Never Always sometimes is an enjoyable book. I particularly liked seeing both protagonists’ points of view. This book is a fun story following a pair of best friends- Dave and Julia- in their last few months of their senior year as they check things off a list of actions they swore they’d never do. The Never list, created to avoid being high school cliches. It’s a story about growing up and I’d go even as far as saying discovering yourself. There were some touching friendship moments bundled in amongst the drama of the story. 
I have to say, I have mediocre feelings about Never Always Sometimes. I enjoyed the story, as well as the characters and relationships. It was fairly well written as well, but I just couldn’t bring myself to love it. Maybe it’s because I just didn’t feel quite as attached to the characters as I have to some other characters in other books. As I’ve mentioned in many a review, feeling a personal connection or attachment to the protagonists is an important aspect in a good book. I liked these protagonists, but I just didn’t love them, nor did I feel a personal attachment to them. 
Julia is the more reckless and volatile of the two friends. She’s determined to not be a high school cliche, and not just to be a rebellious girl. She also wants to impress her adventurous mother. I enjoyed Julia’s character, especially since she was never short of a witty retort (no rhyme intended). She’s the kind of girl I’d be friends with. Her humor is rather amusing, as well as some of her objectives in the book (*cough* teacher). While Dave was a nice guy, I did end up feeling more of a connection with Julia. 
Dave is your typical nice guy. He’s a loyal friend and shocker, he’s been in love with Julia his entire life.  This boy has the word ‘nice’ ingrained in his bones, he has trouble being anything but. He’s always thinking about other people’s feelings and trying to keep Julia happy. My point is, he’s a nice guy, just not my type, I guess. 
I feel like this book was angling towards you rooting for a romantic relationship between Julia and Dave. I just wasn’t seeing it. Sorry. I don’t know, maybe I wasn’t supposed to be rooting for them, but I just didn’t want them together at all. Sorry, again. 
Anyway, surprisingly, my favorite character in this entire story had to be Brett, Dave’s elder brother. At first I wasn’t his biggest fan. He just seemed like a blockhead, but as we got to know him better, I just fell in love with him. Dave might not be my type, but Brett sure is. If there is ever a spin off book to this novel, I highly vote for it to follow Brett. Maybe after the events of this story as well? 
My favorite aspect of this story was probably the banter and witty remarks. I really enjoyed the light moments. The drama was fun, but I just found myself liking the smart retorts Julia came up with and the teasing between friends. I do really love reading about a good friendship, this one may not have been one of the best examples of a good friendship, but it was interesting to see how Julia and Dave interacted. 
In the end, I found myself pleasantly surprised with the story ended. It was not what I was expecting, but it was what I’d been hoping for the entire book. Well, I’m just going to leave my imagination to choose what happens after the ending of the story, but overall I found it to be a good ending. 
I’m giving Never Always Sometimes a 7/10 stars. It was a nice book, but not something that particularly sticks out to me. It’s a good contemporary novel, and I would definitely read the next one, if another book comes out from this series. 
Here’s the synopsis: 
Never date your best friend.


Always be original.


Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.


Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they’d never, ever do in high school. 


Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember. 


Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they’ve actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.


SPOILERS BELOW FOR NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES 
I did like that this book didn’t glorify cheating. I was seriously hoping Julia and Dave would not end up together, and to my relief, they did not. Actually, ever since I realized Brett had a crush on Julia, which was pretty early on, I shipped Julia and Brett so hard. I’m really hoping a short story is published someday about how Julia and Brett got together, because they just seem to cute together. I like Gretchen and Dave together, too, and I do really congratulate Gretchen on her ability to forgive. It’s much better than mine. 
Back to the cheating thing, even if Dave and Julia had ended up together, it just wouldn’t have felt right. I don’t know, there’s something about cheating that really puts me off a relationship, there are very few occurrences when I actually enjoy the cheating aspect of a book. Very few. I just can’t help but think about how much they’re hurting the one who’s being cheated on. Cheating is just so selfish, and I just have trouble enjoying a relationship that started with cheating.
Anyway, thanks for reading, I have to cut this review short ‘cause school starts tomorrow and spring break ends tonight :( 
-Anj

