I'm just going to jump right into the review as I am feeling too lazy to really think out an intro, sorry. I have some mixed feelings about this book-- it's definitely my least favorite of Cassie's conclusion novels. Usually she's a goddess at writing the most satisfying and glorious conclusions, but here I found the finale somewhat lacking. The main reason for this is due to the fact that Cassie spent so much time setting up for her Wicked Powers series with the younger characters that there were way too many new issues opened and way too many loose ends created in this book. Like Cassie spent A LOT of time with Ty, Dru and Kit (lol I forgot what his nickname was and was like Chris? That doesn't sound right...) and creating tensions, plot lines and dramas there that are clear set ups for a series that is not this one. Usually Cassie's set ups or hints to other things are more subtle, and flow better with the story, yet this time it just made this book feel like another book in a series instead of a satisfying finale. 
A lot of people had issues with Clary and Jace's involvement in this book, but I would actually argue their parts were some of the best-- though, I may be completely biased seeing as I live for Jace and Clary. Like wow, wait... maybe I should save that comment for the spoilers section lol, but let it be out there that I have absolutely no issue with my TMI characters being involved in these or future books. 
So my biggest issue was with all the set up for another series, but the other thing that irked me was something that was supposed to irk me: Horace Dearborn and his biggoted followers. It's not at all subtle what Cassie is alluding to, and while I applaud her for adding her own social commentary, I found the big presence of Dearborn and his followers and what they were working for all together extremely depressing and irritating. Like I get it-- I KNOW that the political situation sucks in America, I couldn't agree with Cassie more on that, but I kinda read books to escape the real world, so reading a situation paralleling with what we're already dealing with just was depressing and irritating (as I already stated many times). This whole thing with the Cohort was also irritating because HOW DID NO ONE COMPARE HIM TO VALENTINE WHO WAS EVIL AND EVERYONE ABSOLUTELY HATES? Like they're the exact same, they even both hated downworlders?? Ugh. 
People were also making a shit ton of hasty, dumb decisions that got them into bad situations, which irked me as well. Actually, a lot of things just felt rushed in general, it was strange. There was also a LOT of drama in this book, and not the normal of level that felt actually enjoyable-- like a little too much. It just pushed certain things, which made the whole thing feel extremely melodramatic, especially the Julian-Emma situation. 
Okay, these are all my issues with it, but let me just remind y'all it's a Cassandra Clare novel-- obviously it's good! 8/10 stars, just there were some issues that stood out to me. OF course, it still had all the classic Cassandra Clare blending of action, relationships and characters that made a fantastic novel. It's just that I hold Cassie to on another level for ratings, which isn't exactly fair, but she's proven time and time again that she is a stellar author. 
Anyway, here's the synopsis: 

Dark secrets and forbidden love threaten the very survival of the Shadowhunters in Cassandra Clare’s Queen of Air and Darkness, the final novel in The Dark Artifices trilogy. 

What if damnation is the price of true love?

Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the disease that is destroying the race of warlocks. Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.


And here's the spoiler section of my thoughts on the novel: 

Okay, so I feel like the conflict all came down to Emma and Julian turning into nephilim, and it was epic how they utterly DESTROYEd everything but...I feel like they got off wayy to easy. Like the whole forbidden love has been pushed on us since page 1, but there were no consequences from anyone after the big fight and I felt like it was all too easy. 
Maybe this is just because I'm biased, but the whole Thule situation where the TDA crew fought felt blasphemous. Like uhhh ONLY the TMI crew can kill Sebastian. And also the fact that it said Julian was fighting toe-to-toe with Jace felt like a joke to me. Like Jace normally is already one of the best warriors there is, but since he has angel blood he is legit like the best fighter. Julian wouldn't stand a chance. 
Also blasphemous-- Zara using Cortana. Like, no, sweetie fuck off. 
Oh yeah, and the ending with everyone leaving Alicante was just annoying and an extremely obvious set up for more to come. Like this book would've been SO much better had it not been marketed as a conclusion. Kind of a similar situation to ACOWAR, actually. 
Basically my all time favorite parts of this novel were with all the old cast, which is bad, I know, but I'm just so partial to those characters. Like Alec proposing gave me the will to live ahh. And then when Clary cries and Jace wonders what he did wrong this time for the proposal! I LOVE THEM. OH MY GOD. lIKE AH. And then Thule Jace showed up and wanted Clary and... excussee me? leave my Jace ALONE. Lol, but seriously, my biggest investment in the next series is still about Jace and Clary... whoops. 
Thanks for reading, 
​Anji

