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review 2018-03-11 04:19
Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare

Since I've read the first three novels in the Mortal Instruments series, and I had no idea what to think going into this series. After reading this book, I think its a high possibility that I like the Infernal Devices better. It might be too soon to say but time will tell. 

In search of her brother, Tessa Gray travels to London. There she is saved by a shadowhunter, Will Herondale, who is investigating a series of mysterious mundane deaths. Tessa teams up with the shadowhunters to find her brother and the cause of the deaths. 

I love Tessa. As the main female protagonist, I thought she was strong and despite going through a frightening ordeal, she was able to use her ability to outwit her adversaries. When I first started reading, I thought her ability was cool but useless in a fight. She reminds me of Clary a lot, I don't want to compare the two but I can't help it. They both have no idea who they are in the beginning and find out they are something they have no one else to compare themselves to. How complicated. lol

Will. He kinda reminds me of Jace, and I really like him. The Epilogue and the story of him as a child makes me really curious as to why he's the way he is. Since, he's not an orphan, why does he seem so negative and life-hating. He fights the fact that he's in love with Tessa and even though it's extremely annoying, I must know why soon. 

Jem, first off, I love his name. (Probably because I love the name Gemma) At first I thought he had cancer. Because you know, back then there wasn't the technology to treat such an illness. In some ways, I think this is worse. When first told of Jem's backstory, I felt incredibly sorry, and what must it had felt like for a young boy to go through that type of torture and torment. For Jem to be such a kind person, I love him. <3 However, it was too late, I already shipped Tessa and Will. And I really like them together, if Will stopped being difficult. 

Another love triangle... *eye roll*.
I thought that Will might be the favorite here, but after the ending, now I have no idea. I like Jem, he's an all-around nice guy, and I have nothing against his condition. I just like the chemistry Tessa and Will has with each other. However, Will keeps acting well... like Will and I won't be surprised if Tessa's affections turn towards Jem. 

I like the overall story of Clockwork Angel. Shadow Hunters during the Victorian Era. It's interesting! Things are still kept mysterious with Will and Tessa's ability by the end of the book. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel. 

However, I must say that there was one thing that fell short. I don't think this could be read before the Mortal Instruments or without the knowledge of the Shadow Hunter world. I felt that things weren't really explained, and I'm glad I decided to read them in publication order or else I would be lost in the dust somewhere.

Overall I'd rate this a 4.5.

Source: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare My rating: 5 of 5 stars Since I\'ve read the first three novels in the Mortal Instruments series, and I had no idea what to think going into this series. After reading this book, I think its a high possibility that
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text 2016-06-02 00:49
Series I Hate, pt 2
Chosen - Kristin Cast,P.C. Cast
Twilight / New Moon / Eclipse / Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer
Evermore - Alyson Noel
Halo - Alexandra Adornetto
Taking Chances - Molly McAdams
The Infernal Devices, the Complete Collection: Clockwork Angel; Clockwork Prince; Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare

Women So Dumb That Surviving to Adulthood Seems Unlikely

 

 

My first installment was about the love of abusive asshole men, and how they are romanticized. This time, I'm going to look at the women that are so stupid you don't know how they make it in life.

 

Chosen (House of Night Series): I want to start out by saying I read the whole series. And for the first several books, I loved it all. I loved the world and I loved the characters. But then it got stupid. Zoey is supposed to be saving the world, but she really spends more time boning boys than doing anything productive. She went from hero to boy crazy, and nobody seemed to think she needed reigning in. She also couldn't see things that were right in front of her face and was way too soft and forgiving.

 

Twilight: It makes the list again, simply because Bella is as unappealing as a rock. She is devoid of personality. And she can't figure out obvious plot points. Not to mention she thinks only she can turn the tides in every single fight the Cullens have with outside forces. Which always ends up putting her in danger and making things worse rather than better.

