Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare

Name: Clockwork Angel.

Author: Cassandra Clare.

Series: The Infernal Devices, Book 1.
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry. Kindle
Format: Kindle.
Pages: 479 pages.
Website: http://www.cassandraclare.com/
About the author:
Cassandra Clare was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of fantasy books. Cassandra worked for several years as an entertainment journalist for the Hollywood Reporter before turning her attention to fiction. She is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy and a New York Times bestseller. Cassandra lives with her fiance and their two cats in Massachusetts.
Where can you buy it:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Book Depository

What goodreads says:
Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.
As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.
Book Trailer:


My opinion:
I love the way Cassandra Clare writes, I started of with The Mortal Instruments and then I started reading The Infernal Devices and waiting for a long time for the next book to come out, finally this month Clockwork Prince came out and because of that I decided to re-read Clockwork Angel and I have to say I have enjoyed it even more the second time around (I really didn't think that was possible)
From the first page I was hooked in to this world and I could see myself living the story rather than just reading it, I could see the characters and what they did in my mind and even dreamed with them :) Cassandra Clare's description of Victorian England is very well done.
I have to say although I like Will, even if he is a little g... sometimes, my favourite has to be Jem he's so sweet (sigh). And although I understand why Will is why he is (they tell you in the second book I'm half way through it) I still love Jem.
 Tessa is nice and sweet but can be a fierce warrior when she wants to. Also she's a bookworm. I love when she and Will start sending quotes by famous authors at each other.
The secondary characters are great: Charlotte (such a good and interesting character), Henry (he is hilarious), Jessamine (she can be annoying sometimes...) Thomas (sigh), Sophie, Agatha, Gabriel, Benedict...
I loved seeing the antecesors of the characters we all know and love and you'll find alot of known names: Lightwood, Herondale etc. And it's funny seeing the antecesors of two characters who are so close hate each other.
Some of my favorite quotes are:

Will smiled like Lucifer might of smiled moments before he fell from Heaven

You must of done something right in your last life to be reborn as a Nephilim (Magnus Bane)

Oh yes, I have been very lucky (Will)

I give it 5 stars and now of to finish reading clockwork prince ^^

Winter's Passage, Julie Kagawa

Name: Winter's passage

Author: Julie Kagawa.

Series: The Iron Fey Book 1.5

Publisher: Harlequin

Format: Kindle.

Pages: 59 pages.

Website: http://www.juliekagawa.com

About the author:

ulie Kagawa was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon puppy.

Where can you buy it:

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble

What goodreads says:

Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.
Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

My opinion:

I love these books and the way Julie writes, so it doesn't come as a surprise that I loved this one. After ice prince Ash helped Meghan Chase fend away the Iron Fey in book one she has to keep her promise, that she will go back to Ash's homeland to see his mum, Queen Mab.
But on the way Meghan asks Ash to take her to see Puck who is inside a tree recuperating after a terrible injury. Ash agrees, of course and takes her. Only to be encountered with a Hunter who is chasing them.
I loved the hunter and all the time in my head a song was sining (who's afraid of the big bad wolf?)
Ash is unnaturally cold towards Meghan the closer they get to Winter Court the colder he becomes.
A short story but worth reading if you like this series.

I give it 4 stars.

The Iron King, Julie Kagawa

Name: The Iron King

Author: Julie Kagawa.

Series: Iron Fey 1.
Publisher: Harlequin Teen.
Format: Ebook
Pages: 280 pages.
Website: http://www.juliekagawa.com/
About the author: Julie Kagawa was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel. When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.
To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.
Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon puppy.

Where can you buy it:
Amazon
Barnes and noble
Book depository

What goodreads says:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Book trailer:

My opinion:

I read this book as part of the BNC of the month of November. These girls choose the most amazing books for reading each month and on special holidays and I'm getting the opportunity to read books that other wise I might not of picked up or would of sat in my pile of TBR books for months before I got to read them, so thank you!!! Also a special thanks to James Vallesteros who each month does a drawing of a favorite character of the book andturns them into bookmarks for keeping. They are amazing!!!