"We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don't wish you didn't fear anything. All that would mean is that you didn't feel anything." 
In this series, Julian Blackthorn writes I-A-M-R-U-I-N-E-D. That pretty much sums up how you'll feel (and how I already feel) when you finish this book. It just completely destroys everything in your soul, but in a good way. And by good way I don't mean good things happened, I mean it's a good book and because of the good quality of the book, you fall in love with the characters and the story. And when things go wrong, it just hits you. If I would have to decide being hit by a truck and the end of this book, I'd say this book provided more pain to my soul. But I still wouldn't want to be hit by a truck anytime soon. 
"When people die, our dreams of what they could be die with them. Even if ours is the hand that ends that ends them." 
So as I've established, I am in emotional pain and suffering after finishing this book. AND THIS PAIN IS GOING TO LAST FOR TWO FUDGING YEARS BECAUSE THAT LAST BOOK ISN'T COMING OUT UNTIL 2019. Yeah. You heard me. 2019. We gotta wait two years for the next book. Anyone got a time machine? If so, please hit me up. I don't know how I'm going to be able to endure life through these next two years. Actually, yes I do. I'm gonna read other fantastic books, but still, I'm going to have an extremely large hole in my heart until I get my hands on and read Queen of Air and Darkness. 
"People often run even when they have nowhere to go. It is all about what you can bear in the place where you are." 
Anyway, for those of you living under a rock, Lord of Shadows is the second book in the Dark Artifices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare. For those of you who are living under a gargantuan rock, Cassandra Clare is the author of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, which consists of several series, yes that's write SERIES as in book SERIES, set in the same world, but in different time frames about different characters. The Shadowhunter Chronicles has a very special place in my heart. I've always loved reading, but it was City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book #1) that really brought me into the reading world and got me OBSESSED. So far, the Shadowhunter Chronicles has three series and two novella bindings. The three series are The Infernal Devices (Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess), which is set in 1878, The Mortal Instruments (City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire), set in 2006, and The Dark Artifices (Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows, Queen of Air in Darkness), set in 2012. The two novella bindings are the Bane Chronicles and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. BUT GET INTO THIS SERIES, because there's more! If you get into it, there's so much material to fall in love with and it's all spectacular. There's the Last Hours series, that starts coming out next year that follows the next generation after the Infernal Devices, there's a new series on Magnus Bane and there's rumor of another series called the Wicked Powers, following the younger characters of The Dark Artifices. Basically, I'm in for the long haul, and you'd be smart to get in on the Shadowhunter Chronicles because they are GOLD. (I've done reviews on the Infernal Devices (I think), City of Heavenly Fire and Lady Midnight, if you're interest in getting into this series, check the reviews out.) 
Now on to actually talking about Lord of Shadows. As usual, this book flew over my already high expectations and just... It was absolutely spectacular. It was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. It had all the things we've come to expect from Cassie's books-- great action scenes, characters that it's impossible not to fall in love with, a riveting plot and last but not least, amazing humor. It's still early in the year, but I have to say that so far this book has won the title of my favorite book of the year. I'm having trouble imagining a book that could trump this one, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. 
I really don't now what I can say that will convince you to read this book if you're on the fence about it. It's fantastic. Please, just go read it. You'll love yourself for it later. 
Here's the synopsis: 

Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?

A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

"Break my heart. Break it into pieces. I give you permission." 

See, I didn't expect this book to shove its way to my favorite book of the year because there was a lot of competition for the title (mainly A Court of Wings and Ruin), but also because I wasn't all that invested in the main love story of the series-- which is between Emma Carsairs and Julian Blackthorn. Well, I'm still not that invested in their romance, I'm not against it, but I just don't particularly care for them together, either. They're no Jessa or Clace. But really, the romance is a small part of the larger and much more emotionally investing story. 
Why don't I love Julian and Emma? I love Emma, she's a great character. It's Julian I really don't like much. I love my dark, tormented characters, but Julian? It's not that he's too dark. Or too evil, because I love characters that are so much more evil than Julian. But Julian... It's like he's got tunnel vision, he only cares for his family and Emma. He'll do anything for them. That's not that bad, right? Hahaha well. He doesn't care what happens to anyone outside his family and Emma, as long as they're okay. Literally, he'll do ANYTHING for his family and ANYTHING against everyone else. I just... I really don't like that about him. He's also a pathological liar and ugh. No. Julian, not a big fan. 
You get to meet some new characters in this book, like Zara Dearborn (why isn't there a universal letter, or a key spot for a middle finger?), and you get to go deeper into the workings of the Shadow World and Faerie. And then you also get to know characters in or mentioned in previous books better, such as Kieran, Jaime and... Well I guess you'll just have to wait and see, right? 
Not the best part, but one of the best parts of this book is getting to see some well loved characters from the previous books, like Clary and Jace. (There are more, but you're going to have to read it to find out who.) I have to say, I was a whole lot more happy when the previous characters were in the story, because it's like seeing your best friend after a really long time. There's no other way to describe the feeling. Like I read the book because it was really good, but I'm also very emotionally invested in seeing what happens to the older characters, as well as the new ones. 
Haha, I was so excited about getting back into the book that from the very first line I was squealing in delight. And also, just so excited and happy at action scenes, humor scenes, awkward scenes and Jace scenes that I was literally squealing in delight and FANNING myself. Yeah. I'm weird, I'll be the first to admit that. 
10/10 stars, but really, are you even surprised? There is nothing about this book that wasn't absolutely perfect. Even the ending, it was... horrifying and I would do anything to change it, it was still well written and good for the plot. But still, haha I was so bitter about the ending I refused to write 10/10 on my notebook when I'd finished because just... no. 