Wonderful book filled to the brim with heart stopping emotions and characters to really fall in love with. 
I’ll admit, the reason I picked up this book was because I immediately fell in love with the Me Before You trailer. The movie comes out in June and it stars Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games Franchise). Emilia plays Louisa Clark, which is a little ironic considering they have the same last name, while Sam will be portraying William Traynor. He really seems to enjoy playing characters named William. Anyway, the trailer looked so cute and adorable that as soon as I heard there was a book, I immediately went online to buy it. 
I brought Me Before You to the pool/beach with me to read while on spring break. And it’s been a really good time for books, because I’ve absolutely loved all three books I’ve read this break (Lady Midnight, First and Then, Me Before You) hopefully I’ll love Never Always Sometimes just as much. 
I certainly did not regret bringing this book with me. It, as mentioned before, is a wonderful book. The characters are quite easy to sympathize with, and I found myself growing attached to the relationships rather quickly. Jojo Moyes has a very excellent writing style, it’s quite elegant and I really flew through this book. I do intend to read more of Jojo Moyes’ books in the future. Starting with the sequel to Me Before You. I highly recommend not reading the title of the second book until you finish the first. The name itself contains some spoilers. I kind of expected of what was to come after reading the title of the second book. 
Louisa Clarke is an average girl. She has a solid life. Works in a cafe. Lives with her parents. And she has a boyfriend- their relationship is going on six years. Her life is turned upside-down when she’s fired from her cafe job and must find a new one. The new job she finds is taking care of a quadriplegic man. A rather difficult man at that. 
Will Traynor used to be a very outgoing man. He was the partner of a successful business, and went on exotic adventures all the time. These adventures included mountain climbing and cliff diving. That all ended when he got in a motorcycle accident and lost the use of all of his limbs for the rest of his life. 
I fell in love with both characters almost immediately. I love Louisa’s quirky fashion and attitude towards life, and I really enjoyed getting to know all the different sides of Will. 
The plot and pace of this book was fantastic. Not too fast and not too slow. I was invested in the characters and story line after only a short period of time. If you’re not a patient reader, this is a good book. If you are a patient reader, this is still a fantastic book. I highly recommend to anyone and everyone. 
For the majority of the book, we see the story from Louisa’s point of view. However, there are a couple chapters that come from other points of views, including Camilla Traynor and Katrina Clarke. Looking back, I really wish I could’ve seen what Will thought of all of this. 
Though the characters in this story are already adults, this is really a story about growing up and stepping from one’s safe bubble to try new and daring things. It’s a sweet, well written story, one that many are sure to fall in love with. 
Jojo Moyes’ writing was especially good with conveying emotions, as well as making the reader really feel and sympathize for the characters. Part of a good book is feeling a good connection to the protagonist, this book made me feel like I had an excellent connection with Lou. 
I’m giving Me BeforeYou 8/10 stars. It was an immensely enjoyable book, and I really cannot wait to read more from Jojo Moyes, as well as see the movie. I went back and watched the trailer as soon as I finished the book. It looks pretty accurate to the story, even directly quoting some of the lines from the book. It’s a rare occurrence to find a good book to movie adaptation, and I have confidence in this one. 
Anyway, here’s the synopsis: 
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

SPOILERS BELOW FOR ME BEFORE YOU
Okay, so I already knew how this story would turn out. I knew Will was going to die. I mean, the title of the second book kind of gives it all away- After You. But the whole book I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, Will would change his mind and Lou and him could be happy together. 
Another thing I was expecting was a letter from Will to Lou by  the end of the book, after he died. But I was not mentally prepared to read the letter. I had glassy eyes while I was curled up in the bathtub, reading the letter part. Jojo Moyes is quite good at extracting emotions out of me, I’ve found. 


