Book #118: Clockwork Prince

Title: Clockwork Prince (book #2 of The Infernal Devices series)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Date started reading: Sept. 30, 2012
Date finished reading: Oct. 3, 2012

Publish date: December 2011
ISBN: 978-1416975885
Number of pages: 528

Official summary: "In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street — and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends. With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move — and that one of their own has betrayed them. Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will  — the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do? As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart. (http://www.shadowhunters.com)

Official book trailer:

How I obtained the book: Checked out of library
Update: I ended up buying a copy of the book for $2.50 at a February 2013 Friends of the Library charity book sale

My commentary:  I didn't think this one was as great as the first in the series, but I still am loving it more than the Mortal Instruments series. Both series are great though.

Memorable quotes:

• "Memories did one no good, not when one knew the truth in the present." ~ Tessa
• "Being Jem must be a great deal like being the owner of a thoroughbred dog that liked to bite your guests." ~ Tessa about Jem and Will
• "I declare, the way you two seem to read each other's minds gives me the shudders." ~ Jessamine to Will and Tessa
• "Everyone is afraid of death. We may be born of angels, but we have no more knowledge of what comes after death than you do." ~ Will
• "Dear God, woman. Are there any questions you don't want to know the answer to?" ~ Will to Tessa
• "Jem is my great sin." ~ Will
• "I am poison. Poison to them. Poison to anyone who loves me." ~ Will
• "No one can live with nothing. Jem is all I have." ~ Will
• "When Will truly wants something when he feels something, he can break your heart." ~ Jem
• "They say time heals all wounds, but that presumes the source of the grief is finite. Over. This is a fresh wound every day." ~ Will
• "He'll be back, for goodness' sake. He always does come crawling home. Look at the two of you. Like you've lost a favorite puppy." ~ Jessamine about Will to Jem and Tessa
• "I don't think Will Herondale and a sense of responsibility are even on speaking terms." ~ Gabriel
• "There is nothing more dangerous than a man bent on revenge." ~ Ragnor
• "I know him better than anyone else in the world, and yet still I find that Will has secrets that surprise me." ~ Jem
• "You cannot buy or drug or dream your way out of pain." ~ Tessa to Will
• "Tessa is not made of delicate china. She will not break." ~ Jem
• "No good sentences ever include the word 'should.'" ~ Will
• "Nothing is beyond mockery." ~ Will
• "That (Jem) hit you last night, that only shows how capable you are of driving even saints to madness." ~ Tessa to Will
• "Master Will has always been the brighter burning star, the one to catch attention -- but Jem is a steady flame, unwavering and honest." ~ Sophie to Tessa
• "Unrequited love is a ridiculous state, and it makes those in it behave ridiculously." ~ Will

Buy on Amazon.com: Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices)

 

Book #117: Clockwork Angel

Title: Clockwork Angel (book #1 of The Infernal Devices series)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Date started reading: Sept. 25, 2012
Date finished reading: Sept. 29, 2012

Publish date: October 2011
ISBN: 978-1416975878
Number of pages: 512

Official summary: "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: James, 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. (http://www.shadowhunters.com)

Official book trailer:

 

How I obtained the book: Got through Listia.com. (It's sort of like eBay but uses a credit system instead of cash)

My commentary: 

• I loved The Mortal Instruments, but dear God, The Infernal Devices is even better. Totally obsessed now.
• I instantly became torn between Will and Jem. I love both of the characters. They're both perfect fictional heartthrobs. Damn you Cassie Clare!

Memorable quotes:

• "It was much less fun showing off without Jem to show off to." ~ Will
• "(Will) had the most beautiful face she had ever seen. Tangled black hair and eyes like blue glass. Elegant cheekbones, a full mouth, and long, thick lashes. Even the curve of his throat was perfect. He looked like every fictional hero she'd ever conjured up in her head." ~ Tessa
• "Let me give you a piece of advice. The handsome young fellow who's trying to rescue you from a hideous fate is never wrong. Not even if he says the sky is purple and made of hedgehogs." ~ Will to Tessa
• "It isn't against the Law to be an idiot." ~ Henry
• "Beauty fades, but cooking is eternal." ~ Will
• "one must always be careful of books and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us." ~ Tessa
• "Only the weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry." ~ Tessa
• "Books are for reading, not for turning oneself into livestock." ~ Tessa
• "There's plenty of sense in nonsense sometimes, if you wish to look for it." ~ Will
• "I've never seen anyone get so excited over books before. You'd think they were diamonds." ~ Will to Tessa
• "Everyone has something they can't live without. I'll find out what it is for you, never you fear." ~ Tessa to Will
• "Dreams can be dangerous things." ~ Charlotte
• "Such harsh truths so early in the morning cannot be good for the digestion." ~ Will
• "You are as terrifying as you are wonderful, my dear." ~ Henry to Charlotte
• "I hate witchlight. It makes my complexion look absolutely green." ~ Jessamine
• "It is hard to think of something as a gift when you have been tormented and imprisoned for it." ~ Tessa
•  "I do not walk like a duck." ~ Tessa
  "I like ducks. Especially the ones in Hyde Park. Remember when you tried to convince me to feed a poultry pie to the mallards in the park to see if you could breed a race of cannibal ducks?" ~ Jem
  "They ate it too. Bloodthirsty little beasts. Never trust a duck." ~ Will
• "You disgrace the name of Shadowhunters everywhere." ~ Gabriel to Will
• "Goading Will into single combat -- that's like punishing a dog after you've tormented it into biting you." ~ Jem to Gabriel
• "Where there's our Will, there's a half-dozen angry girls claiming he's compromised their virtue." ~ Jem
• "Sometimes when I have to do something I don't want to do, I pretend I'm a character from a book. It's easier to know what they would do." ~ Will
• "The dead can tell no tales." ~ Will
• "I rather like the way you manage Will." ~ Charlotte
  "No one manages Will." ~ Tessa
• "Is there anything that isn't a joke to you?" ~ Gabriel
  "Nothing that comes to mind." ~ Will
  "You know there was a time I thought we could be friends, Will." ~ Gabriel
  "There was a time I thought I was a ferret but that turned out to be the opium haze. Did you know it had that effect? Because I didn't." ~ Will
• "Whatever you are physically, male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy -- all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. Whatever the color, the shape, the design of the shade that conceals it, the flame inside the lamp remains the same. You are the flame." ~ Jem
• "Perhaps it wasn't actually possible to scrub away your thoughts of someone, but she could try." ~ Tessa
• "He's like one thing sometimes, and then he can change completely, like the wind changing, and I don't know or what's happened." ~ Tessa about Will
• "All that pretty face and whatnot just hides how twisted up and rotten he is on the inside." ~ Sophie about Will
• "Sometimes our lives can change so fast that the change outpaces our minds and our hearts." ~ Jem
• "Many who have gazed upon me have compared the experience to gazing at the radiance of the sun." ~ Will
  "If they mean it gives you a headache, they aren't wrong." ~ Jem
• "It is as great a thing to love as it is to be loved. Love is not something that can be wasted." ~ Jem

Buy on Amazon.com: Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices)

Book #116: The Hunt

Title: The Hunt (Book #5 in The Secret Circle series)

Author: "Created by L.J. Smith. Written by Aubrey Clark"

Date started reading: Sept. 21, 2012
Date finished reading:  Sept. 23, 2012

Publish date: September 2012
ISBN: 978-0062130426
Number of pages: 288

Official summary: "There's no turning back. ... For Cassie and her Circle of witches, it's hard to imagine life in New Salem getting any worse. A band of powerful witch hunters is targeting the group, determined to destroy them one by one. And Cassie's half sister, Scarlett, won't rest until she has a spot in the Circle - even if she has to kill Cassie to get it. The Circle's only hope against their enemies is Cassie's father's Book of Shadows - an ancient guide to the world of dark magic. But Cassie soon discovers that opening the book has grave consequences. Cassie's drawn in by the book's sinister spell, and it starts controlling her emotions and impulses, unraveling her relationship with Adam as it takes over her life. Cassie fights against the darkness inside her as the threats against the Circle grow. But once evil is let in, she may never escape. (http://epicreads.com)

How I obtained the book: Bought for $10.90 through Walmart's website using a giftcard I got free

My commentary: --

Memorable quotes:

• "No dark magic can be used without grave consequences." ~ Cassie's mom
• "Ultimately, Cassie, the people who are meant to be together will end up together." ~ Cassie's mom
• "Personally, I think people pick who they love." ~ Nick
• "Stuff happens sometimes, Cassie. Especially between good friends. Wires get crossed; things get confused." ~ Nick
• "It couldn't be easy, falling in love with your sworn enemy." ~ Cassie
• "It's just that sometimes I wish everything could just be normal. Do you know what I mean?" ~ Diana
  "Well ... You know what I think? I think sometimes, normal is overrated." ~ Cassie
• "War doesn't come with guarantees for either side." ~ Scarlett

Buy on Amazon.com: The Secret Circle: The Hunt

 

Book #115: Hide and Seek

Title: Hide and Seek (book #4 in The Lying Game series)

Author: Sara Shepard

Date started reading: Sept. 19, 2012
Date finished reading:  Sept. 20, 2012

Publish date: July 2012
ISBN: 978-0061869761
Number of pages: 304

Official summary: "My friends and I used to play lying games. Now my twin sister is living one. When I was alive, my family seemed picture-perfect. My adoptive parents adored me, and my little sister, Laurel, copied my every move. But now that my long-lost twin, Emma, has taken my place to solve my murder, we’re both learning just how flawed my family really is. Laurel is shooting Emma nasty looks and sneaking around with my ex-boyfriend. And it turns out my parents are keeping a huge secret — could it be the reason I’m dead? How far would they go to keep the truth buried? No one can harm me now, but Emma is still fair game. And if she’s not careful, she’ll end up buried, too." (http://www.harperteen.com)

How I obtained the book: Bought for $10.75 through Walmart's website using a gift card I got free.

My commentary: 

• This is the best book in the series by far... not that the past ones weren't great, but this one was action-packed and such an emotional rollercoaster. This one is right up there along the lines of the best of the Pretty Little Liars books.
• Every time I read a book by Sara Shepard, I always think about how messed up something in her life had to have been for her to be able to create such bizarre, devious storylines. 

Memorable quotes:

• "I'd always thought the afterlife would be like an eternal stay at a resort on St. Barts -- hot French waiters bringing me fruity drinks until the end of time, the azure Caribbean sky in a permanent sunset, a cool ocean breeze tickling my forever tanned skin. It would be my reward for living a full, fabulous, long life. I couldn't have been more wrong." ~ Sutton

Buy on Amazon.com: The Lying Game #4: Hide and Seek

Book #114: Arise

Title: Arise (book #2 in Hereafter series)

Author: Tara Hudson

Date started reading: Sept. 15, 2012
Date finished reading:  Sept. 18, 2012

Publish date: June 2012
ISBN: 978-0062026798
Number of pages: 416

Official summary: "Increasingly worried that dark spirits will carry out their threats and hurt the people she cares for most, Amelia is ready to try anything to protect them. And for his own very different reasons, Joshua has come to this cemetery at midnight to join her in a powerful ritual. Both know that once Amelia steps inside the Voodoo circle and the beautiful girl from the Conjure Café begins the ceremony, everything will change." (http://tarahudson.com)

Official book trailer:

How I obtained the book: Got a free advanced reader copy through my employer

My commentary:

• I only thought the first book in this series was great. This one blows the first out of the water. I love how Tara Hudson can take what is basically just a ghost story and make it so breathtaking and addictive. I couldn't predict where the story was going in this book, and ultimately it was like going on an amusement park ride that excites and takes unexpected turns. I can't wait for the third and final book in the trilogy to come out.

Memorable quotes:

• "When you had a ghost for a girlfriend, you eventually had to choose between the living and the dead. Between a normal life and a haunted one." ~ Amelia
• "I started to suspect that an empty world waited just beyond this vehicle. A world untouched and blank: not for me to write my story upon, but to disappear into. To fade against, finally, like the ghost I was." ~ Amelia
• "I kept asking myself the same question: Is it possible for a ghost to go crazy?" ~ Amelia
• "Amelia Elizabeth Ashley, I say this with affection, but you're totally crazy." ~ Joshua

Buy on Amazon.com: Arise (Hereafter)