Now let's get into the book discussion, shall we? 
SPOILERS BELOW FOR LORD OF SHADOWS 
I love the Jace-Kit relationship, I feel like we have a lot more to see from that. And just. Aw. I love everything about Jace, but we already knew that, didn't we? My question is-- why don't we see any Clary-Kit scenes before Jace and Clary are leaving for Faerie? He's basically in the EXACT SAME situation as she was, except he knew about the Shadowworld and she didn't. She could've really helped him adjust. 
I wasn't exactly sure how I'd felt about Kit at first, but by the end of the book I loved him. I loved seeing him come to accept his Shadowhunter heritage and realize that he wanted to be a Shadowhunter, I loved seeing his relationship with Livvy (still crying) and Ty.
Something that was simply not acceptable about this book was Clary saying she thinks she'll die soon. Yeah. I literally wrote in my notes "WHAT THE FUCKING CLARY WILL NOT FUCKING DIE. CASSIE YOU LIAR." Haha, yeah that hurt me emotionally. Though I'm not actually going to hate Cassie for killing Clary, if she does, which I doubt she will, because Clary is her character and I'm sure it would be good for the plot if Cassie did it. 
It was nice to flashback to Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy with Jon and Marisol, but then Jon was beheaded so... okay then. 
The part that said some like "Most of them had been scribbled in by some idiot named Will H." I absolutely died, especially since Will is Kit's (amazing) ancestor. I just loved all the references in the London Institute to the Infernal Devices characters and to the Last Hours characters (anyone want to tell me what's up with Lucie and Jessie? If you're confused *laughs* me too, but I'm a bit intrigued and super excited as well.) 
BUT HOW THE FUCK IS BRIDGET STILL ALIVE? TID TAKES PLACE IN 1878. SHE'S MORTAL. HOW IS SHE STILL ALIVE? Like, yeah that's definitely Bridget because she remembered the scones thing (Oh, Gideon, I'll never stop loving you), but HOW IS SHE STILL ALIVE?!! It's 2012!!!! (In the book). 
Also guys, the Warlock that helps them is named "Shade" everyone is freaking out about how that's Ragnor because the green skin... But guys, really? His name is Shade.  I feel like that has to be a reference to Mortmain's father, whose name was Shade. 
Then Magnus shows up and gets them out of there safely. I was so excited to see Magnus again, because it's Magnus and BECAUSE IT MEANS ALEC. My lovely Alec.
Lol also Magnus of course is the one who pops in when Julian and Emma are in bed together. He's been very good at popping in at inopportune moments. 
I actually really started liking Kieran in this book. I'm going to plant my feet firmly when I say I SHIP Mark and Cristina, but really I really really started to like Kieran. When Emma mentioned that Cristina was on a ship to a three way with the boys, I think she voiced all of our thoughts. 
Also Mark thinks at one point he really has a thing for dark haired people. Lol, Mark. Me too, buddy, me too. 
Reading Ty's letter to Annabel was adorable. It was just so cute. I loved it. But now that we've brought the subject up, I guess it's time to rant. 
ANNABEL HOW FUCKING DARE YOU. YOU KILLED YOUR OWN KIN (okay, your own kin killed you, but let's ignore that for a moment). YOU KILLED YOU OWN KIN. YOU KILLED LIVVY HOW COULD YOU. THAT WAS NOT RIGHT. I WAS WILLING TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE. YOU SEEMED LIKE A FAIRLY DECENT CHARACTER WHO I FELT SYMPATHY FOR AND THEN YOU HAD TO GO AND RUIN EVERYTHING BY BEING A SPAZ AND A BITCH ANDKILLING ROBERT (IZZY WONT HAVE HER FATHER TO WALK HER DOWN THE ISLE) AND KILLING LIVVY. NO. NO. I LOVED LIVVY. I LOVE LIVVY. SHE CANNOT BE DEAD. THIS IS A MAGICAL WORLD. SOMEONE FUCKING BRING LIVVY BACK RIGHT NOW. (Actually, I feel like Julian might actually use the Black Volume to bring Livvy back, but still...) CASSANDRA I KNOW YOU HAVE A THING FOR KILLING A CHILD MIDWAY THROUGH THE SERIES AND MAX WAS BAD, BUT IT WAS OKAY. NOT LIVVY THOUGH. HOW THE HELL COULD LIVVY BE KILLED? EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE OKAY, WHICH IS WHY WE ALL KNEW IT WOULDN'T BE BECAUSE NO MIDDLE BOOK ENDS OKAY, BUT STILL. OMG HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN. I CAN'T EVEN. THIS BOOK JUST KILLED MY SOUL. HOW COULD WHYYYYY. 
Alright. If you couldn't tell, I'm real hurt and salty about Livvy dying, and Robert too. Annabel, you crazy bitch. And also, WHY COULDN'T THEY JUST FUCKING USE THE MORTAL SWORD ON ZARA DUCKING DEARBORN. Why? Now it's BROKEN so we can't actual know the real FUCKING TRUTH. Yeah. This subject makes me a little emotional. If you couldn't tell. 
Well, I'm getting a little tired of typing. If any other vital things pop into my head, I'll be sure to make another book discussion post. :) That was a fake smile. My soul has been shattered by that book ending. 
"'We are but dust and shadows," said Ty, not looking up from his book. 
"Some of use are very handsome dust," Jace added, as the door flew open and stuck her head in.
"Come to the library," she announced. "The tentacle is starting to dissolve." 
"You drive me wild with your sexy talk," said Jace, pulling on his gear jacket.'" *squeals* Clace is everything good about life. 
__
"'We'll have to get our energy the old-fashioned way." 
Mark looked puzzled. "Drugs?'" 
__
"'The first time we watched Titanic, you cried." 
"I have seasonal allergies.'" 
___
"'The Herondales have always been famous for their good looks," said Bridget, "but if you ask me, the Lightwoods are the more sexually charismatic of the bunch." 
Alec spit out his tea. Magnus seemed to be keeping a straight face, but with an effort.'" 
___
"Really? You all have to sleep with Magnus Bane? How exciting for you." 

