Book Review: The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan & Maureen Johnson

Book Summary: 

It’s not easy being Magnus Bane. As a warlock, he’s often called upon to fix the problems of others. His life has been long, and his loves have been many. And Magnus has a way of making sure he’s at the right place—or perhaps wrong—time. The French Revolution, Prohibition, the great blackout of New York City, the first great battle between Valentine and the New York Institute. . . Magnus was there, and usually in the middle of it. But smuggling Marie Antoinette out of France is nothing compared to loving a vampire like Camille Belcourt—or having a first date with Alec Lightwood. 

Though Magnus’s tale is far from over, these stories shed a little light on his often instructable character. What happens when an immortal warlock goes mad? Are all Herondales as problematic as Will? (Answer: Yes). What exactly happened at the Hotel Dumort? How did Raphael Santiago become a vampire? What do you buy for your Shadowhunter boyfriend when you’re not officially dating? And why was Magnus banned from Peru? 

Magnus will never be able to tell all of his tales. No one would believe him. But here are eleven stories that fill in some of the blanks—stories he probably wishes had never gotten out.

My Rating: 4 stars 

My Review: 

“The Bane Chronicles” was whimsical, funny and definintely intriguing—just like the main character itself, Magnus Bane. If you’ve read the Mortal Instruments and/or The Infernal Devices, then the stories in this book will help you to understand him a bit more. Magnus is... well, magnificent (pun totally intended). He’s charming, funny, often insane, usually over-dramatic, and well... what else can I say? He’s my absolute favourite character in both Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices. The things he gets himself into had me shaking my head at several points. 

I really enjoyed learning more about the background of my favourite character. Even if he wasn’t my favourite, I probably would’ve loved this book anyway. I found that “What Really Happened in Peru” (the story that opens the book) sort of dragged at first, but it was fun. I really enjoyed “Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale” (which tells the story of Will’s father). But by FAR my favourite stories in this book were “Saving Raphael Santiago” (made me even tear up at several points), and “The Course of True Love [And First Dates]” and, “What To Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re not ofiically dating anyway). 

Magnus’s history is so very vast, it would need several different books like this to even come close to telling all of Magnus’s tales. I would really like to know what it was like for Magnus in the first several years after the events of his childhood, though I can’t imagine they were pleasant. I really liked the relationships between him, Ragnor and Catarina. I also enjoyed seeing Tessa & Will in “The Midnight Hier”, as well as again in “The Last Stand of the New York Institute” (Also loved little Clary and Tessa moment in here as well.) I believe this might be why Tessa seems familiar to Clary when she first sees her in City of Glass. Also, the mention of Jem “I know a Silent Brother who will keep any secret, if I ask him to” kind of made me break inside all over again. My heart always breaks whenever Jem is mentioned. Seeing him in “The MIdnight Heir” just made me cry. 

There is so much of Magnus to know, and these stories only barely touch the surface. “The Bane Chronicles” is deliciously wonderful, though. I want more Magnus! (I’m really hoping to see him the Dark Artifces, and I can’t wait to see him in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy). I love Magnus, and I miss him already even though I just finished this book. 

All in all, The Bane Chronicles is definitely a must-add to your growing Shadowhunter collection. I would say that while they are each stand-alone stories and do not have to be read in order, it is definitely necesary to have read The Infernal Devices FIRST, before beginning the Bane Chronicles. There is a lot of stuff from that time period that you will not understand unless you read The Infernal Devices, the mentions of Jem, Will & Tessa, etc. You could possibly get by reading it without having read The Mortal Instruments, though the bits with the Circle & everything to do with Alec will end up being confusing, though you could probably follow along. I still recommend reading both series first before you go reading The Bane Chronicles, else you will end up extremely confused and you just won’t appreciate the deliciousness that is Magnus Bane. (Not that Magnus is something to eat, I’m just referring to his sexiness when I say “delicious”.) 

Magnifcent. Suberb. Wonderful. Absolutely delightful. A MUST READ. 

Side note: I am very pleased to say that I have completely finished ALL of Cassandra Clare’s works that are available to date, including the Shadowhunter’s Codex. This is one of my highest accomplishments. I have finished (devoured might be a better word for it) The Infernal Devices, The Mortal Instruments, The Shadowhunter’s Codex, & The Bane Chronicles, and now I have nothing left of Cassie’s to read. Alas, I must retire to Fanfiction.net, where I must be satisfied with occasionally decent stories featuring the Shadowhunters. I have not succumbed to writing my own, though I have been tempted (especially during that torturously long way between City of Lost Souls, Clockwork Princess, and City of Heavenly Fire). 