Anyway, thanks for reading,
-Anj

Cassandra sure knows how to write a book that rips your heart out while making you fall in love at the same time. Lady Midnight sure was an explosive beginning to the Dark Artifices. I don’t know what I’m going to do- I have to wait another whole year for the next book. That seems like torture. 
“”We are chained, but you-“ He spoke the word with scorn. “You are free.”” 
If I haven’t made it abundantly clear, I absolutely loved this book. It’s certainly one of the best books I’ve ever read. Cassandra has yet to even disappointment me in the slightest. The Shadowhunter Chronicles remains to be my all time favorite series, just as Cassandra remains to be my all time favorite author. It was the Mortal Instruments that opened my eyes to the Young Adult genre, and it also inspired me to write more. The Shadowhunter Chronicles has a permanent place close to my heart, and this book certainly flew past my already very high expectations.
“As long as there is love and memory, there is no true death.” 
 The characters felt very real. They all had their good sides and their bad sides. They all had problems, and they all seemed so… I don’t know how Cassandra does it. She’s able to write not just one, but a legion of characters that take only a page to fall in love with. 
I was immediately immersed in the book from the first page, and the rest of it flew by. Of course, I’ve read every single snippet ever posted and was already super excited for this release. I can’t say this for sure, but this might be the best book I read this year. It’s early, but it’s going to be quite difficult to top such a spectacular work or art. 
The plot was perfect. It was not too fast, nor was it too slow. The pace was exactly what I want from a book like this. As expected from one of Cassandra’s books, there were twists and turns in every chapter. I loved it. In fact, I have nothing but praise for this book. It will be cherished on my shelves forever. 
I seriously am having trouble adjusting to the fact that I’m going to have to wait another whole year for the next book. And another year for the last book. After I finished this book, I just lay on my bed and felt unsure of what to do with the rest of my life. You may be thinking, wow, Anji, how dumb are you if you are getting this attached to a book. 
If you’re thinking something along those lines, you obviously have not read any of Cassandra Clare’s books. She has a way of writing that is just… amazing. Her characters and relationships are written so realistically that they almost come to life. The plots of her stories are so well thought out and her books all flow together perfectly. Reading one series in the Shadowhutner Chronicles is an amazing experience. Reading all of them? The experience is indescribable. These books are good on their own, but they connect with each other easily. Really, don’t just read one series. Read them all. It really heightens the experience. 
For those of you who were unaware, Lady Midnight is the first book in the Dark Artifices. The Dark Artifices is basically the sequel series to the Mortal Instruments. It takes place five years after the war fought in by Jace, Clary and all the rest of the Shadow World. This book follows Emma Carstairs, (if you read The Mortal Instruments, you may recognize her as the little girl who aided the gang in their fight) who is chasing the demons of her past. Hell bent on revenge against whatever murdered her parents. But Emma’s not alone. She has her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, as well as his entire, hectic family. 
It took less than a chapter with the Blackthorns for me to completely fall in love with each and every one of the Blackthorn children. Julian, Emma’s parabatai, is not the eldest, but he cares for the rest of his family as if they were his own. Ty and Livvy are the next oldest. Ty has a different mindset, but he is quite the brilliant child. Livvy acts basically like your average teenage girl, minus the fact that she was born and raised to be a warrior. Dru is the next in the line. She’s a ten year old girl, who has an obsession with horror movies. And then there’s Tavvy, the youngest, only seven years old.  Each of the Blackthorn children have certain defining traits, but they all have a great love for one another. I really enjoyed witnessing their family bonds, it was one of the more heart warming aspects of the book. 
“In that smile was all the love and wonder of a little boy who’d lost his brother, and against all odds, gotten him back.” 
Of course, there’s also Mark Blackthorn, who is thrown back to his family. Both Mark and the rest of the Blackthorns are unsure how to act around one another. I also quite enjoyed watching Mark readjust to his family. The family he hadn’t seen in years. 
