Tag: Cassandra Clare

Book Traveling Thursdays: A Book That Got Me Into Reading

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Hello, welcome back to another Book Traveling 168709Thursdays, which a weekly meme created by Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much and Danielle @Danielle’s Book Blog. The goal is to share the covers of a book related to that week’s theme, which you can see at the Goodreads group, indicating the original cover, the one of your country, your favorite and least favorite.

This week’s theme is “We all have to start out of somewhere. Choose a book that got you into reading“. The book that got me to reading was truly Twilight (yep yep), but I then stopped for a bit after that series and Harry Potter, and it was only when I read The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones that I haven’t stopped again.

Original COver:

I don’t love the original covers, but I’ve grown pretty used to them by now, and I don’t find them as bad.

COVER FROM MY COUNTRY (PORTUGAL) & COVER FROM THE COUNTRY I LIVE IN (SPAIN):

            

I still don’t quite understand why they switched the original covers for book 1 and 2 in Spain and Portugal, but it happened.  I like the new spanish cover better, even if they used the original cover for the second book again.

Favorite COVER(s):

                                          

It shouldn’t come as a surprise by now, that I LOVE the new UK covers for this series. I love them so much, that I bought the whole series with these new covers… yep… I also like the new US ones, especially those spines.

LEAST FAVORITE COVER(s):

    

I can’t even with these covers! The Polish, Czech, and Bulgarian ones look like covers for a graphic novel… and the Czech is just too bad to even be out there in the world. Then the Ukrainian is just too weird, and the German one looks like a Narnia book or something.

Mid-Year Freak Out Tag (2016 Edition)

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Hey guys! We’re halfway through the year, which means it’s time for the Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag, and Deanna @A Novel Glimpse was awesome and tagged me to do it 😀 . Thank you Deanna!!!

BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ YET IN 2016

Without a doubt, my favorite book of this year so far was A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. It was bonkers and amazing and I want and need more. I don’t know how Sarah J. Maas keeps doing it, but I love her books more and more.

BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2016

So many!!! But I’ll settle with another of my favorites of this year, and that is Us (Him #2) by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. This book stole my heart completely. I love Jamie and Wes and I miss my boys dearly.

   

NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET BUT WANT TO

Looking around my room, I’ll say The Girl Who Fell by Shannon M. Parker, that has been sitting on my shelf since March totally untouched, and I really really want to read it.

*shame on me*

MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

Probably Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. I love the Throne of Glass series, and I have high hopes for book 5, because I’m one of those loving the direction she’s been giving to the series. I’m curious to see if it will take the place of favorite read of the year away from ACOMAF…

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

I had high hopes for South of Sunshine by Dana Elmendorf, because I’m a huge fan of LGBT contemporaries, and I was in the need to read more F/F romances. Unfortunately this book didn’t match my expectations, and didn’t deal with important issues like the way I thought it should

BIGGEST SURPRISE

One of my biggest surprises this year so far was Anything You Want by Geoff Herbach. This book blew me away, and I know a lot of people didn’t quite like it, but I thought it was an amazing book, and I would like to shove it in everyone’s face!

FAVORITE NEW AUTHORKelly Siskind CREDIT Eirik Dunlop

Can I name 2?! I need to say Elle Kennedy, who wrote my favorite two NA series (Off Campus and Him), because she’s amazing! And then Kelly Siskind, because each time I read one of her books, it makes me so so happy (and she’s also super nice).

NB_milesNEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH

Confession time: I have a lot of new crushed this year, and I’ll chose this one because I really want to use a pic of the actor playing the role. So I’m going for Miles from Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover, because REASONS!

And that guy is hottie Nick Bateman, who’s set to play Miles in the Ugly Love movie!!! And that’s his cutie dog Joey 😀 .

NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER

Julian Blackthorn stole my heart in Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. I love him! I love him so much that he might have stolen Jem’s place as my favorite shadowhunter (and book boyfriend). Julian is strong, loving, mysterious. He would do ANYTHING for the people he loves. There’s still so much more to know about him, and I can’t wait.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

Oh my god… I cried so much when I finished Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. This book is so heartbreaking… so good, but so heartbreaking.

And I have no clue as to how I’m going to review it, because my heart is breaking just thinking about it.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

Smut by Karina Halle was a book that made me happy because it put a huge smile on my face. This book had an awesome plot, and awesome romance and it was funny as hell.

Also, so damn sexy!

FAVORITE BOOK TO FILM ADAPTATION

I don’t think I’ve seen adaptations this year, besides Captain America: Civil War, so I’m gonna say that one. I loved this movie, and it’s Marvel, which is always good on my book.