This little Shadowhunter is off to bed, where she may dream about being as fabulously dressed as the Magnificent Bane. 

Book Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Book Summary: 

When Clara Gardner learns she’s part angel, her entire life changes. She now has a purpose, a specific task that she was put on this earth to accomplish, except she doesn’t know what it is. Her visions of a raging forest fire and a mysterious boy lead her to a new high school in a new town but provide no clear instruction. As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she’d have to make—between the boy in her vision and the boy in her life, between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. . . When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

My Rating: 4.5 stars 

My Review: 

Unearthly is beautiful. I’ve read it three times since I first got the book a year or so ago, and I still love it just as much as I did the first time around. One of the best things about this book is Clara’s Mom. She’s by far the best Mom in any Young Adult book that I’ve read. I loved her Mom so much. I also loved her relationship with her brother, Jeffery. By the way, Jeffery is totally me, eating at every oppurtunity. 

I think another great thing about this book is that it’s still realistic, despite being about angels. It’s not at all cliche, and a lot of the things that happen in the book actually make sense. I love the idea of the purpose. It makes sense, because aren’t we all supposed to have some sort of “purpose”? And the angels are so realistic in this story. I actually love them. 

The only thing about this book that bothered me at first was the love triangle. I hate love triangles. But this one actually works, and it’s not eyeroll-worthy. Both guys would be a good match for Clara, and it’s really hard to pick between the two, though I definitely love Tucker a lot more than Christian. Something about him just irked me, I don’t know what. 

I loved Angela, the best friend. She’s a realistic best friend. I can name several YA books that feature so-called best friends who end up being total bitches, but Angela’s not one of them. She really helps Clara get through one of the hardest times in her life, and she sort of keeps her grounded. It’s nice to see a friendship in a YA book that doesn’t make you want to smack the main character for being friends with said friend. I also really liked Wendy, Tucker’s twin sister, even though she wasn’t in the story that much. 

Another thing that I really liked is that Clara actually already knew about the angels and stuff a long time ago. It wasn’t one of those books where the main character finds out that “surprise, you’re a...”. She was fourteen when she found out, and I like that we didn’t actually know how she found out right away. So many books have the cliche “main character turns sixteen, and discovers that something odd is happening to her. Surprise, you’re some kind of a supernatural being with awesome magic powers!” plot line, which I hate. It is stupid and boring and ruins the good idea you probably would’ve had otherwise. 

Unearthly was an excellent read, refreshing among the boring/cliche YA angel books. The next two books, Hallowed and Boundless, are just as awesome. This trilogy is definitely worth checking out! Totally recommend it. 

Details about Tales From The Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

About: 

Simon Lewis never thought he'd become a Shadowhunter... and now he has the chance. Ten novellas, each released as an individual e-book over the course of ten months, make up Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. The series will launch with one story a month beginning February 2015. When all the novellas are published, the book will be offered in print format in bookstores, much like the Bane Chronicles.

Story 1: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy 

After living as a Mundane and a Vampire, Simon never thought he would become a Shadowhunter, but today he begins his training at Shadowhunter Academy.

2) The Lost Herondale: 

Simon learns the worst crime a Shadowhunter can commit: desertion of their comrades. In the early nineteenth century, Tobias Herondale abandoned his fellow Shadowhunters in the heat of battle and left them to die. His life was forfeit, but Tobias never returned, and the Clave claimed his wife's life in exchange for Tobias's. Simon and his fellow students are shocked to learn of this brutality, especially when it is revealed the woman was pregnant.. But what if the child survived, could there be a lost Herondale line out in the world today?

3) The Whitechapel Fiend: 

Simon learns the truth behind the Jack the Ripper murders—"Jack" was stopped by Will Herondale, his former parabati, and his institute of Victorian Shadowhunters.

4) Nothing But Shadows: 

Simon challenges the setup of the Shadowhunter Academy, and in doing so learns the story of James Herondale and Matthew Fairchild, and the unusual way that they became friends and parabati. 

5) The Evil We Love

The story of Valentine's Circle at the Shadowhunter Academy.

