Showing posts with label 2010 in books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010 in books. Show all posts

Book Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

2.03.2011

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

 City of Bones is the first book of The Mortal Instruments series. The 3-book set has been on my wish list forever, and when I think back to why I put them there in the first place, I'm drawing blanks. I have a feeling it was pure curiosity, and either way I'm glad I finally got to start them.

Clary, the protagonist, is a 15-year-old girl who lives with her mother in Brooklyn. Long story short, her world changes completely when one night at a club she sees something she's not supposed to see. As things start to unfold, she finds she's a part of the Shadowhunters world, always had been.

I'm not going to get too much into the plot because I'm afraid I can't not give spoilers. I really loved how everything was set up and fast-paced. The way the story is set up keeps you connected and leaves you wanting more. So much so that I ended up finishing almost half the book in one night, risking being completely exhausted and sleepy at work the next day. And guess what? It was sooo worth it.

So let's move onto the characters... You're so going to fall for the arrogant, sarcastic, danger-searching Shadowhunter Jace. There will be times when you want to slap him across the face, but even then he's going to be so irresistible that you won't be able to do it if you could. Then there are Jace's adoptive brother and sister: Alec and Isabelle. Alec is completely adorable right from the beginning. He's not too confident for himself, but he's very protective of the ones who are important to him. Isabelle seems quite mean on the outside, but she's just the same as her brother. It's great to see how they evolve toward the end of the book, effected by both one another and the situations they find themselves in.

Then there are, of course, Clary, and her best friend Simon. When it comes to Clary, I was glad to finally see a female character who acts her age and doesn't get all too-dramatic or whiny or too brave like most main characters in other books tend to do. She takes the news in like a regular 15-year old would, and even though she does evolve, she's still a 15-year old girl. And Simon... Oh, Simon. He's literally one of those loving, caring, worrying, fun-to-be-with guys you'd always want around.

I'm not going to get into the adults in the book because they're not all too relevant at this point-- wait, some of them are, but then I'd be spoiling it, so no! I do want to say though that remember the name 'Magnus Bane.' When you do read the book, do come back and let me know you thought he was adorable in a 'how's this possible?' kind of way.

This book got bonus points from me right from the beginning just because it was set in New York. There's a lot more to it than that, though. First of all, THANK YOU Cassandra Clare for writing in the third person. Lately I've been sick of first person narrations because it felt to me like authors are forgetting that their readers aren't stupid. You don't have to TELL us how a character is feeling the entire time; I'm sure all of us can figure it out all by our little selves. In addition to this, I love how she brought together all kinds of paranormal: you will find in this book Shadowhunters, fairies, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, demons, witches... There's something there for everyone, really. And now that I've already started the second book, I'm finding out that more and more different creatures are coming into focus.

I can't go without saying that this book reminded me a lot of the Harry Potter books, which I love. Not in the sense that they have anything to do with each other, really, but the way the story was formed with the strong characters and the ancient, made-up history. But it takes place in our timeline, like it could really be happening right now, which makes it even more interesting because supernatural beings riding the subway is way more whoa-worthy than vampires driving expensive cars, no?


Vampirler, kurtadamlar, periler, gerçek aşk ve aklınızı başınızdan alacak daha birçok şey. Ölümcül Oyuncaklar hafızanıza kazınacak!

On beş yaşındaki Clary Fray, New York’ta Pandemonium Kulüp’e doğru yola çıktığında bir cinayete tanıklık edeceği hiç aklına gelmezdi.

Hele ki, bu cinayetin daha önce hiç görmediği acayip silahlara sahip tuhaf dövmeli üç genç tarafından işleneceğini hayatta düşünemezdi! Clary, polisi arayabileceğini biliyordu fakat ceset bir anda ortadan yok olunca ve canileri Clary’den başka kimse göremediği için durumu açıklamak pek kolay olmayacaktı!

Clary’nin onları görebilmesine çok şaşıran katiller kendilerini Gölgeavcıları olarak tanıtacaktı. Yani, dünyayı şeytanlardan arındırmaya ant içmiş gizli bir kabile!

More $1 shopping

1.26.2011

I almost missed this one 'cos the book jacket was missing. Thankfully, I knew the title of the book sounded familiar:

A stunningly repackaged omnibus, gathering together every short story featuring one of Agatha Christie's most famous creations: Miss Marple. Described by her friend Dolly Bantry as ' the typical old maid of fiction', Miss Marple has lived almost her entire life in the sleepy hamlet of St Mary Mead. Yet, by observing village life she has gained an unparalleled insight into human nature - and used it to devasting effect. As her friend Sir Henry Clithering, the ex-Commissioner of Scotland Yard has been heard to say: 'She's just the finest detective God ever made.' - and many Agatha Christie fans would agree. Appearing for the first time in The Murder at The Vicarage (1930) her crime-fighting career spanned over forty years when she solved her final case in 1977 in Sleeping Murder. With every tale flawlessly plotted by the Queen of Crime herself, these short stories provide a feast for hardened Agatha Christie addicts as well as those who have grown to love the detective through her many film and television appearances.

It's been a week since I've shared what I'm reading, and I'm still reading the same book: Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs. Don't get me wrong, I like it a lot, but it's just taking forever to read, and I feel like it's going to be very hard to review.

2010 in books

12.27.2010

My 50 Books in a Year post is here. I only read 42 this year (not counting the one I'm currently reading), which is better than last year, but still not good enough. Oh, well.

Absolute favorite of the year: The Safety of Objects by A.M. Homes
Published to overwhelming critical acclaim, this extraordinary collection of short stories established A. M. Homes as one of the most provocative and daring writers of her generation. Here you'll find the cult classic "A Real Doll," the tale of a teenage boy's erotic obsession with his sister's favorite doll; "Adults Alone," which first introduced Paul and Elaine, the crack-smoking yuppie couple whose marriage careens out of control in Homes's novel Music for Torching; and "Looking for Johnny," in which a kidnapped boy, having failed his abductor's expectations, is returned home.
Brilliantly conceived, sharply etched, and exceptionally satisfying, these stories explore the American dream in ways you're not likely soon to forget. Working in Kodacolor hues, Homes offers an uncanny picture of a surreal suburbia-outrageous and utterly believable.
There isn't much to say about this one. I suggest everyone read this. I'm in love with her writing, and I cannot wait to read more books of hers. (P.S. 'This Book Will Save Your Life' by her is very, very good, too)

One that so lived up to the hype: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.



We all know most books just don't live up to the hype, but this one definitely did. It was very exciting to read, and it kept me guessing and wanting more. I've also read the second book in the series, 'The Girl Who Played With Fire,' which was just as good. I cannot wait to read the third one in 2011.

New crush: Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood #2) by J.R. Ward 


In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret bound of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed bu a deadly beast Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the time when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant to Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves...
Rhage is to die for! My friend Kathy got me into these series, and I've read every single one of them this year. They're all good. And the brothers are all sexy and dangerous in their own way, yet Rhage was my biggest crush of the year.
 * * *
I was trying to come up with other categories, but it seems I've mostly read series this year, so this is all I've got. My New Year's resolution is to finish reading the books that I bought and haven't gotten around to yet!



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