Emma and Julian are the main protagonists of the story. While reading it, one really gets a feel for these characters, their feelings and their reactions. In fact, I imagine it would be quite hard not to become attached to these wonderfully written characters. I sure fell in love with them mighty quick. 
““Love isn’t chasing someone to the airport. Love means you see someone. That’s all.”” 
“”When you love someone, they become part of who you are. They’re everything you do. They’re in the air you breathe and the water you drink and the blood in your veins. Their touch stays on your skin and their voice stays in your ears and their thoughts stay in your mind. You know their dreams because their nightmares pierce your heart and their good dreams are your dreams too. And you don’t think they’re perfect, but you know their flaws, the deep-down truth of them, and the shadows to all their secrets, and they don’t frighten you away; in fact you love them more for it, because you don’t want perfect. You want them.””   
From the start, it’s easy to feel the tension between the two parabatai. As Emma notes several times, something is different between them. The Shadowhunters must follow many rules, one of the big ones is never fall in love with your parabatai. Of course, the Blackthorns seem to have a history of breaking the rules. After all, their family motto is A Bad Law is No Law. 
““This is not a love story.” 
“Every story is a love story.””
I feel that it’s not a spoiler that these two have forbidden feelings towards each other. It was information that was released long before the book was. There are few things I enjoy reading about more than forbidden love, and this was a great aspect of the book. Like everything else Cassandra writes, the way these feelings were introduced and then shown later felt real and just to their characters. It wasn’t anything like instalove, it grew on the the reader. It was something the reader can root for. 
““Laws are meaningless, child. There is nothing more important than love. And no law is higher.””
The big difference between this book and the other series in the Shadowhunter chronicles is that Emma Carsairs is already a trained Shadowhunter. She already knows of the Shadow World, and she already knows the rest of the characters. The other two protagonists, Clary and Tessa, knew nothing of the Shadow World and had to be instructed on everything in it. 
““What is it?” She straightened. “A Raum demon? A-“ 
“I think it’s a mini poodle.”” 
***
“”Oh, I’m sorry. Is there a different highway you’d like to die on? BECAUSE WE CAN ARRANGE THAT.” 
Emma was described to be the female version of Jace, minus the extra angel blood. I can definitely see how that could apply to her. She trains hard, and she’s a very good shadowhutner. The best of her generation. 
““Don’t be sarcastic. My job is being sarcastic and quippy. Your job is getting shaken down for information.”” Yup. Definitely female Jace. 
It was really nice, reading about a strong protagonist that could fend for herself- not that I didn’t love reading about both Clary and Tessa, but Emma was different because she could already fend for herself form the beginning. Both Clary and Tessa had to learn (yet they still remain to be some of my favorite protagonists.) Emma was everything I expected her to be, strong, determined and smart. She was quite the fun protagonist to read about. 
““You told him Shadowhunters were DIY about killing?” 
“We’re DIY about everything.””
__
“In the dark and the shadows where secrets lived, that was where Julian survived. It was how he had managed for years.” 
__
“Sometimes it was hard not to feel bitter, Julian reflected, that all the allies and friends in his life were either people he had to lie to, ridiculous, or both.” 
__
“”You are the boy who does what has to be done because no one else will.”” 
Julian, on the other hand, surprised me. I expected him to be gentle and kind. But from the beginning, he’s filled with secrets and burdens that are slowly tearing him apart. He was still kind and gentle, but his burdens added another aspect to his character that I was certainly not expecting. This is a perfect example of how Cassandra writes very real, very round characters. I still loved Julian, despite all his problems (they may have made me love him even more). 
I doubt this is to anyone’s surprise, but I’m giving this book a 10/10 stars. Lady Midnight, in my eyes, is perfect. I would not change a single thing. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Even if y’all haven’t read The Mortal Instruments or the Infernal Devices, you can still enjoy this thrilling and fantastic novel. Though, I do recommend both the Mortal Instruments and the Infernal Devices to y’all, also, because those are some of my favorite books. Cassandra has a fantastic way of writing that will have you laughing until your sides hurt as well as literally sitting on the edge of your seat in suspense. 
Anyway, here’s the synopsis: 