Book #113: Succubus Revealed

Title: Succubus Revealed (book #6 of the Georgina Kincaid Series)

Author: Richelle Mead

Date started reading: Sept. 12, 2012
Date finished reading:  Sept. 14, 2012

Publish date: August 2011
ISBN: 978-0758232014
Number of pages: 304

Official summary: "Georgina Kincaid has had an eternity to figure out the opposite sex, but sometimes they still surprise her. Take Seth Mortensen. The man has risked his soul to become Georgina's boyfriend. Still, with Lucifer for a boss, Georgina can't just hang up her killer heels and settle down to domestic bliss. In fact, she's being forced to transfer operations... to Las Vegas. The City of Sin is a dream gig for a succubus, but Georgina's allies are suspicious. Why are the powers-that-be so eager to get her away from Seattle — and from Seth? Georgina is one of Hell's most valuable assets, but if there's any way out of the succubus business she plans to take it -- no matter how much roadkill she leaves behind. She just hopes the casualties won’t include the one man she’s risking everything for..." (http://www.richellemead.com)

How I obtained the book: Got through Listia.com (It's like eBay without the money being exchanged)

My commentary: 

• I am surprisingly extremely sad that this series is over. I have no more of the books left to read. Part of me wants to cry.
• This book was the best of the series and was the perfect close to the series. Georgina -- literally -- goes to Hell and back for the love of her life. I'm used to Richelle Mead breaking my heart over and over again with her books with very few truly happy endings, but Georgina and Seth getting to be together in the end, leading "normal" lives together, was so amazing that it makes up for some of the heartbreak she's given me in the past.

Memorable quotes:

• "I always kind of pictured Hell as a cross between waiting in line at the DMV and watching a marathon of Perfect Strangers." ~ Hugh

Buy on Amazon.com: Succubus Revealed (Georgina Kincaid, Book 6)

Book #112: Succubus Shadows

Title: Succubus Shadows (book #5 of the Georgina Kincaid Series)

Author: Richelle Mead

Date started reading:  Sept. 10, 2012
Date finished reading: Sept. 12, 2012

Publish date: April 2010
ISBN: 978-0758232007
Number of pages: 304

Official summary: "Georgina Kincaid has formidable powers. Immortality, seduction, shape-shifting into any human form she desires, walking in heels that would cripple mere mortals — all child’s play to a succubus like her. Helping to plan her ex-boyfriend’s wedding is a different story. Georgina isn’t sure which is worse — that Seth is marrying another woman, or that Georgina has to run all over Seattle trying on bridesmaid dresses. Still, there are distractions. Georgina’s roommate, Roman, is cluttering her apartment with sexual tension. Then there’s Simone, the new succubus in town, who’s intent on corrupting Seth. But the real danger lies in the mysterious force that’s visiting her thoughts, trying to draw her into a dark, otherworldly realm. Sooner or later, Georgina knows she’ll be too weak to resist. And when that happens, she’ll discover who she can trust, who she can’t — and that Hell is far from the worst place to spend eternity..." (http://www.richellemead.com)

How I obtained the book: Bought for $2 at charity book sale

My commentary:

• One thing that I both love and hate about Mead's books is how she can utterly break your heart over and over again, but you just can't stop reading her books. 

Memorable quotes:

• "Guilt was probably the worst culprit of all when it came to stupid behavior." ~ Georgina
• "I think our civilization has declined when scrunchies have become the prevalent form of hair ornamentation." ~ Seth
• "Love in the real world doesn't usually work out the way stories make us think it should. We don't always get fairy-tale endings. People split up and move on. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you can't love someone else." ~ Georgina
• "Dreams can be lies, but truth is truth." ~ Oneroi #1
• "There is no greater evil than ignorance and the destruction of genius. Ignorance has been responsible for more death, more bigotry, and more sin than any other force. It is the destroyer of mankind." ~ Tavia
• "Your truths are worse than your lies." ~ Oneroi
• "When you worked for Hell, everyone was guilty until proven innocent." ~ Georgina
• "If you're going to become a villain, you might as well go the whole way." ~ Seth
• "I'd rather spend my life alone than with someone who isn't you." ~ Seth to Georgina

Buy on Amazon.com: Succubus Shadows (Georgina Kincaid, Book 5)