Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Wow.

Cassandra Clare has done it again in this fantasy novel that takes the story of Tessa Gray to a whole new level of drama, mystery, and suspense. If there have ever been times when someone has questioned C.C. on whether she could continue to produce such marvelous writing, they have been proven wrong.

I am going to assume you read the description about this book, so I am not going to explain what it is about. If you have not read this book, look away! It's spoiler time!

- [Spoiler] I cannot believe Jem proposed, guys! In Clockwork Angel, where some of the characters seemed recycled, the change in the love triangle brought a whole new notch of drama. I felt something for every single one of the characters in this book, which C.C. has done a good job of, so when will told Tessa he loved her, I almost dropped the book. That was INTENSE. [Exit Spoiler]

- Will's secret! We finally get to know what it is, and it made me so sad for him. [Spoiler] But then it ended up not being an actual curse, which makes more sense now that I think about it (the fact that Jem is dying doesn't mean he still loves Will, and he should therefore be dead if the curse were real). But I'm happy for him now.

- The climax was a little early, if you asked me. It happened, what, 2-3 chapters before the end? I was expecting a little more, but there was a lot of falling action. It kept going on. And on. And on. But I'm only half-complaining. The rest of the book was great. I wasn't expecting Tessa and Nate to NOT be siblings (what book does that sound like, hmm? City of Class, perhaps?) or for Nate to die.

- I was not expecting Jessamine to be a http://www.goodreads.com/traitor, but it erased all connections of Isabel and Jessamine out of my mind. [Exit Spoiler]

There are a lot of other things I could talk and talk about, but my hand is cramping up. Overall, this book, in my opinion, was amazing and better than Clockwork Angel in almost all perspectives, except maybe action (the book lacked quite a bit of it). *****

- Jacob

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

   When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

     The Maze Runner by James Dashner is fantastic. It is the first book in a trilogy that you will not want to miss. One of the reasons I picked it up in the first place was because I bought it for my sister for Christmas two years ago, and lately I heard that it is being considered for a film adaptation.

     Some of the reasons why this book was so good:

• The spooky and twisted premise. What horrible people would wipe kid’s memories and place them in a hostile environment where they had to fight to survive? The mystery fueled the book, and the way the author brought in some of the answers slowly kept me turning the pages.
• The short chapters. I must not be alone when I say that when books have a lot of short chapters, I read faster, but when books have longer chapters, it slows down the reading. This book was a fast-paced read, with LOTS of action and suspense, with hints of shock at every chapter conclusion.
• The ending. I won’t spoil it, but the way it made it seem happy when you find out it really wasn’t on the last page, was chilling.

     I know that I will the reading the next book in the series, The Scorch Trials, very soon. The final book, The Death Cure, comes out in September, I believe. So excited!

 

Stay hungry, my friends.

-Jacob

 

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Welcome, Fellow Nerds!

   

     If you are anything like me at all, you are proud to be a nerd. It defines my life, to be kind to others, while not being afraid to be the way I am. I constantly talk about the books I am reading, which is why I thought this blog was a good way to share reviews of the books I read.

     I try to be a positive person, so most of my reviews will be happy, even if the book was bad. IF it was bad, though, I will let you know. Some of the worst things about reading is when you get a book you don’t like, and you say, “Really, I just spent $20 on that?” So if you hear about a bad book on this blog (and I realize you may have a different opinion, because not everyone is the same), I suggest you don’t buy it, or get it from the library.

     Something you will want to know, though, is that I am a teenager, so therefore I don’t read adult books. I read YA (young adult) or younger books, mostly fiction. I am also a boy, so I don’t usually read romance novels. Now, I do often pick up a book with romance in it, but I don’t do Twilight-type stuff. The most romantic book I read was just about a month ago, called Shiver (review will likely come). So If you are looking for someone who reads Nicholas Sparks or Stephanie Meyer, I’m probably not your guy.

     So, I hope you like this blog, so that when you are stuck on what to get next, you will come to me as a resource. And just like the coolest guy on Earth (the commercial about a certain alcoholic beverage), I will say this:

     Stay hungry, my friends.

-Jacob