I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

And Number Three in Kenya.

They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next.



Sounds a bit dramatic, huh? I couldn't wait to get this book! I've been on the holds list at the library for ages, and the only thing that stopped me from just buying it was the fact that I've read too many mixed reviews. The book description made it sounds awesome though, in my opinion.

I'm sad to say that for me the book fell short of the description. I was thinking it would be action packed and well, different. Don't get me wrong, I did like the book, it just wasn't what I was expecting. For it to be a really spectacular book for me, it would have needed a lot less talk and a lot more action. It was a well written story, but knowing that this is the first book in a series? It makes me sad for the books that will follow.

I've talked quite a bit about series that don't have a strong starting book lately, and unfortunately this was one of those. I am really curious to see the movie now though. Anyone seen it? Or read this book? Am I the only one that was slightly disappointed??

This is a book that you are just going to have to read and decide for yourself. Like I said, I did like it. I think I'll just have to continue the series when the next book comes out in August and see where it goes from there.

Have a good weekend everyone! And as always....

Happy Reading!

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

This is the THIRD book in a series. The book description contains SPOILERS. Do not read this review (yet) if you plan on reading City of Bones and City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments series).

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters—never mind that by doing so she is breaking the Law which could mean death. Even worse, Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by Shadowhunters who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

Luckily, Clary finds an ally in mysterious Sebastian, who holds a strange attraction for her. As Valentine musters a demon army, can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their ancient hatred to work together? And can Clary harness her newfound powers to help save them all—whatever the cost?

I was talking to my friend Chaleese the other day about this series and she told me that this was only supposed to be a trilogy, but the author signed an additional three-book contract, so now there will be SIX books total. Holy mother of pearl--that's a lot of writing.

I have to say, I am so glad there will be more books. If this was the final book, I would have burned my copies of them. Or fed them to my dog. No, seriously. Any way you look at it, they would have died a horrible death.  My feelings on the matter are that you just can't make certain revelations and then tie it up with a pretty bow, tuck it away, and be done with it. Not if you want the entire (or my entire, at least) literary world to hate your guts. Forever. So I'm really happy to report that there are more books. The fourth book in this series, City of Fallen Angels, was actually released a few weeks ago. I'm curious though--where does it go from here? I have my ideas of what's going to happen as this series continues, but it's pure speculation. And I hope I'm wrong. My imagination tends to run away with me sometimes.

I also want to point out that I love Cassandra Clare. Why, you ask? I love authors that aren't afraid to kill off characters in their books. I think it would be really hard to develop a character and know them and then make them die. I applaud any writer who has the guts to do it. Cassandra Clare falls into this category. That said, killing people off doesn't work in every instance, obviously. I hate when I read a book about war though, and no one dies. C'mon. How realistic is that??

I know I was a bit dramatic at the start of this review about destroying books and all,  but I really did love this book. It had all the essential elements of a really fantastic book. It mad me laugh and it made me cry. I felt love, hatred, anger, joy, sorrow....and relief. There were revelations left and right in this book. It was like a roller coaster ride of discovery, for the characters and the reader.

This is a series you definitely don't want to miss. I am going to take a mini break before I read book four. Rest and recharge and all that. I need a new storyline and new characters for a minute. Watch for it the review though. It is coming!

Happy Reading!

Countdown to Illusions

I am so excited for this that I could literally fall over and die. But...then I'd miss it! 10 days... Just 10 more days.

CAN. NOT. WAIT.

If you've already jumped on the Wings bandwagon, then you know what's up. Illusions is the third (and much anticipated) book in the series. (10 DAYS! Eek!) You can read the first chapter of Illusions by clicking HERE!

And click HERE to read Chapter Two.


But if you are not caught up on the series, I wouldn't recommend it. :D Instead, click HERE to get a FREE copy of Wings and join the revolution. Or something. :D

Happy Reading!

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

THIS BOOK DESCRIPTION HAS SPOILERS FOR
CITY OF BONES  by Cassandra Clare.

DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE READ BOOK 1!

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go -- especially handsome, infuriating Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil -- and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings -- and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help [Valentine]?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

 

Now I can offically say that I love this series. I know it was iffy after I read City of Bones, but I really loved this book. I thought the twist at the end of the first book would ruin any hope this series had for me, but it was actually the opposite. Am I still upset about that twist? Yes. Will I ever get over it? Possibly. :D

 

I was hooked on this book from the start. I was about 100 pages in (which I devoured in one sitting) and I was thinking, How in the world am I ever going to be able to put this down?? It was that way through the entire book. This one seemed a lot more action packed than the first and it had so much less to explain, which was really nice. I wasn't constantly trying to remember everything. I just got to sit back and enjoy where the story took me.

