"HALO" by Alexandra Adornetto

After finishing "City Of Fallen Angels" (the fourth book in The Mortal Instruments. Will write a review a bit later) yesterday, I started another Young Adult fiction series by Alexandra Adornetto. The first is called "Halo" and the second "Hades".
To be honest, a few chapters in, I'm not really enjoying it. The characters are kinda boring and so is the plot. Maybe I should wait and carry on then I'll like it. I chose to read reviews which was a great mistake because I'd say three quarters of them were negative.

When I saw that the author was only eighteen, I was a bit interested. It said on the inside cover in the back of the book that she published her first book at fourteen in australia (where she was living at the time). That seems to be an overwhelming achievement.
As I would like to become an author one day, that did interest me a little bit. I am turning fourteen this may so to imagine myself in her situation is definitely weird. It must have been very hard to juggle writing and school. I write but I cant imagine sending anything out to a publisher at fourteen.
Not to sound catty, but Alexandra seemed to have got it easy. Other reviewers said that they have been trying for years to get published and all she did was send something to
Harper Collins (I think it was that) without a publisher and boom, she got published.

I don't like giving up on books so I'll try and continue though it may possibly be a waste of time.
Wish me luck.

The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones

I have read a multitude of reviews based on this book, some positive some negative. People, based on the many reviews, either really hated it or loved it. I for one, did enjoy the book.

From the very first page, author Cassandra Clare drew me into the book until I was hooked. Admittedly, That didn't take very long. Some aspects of the plot weren't so original but other main aspects were unique. The world she created was indeed imaginative and alluring.
In the world she created, she has:
Kick ass Vampires,
A new take on werewolves,
Warlocks, (the half demon half human spawn)
The Fey (fairies that are half angel half demon),
Demons (obviously)
Shadow Hunters(Nephilium) amongst others *ahem ahem Silent Brothers*
The shadow hunter thing did ooze with coolness, with the whole slaying demons and all that. I mean half angel and half human that can kick some demon ass! It doesn't get much better than that.
The story is full of action and unsuspected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A fast paced book And yes, there is some bits added for dramatic effect, but isn't that better? If the book drawled on slower than a snail's pace, I would personally want to throw the book at the wall in irritation.
To be honest, I did guess quite a few twist right but it was fun trying to figure out what was going to happen because most of the time, Cassie doesn't go for the obvious. It's quite shameful the satisfaction I felt when I got something right. *Enter victory dance with moves I cannot personally do here*. I think that guessing the plot twists was all part of the wonderful experience. It's a story world I'd love to live in. Cassie writes the book beautifully; the reader not only reads the story as it goes along, but they feel as they are there living it. A unique talent.
All the characters had depth to them, especially Clarissa fray's (the main character) love interest, shadowhunter Jace wayland(who all the fan girls drool over). Clary coped with the situation very well, her state of denial was short and sweet which kept the book moving forward.
I would say the bad villain of the book wasn't the stereotypical bad guy. He wasn't all "I'll kill you and everyone you ever knew!" Type of villain. He wanted to do something he believed in though it wasn't right. Wasn't very terrifying but Cassie did manage to make me annoyed at Valentine. I hope the next two contain more evilness!
Overall, a brilliant read for me.
5/5 :)

Grr

I just wrote an extremely Long review concerning the Mortal Instruments and it didn't publish so I lost it. I shall have to start over again. *sighs*

Cassandra Clare.

Since my last post, I have read a multitude of books that were really interesting(will list them at a later date), but one author that stood out for me is Cassandra Clare.
Cassandra Clare is a Young Adult author who has written absolutely fantastic best selling series' "The Mortal Instruments" and "The Infernal Devices".
Both are set in a fantasy world filled with mysterious shadow hunters, sexy warlocks, immortal vampires, demons and so much more.
The mortal instruments is set in modern day, the first series of the two to capture the worlds attention. Now, after 5 million copies in print, the first book is being adapted in a film starring Lilly Collins (the blind side,abduction) as Clary fray and Jamie Campbell power (twilight, Camelot) as Jace wayland.
The Infernal Devices, an equally thrilling trilogy set in the Victorian era will capture your heart and melt it into pieces. The first book, Clockwork Angel, was released in 2009 to the ravenous fans of the mortal instruments. The last book, named the Clockwork Princess has not been published and is expected to be released sometime in 2013.

