I Suddenly Remembered My Charlemagne

End of an era (NINE! BOOKS!), beginning of a new age (SIX! MORE!).

( Spoilers! )

ANYWAY, I was really pleased with how this "trilogy" ended up, and I look forward, as ever to more of Cassie's books. It is no small accomplishment to get NINE BOOKS published (for the first time) without, at the very least, getting the covers repackaged. I love how committed McElderry was, and how the fans were, in the end, a stronger force than the haters (as it SHOULD be, obviously).

Aidan Turner has approximately 1000% more beard in CITY OF BONES than he does in THE HOBBIT.

Also: MAGNUS FREAKING BANE!

Also: THIS MOVIE LOOKS SO PRETTY I AM SO EXCITED OMG!

(But seriously: AIDAN TURNER'S BEARD. It practically deserves its own CREDIT.)

Shiny New Trailer

I'm on record somewhere talking about my failure to connect with City of Fallen Angels, book four in this series. I very, very happy to report that City of Lost Souls was back on track, and a book I very much enjoyed reading.

( That's Azrael, Simon. And no more using the magic rings for Smurf questions. )

9/10 for making me laugh, causing terrible concern, reducing me to tears, and because Latin is always fun (when you're not doing it for school).

There were quite a few things I liked about this book. The modern setting meant they could all be reasonably snarky, and there were just enough call backs to the first three books (and the Infernal Devices) to keep me interested (though, I swear, if Alec turns out to be a Herondale, I am DONE). Considering that my two favourite characters didn't show up until half-way through the book, it was actually better than I was expecting.

I was a bit miffed that Clary was essentially the bait for 90% of the book, but at least Jace was also the bait (sort of) a lot. And Isabelle was awesome. There were, however, a LOT of people in this book, and following them all was a challenge. But the whole Mark of Cain thing paid off nicely, and the ending was only visible from orbit (instead of, say, ALPHA CENTURAI), so it could have been worse. I'm not all "OMG, CLIFFHANGER!" because it was kind of like getting hit by a train after the bells have sounded and the lights have flashed and the barriers have come down and you've been stupid enough to cross the tracks anyway.

There was a lot of OMG, YOU PEOPLE ARE STUPID! in this, in that they never talked to one another, but at least it was consistent within everyone's characters (and Magnus broke my heart AGAIN because that is what he does). I really, really hate Jace [whatever his last name is this book]. Just saying. I mostly want Clary and Izzy and Maia to go off and Conquer the World between them, but this should not surprise anyone.

So...8. Because the cover is pretty and Alec is awesome, even if he's only in half a book, and now I'm stuck sitting here wondering what happens to atheist vampires.

Yes, I scheduled a roadtrip around buying this book the day it came out, and managed to read it on the same day despite having driven 8 hours.

But this book was not entirely what I was expecting. Somehow, setting it in 1870s London made it...less original? I mean, a lot of the charm of the first series was the part where it was set in modern New York. This book just seemed a whole lot less magical.

On top of that, all the things that made Clary et al cool just don't translate well to Victorian England. Even Magnus Bane was subdued and a bit of a let down. And he's MAGNUS FREAKING BANE. The gender politics was just awkward. And I hate Will.

(I tolerated Jace because Alec and Isabel made him tolerable. Will? Will I just want to smack. All the time. This love triange (quadrangle, really) is just TOO WRETCHED FOR WORDS.)

Somehow, possibly because of her blatant exemption from said love [quadr]angle, my favourite character is Jessamine, which is very much against type. Although I do have a soft spot for rebellious girls who have goals and are just SET on getting them. I also liked Jem quite a bit, most of the time, which concerns me because now I have to prepare for his inevitable death.

I wanted to love Tessa (the main character) really, really badly. Mostly, I found her unmemorable. At one point, she has a though (wrt: Will) about how he really must like her because he's being a rude jerk which is exactly how Darcy and Heathcliffe acted towards Elizabeth and Kathy...and I knew that we were pretty much done. She did come through for me a the end, but I have severe doubts about her ability to continue on that path in the future.

All that aside, I am still excited about the book. The twist at the end was actually kind of interesting, and there were just enough fishhooks planted to make me want to find out what happens next. Also, I want Jessamine to kick ass in a fashion that suits her, and I have a sneaking suspicion that she will.

Really, though, it comes down to names. Because Tessa's last name is Gray, and the book with all the magic in it is called The Gray Book, and that can't possibly be a coincidence. Also, despite what I said above, I really do like Clare's writing. And at least this time no one is in love with their brother. I am optimistic.

8 out of 10: for names, and STEAMPUNK MAGIC.

Review of City of Bones
Review of City of Ashes

I have realized that this is the first series of books that I have followed from beginning to end. I bought all but the last one on the day of its release, I waited breathlessly through the month of March two years running. I came late to Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket and all the other Stories of Our Time...but I have followed "The Mortal Instruments" since the beginning.

( Review (complete with plot spoilers) )

( ETA: In which Kate's reading habits produce hilarious results )

That said, I am NO END of bitter that I couldn't re-read the first two. I kept forgetting things until just after they happened, and I totally got the time line screwed up in my head, probably because it was two years for me and a month for Clary. But still! Good read.