 

I have to say that I am now 100% Team Jace. After reading this book, I felt much the way Clary did in book one--Simon?? Who's Simon? Things with Simon really change in this book, City of Ashes. Although I still feel bad for him, I don't want Clary to be with him. Is that horrible of me? After Clary, Jace, Simon and Isabelle went to the Seelie Court in this book, everything changed for me. Ahh! Just read it!

 

This is most definitely a series you don't want to miss. And yes, it's now officially buy-worthy. Which is good, since I bought them all to begin with. :)

 

Happy Reading!

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

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.

I am almost hesitant to put up a review for this book. The reason being that this is a series. There have been quite a few series that I didn't love the first book but ended up loving the series. Example: the Vampire Academy series, The Hourglass Door series, and, believe it or not- The Seven Realms series (which is now probably my very favorite). It's not that I hated the first book in these series, they were just...slow. They were/are all books the I liked, while I loved the rest of the books following them. (Does that even make sense?? I'm struggling today.)

My point is-- I liked this book, didn't love it. But I am excited to read the next one to see what happens.

I enjoyed the characters in this book. I loved Clary and Jace, of course, but I found myself kind of rooting for Simon. Crazy, I know. That's like being Team Jacob or Team Gale. (Wink, wink) I felt so bad for him though. The whole book Clary would be doing something and then think Oh, I totally forgot about Simon. Simon? Who's Simon? Oh well. Really? He's your best friend! It kind of made me want to slap her. But then, I'd probably do the same thing in the presence of Jace. Which leads me to my next thought...

Why is it that in real life, (the majority of) guys with long hair just look scraggy? It seriously makes me want to break into their homes and shave their heads while they sleep. But in books, guys with long hair-- especially with some curl-- sound so hot?? Oh how I love fiction-- it makes anything possible. :D

As for the storyline, I really liked it, even though parts of it were so unoriginal. Mainly, the villain's evil plot to rid the world of any "unpure" blood. (cough, cough Hitler!) How many times have I read this idea in books lately? A lot. One that immediately comes to mind- the Harry Potter series. I'm okay with that though. It obviously makes for a good villain theme or there wouldn't be so many books with it woven in. My guess is that one of Valentine's parents is going to be a mundane or Downworlder or something, so really he's not a pure blood either. Just like Voldemort was half Muggle and just like Hitler was half Jewish. Just a guess though.

Anyway, I'm off to start on book two, City of Ashes. I'm going to say that this is one you should definitely read, but I'm going to hold off on saying it's "buy-worthy" until I read more of the series. Until then...

Happy Reading!

And the winner is....

My little B has spoken!

The winner of The Demon King is Stacy!!

Congratulations!

A big, HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway. It was so much fun to read through the comments and see what books you're looking forward to. There were many that I added to my "To Be Read" pile. Thanks again everyone!

I have the best readers in the world. :D

Happy Reading!!

**Edit: I should also mention that for a limited time, you can get the ebook of Wings by Aprilynne Pike from Amazon for FREE! It's the Kindle version of it, but you don't need a Kindle to download it. You can download it to your PC. Handy, huh? If you haven't read this book yet, you are missing out!! It's the first book in a series, and the third one comes out next month. Hence, why they are doing this promotion for Wings. Anyway, to get it, click HERE and scroll down. It's #19 right now, but that may change. Enjoy!

Last Chance!!

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway! In case you forgot, I am giving away The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima. This is the first in a truly amazing series. You don't want to miss out! To enter click HERE and follow the instructions in the post. Remember, you need to be/become a follower AND leave me a comment telling me what books you are looking forward to reading this year.

If I don't get any new entries today, I'm going to put your names in a hat and let my three-year-old pick one at random.... MEANING: I'll announce the winner early! If there are more entries today then you'll just have to be patient and wait until tomorrow. :D

And since I forgot to post what books I am looking forward to, here they are:

• Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
• Crossed by Ally Condie
• Illusions by Aprilynne Pike
• The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum
• The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima (of course!)

These are just a few. :D

Now go enter!

Happy Reading!