This is just a small post regarding the series', don't worry, I shall be writing detailed reviews for each book soon. :)

"Dark Heart Forever" by Lee Monroe Review

"Dark Heart Forever" Review

I have decided to write a review on a book I have just read. *contains spoilers*

The official sypnosis of the book is:
 "Jane Jonas is nearing her 16th birthday and troubled by unsettling recurring dreams where the same mysterious boy her age comes to her, telling Jane that they are each other's destiny. Her mother is increasingly anxious about Jane's disruptive sleepwalking episodes, but for Jane her dream world and reality are about to collide ...

When she develops a friendship with an enigmatic stranger in town, the blond, uber-cool Evan, it's exciting, it's new, and Jane wants him more than she's ever wanted anybody - until her mystery dream boy gets in the way.

Now Jane is caught between two worlds: one familiar, but tinged with romance and excitement; the other dark and dangerous, where angels, werewolves, and an irresistible stranger are trying to seduce her ..."

First of all, I was enchanted by the very artistic front cover which definitely caught my attention. it features a girl  in a wind swept white dress and hair with a blurry wolf howling in the background.

   I had a lot of trouble with the narrative because it jumps into the story without a back story at all. I expected some flesh to Luca's storyline (how long had she been having these dreams? What happened in the dreams?) but there was nothing. In it's entirety, the narrative just left me confused. i also found that in the sypnosis "Jane Jonas is nearing her 16th birthday" can be slightly misleading because the reader would hink that the character is 15 in the duration of the book whereas in fact she turns 16 in one of the very first chapters.
Luca started appearing in her real life almost instantly but we never saw that he was in her dreams. I was confused as to if he was in her real life and no one could see him or if she was in a dream when she saw him. I had no back story on Jane either, aside from the apparently fundamental 'I'm a freak' thread that so many YA authors fall into the trap of. Usually I can go along with it but I found it startlingly painful to digest in Dark Heart Forever.
Jane mentions several times outright that she is a freak and that she was terribly bullied, but aside from the fact that she doesn't dress well, I see little to support this fact. True, she could be bullied for that but I feel the point was overdone. It was a typical 'downplay the girl to make it even more miraculous that the boy wants her in her eyes, but she's actually beautiful anyway', which leads me to the point about her hair. At least twice her "long glossy hair" was mentioned as her redeeming factor. For someone who claims to not care much for her appearance, her vanity is obvious here.
 I couldn't believe how these two boys were suddenly 'in love' with her when she had just met them both, but this thread was dealt with on Evan's side - he wasn't - and Luca knew her in his dreams (I guess he had got to know her a bit) so it wasn't much of a shock that he loves her.
   Luca, our male lead was gentle and sweet - he really couldn't bring himself to hurt anyone or anything. A lot of times in YA books the male leads are emo jerks and it was refreshing that Luca was the complete opposite of that. I liked Jane's family (Her little sister "Dot" is adorable!), I liked meeting Luca's family as well ( I just wanted to hit his younger brother Lowe at times!!!).
    Jane doesn't end up with whom you think she does right at the beginning - far from it. When you read a book nowadays you can tell almost instantly whom our main character will choose; It wasn't like that in Dark Heart Forever, but It seemed like she used both of the boys when the other wasn't around, to fill the gap. She accepts Luca's world without a second thought, barely questioning it, which did not seem entirely realistic. Maybe this young novel could grow into something amazing. We need a brilliant British paranormal YA series in the bookworld.



Overall I like the book but it could have been better in some places.
 I have given the rating 3/5 stars. 


Sorry Lee Monroe!

Books

I will try and post reviews on book series I have read, books I am currently reading and others I hope to read. I read a lot and really enjoy it so I thought of sharing my thoughts of what I read. Hope you enjoy the posts. They will probably be YA books if you are intrested.

Westlife Splitting!

Yep. You saw right. The world wide famous irish boyband have announced they are to disband next year. But before they go, they are having a greatest hits tour in May as a farewell to their beloved fans. As a plus, they  are also releasing a "greatest hits" album due out around christmas time, I believe.
I am sure many fans hearts are breaking at hearing this.