Title: City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: Mortal Instruments #3
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 541
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating: Also in this series: City of Bones,
City of Ashes,
City of Fallen Angels,
City of Lost Souls,
City of Heavenly Fire
My Thoughts
CITY OF GLASS was way more intense than the first two books. I had to take several breaks to let my heightened nerves relax. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to explain the intensity of this series to people who ask me what the books are about and this is what I’ve come up with:
Imagine the frustration with the love triangle situation in ECLIPSE and add in the suspense and edge-of-your-seat feeling from the last three Harry Potter books or even THE HUNGER GAMES. Unlike the Twilight Saga or Harry Potter, the books don’t just deal with one of those situations at a time. They deal with both intense situations throughout the entire series and it just escalates with each one. I was literally captivated by the story within the first chapter of CITY OF BONES and my captivation hasn’t waned since.
This ending is probably the best ending to a series I’ve ever read. I know I haven’t read a lot of series at this point, but I still feel that way. Neither the story nor the ending felt contrived. It didn’t feel like it was forced to go a particular way to meet the author’s expectations. The characters grew and they still acted like you expected them too. Most of the conflict was resolved, but some of it was left open for future possibilities. The ending wasn’t too fluffy or over-the-top, yet it left you satisfied. I’m very pleased with how things turned out and I can’t wait to read the stories again in the future.
Update: When I read this for a third time, I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I thought Natalie Moore did an amazing job with each of the characters. Thankfully, there weren’t any issues with the structure of the audiobook like there was with CITY OF ASHES, which made for a better read.
My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters
Author: Sydney Salter
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 345
Reason Read: Play Book Tag, SLTA Party
Rating:
My Thoughts
I didn’t have high expectations for this book. However, I was pleasantly surprised with MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. I really enjoyed the story. I loved the message of self-love despite failings. It was conveyed in hilarious, heartbreaking, and all-too-real disastrous moments I could relate to from my own teen years.
I enjoyed seeing Jory grow and start to love herself. Some of the themes and messages were a little too close for my comfort, but I think it helped me identify with her more than I would’ve. I think Salter did a great job using humor to help balance out Jory’s embarrassment in the situations she found herself in. Her overly dramatic thoughts regarding her embarrassment made for some laughable moments.
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Series: Time Traveler's Wife #1
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Speculative Fiction
Spice: 2.5 / 5
Format: Paperback
Pages: 546
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating:
My Thoughts
I’m torn with THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE. I enjoyed the story, but the ending kind of ruined it for me. I thought the premise was intriguing and fun. I wanted to know how the story turned out.
I really loved both Henry and Clare. I loved their connection to one another. I thought Henry’s disorder made for some interesting situations between them. I felt sorry for both of them because of the time they missed with one another due to his impairment. I also loved that knowing they’d have those absences, they tried to make their moments together count.
I hated the ending. It bugged me that Henry told Clare not to wait for him after he died, but then told her that he sees her when she was 82. Of course she was going to wait for him. She had been waiting for him for her entire life. He just needed to let it happen like so many other things did during their life so she could’ve moved on and found happiness after his death.
Enna Burning
Author: Shannon Hale
Series: Books of Bayern #2
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 317
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
Also in this series: The Goose Girl, River Secrets, Forest Born
My Thoughts
It took me a couple of chapters to get into ENNA BURNING, but it also took me a couple of chapters to get into THE GOOSE GIRL. Once I got into the story, I thought it was very intriguing. I loved exploring the fire-speaking language of the story and seeing more of the wind-speaking language explored in the first book. It was interesting to see how both of the languages worked together.
I loved getting to know Enna better since I only knew her a little bit through Isi in the first story. I also enjoyed seeing Isi and her relationship with Geric from another perspective. I’m looking forward to reading RIVER SECRETS and I’m looking forward to the release of FOREST BORN in September.
The Goose Girl
Author: Shannon Hale
Series: Books of Bayern #1
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 383
Reason Read: Recommended
Rating:
Also in this series: Enna Burning, River Secrets, Forest Born
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed THE GOOSE GIRL. Even though I wasn’t immediately captivated by the story, I found it enjoyable. I loved the premise of elemental speaking gifts, such as Isi’s wind-speaking gift. The language was quite fascinating and made for an interesting story. I absolutely adore Isi and I loved Geric. I loved their relationship and how it came to be.
I also loved Hale’s way with words. In an interview written in the back of ENNA BURNING, Hale described exactly the way I felt about her writing:
I thought Hale did an excellent job at “find[ing] just the right words, just the right way to say something.” She’s definitely a master wordsmith and I’m glad I gave her writing a try. I want to read her other books and I’m especially excited to read ENNA BURNING to see how the story progresses.
City Of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: Mortal Instruments #3
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 541
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating:
Also in this series: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
My Thoughts
CITY OF GLASS was way more intense than the first two books. I had to take several breaks to let my heightened nerves relax. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to explain the intensity of this series to people who ask me what the books are about and this is what I’ve come up with:
Imagine the frustration with the love triangle situation in ECLIPSE and add in the suspense and edge-of-your-seat feeling from the last three Harry Potter books or even THE HUNGER GAMES. Unlike the Twilight Saga or Harry Potter, the books don’t just deal with one of those situations at a time. They deal with both intense situations throughout the entire series and it just escalates with each one. I was literally captivated by the story within the first chapter of CITY OF BONES and my captivation hasn’t waned since.
This ending is probably the best ending to a series I’ve ever read. I know I haven’t read a lot of series at this point, but I still feel that way. Neither the story nor the ending felt contrived. It didn’t feel like it was forced to go a particular way to meet the author’s expectations. The characters grew and they still acted like you expected them too. Most of the conflict was resolved, but some of it was left open for future possibilities. The ending wasn’t too fluffy or over-the-top, yet it left you satisfied. I’m very pleased with how things turned out and I can’t wait to read the stories again in the future.
Update: When I read this for a third time, I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I thought Natalie Moore did an amazing job with each of the characters. Thankfully, there weren’t any issues with the structure of the audiobook like there was with CITY OF ASHES, which made for a better read.