The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.


Alright, if you haven’t read the novel, I don’t recommend you read farther, because I’m about to start delving into a series of spoilers, and I don’t want to spoil y’all! Come back when you’ve read the book :) 
SPOILERS BELOW FOR LADY MIDNIGHT
Let’s start by talking about the epilogue. Annabel opened her eyes. I kinda doubt that was a surprise to many, I was expecting it to occur anytime after Malcolm was thrown into the ocean. Though, I have to wonder what kind of trouble she’ll be on the LA shadowhunters, due to the fact that they killed her love and all. I’m wondering how much damage she’ll be able to do. Does she have powers? (From Malcolm) or is she just a regular Shadowhunter? Either way, I’m sure she’ll find a way to bring a whole lot of trouble down on the Blackthorns and friends. 
And then of course, can we just discuss that ISABELLE AND SIMON WERE HAVING THEIR ENGAGEMENT PARTY. Like seriously, when I read about that I almost cried with joy. GO SIZZY. Though, Isabelle Lightwood is gonna turn into Isabelle Lovelace… maybe she should keep her maiden name ‘cause I feel like Isabelle Lightwood has a better ring to it, aha. 
One of the bigger things nagging at the back of my mind while reading this book was who the heck is Johnny Rook? I was suspicious the entire story because Cassandra would not have mentioned him if he had not been important, she especially would not be giving a point of view to his son if they were unimportant characters. And my question was answered. THEY ARE HERONDALES. Oh, the feels. When Kit said that Jace Herondale was the worst, I laughed, but it also hurt my heart. I really hope that he and Jace meet. (they probably will) and I hope he warms up to the LA Institute inhabitants, and does not become an enemy. 
Of course, there is some irony to that situation, because if you think about it, Kit is basically Clary. He didn’t know he was a shaodwhunter, his father did and never told him. He only found out he was a shadow hunter when his father was killed (given Jocelyn wasn’t killed, but whatever) in his own home and he was taken to the institute. All that needs to happen now to complete the circle is a Fairchild finding a Carstairs who didn’t know of their Shadowhunter blood. 
““I was going to give a toast and it was going to be glorious. Simon would never be able to show his face in public again.”” 
It was really great to hear that all out favorite characters have their happy endings. Jace and Clary are legends, and they’re running the New York institute together. Alec and Magnus are clearly happy, Isabelle and Simon are engaged, and Jem and Tessa are so obviously happy together. This book made me feel very nostalgic, all my babies are growing up. Haha. Seriously, though, when Emma mentioned Will throwing his hands in the fire to save Jem’s medicine I just felt so emotional. I plan on rereading (for the thousanth time) the rest of the Shadowhunters books very shortly. 
“He was clearly not a member of the Perfect Diego Appreciation Society.” 
Let’s talk Mark, shall we? Before I even started this book, I loved Mark Blackthorn. He is just a difficult character for me to not like. He’s broken, lost and confused. For some strange reason I like that type. It really hurt my heart, watching Mark not recognize his family. When Livia came in with a seraph blade to protect Ty- ah, I just. Hmm. That was one of my favorite moments in the book. I couldn’t help but love Mark more and more as we got to know his character better. I gotta admit, I’m rooting for him and Cristina to be endgame, sorry Perfect Diego. The most heartbreaking moment about him had to either be when he found out Helen had been exiled, or when he saw Cristina and Perfect Diego. I really love Mark’s character, and I hope we get to find out even more about him in future books. 
““I was just on my way to the library when Mr. Hot and Sexy showed up and said he had information.” 
“Whoa.” Emma held up her hand. “Mr. Hot and Sexy?” 
“Perfect Diego,” Mark grumbled. 
“Okay, look, I know you haven’t been back from Faerie all that long, but here in the human world, Mr. Hot and Sexy is not an effective insult.”” 
Ty and Livvy had to be my favorite of the younger siblings. They just had so much good character in them, I believe Tavvy and Dru will get more character development when they get older, but since Livvy and Ty are already older, I enjoyed reading about them a lot. I really hope that they end up becoming parabatai, you can really sense that they have a special connection. There was that adorable moment near the end where Ty tackled Livvy to shield her. That was so cute, I just couldn’t even… I especially can’t wait to read the Wicked Powers now, because isn’t it about the younger Blackthorns? 
I really loved seeing Julian’s fatherly love for his siblings, and how it developed throughout the book- and I loved seeing the appreciation his siblings had for him as well. 
““Tavvy!” Julian said. “Don’t run with lollipops in your mouth. You could choke.” 
Tavvy removed the lollipop and stared at it the way someone might stare at a loaded gun. “And die?” 
“Hideously,” Julian said. “Fatally, fatally die.”” 
***
““Twelve dead bodies.” Tavvy emerged from under the table. “Were they all running with lollipops?”” 
I really enjoyed and yet felt tortured about the tension between Mark and Julian, it felt natural, at the same time I just wanted them to reconcile already. But that made it all the more satisfying when they finally did, though, I’m not sure how reconciled they’ll be when Julian hears that Mark and Emma are in love… That should be interesting and torturous at the same time. Aw, the kitchen scene with Tavvy in the sugar was so heart breaking, Julian exploding at Mark and Mark just being confused at why his brother was mad. I knew that Julian would volunteer to be whipped for Mark, just like I knew Emma would do it for Julian, but that moment was quite the emotional one for me. The strong love that was shown in that scene just warmed my heart and made me smile. Sometimes (all the time) I wish I was a Shadowhunter with a loyal parabatai. These characters are lucky. 
““Wither thou goest, I will go, whatever stupid thing you do, I shall do also’?” Emma said. “Was that the vow?”” 
***
“”These pictures are my heart. And if my heart was a canvas, every square inch of it would be painted over with you.”” 
Here’s an unavoidable subject. Julian and Emma. I ship them so hard. Like, I’ve shipped them for a long time, but just seeing them together made me want them together even more. As y’all may know, I do love my romance drama, so I feel like I’m really going to enjoy this whole Emma and Mark thing, but only because I know Julian is endgame and that neither Emma nor Mark feel that way about each other. The tension between the two characters was obvious from the beginning and when the two slept together on the beach… Aw that was so cute and satisfying at the same time. In the past, I’ve had  annoyances at characters sleeping together too soon, but this wasn’t too soon at all. No, this felt like it was right. I’m really looking forward to seeing the dynamic between these two parbatai in future books. 
And last but not least, let’s talk Malcolm. Was anyone expecting that? I certainly wasn’t. It was a very dark twist to a character that seems to light and silly. Congratulations to Cassandra. There aren’t a lot of authors who can surprise me with a plot twist like that. I don’t know what was more heartbreaking about him, that he found out that his lost love had been buried alive, or died thinking all his friends had betrayed him. With Annabel alive again, I sure don’t think we’ve seen the last of Malcolm. 
Anyway, that was a long review, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I! 
Love y’all, 
Anj

