Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

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.

Review: The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin

Please be aware that there are spoilers for the book in this review, and if you haven’t yet read the book I recommend waiting before continuing to read this review.

In 1875, Sisi, the Empress of Austria is the woman that every man desires and every woman envies. Beautiful, athletic and intelligent, Sisi has everything -- except happiness.
Bored with her dutiful Empress life in Vienna she comes to England to hunt. She comes looking for excitement and she finds it in the dashing form of Captain Bay Middleton. Then years younger than her, Bay has everything to lose by falling for a woman who can never be his, for he is promised to Charlotte. But Bay and the Empress are reckless as each other, and their mutual attraction is a force that cannot be denied. 
‘The Fortune Hunter’ tells the true story of a nineteenth century Queen of Hearts and cavalry captain, and the struggle between love and duty.

I was torn by ‘The Fortune Hunter’. It was a very well written novel, filled with the level of detail that makes the events feel incredibly real whilst you’re immersed in the text, but whilst I was involved and desperate to continue reading, I was left feeling a little disappointed at the end.

I adored ‘My Last Duchess’ Daisy Goodwin’s first book, so I was very excited to realise that she had a new historical novel out. However there were a bundle of problems that marred my enjoyment of ‘The Fortune Hunter’ so that whilst it was still an enjoyable read, it was knocked from being the favourite I was expecting.

My biggest issue was the treatment of Charlotte. At the start of the novel it felt as though this was to be a love story for Bay and Charlotte, and given Bay’s declarations and feelings for Charlotte, I was more than a little bit shocked when a third of the way through the book Bay suddenly becomes completely infatuated with the Empress Elizabeth. His behaviour and treatment of Charlotte is abominable from this point on and I found myself completely disgusted with Bay and unable to invest in his story with the Empress, or with Charlotte from that point on. I was slightly appeased when Charlotte discovered his treachery and refused to have anything to do with him, but of course, she relents.

I realise that I am reading this from a modern view point and that some of Bay’s behaviour would have been not only acceptable but almost expected, and particularly given that he was at the beck and call of an Empress, he was in a particularly difficult position. However that doesn’t really excuse his behaviour. He treats Charlotte abominably, and he dallies with both women to get the one with the fortune at the end and with no recriminations whatsoever.

It left a sour taste in my mouth, as I kept hoping that Charlotte would retain her backbone and not take Bay back after all that. Her complete denial of Bay’s behaviour and her desperate clinging to his promises and declarations meant that she came across as a silly and naïve little girl, instead of the young woman she started out as.

There are also numerous factual errors littered throughout the book which were decidedly frustrating as simple research could have resolved these before the book went to print. The same goes for the handful of errors in sentence structure and spelling. Goodwin does state in her author’s note that she has taken liberties with Elizabeth and Bay’s narrative to create a more thrilling story for the reader, however the factual errors are more than a little frustrating and should have been avoided.

Whilst these frustrations did leave me feeling a little cold, Goodwin’s ability to draw such brilliantly real characters and situations almost outweighed it. That’s the key to the brilliance of her novels, she creates such beautifully constructed characters that really draw you in and drive the story. It was engrossing and utterly compelling and on the whole, I loved it.
However, a modern day outlook meant that Bay’s treatment of Charlotte really marred the book for me and it will be some time before I fancy picking it up for a re-read.

Review: Flashes by Tim O'Rourke

Huge thanks to Chicken House for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Flashes is the first in a new series of YA paranormal crime novels in which a 17-year-old girl cannot help seeing glimpses of dead people who seem to want her aid - much to the consternation of her boyfriend, who has just started work for the local CID.
This review is for the full paperback version rather than the three separate releases.

I think I am in the minority when I say that I really didn’t enjoy ‘Flashes’. It’s an exciting premise, and Charley had the potential to be a truly fascinating character, but unfortunately what was a brilliant idea never really took off for me.

The biggest problem was the obviousness of the plot, within the first twenty odd pages I had already worked out who the killer was, and whenever a large plot point like that is obvious it ruins my enjoyment of the rest of the book.

The second problem was the flatness of the characters. I wanted to like them, I wanted to feel involved, and Charley had the potential to be a fantastic heroine. Unfortunately the characters never felt fully realized, whether due to the length of the book or the concentration on the mystery elements I am not entirely sure.