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

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.) 

Everything is moving way too fast in this series. Yeah, I guess there are only thirteen episodes, but does that really mean that a large spoiler has to be given away in literally episode two? To like this show, you really have to set your expectations low. 
Some of the chosen actors I find perfect for their parts. Such as Emeraude, Matt and Alberto. I'm not so sure about Dom and Kat, though. They have the looks, but it's either their acting or their lines that make them very unlike the book characters we've all come to know and love. Maybe it's both. Some of Dom's lines are just delivered in an un-Jace-like way. He's already like in love with Clary. No. In the beginning Jace treated Clary like she was a child. Now he's just like, ooh, she's hot, I want to see more. 
I'm kind of on Alec's page for this, Jace and Clary need to slow it down. I wish they had that snappy back and forth relationship to start out with. That's really what made me fall in love with their relationship. Their slightly flirty back and forths are what made their relationship so great. The show changed a lot of that, which is what really makes me not ship show version of Jace and Clary. It's really hard for me not to ship my OTP. 
Kat's portrayal as Clary is not Lily Collin's whiner version, but she's still pretty annoying. Book Calry was not nearly as annoying as either these characters. Gotta admit, I do like Kat's portrayal more. She seems stronger than Lily's version. I think her version has the potential to be better. Potential. But I have yet to actually see her character grow into someone I can sympathize with. 
Alberto seriously is amazing as Simon. He's hilarious, in a geeky, very Simon kind of way. I really appreciate the way he delivers his lines and just the personality Alberto brings to the character. So far, I've been impressed with his performance. 
As I've mentioned before, I absolutely love Matt and Emeraude as the Lightwood siblings. Maybe it's just because the Lightwoods are my favorite duo in the series, but I think I just also love the way these actors portray their characters. The lines are recited nicely and the way the two hold themselves makes me laugh, because I could see my mind's version of Alec and Izzy doing the same thing. Sure, the show Izzy is more happy go lucky and a little less female Jace (Though, Jace isn't like book Jace so I guess she couldn't really be the female counterpart of Jace anyway) and Alec. Well, he's basically book one Alec. A douche canoe. And I love it. It is amazing. The way he delivers his snotty lines are perfect. I just can't help but smile whenever I see the Lightwood siblings on screen. Their relationship is so siblingly, I love it. Izzy's subtle teasing of Alec and her urging him to admit his true feeling stop himself. I just really love those two's relationship. Book and show. The movie didn't portray it quite as well. I should really stop trying to compare the movie to the show, though, it's not going to be really useful for anything. Besides, all I can recall from the movie now is a colossal amount of disappointment. 
Camille is introduced in this episode, as is Raphael. I think it's interesting that they introduced Camille in the first season, which is based off the first book, when she's really introduced in book four. She's only mentioned briefly in the beginning, so briefly that no one takes notice unless they're rereading. I don't know how I feel about her character and the way Kaitlyn Leeb plays her. I'm going to ignore the fact that she looks nothing like the character described, because if she plays the character well, I don't care. Her character, as well as Raphael's were laughable at best. Sure, Raphael had a good line about his suit and about how annoying Simon was, but Camille's? What really confused me was her ability to freeze time. What was with that? Okay, maybe not freeze time, but how could she freeze Simon in place? Did she compel him or something? I don't recall Camille ever having that ability, she was just a cunning, cold hearted vampire bit- anyway my point is I don't understand whatever the freezing thing was. And then there was the whole thing with the bloody mary stuff. I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be a joke, but it was a really bad one.
This episode was probably the best one yet, but it was so laughable. Like I was cracking up at things I definitely shouldn't have been laughing about. Meliorn is some kind of hippy faerie. That ad me laughing. And so did the "Sexy Times" In the Episode. Sure, they changed their name to freeform so they could have more sexy things, but seriously? They really compiled a lot of "Sexy" things this episode. It felt like it was too much. Especially the Simon and Camille. I just thought that was the dumbest scene ever. In fact, most of Camille's things in this episode seemed pretty pointless. 
It's evident the show is trying to get Alec to slowly separate from Jace. NO. They are parabati. Sure, it'd be pretty interesting to see them turn against each other but NO. That is not okay. And if they do turn against each other, I'm team Alec. Sorry, Jace, but I like show Alec more than I like show Jace. 
All the steamy scenes in this episode just seemed like a ploy to get more viewers. I found them rather pointless and they just really took time away from speeding along the plot. Haha. Maybe the steamy scenes were slightly useful for something. 
​Jace and Clary stealing the motorcycle had me laughing quite hard. Ignoring the special effects, the lines and the whole stealing the cycle in the first place were dumb. I was just laughing the whole time through it. 
Clary's "You've never been in love" line had me annoyed because, jeez, Clary, have you ever been in love? Uh. No. I don't think so. 
*You've never been in love, HAVE YOU CLARY 
*The cutting of the pole was so unrealistic I died
*EXCUSE ME IZ AND ALEC ITS AGAINAT THE ACCORDS TO KILL THE VAMPS 
*When exactly did they communicate the plan to get into the vampire hotel?
*Clary getting slammed into the wall is the funniest thing this whole episode, which is hilarious because this whole episode was basically a joke (and yet it's still the best one in the series ??)
*That is a really cheap wall if an arrow will break through it to expose the sunlight
*CAMILES PHONE DEAR GOD THIS IS A JOKE
*Group shot still gets me pretty excited
* A MEMORY DEMON WTF 
*Jace, Alec and Izzy on the roof lol
Okay, those are my notes, sorry, I'm tired. That's what I thought about the third episode. Ta Da. Thanks for reading. I'll see y'all next time. 