First and Then is a story to fall in love with. The characters in the story felt so real and relatable that I instantaneously felt a connection with them. Even though I’ve never been in the situations that any of these characters were in, their reactions and feels were so realistic. 
I flew through this book. Literally. I started and finished it on the plane down to Florida for the beginning of my spring break. And of course, I had to reread it as soon as I finished. And then I reread some more this morning. I just can’t get enough of Emma Mills’ writing style and characters. 
““We have a secret.” 
“What is it?” To my surprise, the question escaped my own lips. 
“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a secret.”” 
First and Then is Emma Mills’ debut novel, and I think she nailed it. Emma Mills is a popular YouTuber, personally I don’t watch her channel, but some people I do follow do and they recommend this book. I was not lying earlier, I really did fall in love with the characters and plot of this story. It’s now one of my favorite contemporary romances. 
”And his pain was my pain, and it hurt, bit it also felt good in a strange way, knowing that we could share in it together.”
Devon Tennyson is the protagonist of this story. She goes from being an only child to having to deal with her cousin, Foster, living with her. At first, she feels resentment towards the small fourteen-year-old misfit, but as time goes on, she must learn to accept him. The amount of character development this short book contains is astonishing, I was quite impressed. As I said before, many, if not all, of the characters in this story are quite relatable. Devon was very was to feel a connection to. 
“My thumbs suddenly became very interesting. All opposable and whatnot.” 
She has been pining after her best friend, Cas, for as long as she can remember, but he doesn’t seem to feel the same way back. That’s a relatable situation. I think everyone has that someone that they liked for so long, and had no idea whether or not that person liked them back. 
Devon’s reactions and thoughts were so realistic and compelling. A good protagonist is one of the key components to a great book. Devon was a good protagonist. 
“I could never really understand. But I could strive for empathy. I could at least do that.” 
Foster is Devon’s little cousin, moving all the way across the country to live with them. That’s a difficult situation, he’s away from everything he knows, and he has to move in with a family that he saw once very four years or so. Add the fact that Devon isn’t exactly welcoming to him, and my reaction to something like that would be to retreat inside and be the most anti-social teenager that town had ever seen. Obviously, Foster and I have different reactions to things. Instead of retreating or acting resentful, Foster is friendly and cheerful, if not a little overly friendly. See, Foster is not exactly the type that understands boundaries very well, as seen in only the first few pages. At first, I found him slightly annoying, but as the book continued on, just like Devon, I began to love the little guy. (Funny that I’m calling him little, ‘cause I’m the same age as him.) 
Cas is Devon’s best friend. She’s been in love with him for a long time. He doesn’t seem to reciprocate the feelings, but Devon still hopes that one day he might- “You Belong With Me” Style. He’s a friendly and charismatic guy. I’d probably love a guy like Cas, if I knew one.
““On an emotional scale of one to ten- one being catatonic and ten being full-on daytime soap opera- Ezra usually hovered somewhere around three.”” 
And then there’s Ezra Miller. He’s the football star, but he’s not the cliche kind (you know, the cliche, cocky, player kind that I’ve been known to possibly fall in love with.). No, Ezra is the quite, brooding type. It doesn’t help that half his team hates him, instead of loves him. Ezra is a quite the complicated guy to figure out. He’s awkward (I really appreciated that) and isn’t very good at expressing feelings. All the same, I found him cute and like all the characters in this book, fell in love with him.   
My favorite side character would have to be Jordan Hunter, Ezra’s best friend. Everyone loves Jordan. He’s the kind of guy you smile around even if you feel like bursting into tears. I really loved his relationship with Devon, and it was evident that he was a really good friend to Ezra. If there’s ever a spin off on this book, I want it to be about Jordan Hunter. (Or maybe Foster and Marabelle) 
““I, uh, wanted to see if you had the notes for German today.” 
“I take Spanish.” 
“Ah,” Jordan bobbed his head and then said,”Well, that’s all. See you later.”” In context, this is one of the most hilarious quotes in the book. 
In fact, a lot of this book had me laughing, and the parts that didn’t had me on the edge of my seat or biting my lip in anticipation or happiness. I’m giving this book an 8/10 stars. It was so cute and enjoyable, yet very relatable. This is the perfect definition of cute contemporary (99 Days, take some notes). The ending was satisfying, but if Emma Mills wanted to write a sequel, you would hear no argument from me. 
Here’s the synopsis:
Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them: first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.


Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself. 


It’s said to be a mix between Pride and Prejudice and Friday Night Lights. Hm. Maybe I should start Friday Night Lights, after all, there’s something so attractive about football players. 
I really would once more say how much I loved the amount of character development and realism in this story. It’s one of the many factors that made this book a great one. 
Anyway, in conclusion, I absolutely fell in love with the characters and story of this lovely book. I highly recommend this to all you contemporary romance lovers- it’s an extremely well written and thought out story. I look forward to reading more from Emma Mills. 