   

FAVORITE POST YOU HAVE DONE THIS YEAR

Are you kidding?! Do you know how much I posted this year already?! LOL. I really liked to do this TTT post though, about first kisses. Also, check how I was doing with my challenges 3 months ago here, but know that I’m way ahead now!

MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR

One of the most beautiful books I’ve got this year so far was Night Owls (or The Anatomical Shape of a Heart) by Jenn Bennett .

I love this cover so much. I fell in love with it the minute I locked eyes with this book at Waterstones.

WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR

There are 2 contemporaries that I’m dying to read, and they are Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn and Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway. I’m thinking that maybe September will be their month (because August will be NA month).

I tag EVERYONE who wants to do this tag, because I need to know how you are all doing so far this reading year 🙂 .

Books With LGBT+ Characters

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Hello people! This is Pride Month, so I thought it was about time to do a post about some of the books I read which had LGBT+ main characters, secondary (important) characters and/or dealt with LGBT issues.

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The ‘Spring has Sprung’ Book Tag

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Hey hey hey! Here I am with another book tag, this time it’s The ‘Spring has Sprung’ Book Tag and I was tagged by The Orang-utan Librarian. Thank you so much! And let’s do this 😉 .

1. Flowers: Look on your bookshelves. What is the most beautiful book both inside and out?

One of my most beautiful books, inside and out, has to be Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon.

Just look at it, isn’t it gorgeous? And it’s such a good and sweet read 🙂 .

2. Grass: What is a book that you find that others like way more than you do?

Given the goodreads rating that Nirvana has, I would say that a lot of people liked it WAY better than me, considering that I rated the book 1 star… which I have to be honest and say that I don’t really understand how that’s possible… to each its own, right?

3. Rain: What’s a great book that lifts your spirits when you’re down?

The obvious answer here has to be Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, right? I read this book twice already, and I love love love it! It makes me happy. So much so that I even borrowed my physical copy to my bff. I hope she takes good care of my precious!

4. Dew: What’s a book that made you feel alive?

Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy’s Us surely made me feel alive. Maybe because my heart was actually hurting while reading this book. Maybe!

This book has it all: great dialogue, great characters, great story, great romance, huge heartbreak… perfect.

5. Storms: What’s a book that you found unpredictable?

Hmmmm, I would say that Anything You Want by Geoff Herbach was pretty unpredictable. There were definitly some things that I didn’t see coming at all. Also, the book was nothing like I expected, but it’s oh so good!

6. Rainbow: What was a book that you struggled with, only to be happy that you read it in the end?

Well, I struggled with Lady Midnight, but not because the book isn’t brilliant or because I didn’t want to read it, just the opposite. But it is a huge book, and my hands and arms would hurt when I had been reading for awhile. The book is heavy like hell!

7. Chilly Weather: What’s a book that you couldn’t finish or didn’t enjoy?

Perfect time to mention my last 1 star reading, and that was Lessons of the Heart, which is a YA/NA teacher/student romance. It was so so bad, and it had nothing to do with the forbidden part of it. You can check out my review of it HERE.

8. Warm Weather: What’s a book that you loved and wanted more of?

I wanted more of Adorkable for sure. Such a cute and good read. I wanted to see what happened after that last scene and what was in store for Sally and Becks, because they were so adorable together :D.

  

9. Green: What’s a book that you haven’t read yet, but really want to?

Actually, I’m saying one that I’m gonna start today, and that is The Rose and the Dagger, by Renee Ahdieh. I’ve had the book for a few weeks now, but I can only manage one physical book at a time, and I needed to finish Me Before You before starting this one.

10. Pink: What’s a book in which you felt a strong connection to the characters?

I felt a really strong connection to Isla and Josh, in Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins. Maybe that’s why this was my favorite book of the companion series. There’s just something so great about Isla and Josh.

11. Purple: What’s a book that when you read it, you feel safe?

Not sure I fully understand this question, but hey, I’ll give it a try?! I think Attachments by Rainbow Rowell was a book that made me feel safe, maybe because I loved the story and it’s my favorite contemporary of Rowell’s. Have you read it? You should!

12. Orange: What book do you feel is intelligently written?

I didn’t want to repeat authors, but I kind of have to. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell is, in my opinion, one of the most intelligent written books I’ve ever read. I loved how the base of the book was known, but she twisted everything. I fins the magic system especially compelling.

13. Yellow: What book puts a smile on your face?

Ok, try to look at that cover and not smile… did you manage it? Big Rock by Lauren Blakely definitly put a huge smile on my face. It’s an amazing romance and I highly recommend it to everyone who likes NA romances.