 

Evermore: Ever was a bitch. There is no way to put it any better. After her parents die, she goes to live with her rich aunt. And she acts like a horrible brat. She drives drunk, drinks at school, and goes off to the beach with a boy she hardly knows. She's always rude, and she even keeps her sister's ghost hostage for most of the book. I don't know why so many people liked this terrible book. Ever was horrible.

 

Halo: Oh, Bethany, you empty-headed little twerp. She was the worst representation of an angel I have ever seen written. She lies, she makes out with a guy, she gets trashed at a party. And that little tidbit is where I really got frustrated. Because supposedly, the angels have all human knowledge...but she didn't know alcohol would get her drunk. All of the angels in this book were stupid, but Bethany took the cake.

 

Taking Chances: Harper. Harper was raised by a marine father. Harper had never been inside a mall in all her 18 years. Harper didn't know having unprotected sex for 2 days would end up with her popping out a child. Harper also took a guy bruising her as a term of endearment. She believes that no matter how fucked up she makes her life, a rich, muscle-bound man will swoop in and take care of everything. Buy her a tricked-out car, a townhouse, adopt her illegitimate baby. And there are never any true consequences to her stupid actions. In fact, everyone will swoon over you and coddle you. Because you're super special.

 

The Infernal Devices: Barf. Tessa is so dumb she has to live with a house full of people just to not die. Which she tries to do at every turn. And while not attempting death, she makes out with 2 guys. One that is adorable and sweet. One that is a complete dick. And as things go, she falls for the asshole that calls her a prostitute. Lofty goals, lady. Let's close with the fact she abandons her family when her husband dies. Poof. No more momma. Don't call us, we'll call you.

 

Have I given you a headache yet?

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text 2016-05-06 12:19
The Nine Novels that Defined Steampunk

(reblogged from The Steampunk Workshop)

 

I’m a librarian by profession, and a scholar by inclination, so when I got involved with the amazing confluence of ideas that was steampunk in mid naughts I naturally wanted to know where this idea of steampunk came from. Most steampunks know little about steampunk’s origins. We are part of a strange phenomenon in which loads of elaborately costumed people call themselves “fans” of books they can’t even name.
 
This is not too surprising since steampunk didn’t become popular as a genre until after it inspired an art and lifestyle movement. The few histories of the genre are too lengthy for most people to digest, but not knowing the basics about where steampunk came from leaves its enthusiasts wallowing in a shallow puddle of clichés when they could be swimming in an ocean of imagination. As a cure I suggest the reading nine of the most creative works of late twentieth century speculative fiction, the novels that defined steampunk.
 
The Original Steampunk Novels
A popular idea is that H. G. Wells and Jules Verne were the originators of steampunk. This is not really true. Despite its anachronistic veneer, steampunk is a very contemporary genre expressing contemporary interests and concerns. Wells, Verne, Shelly and others are important sources of inspiration for steampunk but they are not steampunk authors themselves. They wrote in a nineteenth century or nineteen century inspired setting because that’s when they lived. For a modern writer full of current ideas to choose such a setting is a totally different thing. There are isolated examples of writers revisiting Victorian settings throughout sci-fi’s history but steampunk as a word and concept has a clear origin in a letter to the science fiction trade journal Locus published in April 1987.
 
Dear Locus,
Enclosed is a copy of my 1979 novel Morlock Night; I'd appreciate your being so good as to route it Faren Miller, as it's a prime piece of evidence in the great debate as to who in "the Powers/Blaylock/Jeter fantasy triumvirate" was writing in the "gonzo-historical manner" first. Though of course, I did find her review in the March Locus to be quite flattering.
 
Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like 'steam-punks', perhaps.
—K.W. Jeter
 
Jeter’s letter tells us three important things.
 
1. K. W. Jeter invented the word "steam-punks" to describe authors of "gonzo-historical" "Victorian fantasies"
2. The other two steam-punks were Tim Powers, and James Blaylock.
3. Morlock Night was the earliest of the novels in the newly named genre.
 
