ramenfordays:

I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.
-Edgar Allan Poe

I had a hard time getting through this book. We’re supposed to like the relationship between Kaylee and Nash, but other than the fact that they are both bean sidhes and are attracted to one another, there is nothing else there. Where are the common interests? What are their thoughts about one another (aside from Nash being ~OMGSOHOT) and their opinions? They never have discussions about things other than bean sidhes, hellions, demons, reapers, etc. and this is a huge problem for me. It’s like they’ve meshed into one character and it’s such a disappointment.

Also bothering me is that we hardly see any interaction with Kaylee and Emma, unless Emma is doing Kaylee a favor (such as covering for her, or borrowing her car.) You would think that Emma’s near death last book would have opened Kaylee’s eyes and she’d want to spend time with her best friend, seeing as she almost lost her. forever. But, no. She just wants to spend time with Nash. Nash, Nash, Nash. Someone who has absolutely no depth, and she doesn’t even have decent conversations with. And then it seems like the author is casually working up to some Nash-Kaylee-Tod triangle. Just what we need, 2 brothers in love with a girl that is extremely naive, hypocritical, gets in over her head and puts other people in danger.

The continuity is that great either. I specifically remember at one point in the book Kaylee is thinking about how she has surpassed her curfew and is going to be late, then later in the book when she gets grounded she is thinking to herself how she “forgot about her curfew because too many things were happening” when she was actually very much aware of the fact that she was purposely ignoring her curfew earlier. Little things like this are just a minor annoyance, but still annoying, nonetheless.

I feel like the author doesn’t realize how long it actually takes to get from Arlington to Dallas. I feel like she portrays it as just a drive up the road when in actuality it takes about 20-30 minutes to get from Arlington to Dallas, and that’s without traffic. So sometimes I don’t understand how they can get to and from places so fast. I still find it neat that the book is set in my home of north Texas though, as this doesn’t happen very often.

I will give the series a second chance and hope the third installment isn’t as boring and repetitive (Awkward scenes of Nash and Kaylee dry humping all. the. time., Painful descriptions of Nash’s good looks and her insecurities about the popular jock wanting her for one thing she isn’t even giving up. Surely he wouldn’t risk his life several times just for a lay so she needs to get over it or break up with him if she can’t.) I saw that the next book has a better rating overall than this one so i’m hopeful. I just have a hard time reading a series where I don’t particularly care for the two main characters. Tod is a different story, though. 

2/5 

 I wish that I could give this book more stars, but truth is, I can’t. Yes, the story is enchanting and magical, but what else can you expect from a story about a circus? I did enjoy this book, but I had to force myself to get through the first half because it’s terribly slow and descriptive. If you like descriptive books without much dialogue, this book is for you. If you like a lot of action in a book, this book is NOT for you. I was expecting an actual battle but was disappointed when none ever came about. The “battle” includes the two rivals creating new and exciting tents in the circus. I felt a little cheated.

I never felt emotionally connected with the characters. I never felt that they loved each other. I was told that they love each other and chose to believe it. That is a big difference that I don’t really care for. While, I might not have felt connected to the characters but they were very likable, and there wasn’t one person that I hated.

What I did love about the book was the circus itself. It captivated me from the very beginning and I just wanted to know more about it. It was mystical and mesmerizing. Each new room that was added was so alluring that I wanted to be there, at Le Cirque des Rêves, to go through each tent myself.

I received this book as an ARC through Goodreads and I’m very pleased that I did. I wish I could have given more stars but the story started off too slow, didn’t have any action, and I felt no connection to the characters. Overall, I was pleased with this book and would recommend it to others. I would also love to see Summit go through with plans for a movie. 3/5 

I finished this book a while back but i’m just now getting around to posting my review on my Tumblr (posted on my Blogger last month) for it.

I just finished this book and although I had high hopes for it, I’m still not sure how I feel about it.  I do know that i’m really annoyed and frustrated.  I can’t stand careless and selfish protagonists that are supposed to be “smart” but are actually really stupid.