(Oh, by the way, any boy who reads a book for me, might be the boy I get married to)


SPOILERs 
“Dev, you have to know by now… you were the secret.” *SCREAMS* That was one of the most beautiful and satisfying lines of the book. One of the things I really loved about this book was how the romance built up on itself slowly, so it was something that the reader could grow used to and love. Ezra Miller- he read a book for Devon, this shows that he really knows how to woo a girl. 
To any boys reading this, the way to my heart is through literature. Not joking. 
GUYS. Guys. We have to discuss my all time favorite scene. Of course, it was Devon saving Ezra in the pool. I have to had read that sequence over fifteen times by now and I only finished the book yesterday afternoon! 
These characters are so beautiful and real. I just want to get across how much I loved this book. Thank you to Emma Mills for writing such a fantastic novel. I’m sure this will be one of my go to pick me up novels. :) 


Thanks for reading, I think we all know what’s going to be posting next (hint: A Lady Midnight Review)
-Anj

"If I am a sword, I am a sword made of glass, and I feel myself beginning to shatter." 

Highly enjoyable and yet so, so, so annoying. 
The Glass Sword is the second book in the Red Queen Series. Basically it follows a late teen girl named Mare Barrow. She's a red, which means she bleeds red blood. You may be like, oh, Anji, doesn't everyone bleed red? Nope. Not in this universe. In this weird dystopian, but not dystopian universe there are two kinds of blood. The red and the silver. The silver rule, they also have special powers and abilities. The reds are just normal people who are basically all poor because they can't really do anything better than a silver could. (I mean, silver is a prettier color...) Anyway, that's how it's supposed to be. Except... Mare Barrow is a red and somehow she has the unique ability to control electricity. The little lightning girl. Basically Red Queen is about Mare being forced to live a lie in the royal court. The most intriguing thing about Red Queen was the whole tagline thing. Anyone can betray anyone slash don't trust anyone. Me, being me, could sense the big plot twist, but it probably would catch a lot of y'all off guard. If you are interested in the kind of book full of shocking turns and stuff, Red Queen is the book for you. If you're interested, here's a little review I wrote of the book over the summer. 

"Kill me. The words repeat, over and over. It's the only thing I can say, the only thing I want now."

I have to say, I can't tell which book I enjoyed more. As many of you may know, I love the court aspect of books. I really enjoy reading stories that take place in the royal court, just because of all the suspicion and undermining. I just think it's a lot of fun to read. This book, on the other hand, was jam packed full of action. I love action. And yet... I still feel slightly indifferent to this book series. After reading this, I'm feeling slightly more inclined to liking it, and yet... I don't know. It just isn't something so amazing that I love it but it isn't bad, so I don't dislike it. It's weird, I know. 
While reading this, I was caught between two feelings, too much action and not enough interest. Yeah, those don't usually go together. Maybe part of my slight willingness to put this book down was due to it being exams week at the moment, and my stress for school was a little overbearing.

"I am a weapon made of flesh, a sword covered in skin. I was born to kill a king, to end a reign of terror before it can truly begin."
​
Okay, if you haven't read Red Queen I don't recommend you read farther due to possible spoilers.

 "Killing a king will change nothing. Another will take his place. But it is a start." 

Let's talk Mare, shall we? I went back and read my review of the Red Queen and I felt like Mare couldn't fight for herself enough. In this book, she was fighting for herself a lot, and yet SHE'S SO ANNOYING. I get it, she's being realistic in this book with her choices, and I can accept that. But here's the thing that annoyed me the most about her. HER FREAKING PRIDE. Like all her I'm the most important one here, I need to be saved, not the others. ANNOYED THE CRAP OUT OF ME. You are not the most important, Mare, and there are plenty of other people who could kick your butt, so please shut the heck up.

"I am a sword, born of lighting, of this fire- and of Maven's. One has already betrayed me, and the other might leave at any moment. But I do not fear a broken heart. I do not fear pain."  