Powers, Blaylock, and Jeter wrote a lot books between them, but of all the novels they wrote by 1987 only four of them were "gonzo-historical" "Victorian fantasies" so the original steampunk genre consisted of only four novels.
 
Morlock Night by K. W. Jeter, originally published in 1979
There is no clearer illustration of the distinction between steampunk and original Victorian adventure stories than comparing H. G. Wells The Time Machine to Morlock Night. Wells’ novel is a straightforward story about a device that allows one to travel in strictly linear time. It expresses the common modernist idea that technology can do anything but may destroy humanity in the process. In Jeter’s book the Morlocks seize the time machine and invade 19th century London with it. It takes a Victorian premise and mashes it with Arthurian legend and lost technology from Atlantis. More than thirty years after it was written it is still too “experimental,” for many people’s tastes. If read with an open mind you will find an adventure story with some highly imaginative twists. It shows the roots of steampunk as literature that took genre assumptions, smashed them, and made mosaics out of the most interesting bits.
 
 
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, originally published in 1983
This novel won the Philip K Dick award. It is stunningly well written. The central character is an English professor who travels back to 1810 to attend a lecture given by English poet. When he misses his return trip he must survive in City plagued by a mass murdering Egyptian god and an evil sorcerer clown. The plot snakes around like a serpent in the dark London sewers where so much of the action takes place. What is most surprising is how Powers combines a very hard science fiction approach to time travel with some of the creepiest portrayals of black magic you will find in late twentieth century writing. It’s worth noting that while Jeter grouped this book with his “Victorian fantasies” it is actually set in the last year of the reign George III.
 
Homunculus by James Blaylock, originally published in 1986
This is the first book about Professor Langdon St Ives and his archenemy the wicked Dr Narbondo. It involves a ghostly dirigible, undead slaves resurrected with fish guts, a stranded space alien and lots of Laphroaig whiskey. Blaylock writes with a dry absurdity that seems very English especially when coupled with his Victorian wording. One of my favorite scenes is when the Trismegistus Club debates what to do while smoking and drinking to the point of incompetence. Not exactly the behavior of heroes but a brilliant satire of the chattering classes.
 
Infernal Devices: A Mad Victorian Fantasy by K. W. Jeter, originally published in 1987
Not to be confused with Philip Reeve’s or Cassandra Clare’s later works by the same name. Jeter’s Infernal Devices is one of the funniest steampunk books ever written. The central character, George Dower is a hapless English “every man” character comparable to Arthur Dent in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. All sorts of absurd things happen to Mr. Dower until the madcap plot is tied together with an elaborate dig about Victorian sexual repression. This was the first novel in the genre to heavily feature clockwork technology but there are elements of pure fantasy as well.
 

 

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text 2016-04-01 10:06
March Wrap-Up
Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum
Contamination (Feast of Weeds) (Volume 2) - Jamie Thornton
Glass Sword (Red Queen) - Victoria Aveyard
Rippler - Cidney Swanson
Ignite Me - Tahereh Mafi

This month was not a bad reading month, considering all I had to do I'm pretty pleased with myself. I managed to complete 7 novels. I participated in March Take Control of Your TBR Pile. I was so much fun and that's great cause I managed to read some books I've had on my shelf for a long time.

 

What I read:

- Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare 4/5

- Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare 5/5

- the Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 4/5

- Contamination by Jamie Thornton 4/5

- Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard 3/5

- Rippler by Cidney Swanson 2/5

- Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi 5/5

 

All my reviews are on this blog and/or my Goodreads page if you want to read my thoughts on these books :)

 

What I watched:

Ok, I'm still watching Degrassi. I finished season 7 and watched seasons 8,9 and 10. I don't like it as much as the first seasons cause I really liked the original characters and they all left the show at this point. Still, it's a lot of fun to watch this show and to relax after a long day. I'm also still watching Shadowhunters, I think there are one or two episodes left in the season, I'm not sure. I'm still hesitant about this show, it is not bad but I feel like they are trying to much to put some humor in it. It's also weird to see the plot so different from the books, I mean it's an adaptation, I'm not saying it should be the same but some things are just too weird. Season 3 of Faking It also started and I watched the first two episodes. This show is really cool, funny and stupid. I like it!