I can see this series quickly becoming my new obssession :) As it has everything. Magic? Check. Beautiful magical creatures, and not so beautiful? Check. An interesting plot line that keeps you haning on for more? Check. A beatiful princess? Check. A prince in disguise? Double check (Ash gets a double check because he is just simply amazing)
The books plot is a fairy tale, but it's more like an original one rather than the disney ones, it's full of horror and fantasy, and true love and happy ending aren't garanteed, and everything and everyone has a price.
Julie Kagawa is an amazing storyteller and keeps you interested in the story right from the begining.
Meghan is the main character, an outcast at school her only friend is Robin. But one day she returns to school to find that her little half brother Ethan has been kidnapped, by Fae. Meghan is loyal and is willing to do anything to save the ones she loves, including sacrificing herself.
So with Robin's help she travels to Nevermore, the land of the Fae, where she is in for a few surprises.
Robin better known as Puck is a jocker and Meghan's best friend, he also hides a secret.
And then we have Ash, dark, handsome and a prince (sigh) he is kind of the antihero who turns out good, more or less. I was crying my eyes out when he told Meghan why he hated Puck!!
And Grimalkin he is amazing he kind of reminds me of the Chesire cat from Alice in Wonderland, in the fact that their both amazing cats :)
I loved the references to Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare and I'm going to have to re-read that one sometime soon, once I find it^^ I'm sure it's somewhere on my shelfs... If not I'll rebuy it.
And of course we have the enemy, in form of the Iron Fae born from the dreams of technology of the humans they are mortal to "normal" Fae.
Will Meghan be able to save her brother and not loose herself or anyone she loves in the process? Read and find out, you won't be deceptioned.
I give it 5 stars.
Next month:

Come and join the fun :)

Once a witch, Carolyn MacCullough

Name: Once a witch

Author: Carolyn MacCullough

Series: Witch 1
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Format: Paperback
Pages: 292 pages.
Website: http://www.carolynmaccullough.com/
About the author:Carolyn MacCullough received her MFA in creative writing from the New School and lives with her husband in Brooklyn.
Where can you buy it:
Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Book depository

What goodreads says:
Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.
My opinion:
I read this book as the Book Nerd Choice of Thanksgiving and I think it was an excellent choice.

I love books about witches and in my opinion there aren't enough, well not good ones anyway.
Tasmin our main character who by the way has an amazing name, is born in a big family of witches, all of who have some kind of talent, except for Tasmin, even though they were expecting big things from her when she was born, and she has to constantly live in the shadow of her sister Rowena, who not only has a talent but she seems to be good at everything she tries, even without trying. So at the age of seventeen Tasmin is studying in a boarding school in Manhattan and lives in the dorms with her friend Agatha. Until one summer day a stranger comes into her family bookstore and thinks Tasmin is Rowena, and asks her to find something for him and she agrees without bothering to correct him about her name.
And from there everything changes, including the way Tasmin sees the world around her, and the people she loves.
I loved the characters, Tasmin is a great heroine she has an attitude and feels like the outsider of her family (I know how that feels) but in the end she'll do anything she can to save them, including her sister Rowena who she doesn't like.
Then you have Gabriel, sigh, Tasmin's best friend from childhood, whom she hasn't seen for years reappears in her life, and he doesn't seem disturbed by her lack of powers like the rest of her family and who has the most amazing power!! So of course we get to see more of him, personally I cheer that part :)
And the person who completes the book is Professor Alistar who is the "bad boy" yes you can guess I totally fell in love with him ^^ He asks Tasmin to find a clock, a family heirloom, that is more than it seems.
The secondary characters liked Rowena (who eventually grew on me), Aunt Beatrice who is a bit loony, grandma and mum are great and give the story that push that every story needs to be good.
The story is fast paced, has witches, time travel and more, check it out you won't be dissapointed.
I give it 5 stars.
Next weekend I'll post the review of Iron King as I can't post it today as I'm running out of time.