How the heck is it 2016 already? I was just getting used to writing 2015 on my papers (though I still, on occasion write 2012, which is weird.) Anyway, since I have time now and probably won't later, I decided I was going to make a list of a few books I want to read in 2016. Now, I know that I may not stick to this list, but putting it online will make me more motivated to do so. Also, I know for sure that I will be reading books that are not on this list because there are always new books I find out about and want to read. Besides, this isn't nearly 100 books and since, for the third year in a row, I want to read 100+ books (I've gotten it done in the past two years and probably before that, too) I definitely am going to have to read other books. These are just a few books I know from the beginning of the year that I'm interested in reading. 
I'll start this list off with one of my most anticipated books of 2016 (I should make a post on that, too). Okay, so I'm not sure if this even counts because I don't even know the title, but I'm really looking forward to reading Throne of Glass Book 5. I'm a little nervous that it won't come out in 2016 because I know basically nothing about it, but I'm really hoping it will because I'm not sure if I can wait two years for the next book in this heartstoppingly amazing series. Ooh, I just found the synopsis on Goodreads! That just made me even more excited for this book. 
Anyway, since other than that, I have no information on it, here's another book I've been waiting for for a rather long time and am very excited to read. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. As many of you may know, Cassandra Clare is one of my all time favorite authors and all her books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles are spectacular. Reading The Mortal Instruments is what really got me into reading. Before I loved reading but I didn't obsessively love reading (some people might say me pre TMI was better, haha.) This book was supposed to come out in 2015, but, unfortunately, it didn't. So the suspense is really built up for it, I actually already preordered the book. FYI all the first editions of this book are signed by the wonderful Cassie Clare, so if you want one, you better order it fast. 
For those of you who are unaware, Lady Midnight is book one of the Dark Artifices Series, which is the sequel series to The Mortal Instruments (one of my all time favorite series) as well as taking place in the same world as The Infernal Devices (Which is another one of my favorites). The Shadow World is so excellently built and Cassandra's books in it are only getting better and better. If you haven't jumped onto the Shadowhunter train, I highly suggest you do so. Start with either Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices Book 1) or City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1). Both are wonderful. Anyway, Lady Midnight takes place five (I think) years after City of Heavenly Fire (Mortal Instruments Book 6) and follows the people of the LA Institute. Mainly, I'm told, Emma Carsairs (who we met in City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments Book 5) and City of Heavenly Fire). Recognize the last name Carstairs? Yeah, well, she's James Carstair's very distant relative. Other than Emma Carstairs, this book will also follow characters such as Mark Blackthorn, Julian Blackthorn, Octavia (Tavvy) Blackthorn, Livia Blackthorn, Ty Blackthorn, (Okay, yeah, a lot of the Blackthorn Clan), Christina Rosales and more. 
The book is about the aftermath of the Mortal War (I think that's what that war was called). In this book, the Fae are not in the best situation because basically all the Shadowhunters hate them for siding against them in the war. The Fae need help and come to the Blackthorns, and I suck at synopsis's so here's the actual one. 
Synopsis:
Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

This book is 720 pages. That's almost (5 pages away) as much as City of Heavenly Fire. Doesn't that make you wonder how long the rest of the series is going to be? Ha, and it might take me more than a couple hours to read. A day, at most. (Actually, it really depends on the amount of school work I have.) I'm just really excited to read this continuation of Cassandra's Shadow World as well as read more of Clare's excellent writing. 

This book literally comes out tomorrow, so I should probably get to reading (and first ordering) it soon. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. As some of you may know, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken is one of my favorite series, so I'm excited to see what brilliance she's come up with now. I love Alexandra's writing style and her story plots and characters are festinating and impossible not to fall in love with. 
From what I know, Passenger is basically a time traveling scavenger hunt with higher stakes. I don't read a lot of time traveler books (the only ones I can think of right now are the Ruby Red Trilogy) so I'm pretty interested to see how well I like this genre. (Is time traveling a genre or just a category? I think it's just a category?) 
Here's the synopsis: 
passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever

Sound good? I highly recommend it and I haven't even read it yet! I just have a lot of trust in Alexandra Bracken and her spectacular writing. 