Calla is the Alpha of the Nightshade pack and Ren is the Alpha of the Bane pack and they were basically born so that one day they would be united into one pack. Calla goes against the pack rules and intervenes with fate and saves a hiker’s (Shay) life only to find out that not only is he the new kid at school but also the reason Calla has begun to question her “fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known.”

Alright, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  This whole book is basically about a love triangle with action packed in at the end.  Calla isn’t sure she can trust Ren because he has a reputation. Even though they have been promised too each other their whole lives you get the feeling that they weren’t very close before the book.  Calla, for some odd reason, finds herself unusually attracted to Shay, just a normal human boy.   Really though, I think you could place any attractive male in from of Calla and her hormones would go crazy.  I felt like she was in heat this entire book, and not in the good way.    She messed around with 2 different men the entire book but I think we’re actually supposed to feel sorry for her.  Instead, I found myself angry with her. And yet she was still judging Ren for his reputation.  so laughable.

Usually I go for the forbidden romance cliches, but not this time.  I don’t see why Calla is so drawn to Shay.  He’s hot and is apparently intelligent because he reads Hobbes.  But I couldn’t find it within myself to like him.  When Ren and Calla decide to to get closer because their union is getting closer all we hear from Shay is how Ren thinks Calla is his property.  Shay was just as bad as Ren.  He was just as pushy as Ren, if not more.  Shay constantly charmed his way into getting Calla to do things she really didn’t want to do and constantly forced his opinions and ideas on her.  I felt that Ren truly loved Calla, but Calla didn’t deserve the love of Ren.

Calla spends the entire book making rash decision after rash decision and acting on impulse.   I couldn’t believe how she could just give everything up over someone she just met.  She didn’t even know him but continued to tell him about things no other human knew, the Guardians (basically their term for werewolf).   Again, the act of a supposedly smart girl being so very stupid.   I probably would have liked Shay more if his character was built up more.  I felt like the Author was saying “Oh look, here’s an attractive man that reads books and is sweet, so you MUST like him.”  Sure, he was sweet  but he was also whiny, manipulative, presumptuous,  and pretentious.

I got confused a couple of times because we are thrust into this story and all these terms like “Seekers,” “Wraiths,” and “Searchers” are being thrown around and we don’t actually find out what any of this means until later on in the book.  It was actually pretty messy.  And the end was extremely predictable.  I actually guessed what would happen pretty early on in the book, sadly. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I liked the book.  I didn’t think it was bad but I’ve definitely read better.  It was much better than the past two doozies I’ve read.  I will continue on with the series, it just won’t be a top priority.

3/5

I read the first three books of The Mortal Instruments series within days of starting them and was so into the series I pre-ordered City of Fallen Angels. It took me over two weeks to finally get through this book. It just wasn’t exciting for me. I had to force myself to keep reading throughout most of the book. After about 1/3 of the way through, it picked up a little bit but it still wasn’t up to par with the other books. I honestly believe the series should have ended with City of Glass. Don’t get me wrong, CoFA wasn’t horrible, It just wasn’t that good.

I did like seeing more of how The Infernal Devices ties in with The Mortal Instruments, so that was a plus (I prefer TID over TMI.) Jace and Clary were more annoying this time around with their hot and then cold “relationship,” Jace’s self loathing, and Clary’s inability to listen and do as she’s told . Everything was just a repeat of the past books. Another thing that really bothered me was the message this book puts out about abuse, [highlight to view spoiler] Right after Jace purposely cuts Clary with a dagger during a hot make-out session, Clary says, “you would never hurt me” Uh, did you just miss the part where he sliced your arm from your elbow to your wrist. But it’s okay because an evil demon has been making him have nightmares about doing it for weeks. Seriously, Clare? and relationships. Clearly, the relationship between Jace and Clary is unhealthy.

I felt the ending was way too contrived. I will continue to read the series only to see what happens with the characters I actually like (Isabelle, Magnus, Alec, Simon) but I will read it before, and if, I buy it this time.