The second thing that annoyed the crap out of me is Mare taking those that cared for her for granted. I know she can't trust anyone or anything, but it's really evident she's trusting some people so she should probably just shut up about telling her loved ones she  doesn't trust them. It's just rude and pushing them away. Actually, it was kind of hard to form a connection with new people in this book as of the fact that Mare isn't forming a connection with them, and if Mare is forming a connection, I didn't even notice it and all the sudden, bam, there was some kind of connection between Mare and some random person. And believe me, you meet a lot of new people in this book. So many, I feel like it made each person matter less, but more on that in a minute. Back to the taking those she loves for granted. When I read the first book, I instantaneously felt a connection with Kilorn, who reminded me of Gale Hawthorn, who I loved. 
Mare treats Kilorn like crap. I get it, she grew up around guys, so she's a little volatile, but seriously, she's just being abusive to him. If I were Kilorn I would've been done with Mare's crap 1% into the book. She's constantly mistreating her supposed best friend and then she just expects him to blindly follow her anywhere. I really value a good friendship, and Mare and Kilorn definitely do not have one. If Mare doesn't start treating her so called best friend better, I will not be surprised nor will I be upset if he switches to the other side. Oh, also, Mare views Kilorn as useless. Anyone who views their best friend as useless, is not a good friend. Everyone has their uses. 
This quote particularly pissed me off: 
"Kilorn isn't a soldier, or a scholar, or a scientist. He can weave a net faster than anyone I know, but what good is that when we're catching people, not fish? I don't know what kind of training he received in the Guard, but it's little more than a month's worth. He survived the Hall of the Sun because of me, and outlived the massacre of Caesar's Square because of luck. With no ability, little training, and less sense, how can he do anything but slow us down?"
GUESS WHAT, MARE? WITHOUT YOUR ABILITY, YOU'D BE MORE USELESS THAN KILORN. 
Also there are multiple times when she hits him for just saying something. That is very unneeded, Mare. Please stop. Just thinking about a friend treating another friend like that really pisses me off. I really just wanted to walk up to Mare and punch her in the face. 
Back to the new people thing. There are so many new characters introduced in this book, and I just don't feel like Victoria gave us the proper amount of time to actually get to know the characters, they were just all introduced in about a chapter and the writing seemed to make it seem like the reader was already supposed to be attached to the characters. No. And when some died? I didn't really feel anything. 
Same with some major characters. There were some deaths that I had to go back and reread. Yup. It was never made clear that certain character was dead and then somehow we're just supposed to know. It was weird. I dunno, the last bit of the book just seemed entirely rushed. I wish there had just been a bit more time to actually slow down and realize what the heck was going on. 
I would give this book a 7.5/10 stars. For those of you who don't know, 7 is a really good book that I enjoyed. 8 is a great book. 9 is an absolutely amazing book. and 10 is perfection. I don't give tens out often. It's a weird rating scale, probably due to the fact that I came up with it when I was like, eleven or twelve. Haha..... Whoops. I'm sticking to it for now. It was a good book, but there were just some elements in it that I really couldn't stand. Mainly with Mare. But I don't want any of you confused, I most definitely will be picking up the third book when it is released. 
Synopsis:
Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

Thanks for reading! Sorry if this review is a little rant-ish. This book made me kind of feel like ranting. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time (hint, a Lady Midnight review is coming up very soon.) Love y'all, bye. 
Anj

I am beyond excited to read this book. It was supposed to be released in 2015, but tragically, the release date was pushed back to March 8, 2016. GUESS WHAT. March 8th is in 6 days! I cannot explain how excited I am to actually read this novel. I have had it preordered, the first edition, signed, for months. I seriously cannot express online how FREAKING EXCITED I am for this book to be released. For those of you who don't know, Cassandra Clare is one of my all time favorite authors, she wrote The Shadowhunter Chronicles (which this book is a part of) which includes The Mortal Instruments Series and The Infernal Devices Trilogy. Those are two of my favorite book series. In fact, Cassandra has yet to write a book I haven't liked. She's just a brilliant author. Her books are full of action, humor, sass and romance and I love. It was actually the Mortal Instruments series that opened my eyes to the Young Adult genre, that I have since fallen in love with. 
Lady Midnight is the first book in the Dark Artifices, a sequel book series to the Mortal Instruments. It will contain cameos from our beloved characters from the Mortal Instruments, and even a few from the Infernal Devices. Plus, it will follow characters we met in City of Lost Souls- Emma Carstairs and the Blackthorn family. 
GUYS. This is really an exciting release, possibly my most anticipated of the year (next to the next book in the Throne of Glass Series) If it was not on your horizons, it is now. You're welcome. If you loved the other Shadowhunter books as much as I, you need to read this book! And if you haven't read any, I highly recommend them all. A lot of people say start with the Infernal Devices, because they're better written, I love both, so start with what sounds more interesting to you. (The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices) I do recommend that you read both series before picking up Lady Midnight due to spoilers, but don't worry. It only took me like less than a week and a half to read both series, so I doubt it'll take y'all too long, if you put your minds to it! :) This is such a good series, I don't think you'll want to miss out on it.  
Anyway, here's the synopsis for Lady Midnight: 

The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.
(FYI, Zach Lambertus is sitting next to me, and he says hi.)