 

What have you read in March? What was your favorite read of the month?

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Line.

 

 

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text 2016-03-04 02:03
TMI vs TID Tag
The Mortal Instruments Boxed Set (The Mortal Instruments, #1-3) - Cassandra Clare
The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel; Clockwork Prince; Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare

Even though I should be reading and working on book reviews, I'm gonna do this tag. In the spirit of Lady Midnight's release on Tuesday (and also the release party I'm going to!) I wanted to do something Shadowhunters related...and this is it! The original video can be found here.

 

1. Favourite main character: Clary or Tessa?

In all honesty, I think it would have to be Clary. Since I started with TMI first I fell in love with Clary first and she'll always be my favourite. There was actually a time in TDI that I didn't like Tessa but I love her now.
2. Favourite Herondale: Jace or Will?

Do I even need to think about this? Jace. Jace is my bae. I love him so much. He was one of the first fictional characters that I fell completely in love with. I love him so much. Don't get me wrong, I love Will as well but Jace <3
3. Favourite love triangle: Simon/Clary/Jace or Will/Tessa/Jem?

Will/Tessa/Jem. Cause I really hated the Simon/Clary/Jace one because Clace was otp and Climon was, and always will be, notp so I really felt nothing during Climon scenes except frustration. The Wessa/Jessa (JESSA FTW) triangle gave me so many feels. I couldn't even choose who I wanted her to be with for like the first book. And then I chose Jem and just so many feels! 
4. Better Villain: Sebastian or the Magister?

Sebastian, obviously. I love Sebby's build up and the Magister...I barely even remember him. 
5. Better army: The Dark Army or The Clockwork Army?

The Dark Army, basically for the same reason as the question above. I barely even remember the Clockwork Army.  And Sebby is leading the Dark Army. That too. I just think that TID didn't stick with my as much as TMI did. 
6. Better First Book: City of Bones or Clockwork Angel?

City of Bones, obviously. TMI is one of my favorite series of all time. I loved the first book so much I think I read it it only a couple of days. It was a rollercoaster of feels the entire time. Clockwork Angel, yeah I enjoyed it immensely, but I enjoyed CoB a lot more. 
7. Better Female Sidekick: Isabelle Lightwood or Cecily Herondale?

Isabelle Lightwood because no one can beat Izzy. She's kickass and amazing and I love her so much. And Cecily...she's in it for like two seconds compared to everyone else and I don't know. I don't dislike her, I like Cecily but I can't even compare her to Izzy. 
8. Better Setting: The New York Institute or The London Institute?

I think I actually have to say the London Institute just because I love London and England so much and NY seems so boring in comparison. 
9. Better Last Book: City of Heavenly Fire or Clockwork Princess?

City of Heavenly Fire. Just...it was one of the most amazing books I have ever read in the world. I loved CP2, so, so much but it doesn't even compare to COHF. 
10. Better Final Epilogue: City of Heavenly Fire or Clockwork Princess?

Before COHF came out, CP2's epilogue was my favorite thing in the world because JESSA. I just...it was so perfect and I was screaming. Then COHF happened (and 500 pages in one night. Oops.) And the wedding. And Jem was there. Jace is a Herondale. He plays the piano. Tessa and Clary talk. Jem steals Church. It was the greatest ending to anything I could ever imagine. It will always be my favorite. 

 

That's the end of this tag! Thanks for reading! But I'm not done talking! The Lady Midnight release party is happening at the Grove in LA. And I'm going! I didn't realize how big of thing it was going to be! Cassie is going to be there, signing books. And like everybody from the tv show except Alberto and Matt (sadly). It's going to be amazing and I'm so excited. And I'll definitely blog about it here! 

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