Another Sarah J. Maas Book I'm looking forward to reading this year is A Court of Mist and Fury this is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series that debuted last year. Personally, I do enjoy the Throne of Glass books more, but A Court of Thorns and Roses is off to a good start and I'm looking forward to seeing where this book series is going, especially since whatever Sarah J. Maas writes seems to turn into gold. Usually the first book in a fantasy series can be quite slow because of all the introducing of the world. A Court of Thorns and Roses started off slow but kicked up quite quickly. Sarah writes such complex and intriguing characters, it'll be fun to find out more about them in books to come. 
A Court of Thorns and Roses was very very very loosely based off of Beauty and the Beast and then 2/3 of a ways through it completely changed course, so I'm excited to see what happens on book II. 
The protagonist of this series is named Feyre (Faye-rah) (yeah, there are a lot of jokes about how Sarah J. Maas create her characters' names by pounding her fist into the key board.) She was just a regular human before she killed a wolf in the woods and was forced to come and live with the faerie Tamlin. Yes, this is a fae series. No. It's not those childish little faeries with wings. The faeries in these books are tall, strong, regal beings (with no wings) with super speed, hearing, reflexes as well as prolonged lives and special powers. While at Tamlin's spring Court she starts to develop feelings for him as well as meeting Tamlin's friend Lucien and the Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand. (p.s. there's a lot more action and stuff happening than this lame synopsis check out my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses, if you're interested)All these characters are simply fascinating and as I've said before, I'm quite excited to see where Sarah takes this series. 
(no synopsis provided because SPOILERS) (no cover has been released yet) 
This book is due to be released on May 3, 2016.
Another book on my TBR list that I'm looking forward to reading is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. This was not released this year, but the last book in the series is going to be, so I better catch up on the first two before it comes out (actually, I might not have the time.) The plot sounds simply fascinating to me, and I got interested in it after watching Christine from Polandbannas books hilarious skit to promote the book. 

Anyway, here's the synopsis: 

"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Sounds interesting, huh? I'm really looking forward to reading this one this year. 

Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutjoksi is the third book in the Winner's Curse series, which I was surprisingly impressed by when I read the first two books in 2015. They're full of romance, intrigue and betrayal. In other words, just my kind of book. Since The Winner's Crime (Book 2) ended at such a pivotal point, I'm really curious to see how the series finishes. The characters are very interesting in these books as well as clever. If you're interested, feel free to check out my review of The Winner's Curse. I really flew through the first two books and I have no doubt that the third book will be just as good. 
​Released March 29, 2016.

The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan debuts this year, the first book will be called The Hidden Oracle. I've been a fan of Rick Riordan ever since I was a wee third grader who became fascinated in mythology after reading the Percy Jackson and Olympians Series as well as the Kane Chronicles. I was a little disappointed in his new book- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, but I intend to read the second book to that when it comes out this year, also. (Second book is called The Hammer of Thor and ANNABETH'S GONNA BE IN IT!!!) 
Anyway The Trials of Apollo follows the god, Apollo, after he's been turned into a sixteen year old boy by Zeus. He now has to navigate the world without guaranteed immortality until Zeus decides to turn him back into a god. The world I've always loved the most from Rick Riordan is his Greek/Roman mythology world so I'm excited to be returning to it. PERCY'S GONNA BE IN IT! I'm so excited for this book. Also, I think we'll be seeing more of Artemis (Apollo's twin, goddess of the hunt) and I really loved her character in these books so this is gonna be fun. 
Release date for:
Hammer of Thor: October 4, 2016
Trials of Apollo: May 3, 2016

P.S. I did post a review of Magnus Chase Book 1, if you're interested in checking it out. 

A torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir comes out this year. I'm not sure how I feel about this book, because in all honesty I didn't enjoy the first book as much as I expected I would (it was really hyped up). Nevertheless, I still intend to give this series a second chance. Maybe not a third if I don't like the sequel. (Book one is An Ember in the Ashes, I have a review on it, if you want to check it out.) The setting of this story is in a Roman like empire, which is interesting. It's the characters I really don't like- the two main protagonists? Elias and Lia? Lia's really too much of a damsel in distress and Elias I just found annoying. Really, it's surprising to me that I'm even willing to try and read book 2, but I am. 
release date: August 30, 2015
No cover released yet. 

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard is one book I'll be picking up for sure sometime this year. It's the sequel to Red Queen, which debuted this year. If you remember my review (feel free to check it out) I enjoyed the first book, but wasn't overly impressed. It was very hyped up and kinda let me down a bit. There was bit of an instalove feel to it, which I didn't really like and I was able to predict every 'shocking' plot twist to occur. But I did love the main theme, don't trust anyone. And that's why I'm interested enough to pick up book 2, which is due to be released on February 9, 2015. 

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins is the final book in the Rebel Belle series. I kind of see these books as a bit of a joke and have never really loved the series, but I did enjoy the humor enough to be willing to put the last book on my TBR list. The last book I felt eh about but whatever. Basically the idea of these books is popular girl, Harper Price is at the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes a Paladin, a powerful warrior who's supposed to protect the oracle, who turns out to be her arch nemesis, David. Chaos ensues, blah, blah blah. It's a light read that's full of humor, so if that sounds interesting to you, I have a review up on both books. 
Release date: April 5, 2015

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid and First and Then by Emma Mills are two contemporary romance reads I'm looking forward to reading this year. They're both already released, but I never got around to reading them last year. I don't know much about them, but from what I do know, they sound impossibly cute. 

Never Always Sometimes: 

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.

first and Then: 

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.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a book that I physically own and still haven't gotten around to reading. This series is insanely popular at the moment and I really need to start it. Hopefully putting that thought up here will motivate me to actually read it. These are fairytale retold with a sci-fi twist, I believe. Sorry these are starting to get rushed, I didn't realize this post would take so long and I have other stuff I need to get done! 
​
Here's the synopsis: 
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally is a book I'm really looking forward to reading. This is the seventh book in the Hundred Oaks series, a series of companion contemporary novels. Miranda Kenneally really knows how to write a romance and she's one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her books include Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker, Racing Savannah and Jesse's Girl. All beautifully written, hilarious and lovely stories. I reviewed each and every one, if you're interested, which I think you should be, because these books are simply magnificent.