It just didn’t sit quite right with me. The dialogue was awkward, particularly between any female characters where it felt contrived and stereotyped. The characters never really came alive from the page, and where it could have been saved by the plot it fell again by, in my opinion, making the villain of the story far too obvious from the start.

The idea was fantastic, and the tension at points was brilliantly done, which makes me wonder whether if I had read this story in the original three parts instead of all at once, whether I would have enjoyed it more.

If you’re after a quick, paranormal crime to read then I do definitely recommend giving this a go, because it has had a good reception from most. However I personally didn’t find it to be as good as I had expected from the blurb and felt let down by the characterization and plot.

Reign: Liege Lord

Oh Reign – let’s get one thing straight, you are no longer just a guilty pleasure to me, you are officially one of the best shows on television. (Apart from Game of Thrones, but that’s for another post entirely.) You lured me in with your drop dead gorgeous costumes and back stabbingly brilliant French court, and now you’ve introduced murder and mayhem and dark twistedness I wouldn’t have thought you capable of, and I am hooked. Hooked, I tell you.

The series just keeps getting better, and this week’s episode was no exception.
It was great to see the fallout from the end of episode 16, with Bash and Kenna sniping at each other over their enforced marriage and all that it entails. I loved that everyone kept on bringing up Bash’s new title and revelling in its sheer ridiculousness, but whilst he seemed to understand how insane it was Bash did seem to be enjoying his new title and waving it at people’s, if only to see the look on their faces. Whilst they butted heads repeatedly throughout, that little moment at the end of the episode when Bash finally showed his chivalrous side and rescued Kenna from the King made my heart melt a little. I can’t wait to see where they take these two, because whilst I loved Bash and Mary previously that chapter is (for now at least) very closed whilst she tries to build her marriage with Francis. And also, the idea of two so very different people being forced into a situation where they have to learn to trust, and rely on each other or make life even more hellish than usual, is going to be fascinating to watch.

Speaking of Ladies In Waiting who seem to do very little in the way of

actually helping their Queen (apart from that moment of For Queen and Country that Kenna experienced), yay for Lola! I love Lola, and she’s had a bit of a raw deal recently so it was great to see her find someone that she seems to genuinely like, and a way of resolving her current predicament. But whilst part of me is thrilled for her, the other really isn’t convinced by Julien. I just don’t trust him, and I wish I could and I really hope I’m going to be proven wrong, but I have a horrible feeling that this reprieve for Lola is just a temporary one before everything kicks off.

But whilst it was quite quiet for her Ladies, Mary was having quite the week. I loved seeing her outrage and finally start to stand up for both herself and her country, and I loved that we got to see Queen Mary start to make an appearance. That moment with her countrymen bowing and offering their

fealty was fantastic, and we finally got to see the weight of her life and her choices start to sink in for her. Before she has been playing at power, but this

was her first really powerful scene in quite some time, and it was amazing to watch her start to come into her own and to grow up from the love plots that have been rife for the last six or so episodes.
One person who was decidedly not growing up this week was Francis, who is lovely and has both a pretty face and very pretty hair, but other than that is decidedly useless. I want good storylines for him, and since he finally got the girl and settled down to wedded bliss, he’s been used for nothing but procreating. He seemed to be so much on Mary’s side and loved the espionage and intrigue to overthrow the contract, but whilst there were things at stake for Mary that forced her to act, for Francis this was just a game. Which was never more apparent than that last scene where he thought Mary’s threat to the Queen was a bluff, that she would never dare to go through with such an act. This episode has highlighted the differences between Mary and Francis. Where she has been forced to grow up and start to wear the mantle of royalty and learn to lead and rule and protect, Francis is still very much a boy with no real position of power and as a result very little consequences for his actions. He likes playing at being a grown up, but he hasn’t yet reached the same place that Mary has, where loyalty and care for his country come above everything else, as they have to for people in their positions.
I can see that we’re going to start to have real power struggles between these two, as Mary tries to grow and develop and Francis can’t seem to understand or bear the fact that Mary is, at this point, more important and influential than him. Her attention is divided from being solely fixed on him, and Francis is not amused.

