happens.""She said I didn't ruin her life." I feel like I'm bouncing up and down but I'm actually standing still. My heart's racing."Well, that's a good way to start a relationship: 'Hey, I didn't ruin your life. Let's date!'"

Please. This book was amazing.

Click to see this review on Goodreads!

If you've read all of that already, I just want to quote from Jesse Andrews' (the author of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl; Side Note: I really need to read that book too. Like now. I've seen so many good reviews on it) review of this spectacular novel:

"If you are someone who yawps, read this book. If you know someone who yawps, read this book. If you've been looking for a book that detonates the one incredible word yawp and spatters every molecule of its joy and grief and laughter across the New Jersey landscape, then you've found the book. If you are standing around reading this and thinking, 'I have no idea what yawping is,' then--come one, what are you doing? Read this book."

Once again, this section above in quotation marks isn't my review, it's Jesse Andrews :) I love it <3

Three Rules by Marie Drake Review

This is for the Three Rules blog tour for May 18th :)

Rating: 4 stars or 80%
      Marie Drake tackled such a complicated and sensitive topic in the best way possible. Through this book, she conveyed the emotions of Hope Wellman perfectly, as well as her state of mind. Drake's style of writing was very eloquent at times, and sometimes it even sounded poetic. There are mysteries, doubts, fears, and even romance in Three Rules, all of which were composed with the utmost sense of elegance. 
      Hope was a very realistic character, so I could connect with her very well even though I had basically nothing in common. She went through very realistic character development, and it was extremely interesting to see her change over the course of the book. In the beginning, she was nervous and erratic, completely normal for having been subjected to sexual abuse by her very own uncle (Lucas) since a young age. Now that Lucas is dead (or is he? The grave is empty, and Hope feels like she's still being followed), she doesn't know how to deal with all the pent-up emotions and conflicts that have been plaguing her. Drake does a wonderful job to portray her behavior without telling the reader completely what is happening. Her writing is very continuous and smooth, going from one subject matter to another without any awkward filler sentences or unneeded conversations. Everything is there for a meaning, which I finally realized later on after a huge plot twist.
      Apart from that, I also loved the relationship between Joey and Hope. There was so much chemistry, and midst all the chaos that was in her head and all the mysteries surrounding Lucas's death, it was something I could rely on to convey a sense of calm in the book. Joey was an adorable character, always caring for Hope even though he didn't know what was going on inside her. He dealt with her inner turmoil in a very accepting way, and a big part of Hope's development as a character was due to him.
      Marie Drake created realistic characters with problems that encouraged the plot, even if they weren't the main focus of the novel. The book started off as a simple book about a girl with realistic issues and problems, and turned into a complicated story about betrayal, mystery, and strong emotions. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to read.

This review can also be found on my Goodreads~ 

Ten Summer Reads That I'm Looking Forward To (Bout of Books Challenge)

Most of these aren't released in the summer, but rather just books that I haven't read yet and want to read in the summer :)

1) 1984 by George Orwell. My local library doesn't have it, and I'm still saving up a few extra dollars to buy it. I've heard millions of good things about this book, and I seriously can't wait to devour it in the summer =)

2) The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead. It was already released a long time ago, but for some reason I've never gotten around to reading it. For those of you who don't know, this is the 4th book in the Bloodlines series.

3) Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. I've seen some good reviews, I've seen some bad reviews. Mainly, I'm just interested in the plot. It's not in my local library either, so I have to go out and buy it.

4) The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I'm seriously excited about this book; my first Neil Gaiman read (The Graveyard Book! If you want to see an extensive review on it, comment below and I'll write one ^^) was absolutely wonderful.

5) The Program by Suzanne Young. I've been lusting over this book and its simplistic yet haunting cover and plot for so long that I might rush and buy it if I see it in a store. I am completely in love with the plot line, and can't wait to see how Suzanne Young will write it out to be.

6) The Collector by Victoria Scott. She's also the author of Fire & Flood, a book that I've heard so many good things about. Apparently everyone is obsessed with Dante Walker and his snarkiness, so I can't wait to give this book a spin :)

7) The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. Watched the movie; it was great. I really want to see the differences between the movie and the book.

8) Cress by Marrisa Meyer. GAH, I am so behind on this series! I already bought this book around 2 weeks ago, but the shipping screwed up and its lost somewhere far away. I can't bear the wait :(

9) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. It's Patrick Ness... need I say more? I think not.