Synopsis: 
Taylor’s always felt pressure to be perfect. That’s what happens when you are a senator’s daughter. So when she’s kicked out of private school for covering for her boyfriend’s not-so-legal behavior, she is devastated.

Things go from bad to worse as she joins what used to be her rival soccer team at Hundred Oaks High. The only person who seems to understand all that she’s going through is her older brother’s best friend, Ezra. But Ezra has secrets of his own. Will Taylor repeat past mistakes, or can she score a fresh start?

Expected: July 1, 2016
(no cover released) 

Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman is a book I'm especially looking forward to. This is the sequel to that book I recently review (and absolutely loved) called Legacy of Kings. This series follows Alexander the Great in his teen years (it's fantasy so it's not exactly historical fact, though, interesting fact, Eleanor Herman is a historian.) I really loved this book, it's plot, idea, and especially its characters. I grew very attached, very quickly as well as getting intriguing from page one. I highly recommend this book to any of you fantasy lovers. 

release date: June 28, 2016, no cover released. 

The Fifth book in the Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes is one I eagerly anticipate. As my last review shows, I absolutely fell in love with this series after reading the Frozen Tides, the fourth book (I've reviewed all four books, if you want to check them out). The characters and plot of this series are fascinating (well, I don't like one character, but whatever.) Anyway, there is no title or cover or even release date for this book aside from 2016, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with that. 

The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson is the last book in the Remnant Chronciles, which I've been reading pretty much since the first book was released. I will be sad to see this series go. The ending of the second book, Heart of Betrayal, left me with some questions, mainly about Kaden, my favorite character. I seriously cannot wait for this book. Since Books 1 and 2 were excellent and intriguing reads, I expect no less from the last book.  Full of deception, romance, betrayal and action, this is one of my favorite series and I cannot stress how excited I am for this last book. (Please, someone read this series so I can talk about it with you!!) 
Release date: August 2, 2016

Since I'm running out of time, I'll just list my last two books now, Power by Jennifer Armentrout, and The Last Star by Rick Yancy.  Power in the second book in the Titan Series, a spin off of Jennifer Armentrout's magnificent Covenant books, following my personal favorite character, Seth. I hear Alex is going to show up in this book. I do believe this is going to be a lot of fun. (I did review The Return (Book 1) I think...) 
Released: February 23, 2015
The Last Star is the last (haha) book in the 5th Wave series. You may recognize the name from the movie that's coming out, yeah, that's based on these books and I'm very excited to see it. It's coming out this month!! And I'm very very excited to read the Last Star. I can't wait to see more of Cassie and Evan... and Ben, I guess.  I'm sure this will be an explosive finale and I can hardly wait to read it. 
Released: May 24, 2016

Thanks for reading, feel free to email me for a personal book recommendation (anjimeibooks@gmail.com) :)
​-Anj

I'm going to start this post off by profoundly apologizing for not posting in over a month. The month of April has (had?) been a seriously busy month for me (I'm now a year older, just saying). I've had to stay up late doing homework so by the time I was done, all I wanted to do was sleep. I haven't had much time to read, so a book review has not been posted. Also, as you may know I have a rule about only reading one book at a time, so if I started one I have to finish it before starting another. Well, a month ago I started Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers and was not impressed by the first 150 pages or so. So... I may have been avoiding reading it for a while, also. Hopefully I'll motivate myself to pick it up again soon. 
Surprisingly enough, this post was not made to vehemently apologize for not posting in ages. I decided that since I haven't read anything in and while and haven't ordered any new books (I'm working on it) I'm going to make a book tag post! I've been wanting to make one for a while now bt haven't been able to get around to it because a. I had a book to read b. I had a book review to write c. I had homework or d. I had other things to do. But at the moment, I don't have any of those so I was like, I haven't posted in forever so why not make a book tag post? So normally book tags are created on BookTube and made in videos. But 1. videos take forever to edit and post and 2. I'm not too good at talking to a camera. I'm much better blogging, so why not just make a tag in blog form? It gets the same point across. 
Anyway, the Social Media Book Tag is a tag comparing books to some popular social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter. I'll link all my social media sites along with the book that goes with them. Feel free to follow/friend me on any one of them :). 
Alright, enough of the chit chat (chit type?) Let's get started on this book tag. 

A favorite book that is short... hmm... I like a lot of short books. Also I what I consider short is what others consider long... The first thing that pops into my head after the words 'favorite short book' at the moment is *drum roll* Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally 

This is so hard! I have so many books with GORGEOUS covers! But out of my favorite books... I'd have to say my favorite book covers are the SHADOWHUNTER CHRONICLES (by Cassandra Clare, you know, the books I make references to in like every one of my reviews) (AND LIKE ONE OF MY FAVORITE FAVORITE FAVORITE SERIES)

Wait- what? You're saying I have to chose one? Ugh. Okay I choose. Clockwork Princess. And City of Heavenly Fire. And Clockwork Angel. And- OKAY those three are my top three favorite covers of this series, I'll stop there, okay? But I can't limit it any more. CASSIE WHY ART THOU COVERS SO GORGEOUSLY BEAUTIFUL?! 
Synopsis for City of Bones: 
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



Synopsis for Clockwork Angel: 
Magic is dangerous; but love is more dangerous still. 

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London's dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters; including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. 

Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them.... 