Elsewhere King Henry continues to go slightly crazed (which I love by the

way.) I never expected that Reign would go this route with him, and I cannot wait to see where his storyline ends up. And what happens to Penelope as a result. She’s scheming and fantastic and utterly awful, and she isn’t going to give up her new power without a fight. Which I’m sure Catherine will be more than happy to give her.
I was a little baffled by this sidetracking with Catherine ending up in bed with a Scotsman. I mean it was great to see her let hair down a bit, but it seemed like a forced and ridiculously improbable (more so than usual) way of getting to the point where she found out that Mary knew about the contract. As ever she was fantastic though and I loved the showdowns with Mary. Catherine has a rare gift that makes her do truly terrible things and yet she manages to still keep the audience on her side, and as a result is one of the best characters this show has to offer.

So next week? More plots, more intrigue, and probably more death…

Odds of King Henry making it through to the next season? 50/1

The End of a Long Hiatus

Sometimes life has a terrible habit of getting in the way of other things I’d rather be doing – like reading. Unfortunately the last year and a bit has been full of every kind of distraction imaginable, including numerous hospital stays both for myself and my Mum, new friends and old friends, amazing happenings and terrible things, moving to Edinburgh then France, and finally getting engaged and planning a wedding…
All things I never quite expected at the start of 2013. As a result reading kind of took a back seat, as did reviewing. I never seemed to have any time to pick up a book, never mind trying to record my thoughts about it afterwards, and in those rare moments when I actually felt like trying to read, it ended up being old favourites that I have read so many times the words seem to be imprinted on the insides of my head.

However, a new year comes with new challenges and a whole new 365 days to read in. Well technically now it’s significantly less than that, but who’s really counting…
As a result you can expect to see normal service resuming on this blog (for real this time) and also a whole new shiny blog to keep up with my adventures living in France. So if books are your thing, feel free to stick around with regular reviews and updates here. And if watching a decidedly English girl who had never left the country prior to this move, flounder around in the second largest city in France is your thing, feel free to check out my new shiny adventuring blog which will be up and running soon.

I’ve missed you readers and lurkers, and I can’t wait to start sharing books again.

Review: The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons—or forfeit her friends' lives. 
With Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke's sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally confront her true feelings for him...and for Griffin. 
Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel's desolate alleyways to Mayfair's elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could imagine. 
To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist's ultimate creation—an automaton more human than machine. And if she's to have any chance at triumphing, she must summon a strength even she doesn't know she has...

This series and I really have a love hate relationship. Each time I look at the pretty covers and convince myself that it’s steampunk and that the last one wasn’t that bad really and I should really give it another go, and then I end up wanting to throw the book across the room within thirty pages.

The problem for me is that the series has so much potential that just isn’t realised, although there has been some progress as the series has progressed. The characters are underdeveloped, the plot was rushed in places and too slow in others, and so many parts of the book cried out for proper researching – all things that immediately catapult me from any enjoyment and engrossment in the story.

The character’s remained flat caricatures, with no development from the last book. There is no progress, no depth or detail, and as a result I found myself caring less and less about what happened to them. I also struggled to find likeable features in Finley, the heroine, and Sam in particular, as with the last two books. And a heroine that I cannot warm to means the book is pretty much doomed from the start.
The romance didn’t feel like a natural progression, particularly towards the end where it felt like there was an awful lot of loose end tying going on, and no real resolution just a desperate pairing up of characters.

The writing swung from one extreme to the next, on the whole it’s relatively ok, but then there would be turns of phrase that were so glaringly modern that it again jarred me straight from the story.

Whilst it is a story billed as Victorian Steampunk, a lot of the flaws come from the technology just being pilfered from modern day gadgets, with no explanation as to how they might be possible in the day and age depicted. I don’t want a major science lesson and intricate break downs of each machine, but I want to feel like these gadgets could be possible, like the details of the plot that hinge on electronic devices are feasible instead of just cop out substitutes of modern day technology.

On the whole, whilst I am desperate to see more Steampunk fiction, particularly on the young adult shelves, ‘The Steampunk Chronicles’ really don’t fulfil the ideas I have of what Steampunk should be. No doubt there are readers who will find these are exactly the type of Steampunk they are after, but for me personally, I think I’ll stick with Gail Carriger…

A Quick Update

Despite how quiet this blog has been over the last few months, this is just a quick post to reassure you that it has not been abandoned!

