Be aware there are minor spoilers for the book below In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother. Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons? When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned... Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments! I have always been an avid fan of 'The Mortal Instruments' original trilogy, I loved them. I thought they were fresh and innovative and the characters were brilliant. Then it was announced there would be a second trilogy to follow on from the first and continue the story, and I got excited all over again about another chance to go back into this world I'd loved so much. But there was something about books four, five and now six that didn't quite recapture the magic I'd felt with the original three. So I was looking forward to 'City of Heavenly Fire' but it wasn't with the burning enthusiasm I had come to associate with Cassandra Clare, and for me personally the book really didn't live up to my previous hype and excitement. Don't get me wrong it's still a fantastic book with a compelling story and a host of complex and beautifully written characters, but there were a few things that just let the book down for me. Firstly it could have benefited from some heavy editing in places. There were places where it became so bogged down in description (particularly of peoples hair and eye colour which I only have a limited amount of interest in when there are wars on the horizon) that I really had to fight to keep my interest going. My second big gripe is with a series of this scope with such a vast array of characters, I expected the stakes to be higher and for there to be more deaths. Maybe I've been watching too much Game of Thrones, but for me personally, if there's a massive war with battles all over the place, I expect there to be some casualties. I want to feel the stakes and how desperately the remaining characters want to win - to avenge and revenge those they've lost, and we just didn't get that. We had one death, one almost death and a tragic moment with a character that was on the way to being resolved by the end of the epilogue. It didn't feel real (yes I know, this is a book about demon hunters, but bear with me.) I want to be desperate for these characters, I want to cry for them and feel for them and be terrified that not all of them will survive. I don't want needless death, but on a war of this scale to have every one of the main characters survive and have a happy ending felt like a bit of a let down. So I enjoyed the book. It was great, a fantastic bit of escapism with some characters I love and a world I've come to adore. The banter was brilliant, the plot was on the whole great, apart from a few parts where it dragged (but that takes us back to the editing) and it was fantastic to get another glimpse at these characters, and even to tie in some characters from Cassie's Clockwork series. But I didn't finish the book and the series feeling satisfied. I felt a little nonplussed, and if I'm honest, a little bit let down. But that's just one person, I'd love to know how you felt about the ending to the series, let me know in the comments section below.
It feels like we've had a sudden flurry of truly spectacularly heart stopping awesome coming at all sides for all fandoms over the last few weeks, but more noticeably in the last few days. Everything from logos, to stills for upcoming tv episodes, to the incredible episodes themselves, to some truly spectacularly jam packed teaser trailers that have have highlighted once more just how long we now have to wait before we get the full thing! It's been the end of an era with The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn part 2 finally coming to town tomorrow, and is it just me or do the trailers look as though they finally might have struck the right note on their last outing? We've got new excitements in old friends - yes Hobbit, I am indeed looking at you and the soundtrack stream that Empire had up on their website this week. Friends that keep on getting better and better with some highly intriguing flashbacks from The Vampire Diaries, and some new book to film adaptations that look set to fill up the void that Potter and Twilight have left behind. So without further ado here are my top four awesome picks that have had my heart racing. I defy anyone who is part of The Vampire Diaries fandom to not swoon at one or both of these pictures - I think more than one person lost the use of their knees at the sight of Damon in uniform. Two weeks running these are stills from episodes seven and eight of Season 4. The only downside is that we have a week's hiatus to get to that point. It's ok, we can be strong though - we've got these to see us through! The whole of Season four though deserves a mention, not just for little tiny spoilers and teasers like these ones, but because week after week this has to be one of the most solid seasons we've seen on an already incredible show. Can you tell I'm enjoying it?... Next up we have the trailer for The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I first read the book when it was initially released, so I'm a little bit hazy on most of the ins and outs of the plot, but I remember the basics. I also remember it being wildly different from The Twilight Saga, so don't go judging it just because you see Meyer's name attached to it.
Possibly due to the length of time that it's been since I read the book I really haven't been excited about the film for this one at all, it just hasn't cropped up on my radar, but when this finally snuck up on me it most definitely caught my attention. It's a great trailer, it definitely showcases how different this world and idea is from Twilight, and it doesn't hurt that they've used 'Radioactive' by Imagine Dragons as the music in the trailer.
Next up is the trailer for Warm Bodies based on the book of the same name by Isaac Marion. I loved the book, and I don't do zombie romance, so that is an impressive feat all of its own. In fact it's not really a romance, forget I ever said that. It's funny, it's dark, it's poetic and beautiful and apparently Marion has a lot of issues regarding the marketing of his book in some cases as Young Adult, which just makes me want to throw things. It also makes it ironic that Stephenie Meyer blurbed it, and doubly ironic that the 'What Are You?' moment in the trailer, the girl looks almost exactly like Kristen Stewart from Twilight... Personal preferences aside though, the trailer looks fantastic - faster paced than I imagined, but it still captured a lot of what I imagined whilst I read it perfectly.
And really, what could possibly beat the teaser trailer released last night for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones based on the book of the same name by Cassandra Clare. I remember seeing the first picture on day one of filming and being filled with this incredible excitement that these characters were being pulled out of the page and brought to life for me - and this has just magnified that feeling a thousand fold. Everything is perfect, the casting, the music, I literally cannot watch it just once, it pulls me in, it gives me goosebumps, and I keep squeeing about to anyone who will listen. "Welcome to the City of Bones..." So what has your blood racing at the moment, any trailers I've missed or hot excitements you're shrieking about? Tell me all about them in the comments below!