Nathiel

Image, Jamie Magee

Name: Image
Author: Jamie Magee
Series: Insight 3
Publisher: Lulu.com
Format: Pdf (ARC)
Pages: 244
Website: http://www.insightjamiemagee.com/
About the author: Jamie Magee has always believed that each of us have a defining gift that sets us apart from the rest of the world, she has always envied those who have known from their first breath what their gift was. Not knowing hers, she began a career in the fast paced world of business. Raising a young family, and competing to rise higher in that field would drive some to the point of insanity, but she always found a moment of escape in a passing daydream. Her imagination would take her to places she’d never been, introduce her to people she’s never known. Insight, her debuting novel, is a result of that powerful imagination. Today, she is grateful that not knowing what defined her, led her on a path of discovery that would always be a part of her. 
Where can you buy it:
Barnes and noble
Amazon

What goodreads says:

There is an ominous darkness, one that that is so dense and mind numbing that you can feel the chills race across your skin as the energy of the hatred behind it hovers near you. They thought that it was over…that he was dead….they never imagined that he was more powerful dead than he ever was alive. 
A war is on the brink of erupting in the dark dimension of Esterious, the victory Willow had a few days ago was nothing less than vague memory. With each thought she has she fights the images of Drake’s dark eyes, his words… his promises. Doubt seeps into her soul as she stares forward and what could only be the hardest battle she has faced thus far. 
Venus is meant to be the planet of love and peace….but when it falls into retrograde its influence changes. Matters of past relationships will surface; choices will be made with the mind and not the heart. Gateways to an evil that cannot be fathomed will open. Willow and Landen’s only defense is to hide their family away, and lock themselves in the palace that was once ruled by Donalt. The energy is heavy and dark within these walls…there is a presence that lingers and strikes at will. Cruel illusions are placed before Willow, but that is not even hardest part…what is hard is standing in room with Drake and Landen and listening to others tell you of lives that you cannot recall…for them to tell when and how you are going to die. 
Every prediction and theory is about to be proven wrong…and the choice before Willow’s heart holds the lives of millions at stake. The question is will be she be able to see through the illusions before her and make a choice…she can live with?

My opinion:

I recieved an ARC copy of this book from the author in exchange of an honest review and as a thanks to my reviews of her previous books.

I have to say I love Magee's style and writing, she has a way of keeping your attention none stop, and surprising you when you least expect it in both a good way and a bad way, characters make both good and bad choices and I'm really mad at one of them, let's hope they redeem themselves in the next book. The choices they made were heart gripping and took my breath away, especially when the demon appeared.

We get to see more of Willow's, Landen's and Drake's relationship and the way they can decide to work together when and if they want to.

Also we see more of Willow's past lifes, which were really interesting.

I have to repeat that although I love Willow and Landen I hope, really hope there is someone out there for Drake he sooo... special, I can't think of another word to describe him, he's the kind of character that will fustrate you a lot of times but in the end you'll learn to love.

And Libby, Preston and Allie, I love them and their happiness and their conection to Willow and Landen.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series and I'm sure it'll be as good if not better as this one and all previous.
I give it 5 stars ;)

Nathiel

Posses by Gretchen McNeil

Name: Possess
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Series: None
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 384 pages.
Website: http://www.gretchenmcneil.com
About the author: Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. She is a founding member of vlog group the YARebels where she can be seen as "Monday," and she is an active member of both The Enchanted Inkpot, a group blog of YA and middle grade fantasy writers, and The Apocalypsies, a group blog of 2012 children's debut authors.
Where can you buy it:
Amazon
Barnes and noble
Book depository

What goodreads says:
Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.
Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.

My opinion:

I read this book as part of the BNC of Halloween. And yes I can't believe how far behind I am this month!!