Ill health has meant that I haven't been reading much, never mind doing any reviewing, but hopefully that is ll turning around and we'll be back to regular scheduling shortly!

So in the next couple of weeks expect reviews for Deanna Raybourn's latest novel 'A Spear of Summer Grass', soundtrack and film reviews for 'Star Trek Into Darkness', a long overdue and fabulous interview with the genius minds behind 'Black Arts' Andy Prentice and Jonathan Weil, and musings on the ins and outs of fan  fiction!

Books I'm Squeeing About in February

Happy (very belated) New Year Guys!

Due to personal circumstances out of my control I ended up taking an impromptu hiatus (as you could probably tell from the lack of updates.)
However now I am back! With a new year and lots of new books, so we'll be back to regular scheduling again.

In the mean time there is a truly massive pile of awesome books coming out this month which I cannot wait to get my hands on...

5th - Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners-and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's young ladies learn to finish . . . everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage - in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

There are some authors who I love so much I don't even look at the blurb or anything when I see they have a new book coming, I just pre-order it then and there because I know it's going to be awesome.

And Gail Carriger is one of those authors! This is the start of her new 'Finishing School' series and it's going to be awesome. That blurb! That title! That cover! Be still my heart!

5th - City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster

The girl with no past, and no future, may be the only one who can save their lives. Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the remote estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.

Ever since Miriam first announced on twitter that her book was being published I have been desperate to get me hands on it. It just sounds so awesome and I am in awe, and this is one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Now I just have to make my patience last until I can read it!

7th - Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the Fifth were born to lead very different lives - her family are criminal masterminds, while he comes from an apparently perfect dynasty. But both families know how to stay under the radar while getting - or stealing - whatever they want.
When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother's billion-dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there's no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won't let him go that easily, especially after she is tipped off about an elaborate con to steal the company's fortune. Instead of being the heir, this time Hale might be the mark.
Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first she has to decide. Is she willing to save her boyfriend's company if it means losing the boy?

I adore the Heist Society series, and so with this third book so tantalisingly in reach now I am going out of my mind to see where Hale and Kat end up next.

If you haven't discovered this series yet, start with the first book 'Heist Society' - they are a fantastically witty, fast paced and brilliantly written series.

12th -Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black
Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly - and she must be very careful who she trusts...

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school - the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances - she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . . Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead - and the burning forces about to be unleashed...

Oh this book is creepy! It's fantastic but there is this horrible sense of terror and dread that permeates the entire book and leaves you terrified!
It's got a fantastic premise, a beautiful cover and really good writing all in its favour, and a healthy dose of fear just to tip it into the truly brilliant.
Review to come soon.

28th - Darcy Burdock by Laura Dockrill
Ten-year-old Darcy Burdock is one of life's noticers. Curious, smart-as-a-whip, funny and fiercely loyal, she sees the extraordinary in the everyday and the wonder in the world around her.

In this first book, we are introduced to her family: Mum, who Darcy loves as much as her favourite fried egg and chips, Dad, who is kind and fair if a bit hopeless, and little siblings Hector and Poppy, who Darcy likes dressing up in ridiculous outfits and having dance-offs with, respectively. Plus there's her non-bleating pet lamb, Lamb-Beth and best friend, Will, to have adventures with.

Darcy learns that turning into an angrosaurus-rex and causing chaos just gets her in trouble, trying to run away from home with a reluctant lamb in tow leads to sore kneebows, it's best not to throw a massive strop just before your surprise birthday party, Hallowe'en is all about spider costumes and having a pumpkin with a wonky eye, and if she's ever in a situation at home or at school where she's not sure what to do, she should write a story around it and the truth will be illuminated by her imagination.

This book is a much lower age range than the ones usually reviewed on here, however it is too damn awesome to not be read.

Laura has created a fantastic heroine in Darcy - she's smart, sassy, incredibly funny and very believable. The book is absolutely brilliant (complete with illustrations!) and I cannot recommend it enough!

Review to come soon!

So those are my excitements for this month - it's stuffed full of awesome! But what books are you looking forward to most?