  

I tag:

Book Traveling Thursdays: Bookish BFF

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Hello, welcome back to another Book Traveling 168709Thursdays, which a weekly meme created by Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much and Danielle @Danielle’s Book Blog. The goal is to share the covers of a book related to that week’s theme, which you can see at the Goodreads group, indicating the original cover, the one of your country, your favorite and least favorite.

This week’s theme is “Because friendship matters choose your favorite bookish BFF“. I’m choosing Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare for this week’s theme, and wait, it’s not because of Jules and Emma. There’s an overall theme of friendship within this book, but I would love to have Cristina Rosales as my BFF, because she’s just awesome!

Original & Favorite COver:

This cover is without a doubt my favorite cover ever of any Shadowhunter book. It’s just beyond gorgeous!

COVER FROM MY COUNTRY (PORTUGAL) & COVER FROM THE COUNTRY I LIVE IN (SPAIN):

No cover yet for Portugal, but the Spanish edition is coming out at the end of this month, and they went with the original cover – smart people.

LEAST FAVORITE COVER(s):

I honestly don’t get these Italian covers, they’re hideous. But this one doesn’t even make sense… who is that? Is that supposed to be Emma? Emma has brown eyes! o_O

Lady Midnight (Cassandra Clare)

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ladymidnight

The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses. 

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark — who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it? 

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.

First things first, I read this book as a buddy read with Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much and Kat @Life and Other Disasters (click in their names to go to their reviews). It was the first time that we buddy read a book, the three of us, though I buddy read all the time with Cátia, and I had a few already with Kat. It was fun!!! 😀 But hey, we always have fun talking to each other. It took us a long time to finish the book, but this is a monster and coordinating 3 different reading schedules wasn’t easy.

Kat gave us Reasons Why She Enjoyed Lady Midnight – Why Lady Midnight Shattered My Heart!, and Cátia went for 10 Reasons Why Lady Midnight is Freaking Amazing. I will try to not be repetitive, because I want our reviews to complement each other.

So, I will start by saying that I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! Loved it. Despite being in the same amazing Shadowhunters’ Universe, it does feel totally different, and I absolutely loved that. I was a bit worried about this, because a 5 year gap is not that big, but with a totally different setting and family dynamics, The Dark Artifices separates itself super nicely from The Mortal Instruments.

Little things like the fact that Emma and Julian drive, she runs outside, the use of technology, the institute feels like an actual home… PERFECT! And all the pop culture references?! AMAZING!

The central group of characters is huge and diverse and it’s brilliant! First of all, let me say how happy I am that Emma and Jules are both 17 – in the now, because that makes them the most adult couple of protagonists so far (because Clary was 15 when TMI starts… too young!). Despite being young, they are adults, and that opens the door to a lot of things, and I think that is fantastic.

I loved all the main characters. The Blackthorne have already become my favorite set of siblings, and love them all. I think it’s amazing that Cassandra Clare brought diversity into this book, in several forms: we have Cristina and Perfect Diego for one hand, Mark Blackthorn for another, and then there’s Ty. OMG TY!!! Ty is perfect, and this book has the most amazing message in regards to autism. It’s fantastic the way Julian shows how nothing is wrong with his little brother, and gives him time and space to process things his way. *well done Cassie*

Also worth noting is the complexity of each character, even little Tavvy. The more the book advances, the more we know, and still, it is not enough. Secrets still exist, things will collapse, people are broken, and I need more.

I thought the conflict and the “bad guy” and its motivations were pretty well done, how everything was woven together throughout the book. I’m curious to see where it will go on the next book, and how the other 2 elements of the story will intertwine with this.

Lastly, this book broke my heart. I love Julian and I love Emma, and I’m not seeing a way out of their situation, and that is heart-breaking. I was glad that the parabatai thing was explained, I was not happy about it though…

It was awesome to see the characters from the previous two series make some cameos – I love older Jace, I hadn’t even realized how much I had missed him! And also… JESSA!!!! ❤

This is so far my favorite book in the Shadowhunters‘ Universe. Julian as dethroned Jem as my favorite guy. And Emma is my favorite leading lady… 😉

3 Days, 3 Quotes Challenge (8): Day 3

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Hello! I was tagged, for the 8th time to to the 3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge, this tag was ages ago – October I think – but hey, I’m here now… Thanks to Deanna @A Novel Glimpse for tagging me, you guys can see her post here.

THE RULES:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you.
  2. Post a quote for 3 consecutive days (1 quote for each day).
  3. Nominate three new bloggers each day. (consider yourself tagged!)

On the first day I shared a quote from The Girl From Everywhere, and yesterday I shared a beautiful quote from #Rev. Today I needed to share this Lady Midnight quote… I just had to! It’s beautiful, just like the person who said it… *sigh*
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