6) Fair Kings and Princes

Simon has encounter with Downworlders and is reprimanded for not following the rules for Academy students interacting with Downworlders. A story within a story: Andrew Blackthorn, while a student at the Academy, becomes enthralled by a faerie and has two children with her: Mark and Helen.

7) Bitter of Tongue

When faeries kidnap Simon he encounters a member of the Wild Hunt, the former Shadowhunter Mark Blackthorn. 

8) The Fiery Trial 

Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn become parabati. Simon and Clary both act as their witnesses, so they can see what a parabati bond forming looks liks as they want to become parabati as soon as Simon graduates—and because Emma asked Clary. The ritual goes unexpectedly... 

9) Born to Endless Night: 

Simon, ike the rest of the Academy, is stunned when a navy-skinned warlock baby is found on the Academy steps. They hand the child over to guest lecturer Magnus Bane, who has to bring a child home, temporarily, of course... to his man! 

10) Angels Twice Descending

Someone lives and someone dies at Simon's Ascension ceremony. 

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare Hardcover Release

Best-selling author Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices, released a new book today. The Bane Chronicles, which is a series of short stories co-written by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson, illuminates the life of the much-loved warlock Magnus Bane. The stories were originally released in e-book form, but are now available as a whole book on paperback. It is one of the books on my Christmas list this year. *nudges Mom; hint hint*

Below is a complete list of the stories in order:

What Really Happened in Peru 

The Runaway Queen 

Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale

The Midnight Heir 

The Rise of the Hotel Dumort

Saving Raphael Santiago 

The Fall of the Hotel Dumort

What To Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything 

The Last Stand of the New York Institute 

The Course of True Love [And First Dates] 

And here are the summaries of each story: 

What Really Happened in Peru: 

There are good reasons Peru is off-limits to Magnus Bane. Follow Magnus's Peruvian escapades as he drags fellow warlocks Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss into trouble, learns several instruments (which he plays shockingly), dances (which he does shockingly) and disgraces his host nation by doing something unspeakable to the Nazca Lines.

The Runaway Queen 

Magnus Bane has a royal role in the French Revolution—if the angry mobs don't spoil his spells. 

While in France, immortal warlock Magnus Bane finds himself attempting to rescue the royal family from the horros of the French Revolution—after being roped into this mess by a most attractive count. Naturally, the daring escape calls for invisible air balloons... 

Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale 

Magnus leverages his alliances with Downworlders and Shadowhunters on a venture to Victorian London. 

When Immortal warlock Magnus Bane attends the preliminary peace talks between the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders in Victorian London, he is charmed by two very different people: the vampire Camille Belcourt, and the young Shadowhunter, Edmund Herondale. Will winning hearts mean choosing sides? 

The Midnight Heir 

In Edwarian London, Magnus Bane discovers old friends and new enemies—including the son of his former comrade Will Herondale.

Magnus thought he would never return to London, but he is lured by a handsome offer from Tatiana Blackthorn, whose plans —involving her beautiful young ward — are far more sinister than Magnus even suspects. In London at the turn of the century, Magnus finds old friends, and meets a very surprising young man... the sixteen year-old James Herondale. 

The Rise of the Hotel Dumort

In 1920s Manhattan, Magnus Bane hobnobs with the elite at a glamorous Jazz Age hotspot. 

The immortal Magnus Bane is making the most of his time in the Roaring Twenties: He's settled into New York society, and is thriving among the fashionable jazz set. And there is nowhere better to see and be seen than the glamorous Hotel Dumort, a glittering new addition to the Manhattan landscape. But a different type of glamour may be at play...

Saving Raphael Santiago 

A Manhattan teen—Raphael Santiago—is missing, and Magnus Bane must track him down before it's too late.

In 1950s New York City, a distraught mother hires Magnus Bane to find her missing son, Raphael. But even if he can be found, is Raphael beyond saving?

The Fall of the Hotel Dumort

Magnus Bane watches the once-glamorous Hotel Dumort become something else altogether in 1970s New York City.

Fifty years after the Jazz Age rise of the Hotel Dumort, immortal warlock Magnus Bane knows the Manhattan landmark is on the decline. The once-beautiful Hotel Dumort has fallen into a destroyed thing, a ruin, as dead as a place can be. But the vampires don't mind... 

What To Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything

Magnus Bane may or not be dating Alec Lightwood, but he definitely needs to find him the perfect birthday present.

Set in the time between City of Ashes and City of Glass, warlock Magnus Bane is determined to find the best birthday present possible for Alec Lightwood, the Shadowhunter he may or may not be dating. And he's also got to deal with the demon he's conjured up for a very irritating client... 

The Last Stand of the New York Institute

Magnus meets Valentine in the battle as the Circle attacks the Downworlds of New York City. 

In the time of the Uprising, Valentine's Circle goes after Downworlders in New York.. and the Shadowhunters of the Institute must decide whether to join him, or fight with Magnus and his kind. This is the first time Magnus sees Jocelyn, Luke and Stephen—but not the last. It is not long before Jocelyn seeks him out. 

The Course of True Love [And First Dates]

Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood might fall in love — but first they have a first date.

Whe Magnus Bane, warlock, meetsAlec Lightwood, Shadowhunter, sparks fly. And what happens on their first date lights a flame...

All books in the Bane Chronicles are also available as audiobooks, and can be bought individually as E-books. Personally, I'm waiting until I can get the paperback book so I can add to my Cassandra Clare collection. I'm not sure if I will be able to fit the Dark Artifices and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy AND The Last Hours with all the other books. I might have to get Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy on my E-reader, but I'm GOING to make TDA and TLH fit... Or at least I'll attempt to. 

Ugh. Cassie, I love your writing, but how many shadowhunter series are you going to write?! Not that I mind... as long as I never get to stop reading about Magnus... ;)

Book Review: Grave Mercy by Robin Lafevers

I recently picked up "Grave Mercy", at my local dollar store, for $1.50. I know, I was totaly amazed, and of COURSE I had to grab it. Here's my thoughts: 

Book Summary: 

Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf? 

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts-- and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assasin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany-- where she finds herself woefully under prepared-- not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death's vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

My Rating: 4.5 stars

My Review:

I absolutely LOVED 'Grace Mercy. It was so much better than I had anticipated. Ismae drew me in from the first sentence, and I loved the world, the politics, the romance... everything about it. I could feel her emotions, see what she was seeing, experience what she was experiencing. 

Let's talk about Duval, shall we? I really loved him, though I admit I was a little hesitant to trust him at first. But like Ismae, it was hard for me to distrust him for too long. The chemistry between Duval and Ismae was perfectly written, and so believable. It's hard to find a book these days where the chemistry is actally realistic. As a writer myself, I struggle with it, too, and know how hard it can be. Their moments together were perfectly written, making you anticipate their next interactions. Both Ismae and Duval were extremely well-written, and in fact, I feel they are the two most real characters I have come across in a long while. The passion wasn't overdone, neither were the characters' personalities. 

Also, I do love the way they spoke. It was definitely realistic for me. Did you know that "merde" means "shit" in French? After the first several times Ismae said the word, I had to look up the translation. I giggled to myself whenever she said it afterwards.

Robin's writing is absolutely amazing. I can honestly not put it into words how great it is. The book is over 500 pages, but it felt less than that with all the action and things happening in between. I finished this book this afternoon (it's currently 11:32pm where I live) and I have not been able to stop thinking about the book, or flipping back and forth to my favourite scenes. I also really liked Anne, the Duchess. She seemed like a really good person in general, and I felt so bad for her at so many points. But she kept her chin up and continued to be strong even though I'm sure the poor girl felt like she was being thrown into a tornado more than once, with all the politics and things going on. 

I really love Grave Mercy. I am going to probably read it again just for the sake of reading, because I am soo in love with the book and I already miss Duval and Ismae. Seriously, I've actually missed them for the better part of the afternoon. That's how fabulous Robin LaFevers is :) Y'all should read this book, cuz it's AMAZING. 

Grave Mercy offers exactly what those looking for strong plots, characters, and fantastc writing, want. Robin LaFevers has crafted what will certainly be one of the most memorable novels you will read, and has left readers highly anticipating what will come next. 

I, for one, cannot wait until I can get my hands on book 2, "Dark Triumph." I have not been so excited to read a book in ages. I wasn't even this excited to read Blood of Olympus (Rick Riordan), Heir of Fire (Sarah J. Maas) or City of Heavenly Fire (Cassandra Clare). I cannot WAIT to read "Dark Triumph". I wonder if I will like Sybella as much as Ismae? From what I have heard of the book so far, and what I have seen of Sybella, I think I will. 

Books Read in September-October 2014

Books I've Read in September & October 2014  (Not including re-reads) 

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass 3) by Sarah J. Maas [Finished on September 6th, 2014]

The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus 5) by Rick Riordan [Finished on October 10th 2014]

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles 1) by Marissa Meyer [Finished October 30th, 2014]

Currently Reading: 

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, 1) by Robin LaFevers [Page 73]

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, 3) by Suzanne Collins [Page 115]

Book Review: Cinder by Melissa Meyer

I was lucky enough to buy this book at my brother's school book fair for $7. I wouldn't have bought it if it hadn't been cheap, since I was hesitant about reading it. 

Book Summary: 

Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time.... 

Humans and androids crowd the raueous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl...

Sixteen-year-old Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past and is reviled by her step-mother. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalatic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. 

Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must unravel secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future. Because there is something unusual about Cinder, something that others would kill her for... 

My Rating: 3.5 stars 

My Review: 

To start with, it took me a few days to get past the first inital chapters. I was uncertain about the whole setting, the futuristic Cinderella story, and just the story in general. I'd heard mixed reviews so it set me off, but I was eager to read it.

I liked it. It was different, intriguing. I liked learning about Cinder's "mysterious" past, and her relationships with the other characters. I guessed early on that Cinder was Princess Selene, so that wasn't too surprising for me. I enjoyed her interactions with Kai, and I really liked Peony (only Pearl was the evil step-sister in this story; Peony seemed to generally care about Cinder). I also liked Iko. She made me laugh. I was sad that she had to die.

I did not like the Lunar Queen, Levana or whatever her name was. She was a cold bitch and I hated how she manipulated everyone all the time. I wanted to throttle her. 

I liked Dr. Erland. He was an interesting guy (though I didn't think he was lunar, so that was surprising at least; I hate being able to guess things). I hope he finds the cure for the plague. I really do.

I had mixed feelings about Kai. I liked him well enough, thought his interactions with Cinder were cute, but I wasn't sure about him. There was something about him that just didn't pull me in and make me want to hug him, like usual with the love interests I actually enjoy. I get this "feeling" that Cinder will end up with him though, once her identity as Princess Selene is revealed and Levana's dead (There will be an epic battle of powers between the Princess & the Evil Queen, right? I really want to see that). I just really hope that she doesn't, because it would be too predictible. But I don't want a love triangle either. I'm really sick of love triangles in dystopias, to be honest. 

Anyways, I liked "Cinder". It was a good book, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel "Scarlet". I don't know why it took me so long to read it, honestly. Maybe it was just those inital first chapters. Alas, I'm glad I gave it a go. 

DIY Mason Jar Candles

The idea for this easy project is from TheFrugalGirls.com, and can be found on Pinterest as well. I, unfortunately, did not come up with it (though I did make a few tweaks to the original) 

The photo above is the original. 

What you Need (For the Original): 

Mason jars (Can be found at dollar stores if you don't want to spend a fortune, comes in a pack of 3 but they are smaller than the ones shown here)

Epson salt 

Ribbon (any color)

Tealights 

Sticker letters (the kind you might use for a scrapbook)

How To Make: 

Tie ribbon around top of jar 

Stick on stickers to say phrase you like (For example, Let it Snow, O Holy Night, 'tis The Season etc.) 

Fill jar about half way full with epson salt

Place candle on top

Light, and enjoy! 

And here's my version of it. Slightly different, but same idea. 

Here's What You Need (For my Version): 

Mason jars (the ones I got are slightly smaller and rounder, but work fine)

Artifical snow (can be found at a dollar store also, especially during Christmas season; for smaller jars, you only need one bag. A second bag might be needed if you have bigger jars) 

Flameless candles (again, can be bought a dollar store, comes in packs of three) 

Sharpie (for writing on jar)

Nail Polish Remover & Paper Towel/Kleenex (for erasing mistakes)

Ribbon (optional, as you can see I didn't use it)

How To Make: 

Fill jar about half-way with the artificial snow 

Insert flameless candle 

Write message on jar (As you can see, I wrote O Holy Night)

Turn on candle and enjoy!! 

This is a super easy project that only cost about 4 dollars total. $3 dollars for the jars, about $2.50 for the candles and artificial snow. So, cheap and easy and yet totally festive! :D