This must be the second book about possessions that I've read in my entire life, the first being the exorcist... yes sad really. But as I didn't really enjoy the exorcist I was somewhat reluctant to pick up this one, it just isn't my type of book, or that's what I thought.

Possess isn't your typical possession book. The main character is Bridget Liu, half Chinese-half Irish (amazing combination... and I thought I had a weird one I'm part English part Spanish part Irish and part Moroccan...) and she's also a exorcist, well kind of, she's got the power to listen to the demons but has to follow five simple rules, which I have to say she doesn't really follow (you tell them girl!!) Bridget also has a smart mouth and some amazing friends :) That's always important right??
And then you have the love interest: Matt Quinn, the local policeman's son who's father also happens to be seeing her mother, sort of.

I love how for Matt and Bridget it isn't love at first sight, as they were friends, and then they kinda fell apart only to find each other once more.

Father Santos is a great character who isn't all that he appears, and Bridget's stalkerish friend gave me the creeps.

But my favourite character and the one that had me in tears of joy and sadness was Sammy, Bridget's eight year old brother, who is a genius and is soo cute :)

Sometimes Bridget can be immature, but we have to remember that she's only 15.

I give it 5 stars and I can't wait to read next months BNC which hopefully I'll start tomorrow :)

See you all soon
Nathiel

Angel, L.A. Weatherly

Name: Angel
Author: L.A. Weatherly
Series:  Angel book 1
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Format: Paperback
Pages: 506 pages.

Website: http://www.angelfever.com/
About the author: Lee Weatherly has been born in 1967 and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. She lives with her husband in Hampshire, England, where she writes, goes on walks, collects frogs and has a cat named Bernard. Author location: Hampshire.
L.A. Weatherly is the pseudonym for Lee Weatherly. Another pen name she uses is Titania Woods.
Where can you buy it:
Amazon 
Barnes and noble
Book depository 

What goodreads says:
Angels are all around us: beautiful, awe-inspiring, irresistible.
Ordinary mortals yearn to catch a glimpse of one of these stunning beings and thousands flock to The Church of Angels to feel their healing touch.
But what if their potent magnetism isn't what it seems?
Willow knows she's different from other girls. And not just because she loves tinkering around with cars.
Willow has a gift. She can look into people's futures, know their dreams, their hopes and their regrets, just by touching them. But she has no idea where she gets this power from.
Until she meets Alex…
Alex is one of the few who know the truth about angels. He knows Willow's secret and is on a mission to stop her.
The dark forces within Willow make her dangerous – and irresistible.
In spite of himself, Alex finds he is falling in love with his sworn enemy.

Book Trailer: 

My opinion:

I've read this book as part of the The Book Nerd Choice of the month of October, yes I know I'm behind for once in my life as I've finished it on the second to last day of the month but I have gone back to studying so I haven't had much time sigh....
But now for the book. Generally speaking Angelic books bring me deception, as either it's a human girl falling for an angel who happens to be a warrior swoops her away with his amazing looks and wings, whereas the female is annoying; or even worse the angel isn't a warrior at all.
But this book was amazing, true the angels weren't exactly warriors, but they weren't the epitome of goodness.
Willow is a great protagonist and her development and how she comes to accept who and what she truly ism is realistic inside the fact that this is a paranormal book were talking about.
Alex, sigh what about him, he's the male character, he's completely human (or at least I think so) but also strong young boy who has suffered allot in life and who's main goal is to destroy the angels.
The angels are the main antagonists in this book, particularly Raziel who has his own secret (although I suspected it half way through the book)
I loved how the love in between Alex and Willow develops slowly and how they both learn to accept that there is good things and bad things about each other.
And I was really sad about Cully.
My only problem with this book was the jumping in between characters POV, but apart from that excellent choice Jean^^
So I give it 4 stars.
So tomorrow I'll finish the BNC for Halloween:

And in November: