Winners of City of Fallen Angels and Red Glove!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaways, and congratulations to the winners below! Enjoy your books.

Signed City of Fallen Angels :

Erica East

Signed Red Glove :

ferretvamp14

Both of these winners have been sent e-mails by me (from arshdeep.27@gmail.com) and have 48 hours to respond and claim their prizes, or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway of SIGNED City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare!

So, back in April, I had the amazing experience of attending a signing by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black! Both ladies were incredibly funny and sweet, and I honestly was awed to be in their presence. It was a fantastic event - readings from the authors' books, a great question-answer session, and of course, getting books signed. However, I know that most people didn't have the opportunity to go to one of the signings, so I am giving away a signed copy of City of Fallen Angels! You can read my review of the book here.

Giveaway Info:

• You must be 13 years or older to enter.
• The giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. (sorry to international residents!).
• The winner will be chosen using random.org.
• The giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m. PST on May 25, 2011.

To enter, just fill out the form here. Good luck!

I Will Never Look at a Mango the Same Way Again.

City of Fallen Angels

Cassandra Clare

4 Stars



City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

 First Sentence:

"Just coffee, please."

Cassandra Clare's books are some of my favorites, ever. I've been known to draw runes on myself. I constantly attempt to rope other people into reading them. I spend hours on the phone discussing plot twists and characters and scenes with my friends. When I got the chance to attend a signing of Cassandra Clare's back in April, I nearly died of excitement. Needless to say, my anticipation for City of Fallen Angels drove people up the wall. But, April 5 did roll around, and when it did, when I had read the book - finally! - I was left with a whole bunch of thoughts and feelings about it that took me a while to really sort through and pinpoint. For the most part, I thought it was great - the characters, the relationships, the humor, the pain, the emotional upheavals, and the mystery all made it great. But I did get the feeling that something was off, that it wasn't quite as good as the others, and it took a few long, exhaustively in-depth conversations with Brightskin (whom you may remember) to pinpoint exactly what I didn't like. But, more on that later - first of all, I have a lot to gush about!

The characters, the characters, the characters. Cassandra Clare's ability to take a large cast of characters and make me care so much about each and every one of them has always been one of the best parts about her books for me, and the fourth TMI book had some great character development. I have to say, Simon was the one who surprised me the most - he has just grown so much, and it was intriguing and painful to learn about the tough decisions and lifestyle he faces as a vampire, and not just a normal vampire, but a Daylighter. And as if that wasn't enough, he also has the Mark of Cain to deal with (the effects of which are nothing short of spectacular). I felt for him and cheered for him, even when he was doing something that I innately didn't think was right or was stupid; I even cried for him in a certain scene with his mother. He has a bit of a girl problem, as he's dating both Isabelle and Maia at the same time, and neither girl knows about the other. While I like Maia as a character, I must say that I am most definitely Team Izzy on this one, just because I think that Simon and Isabelle contrast each other, and yet understand each other too. Simon was amazing in this book, and I really enjoyed getting to know him further and seeing what kinds of issues he faces.

Then, of course, there's Jace. Jace is just indescribable. I mean, to see him so vulnerable and afraid was a whole new experience, and as a reader, it was utterly painful - which, I suppose, is the point. You just can't help sympathizing with him and fervently hoping that he's okay and that it'll all work out for him somehow. I honestly admire Cassandra Clare for putting him through so much, when it would have been so easy to just let him go off into his happily-ever-after with Clary. Instead, many issues are brought up for him, both old and new, and things that I thought were rather unresolved about him at the end of City of Glass were picked up again. He also gets in his customary smart comments and sarcastic insults, and it's interesting to see him grow into someone who is more open, at least with Clary. And Simon and Jace's relationship was hilarious, second only to the Malec. I mean, the mango! Unforgettable. Their banter was entertaining, but underneath that, you could see a real friendship forming.

I must say, although I love Clary, there have definitely been times when I've wanted to smack her for being a bit stupid. She has the tendency to rush into things without thinking, and while I admired her courage, I wished she would be smarter about her decisions. I am happy to say that in City of Fallen Angels, Clary is indeed wiser about things (except for one glaring mistake at the end, which I will discuss when I rant about the cliffhanger). She learns fighting skills, gets backup when she knows she's going into a possibly dangerous situation, and is very resourceful in battle. This made me like her even more, because while she retained her toughness and determination, she also gained some caution. I also enjoyed watching her relationship with her mother develop, as things are obviously different between them now that Clary knows about the Shadowhunter world. And Clary and Jace have plenty of heated encounters, the DSAS (Dirty Sexy Alley Scene) being one of them, which made me both swoon and shiver.

Isabelle has always been one of my favorite characters, but she just got so much better in this book, because we got to see a side of her that she rarely ever shows. I admire her for her confidence and courage, and yet I feel for her when she shows that part of herself that is afraid to truly love. I cried when she said this: "But I watch my brothers give their hearts away and I think, Don't you know better? Hearts are breakable. And I think even when you heal, you're never what you were before." (239) I think that's part of the reason I ship Simon/Izzy - she needs someone as caring as Simon to melt her a bit and show her how to love uninhibitedly.

Maia was, as always, unflappably normal, which is what I like about her - she's so down-to-earth, even with all the insanity surrounding her. Kyle was a surprise, but a pleasant one. He was mysterious at first, but the more we got to know him, the more I liked him. He's funny and cute and kind, certainly, but he's got a past that haunts him, and once you see how much it hurts him, you can't hold what he did against him (and I'm very much hoping that Maia feels the same!).

So, all of these characters and relationships were great. But the one that I loved most of all was Magnus and Alec's. The two of them...they just make me laugh and sigh and even cry. Magnus, of course, is his fabulous self, although we do see a more nostalgic side of him. He usually seems to timeless and young, but the costs of immortality have taken a toll on him. I adored seeing how Alec has grown into himself and become more comfortable. He's just as adorable as ever, but now I feel for his pain as it really hits him that he's going to die, and Magnus isn't  - that they don't actually have forever. And on top of that, Alec is jealous of Magnus's past loves, and while I feel really bad for him, it's difficult not to laugh at least a little at his petulance. The Malec in CoFA is sweet and utterly heart-wrenching, and so when Alec makes a certain decision regarding Camille, I don't blame him in the least, and when Alec and Magnus talk about hope, I tear up.

I enjoyed Camille's elegant cunning, and how she was tied back to The Infernal Devices. In fact, all the little connections to TID were really neat, and while it's not required that you understand them in order to understand the plot of City of Fallen Angels, they add to the complexity of the story and make you anticipate Clockwork Prince even more.

CoFA was hilarious, and it gave us some truly memorable moments, including "sexy vampire mojo", "the nuclear bomb of boyfriends", Izzy's sex talk with Clary, Alec's jealousy, Simon's band, the mango scene, South Carolina, and so much more. There's also plenty of action, both with the Shadowhunters and with Simon's Mark of Cain. I thought that the theme of people falling to their temptations was very well illustrated, with resonance for many characters - Jace, Simon, Clary, and Alec.

This is a Cassandra Clare book, so of course all the relationships were convoluted and complex and utterly compelling. There are just so many different threads binding the characters to each other, and it's fascinating to see them come into play; I'm really left wondering what the feelings that certain characters have will lead them to do in the next books. Just how far are they willing to go for someone they love, or someone they hate?

I know there's been a lot of uproar about the cliffhanger - and it is most definitely a major cliffhanger - and while I, too, am dying to know what happens next, I've come to savor that feeling of anticipation, as it only makes the next installment all the better. That being said, it was really quite an ending, and after reading it, I wanted to kill Clary. ***SPOILER***Who leaves their emotionally messed-up boyfriend on a roof all by himeself with the creepy body of their half-demon brother, which was very recently being used in an ancient ritual of evil?! ***END SPOILER***

So, having gushed on about all the great things in City of Fallen Angels, I do want to talk about what I think made it not as good as the previous installments, and what could have been better. I felt that at many points, it was far too dramatic and cliché, especially when it came to Jace and Clary. Yes, I get it, you two love each other very, very, much, but that does not mean you have to spend all of your time a) saying how much you love each other, or b) making out passionately. The problem of overly dramatic dialogue came up with Jace a lot, as he said ***SPOILER*** how he couldn't be with Clary, wasn't good enough for her, etc. I feel that the way all this was expressed was kind of ridiculous, and that it could have been done much better ***END SPOILER***. And while the passionate, making-out scenes were well-written, they became endlessly repetitive after a time. I love romance and reading about Jace and Clary making out just as much as the next person, but in this book, it happened so often that it was rather ridiculous. I felt like yelling at Clary to stop taking Jace's shirt off and start confronting him about his problems. The other thing that I disliked about CoFA is that the whole thing felt a bit rushed. There were too many plotlines and not enough time spent on each of them. While I enjoy alternating POV, the constant switching back and forth between storylines didn't allow me to focus on the main plot, which I found to be very irritating.

Overall, City of Fallen Angels was a great read. I enjoyed it, and although there were flaws, I'm still eagerly anticipating City of Lost Souls in May of 2012. I will be giving away a signed copy of City of Fallen Angels a bit later, so be sure to check back on the blog!

A Rather Contentious and Pointless Will vs. Jem Battle

So, I have this friend, Brightskin. And Brightskin is a really huge Will-hater. (William Herondale from Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.) So obviously she is on Team Jem. I love Will and Jem equally, so I'm Team Undecided Until Next Book, but for this argument I took Will's side. Behold - our nonsensical, irritating, totally useless argument:

Brightskin : Will is stupid.

Bookworm :  Actually, he is quite smart. He is very clever, and his skills as a battle technician are vaunted by Charlotte.

Brightskin :  Jem is the bomb because he's so sensitive and nice to Tessa.

Bookworm :  Will is trying to be nice in his own way - by protecting Tessa from himself.

Brightskin :  If he wants to protect her he shouldn't make out with her.

Bookworm :  He can't help himself. He loves her.

Brightskin :  Jem loves her too but you don't see him all over her all the time.

Bookworm :  That's because he's a bit shy. And I don't think he's completely in love with her yet. Their feelings are developing.

Brightskin :  And if Will loves her so much and wants to protect her he shouldn't be groping her with every opportunity.

Bookworm :  He is not 'groping her with every opportunity'. In fact, he is trying to stay away from her and is unable to resist at times. This shows that he cares for her.

Brightskin :  Then why did he suggest they have sex?

Bookworm :  He was purposely trying to push her away - he knew she would be upset.

Brightskin :  Upset enough to leave the Institute, which is really bad for her safety. If he loved her, why would he do that?

Bookworm :  Not upset enough to leave the Institute, upset enough to leave him alone.

Brightskin :  Why would he hurt her like that if he loved her?

Bookworm :  We've been through this. Because he's trying to protect her from himself and his dark secret.

Brightskin :  That's irrelevant. If he truly loves her he should tell her the secret.

Bookworm :  That's not a fair argument - we don't know what the secret is yet. It might turn Tessa into a brooding, antisocial, jerky person too.

Brightskin :  Well then, it's obvious that she shouldn't be with Will if knowing the real him would make her farouche.

Bookworm :  Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't. We don't know the secret, so we can't judge.

Brightskin :  You just said above it would. Are you contradicting yourself?

Bookworm :  I said it might.

Brightskin :  Jem, on the other hand, opened up about his secret. Shows that he truly cares about her and is willing to be honest with her.

Bookworm :  Maybe Will isn't able to tell her the secret.

Brightskin :  Well if he cant tell her he shouldn't be with her, for her safety more than anything else.

Bookworm :  Love cannot be controlled. And once again, he pushes her away. And goes to Magnus Bane, probably to get help.

Brightskin : Who knows, maybe he's a deranged psychopath vampire werewolf hybrid that's impersonating a Shadowhunter.

Bookworm :  Hmmm, he could be.

Brightskin : And love can be controlled.

Bookworm :  As in, you can't control who you do and do not love.

Brightskin :  But you can control HOW you love them and Will isn't doing a good job of that. What if he starts making out with her or having sex with her and then he accidentally kills her because his love is uncontrollable?

Bookworm :   That is ridiculous.

Brightskin :  You are ridiculous.

Bookworm :  Will is not like the vampires in Twilight.

Brightskin :  Your face is ridiculous. IRRELEVANT.

Bookworm : I am pleased we are so mature.

Brightskin : Lol. Who knows? Maybe that is his big secret, that he's a savage sex monster.

Bookworm :  No. Just no. What other objections do you have to Will, besides that he hasn't told Tessa his secret and he's possibly a savage sex monster?

Brightskin :  "No. Just no." What an argument, please back it up.

Bookworm :  All right, that was unfair of me.

Brightskin :  Indeed it was.

Bookworm :  But please do respond to my question.

Brightskin :  Respond to my contention first.

Bookworm :  Okay. So, which argument specifically?

Brightskin :  That what if Will is a savage sex monster. And not that scenario specifically but the fact that we don't know how radical or dangerous his secret really is and if it is truly better to be safe than sorry then why go with Will? Stay with Jem. We know his problems, we know his true personality, we know him. We don't know Will.

Bookworm :  All right. True, we don't know what Will's secret is. But we know that it has something to do with the box, with his parents, with his contentious attitude, and is the reason he's afraid to get too close to anyone, except Jem. But whatever his secret is, he is trying to protect Tessa from it. If Will really is a savage sex monster and that's his secret, then he definitely knows better than to get too close to Tessa. Hence, he is a huge jerk to her so that he's sure she won't try to get close to him. Now, please do me the honor of answering my question.

Brightskin :  Hold on, let me respond to your argument. So we know for sure that he's a "huge jerk", so why the hell would we want him to get with her?

Bookworm :  He's a huge jerk at times. But sometimes he shows his soft and caring side.

Brightskin :  But he shouldn't because he isn't safe for Tessa.

Bookworm :  For the millionth time. He realizes he's not safe for Tessa. So he pushes her away at the end. Please voice your other objections to him.

Brightskin :  Okay then, Will doesn't want to get with Tessa, Tessa doesn't want to get with Will because he's a "huge jerk" to her, where's the conflict? Debate resolved.

Bookworm :  Will wants to get with Tessa. Tessa wants to get with Will. But Will knows that's not good, so he pushes her away and makes her think he doesn't want to get with her. That is the conflict. Plus, Will is hotter than Jem.

Brightskin :  Will doesn't want to get with Tessa and that's why he keeps pushing her away! Tessa doesn't want to get with Will because he was so insensitive and suggested they have sex. Whether it was on purpose or not is irrelevant. And "hotness" is not something which can be decided.

Bookworm :  You are being a blinded oaf. If you say this is irrelevant I shall throw you to the cannibal ducks. And OF COURSE pushing her away was on purpose.

Brightskin :  IRRELEVANCE.

Bookworm :  To the cannibal ducks you go, then.

Brightskin :  IT IS IRRELEVANT YOU IDIOT. BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T KNOW IT SO ALL SHE THINKS IS THAT WILL IS INSENSiTIVE AND A JERK. SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HIS MOTIVES ARE SO THAT IS WHY IT IS IRRELEVANT.

Bookworm :  But in Clockwork Prince Tessa will learn of his secret.

Brightskin :  But we don't know what happens in that book now do we?

Bookworm :  We shall see what happens.

Brightskin :  Will and Tessa don't want to get with each other.

Bookworm :  Tessa is definitely attracted to Will, as evidenced by her thinking of him as the most beautiful boy she has ever seen, as evidenced by how she is affected by his presence, as evidenced by the fact that they kiss and she enjoys it, and as evidenced by the fact that she is hurt when he pushes her away.

Brightskin :  He pushes her away in such a manner that she believes that he is cruel himself even though that might not be the case in reality.

Bookworm :  Will is definitely attracted to Tessa, as evidenced by how he is jealous when Jem kisses her hand, as evidenced by how he holds her when he thinks she's dead, and as evidenced by how he admits she is what makes him laugh.

Brightskin :  But he doesn't want to get with her as evident by the fact that he pushes her away.

Bookworm :  That doesn't mean Tessa isn't attracted to Will, it just means she's upset with him. He wants to get with her, but knows he shouldn't because of his secret.

Brightskin :  So they won't! Want is different from should. I want to burn many people in bonfires but I shouldn't so I won't. It's not the question of whether or not they're attracted to each other, it's the question of whether or not they want to get with each other.

Bookworm :  This is 1878 London. There is no such thing as 'dating' or 'getting with someone'. There is being attracted, falling in love, and getting married. You never know. Will's secret could be resolved.

Brightskin :  BUT THEY CAN'T GET MARRIED CAN THEY YOU FOOL BECAUSE HE'S A SHADOWHUNTER AND SHES A WARLOCK. Well, many things could happen. Will could die but AT THIS POINT they shouldn't and won't. The end (:

Bookworm :  Will could be turned into a vampire. He could become immortal some other way, or he could die. But that doesn't mean that he didn't/doesn't/won't love Tessa, and vice versa.

Brightskin : It's not about loving, it's about commitment. I love many people but I'm not going to get with or marry all of them.

Bookworm :  ......

Brightskin :  Did you just concede to my argument?

Bookworm :  The entire premise of the argument is who Tessa should choose, Will or Jem, because of how much they love her/she loves them. So far, you've mostly argued against Will. What about arguing for Jem?

Brightskin :  Will = rude, unstable, neurotic. Jem = kindhearted, honest, loving, caring.

Bookworm :  Will = rude, unstable, neurotic, and cares for Tessa. Jem = kindhearted, honest, loving, caring, and dying. Quickly. Will = has a possibility of redemption. Jem = will die.

Brightskin :  But maybe not because Tessa is determined to search for a cure for him

Bookworm :  What if she doesn't find one? What then?

Brightskin :  So the only thing, in your opinion, that makes Will better than Jem is that Will will live longer? What if Will dies in battle? What then?

Bookworm :  No. But I'm saying we shouldn't judge before we know Will's secret. And regardless of whether Will dies young, Tessa is going to be left without either of them eventually.

Brightskin: What's the point of this? I'm bored.

THE VERDICT: We must wait for Clockwork Prince!

However, it would be lovely to hear YOUR thoughts! Will or Jem, and why?

Best Love Triangles/Squares/Etc.

This was definitely a difficult one to choose, but we have: Will/Tessa/Jem/Sophie from Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare and Dimitri/Rose/Adrian from the Vampire Academy series. Both of these love triangles are so well-written that it is impossible to decide who to choose. In CA, Will is extremely hot, quite rude, snarky, and hiding a dark secret. Jem is sweet, goodhearted, wise, and dying. This results in me being Team Undecided Until Next Book. And of course, Jem could go with either Tessa or Sophie...In VA, Dimitri is strong, brave, and good. Adrian is funny, not always appropriate, and slightly crazy. Another undecided, because Dimitri and Adrian are both so darn amazing. The VA one has been resolved with Last Sacrifice coming out recently, but the CA one is still going strong!

What are your favorite love triangles/squares/etc.? And who do you choose out of them? Also, on a side note, I've been looking for good books with girl-boy-girl love triangles, where the boy has to choose from two girls, for a change. Any suggestions?

Best Male Characters

So, two winners in this category, although I would have dearly loved to have fifty or so. Jace from The Mortal Instruments, by Cassandra Clare, and Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird, take the honors here. Jace is someone who has stolen the hearts of readers everywhere, and it's not just because he's hot - it's because he is strong and sarcastic and vulnerable and brave and shows us that sometimes it's good to be an angst-ridden teenager. And then there's Atticus - someone who is gentlemanly and fierce and moral and brave and shows us love and hate and compassion and humor, who makes me think that he is the best role model anyone could ever have.

Who are your favorite male characters?

Best LGBT Characters

Again, two series winners for this category: Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments  & The Infernal Devices and Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon (I would choose Dumbledore, but I've been reading about him for years). In TMI and TID, we have Magnus Bane, who is a glittery, wise, powerful, snarky, shimmery, powerful, bisexual warlock. I can't even describe the amazingness of Magnus - and then there's Alec, Magnus's shy, protective, gay, boyfriend, who is so adorable that I have a huge fictional-best-friend crush on him. Both of these characters are fantastic. And then there's Jamie from TDL trilogy - witty, nervous, hilarious, sweet, and gay. Jamie is just so much fun; I'd love to spend a day with him, just laughing anf joking and not engaging in any knife-throwing activity. All three of these characters represent diversity in the world, and I hope more LGBT characters will continue to make their appearance in books, especially YA lit.

Who are your favorite LGBT characters?

CoFA Cover Is Finally Revealed!

For anyone out there who is a Mortal Instruments addict like me - if you somehow have been hiding under a rock and haven't heard yet, the cover for City of Fallen Angels hads finally been revealed! You can view it here! And there's also a link to a tiny little excerpt from the first chapter too. Very exciting news - I have to say that although the cover isn't nearly as amazing as Clockwork Angel, it's the best out of the TMI series (you can actually see a face!). So, very excited for this book (April 5!), and love the cover. Now, only 112 days...not that I'm counting... ;)