That depends, would it be turned into a craptastic movie like City of Bones or a marvelous movie like... Harry Potter? If we're going the Harry Potter Route, I have lots and lots of books I'd like to see turned into movies. Contemporaries are especially easy to turn into movies because they're cheap and can be just as good as an action movie if you write the script right. So for this question I'm going to give two (shhh I'm not cheating) a contemporary and an action) 
UGH THERE ARE SO MANY

Sadly I wasn't able to fit all my favorite books into this tag and I'm going to restrain myself from recommending my whole bookshelf to y'all. This is a hard choice but... A book I recomend to everyone is... Drum Roll? 
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OBSIDIAN BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT 
This book was simply fantastic. The plot of the series is great, it doesn't make aliens cheesy or embarrassing rot read about and it invigoratingly new and refreshing. It's an easy read that you'll get through in one sitting if you can. The action is spot on, as is the romance and the dialogue is down right hilarious. If you haven't read this book yet, I don't know what you've been up to but this book is seriously good stuff guys. I'll love y'all forever if you read it (and like it)
Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring… until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something… unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

This book was so emotional for me. I bought it on IBooks the day it came out and I do not regret it at all. My only problem? CASSANDRA IT WAS TOO SHORT! I NEED MORE! Like I can't wait a number of weeks for the next book. Ugh :( I already missed the TMI gang but I didn't realize how much until I read this book. And seriously, Cassie, you gotta give me more TMI gang than just a few pages! 
Like all Cassandra Clare books, this book was hilarious, emotional and everything else you look for in a novel, much less a novella. It was cute, funny and a great read. I'd give this fantastic novella a 9/10 stars, Cassie did not disappoint. Just, give me more! I need it! 
Welcome to the Shadowhunter Academy is about Simon.  
*SPOILERS BELOW FOR CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE*

Simon is now going to ascend. And instead of getting trained by the gang so I can see more of my beloved characters, the little dip watt decides to choose to go to the newly opened Shadowhunter Academy. In the Academy, Simon meets new friends and better not forget the gang or replace them because otherwise I will personally find him and strangle him. Okay, so he has to learn to fit in and find out who his real friends are. 

Official synopsis: (without slightly biased opinions about the characters) 

After living as a Mundane and a Vampire, Simon never thought he would become a Shadowhunter, but today he begins his training at Shadowhunter Academy.


... It's pretty short. 

And without further ado!

SPOILERS BELOW FOR WELCOME TO THE SHADOWHUNTER ACADEMY 


Aw it was emotional to hear about Simon and his mom. And how he felt about his mom after everything that happened. The relationships in this book felt so real, I can't wait until TDA because I want a full Cassie Clare book to cry over. But I love Rebecca and Si's relationship. It's cute and surprisingly loving for siblings, haha. Though, it's mentioned in COB that Simon's the youngest of three children, I wonder if that was a typo or if it was purposeful. 
"We're pretty tight, aren't we?" LMFAO this was too good. If only Simon could remember his and Jace's wonderful tight relationships.  
"Absolutely. We're like this." He crossed two of his fingers together. "Actually, we're more like this." he tried to cross them again. (JACE I LOVE YOU) "We had a little bit of initial tension, as you may later recall, but that was all cleared up when you came to me and confessed you were struggling with your feelings of intense jealousy over my- these were your words- stunning good looks and irritable charm."
As I mentioned before, Jace and Clary I MISSED THEIR RELATIONSHIPS SO MUCH IT WAS AMAZING AND CUTE AND I MEAN IS AND I NEED MORE. 
'Possibly he and Isabelle could do a photoshoot for Badass Monthly'
That is something I'd be willing to buy. 
"Her hand so little and his barely bigger. He'd felt so big then, though, big and proud and responsible for her. He had been determined not to let her down." 
AWWW
"And take care of Jace, that poor, helpless blond." 
"He did not know the warrior way of being bros." 
"Don't think I'll be waiting around." BS IZZY! #SIZZYMOMENT #THEFEELS #DYING
I felt like crying it was so emotional, it felt like being with old friends? #loner ?
"Is that a weapon?" 
"Uh, no, it's a tennis racket." 
Okay when she started mentioning Jordan I just wanted to ball my eyes out, I miss that beautiful werewolf. 
"Due to laziness in the 1700's." haha Georgie, Jessie wasn't lazy per say, just, strong willed? 
"No, I'm just ordinary, but my best friend found out she was the daughter of this really bad guy. And the sister of this other really bad guy. She had the worst luck with relatives. I got mixed up in it, and to tell you the truth..." 
REALLY BAD GUY no really? 
I just really craved the TMI gang throughout this book. 
Jonathan, stop lying, Jace don't know y'all. You're just an annoying looser who can barely fight, ha, why would Jace waste his time with you? 
MEMORIES OF CLARY. THE FEELS, MY FRIENDS, THE FEELS. 
"I might have bitten him. A tiny bit. It was more of a nibble, really." 
Please, Si, stop thinking about Jordan. 
Okay so I loved seeing Izzy, and her declaration? FEELS MUCH? 
But then after what Simon said to her? I was ready to beat the living hell out of that kid. 
The Lord Montegomory conversation was too good. Don't remember it? Look it up. Pg. 116

Been a while since I've posted one of these, eh? That's because I haven't bought a lot of books in a while. So... I got a few books recently off Amazon but I'm going to include a few books that I bought and never included in a haul. Let's start off with the ones I got ages ago, shall we?