Books: Great Reads

I wanted to add a couple more books to this post, but I need to write my thoughts on these three before I confuse any detail.

I recommend The Infernal Devices Series to anyone who likes YA fantasy with a romantic and/or steampunk bend. I'm not a great fan of the love triangle, but it mostly works here. The author's treatment of each relationship will appease readers.

In my opinion, the epilogue in Clockwork Princess needed a little work. "Let's see the world!" is not the most romantic declaration, so the ending of the series was just less than satisfactory for me. Nevertheless, I will happily reread the series and my favorite passages.

I've been to Hiroshima, its Peace Memorial Museum, and seen evidence of the devastating and mutational effects of the atomic bomb - none is for the faint of heart. Baggott has used this imagery in The Pure Trilogy to transform our world into a bomb-ravaged, desolate, desperate place where survivors are genetically altered and fused to whatever item(s), person(s), animal(s), or natural element(s) they were near at the time of detonation.

Excepting those "blessed" few protected by the Dome. By design, those in the Dome remain pure, untouched, and unadultered. Understandably, those outside the Dome resent those within. And several on the inside want to reclaim their place on the outside. Both sides are on the brink of revolution, and when a youth escapes the Dome and allies with survivors, events are set into motion none will expect.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Pure and Fuse. The books, while based on fact, are highly imaginative. Both books are well-paced and adrenaline-fueled, every scene is vividly brought to life, and the characters run the full spectrum. I anxiously await the third installment.

Books: C. Clare Readathon

I did finish Wildwood, which I thought was a Chronicles of Narnia and Rumplestiltskin mash-up. The writing, level of description, characters, etc. were good, but the story was not terribly original. I won't read its sequel, or any other follow-on titles.

Once I worked my way through the Impassable Wilderness, I read Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Prince. I didn't love it as well as Clockwork Angel, but I still loved it and cannot wait for Clockwork Princess to come out on the 19th. Seriously, I cannot wait.

I'm so impatient that I stopped waiting for City of Bones to be returned to the library, bought it, and read all five books in The Mortal Instruments Series within a matter of days. I should have read more slowly, but I couldn't help it. I always want to know what happens next.

That being said, I do prefer The Infernal Devices Series to The Mortal Instruments. The time, setting, and characters of the former are far more appealing to me, but I am invested in both series. And they do tie together as prequel/sequels are meant to do.

I then read Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, Book 1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. This is an original story, and while the authors did an excellent job developing the plot, the pacing of the story is off. I thought it needed another round of editing, and maybe 100 fewer pages. I also think Beautiful Creatures should have been a standalone book. I can't muster enough interest to find out what happens during Lena's seventeenth, eighteenth, or any other moon. To me, Lena claimed herself on her sixteenth moon and the story's over.

Beautiful Creatures and City of Bones may not be my favorite books, but I do want to see how Hollywood chose to bring these novels to life. Someday.

I'm going back to the library today for more books.

Books: Reading Plan

There's not a lot of room in our new apartment, so we've decided to place all of our books and large bookshelves in storage. We're going to make the most of the base library instead. As a family we're only allowed to check out ten books at a time, so we'll be visiting the library a lot.

I've decided to read all of the library's young adult and intermediate fiction, which is a few hundred books (to be read in three years). I've only just begun, but here's what I've read so far:

I really enjoyed Condie and Clare's books, and I'm anxious to read the rest of both series. Then again, I like dystopian and steampunk fiction (Clockwork Angel isn't strictly steampunk, but it does have some of its elements). Unfortunately, the base library doesn't have the other books. It does, however, have Clare's entire Mortal Instruments Series. I'll check those out next.

I wasn't as impressed with Marked. The character relationships didn't feel authentic. I'm not emotionally invested in any character, so I have little interest in continuing the series at present. But I'll try again later.

I think my reading plan is a good one, and I'll continue to post my progress here.