City of Ashes

Rating: ****

"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 her handsome, infuriating, new found brother, 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 their father?

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"

The second book of The Mortal Instruments, one of the most beloved book series, is much better than the first. Well, it wasn't much much better but so many things have changed and those changes are the reason the series started to sizzle through me and make me like it.  

   The very main reason I didn't like the beginning of this book and the first one is the mere fact that (a) so many details are added though are not necessary and (b) Jace, the male protagonist, is a pain in the butt. I didn't like him as much as William (from the Infernal Devices trilogy) though they both held the same mind and same attitude. What I also wasn't in favor of is the lack of some interesting details at the beginning. Well, the prologue was intriguing but not the first 100 or so pages. 

   Progressing with the book, things changed more than you can imagine. A lot of very intriguing details took course and a lot of twists and mind blowers emerged out of the pages. Along with Cassandra's magnificent sense of description and accurate writing style, the book seemed as though a screamer, letting you never put it down. At the last 200 pages, events flamed and everything started to seem right. Although at first, Clary and Jace said stupid things and demanded stupid demands, they suddenly became mature enough and Jace, who was the baddest character in my opinion, turned a very pleasant young man. 

   As for the relationships, things were shocking in the first book so the romance wasn't as pleasant in this one. All feelings started to cross through all the characters and everything started to slip through the reader's control. Like the writer wanted crazy things to happen, making the reader crazy for a crazy single second. But when you get back on track, you'll smile for what happened - right after the cries and laughs and smiles and the 'Oh La La's.  

   However, Simon, of course, changed in a very very remarkable way and he began to make the story rotate around his own orbit too. He became important along with new characters. Isabelle got more fabulous and Alex more brother-y, if I might say. 

   Valentine, in my opinion, is one of the most beautifully created villain; smart, splendorous and crazy! Oh yes, he is more than just crazy ... though cruel and devious, he is one of the best characters that Cassandra got the chance to fabricate. 

   Lastly, the thing about the book in general is that it slows at the beginning and then gets better at the end so it is indeed very much enjoyable, a book that travels with you into a world of danger, fantasy and forbidden romance. 

"It is indeed beautifully written and greatly stitched with fantasy. As Stephanie Meyers said: 'It is a story world I love!'" 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children,

                                                                               

Rating: *****

" A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows. " 

This book was one of my most anticipated reads since it was published but I hadn't had the chance to read it until this year. It has not just become one of the coziest books I have read but rather the ones that implanted superior ideas of fiction in my little brain.

   When I started reading this beautiful book, the first thing that came to my mind is that it will be a somehow repetitive horror book of fantasy but, surprisingly, it didn't. Ransom Riggs didn't just work on creating a whole new plot line with very unique characters but also a very distinctive environment where supernatural things happen. The story begins with the introduction about the grandfather who - as referred to by the main characters - a very mysterious and slightly crazy old man. He always told the main character, Jacob, of so many tales about different children with super abilities. Of course, Jacob thought they were fairy tales until one day these creatures - monsters to be exact - murder the grandfather. 

   Jacob hallucinates about all the things that he saw in his grandfather's backyard until the day comes for him to know the truth about the school.

   He travels ... He fights ... He unravels the mystery and uncloaks a world full of black beauty! 

   The reason I liked this book, besides its originality, is the factor of seduction. It is not the fastest in its events but the details used are stitched together to let the story flow in a chain of enthusiasm. Once you realize the exquisiteness of it, it will sure call you from above the shelves. 

   For the characters, they were greatly developed as any other fictitious ones, owning the unique elements. They are not a vague collection of emotions but some of them contain one particular thing that would to you: they are old people in the bodies of children! This particular fact made everything seem rearranged in my mind, something I am not very much used to. Like, they are wise and intelligent in a way old people are but in the pictures, they’re kids with permanent smiles.
   The style used wasn't the best. Ransom Riggs, however, is a very talented author. He uses a lot of images and a lot of delicate details and accurate descriptions, which - in my opinion - are very mandatory in a fantasy book with a whole new world to describe for the readers. Along with the pictures the book included, the words made the whole events play inside my mind in full HD ... like a great movie I would watch over and over again just to make sure that I take care of all the details, not wanting to pass the smallest of them. 

   Over all, I can say that all the factors fabricated in this tale are but the best you can ever find in a satisfying fantasy book: beauty, best world, originality and a little spice of romance!

"It is a perfectly built piece of fantasy, woven to attract the reader into a world of splendor, mystery, horror and goosebumps."