If you want to participate in this challenge (it ends in a few hours!) here's the linky link

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Review

Yes, I've officially completed one of my goals for Bout of Books 10: finishing The Brief Wondrous Life :)

Actual rating: 3.8 stars or 76 %
Oh... Oscar! This book was both extremely sweet and relaxing to read and also extremely frustrating at the same time. I loved Diaz's modern style of writing, and especially all his nerd references to LOTR and other famous nerdy things (which finally caused me to realize how much I was of a non-nerd compared to someone like Oscar). The constant imperfection of Oscar [he's fat, and not willing to change. He's the sweaty Dominican-American teenager who knows more about Marvel then Stan Lee knows himself. He longs for a girl(any girl that would glance at him for even a few seconds, or not even look at him at all), and will fall hopelessly in love many many many times just because.] also drew me in because Diaz portrays him as a fat ghetto nerd on one side of the spectrum, but then goes so exceedingly in depth about his character so that we realize the complete and utter intensity of which is Oscar Wao.

I have Dutch, nigger, and English in me,
and either I'm nobody, or I'm a nation.
-Derek Walcott

This is one of the quotes in the beginning of this novel, a portion in which I didn't read until I had finished the book. The concept that you are either nobody or a nation resonated deeply with me because Oscar was both. We saw his character development from the very beginning, when he was nobody. And then after all the stories, all the digging into his family history and the background of his relatives was found, he became a nation. Then, after deciding to change his life, he became a separate type of nation. He would live life, yet would he?
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao drew me in not only because of the simplistic cover page, but also the title. The idea that life could be brief, yet at the same time still wondrous and amazing, wasn't exactly an idea I completely agreed with. I agree with that now, proven by the life of Oscar Wao.
I loved Diaz's style of writing and how he constantly connected with the reader. He would talk about himself in first person not only in the elaborate footnotes (which I loved to read, even though for the most part I didn't understand) but also in the text itself. He... rescued Oscar. He made it possible for me to connect with him on an emotional level through all the different POVs that he ran through while writing.
This book, although wondrous, was not absolutely perfect. No book is, after all, and I'm here to not only point out its brilliance, but also its flaws. Reading got a bit tedious at times with all the history and the connecting until everything was just a jumble of lines that were interconnecting inside my brain. It felt like a chore, at times, just to hurry up and finish this novel because it took me so long.
Not only that, the constant barrage of Spanish words annoyed me because I had no idea what they meant, and I was forced to just skip them and move on. At points, the constant sex references and cursing got a bit crude, though for the most part it was never a problem for me. The ending was a unsatisfying for me, even though I had learned to expect it.
I expected Oscar to die in some magnificent way, for his values and beliefs and all he cared about. In a way, he did. But not the way I was expecting.
Even after saying all that, I still believe that overall, this book is a complete treasure.
This review can also be found on my Goodreads.

Bout of Books 10 Goals + Updates!

It's Bout of Books time :) This is my first year ever of participating in this read-a-thon (mind, any read-a-thon for that matter), so I'm extremely excited. This has perfect timing as well, because if you follow me on my Goodreads account (I know, shameless self promo :P I went there), then you know that I'm actually currently reading six books right now. It's exhausting, and I've barely had any progress in the past days. Plus, school is getting easier because it's state exams have already passed, but my finals aren't in a month. I'm new to this whole thing, so if you have any tips or want to share anything with me, then feel free to follow me on twitter (@koi_akairo)!

My Goals for Bout of Books 10:
•Complete all six of the following books:

   • Make new friends and talk to people
   • Participate in two or more challenges

Books Shown Above:
•The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
•A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
•Three Rules by Marie Drake
•A Time to Kill by John Grisham
•A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
•Catch-22 by Jospeh Heller

Monday, 5/12
Books Read Today: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz and Three Rules by Marie Drake
  Completed: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
  In-Progress: Three Rules
Challenge: Nope, not today. 
Total Books Finished: 1
Total Pages Read: 127 pages of Three Rules and 74 pages of Oscar = 201 pages :)

Tuesday, 5/13
Books Read Today: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
  Completed: None (but close!)
  In-Progress: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Challenge: Completed one-http://booksofgosmeinth.blogspot.com/2014/05/ten-summer-reads-that-im-looking.html 
Total Books Finished: 1
Total Pages Read: 138 pages of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Wednesday, 5/14
Books Read Today: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
  Completed: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
  In-Progress:  Three Rules
Challenge: None
Total Books Finished: 2
Total Pages Read: 147 pages of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Thursday, 5/15
Books Read Today: None
  Completed: None
  In-Progress:  Three Rules
Challenge: Like none
Total Books Finished: 2
Total Pages Read: None

Friday, 5/16
Books Read Today: None
  Completed: None
  In-Progress:  Three Rules
Challenge: Nope nothing
Total Books Finished: 2
Total Pages Read: None

Saturday, 5/17
Books Read Today: Three Rules by Marie Drake
  Completed: Three Rules
  In-Progress: A Great and Terrible Beauty
Challenge: Nope nothing
Total Books Finished: 3
Total Pages Read: 52

Sunday, 5/18
Books Read Today: 
  Completed: 
  In-Progress: 
Challenge: 
Total Books Finished: 
Total Pages Read:

-Christine Annalise Liang