Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

 

10. Generation Dead by Daniel Waters - I was having a hard time getting through these supposedly "dead" teenagers...it was confusing and a little overwhelming.

 

9. Allegiant by Veronica Roth - I had the end somewhat spoiled, and I was uncertain if I wanted to keep on reading...but I did. Then I cried.

 

8. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake - I was really sad when *insert spoiler here* happened...I had to stop reading for a while because I was just like....no....not okay.

 

7. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I love classics (to some extent) and I wanted to read them, but the way that they were written is very difficult to get through, and I had a hard time actually understanding what they were talking about.

 

6. The War Inside by M. Kircher - the beginning was draggy, so I basically read a chapter and then I was like....Okay, I'm done for the day. BUT, the story line picked up considerably, and I was hooked until the end.

 

5. The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - I turned this book down three times before I actually read it because I was so hooked on another book series, I didn't want to get distracted. BUT, I did end up reading them (after my best friend spoiled the whole series for me :P )

 

4. Boys Like You by Juliana Stone - I'm sensitive to swearing, and there was a lot of it in here (enough to make me annoyed) that I had a very difficult time finishing.

 

3. Goddess Legacy by M.W. Muse - It was just never super amazingly awesome,  but the plot never slowed (nor did it pick up)

 

2. Hidden by M. Lathan - The story was good, the editing was really bad. I read it, but the process of doing so was very slow. And painful. But somewhat enjoyable.

 

1. The Fault in our Star by John Green - if there was one word to sum up this book, it was (actually, four words) Feels, heartbreak, and most of all, NOT OKAY.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Characters Who either Broke or Stole my Heart.

 

This week's Top Ten is....Top Ten Characters Who either Broke or Stole my Heart.

For me, book characters are my life. So, I'd like to start off the list with...

10. Sydney Carton from Charles' Dickens A Tale of Two Cites. Let's just say I felt perpetually bad for him and his situation, but I love his manner towards Miss (Or Mrs.) Manette and her family. At the end of the book...though it was fitting for his situation and character, it made me sad and I felt my heart snap in two.

"I am a disappointed drudge, sir. I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me"
-Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

"‎And yet I have had the weakness, and have still the weakness, to wish you to know with what a sudden mastery you kindled me, heap of ashes that I am, into fire."
—  Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Sydney Carton*

9. Sebastian Verlac from Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series....I have NEVER had someone make me so angry before. *COUGH* spoilers that I can't talk about *COUGH COUGH* It broke my heart learning just how he really was, and I wish he could change back.

"If I cannot move Heaven, then I will raise Hell.”  Clare, City of Lost Souls

"Your boyfriend's dead. I thought you should know."  Clare, City of Heavenly Fire

Art by Cassandra Jean*

 

 

8.  Will Herondale from Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series stole my heart! Sarcastic and witty, he is always making offhand remarks about ducks and demon pox. However, the jokester outside is hiding years of hurt and heartbreak. A dashing British teen, Will might just steal you heart...or break it.

 

“Astriola. That IS demon pox. You had evidence that demon pox existed and you didn't mention it to me! Et tu, Brute!' Will rolled up the paper and hit Jem over the head with it.”

― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince

 

“Love potions? For Will Herondale? T’aint my way to turn down payment, but any man who looks like you has got no need of love potions, and that’s a fact.”

― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince

 

"Nice work in there, Herondale, setting the place on fire." Gabriel observed. " Good thing we were there to clean up after you, or the whole plan would have gone down in flames, along with the shreds of your reputation."

 

“Are you implying that shreds of my reputation remain intact?" Will demanded with mock horror. "Clearly I have been doing something wrong. Or not something wrong, as the case may be."

He banged on the side of the carriage. "Thomas! We must away at once to the nearest brothel. I seek scandal and low companionship.”

― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel    

 

 

Art by Cassandra Jean*

 



7. Tris Prior from Veronica Roth's Divergent series is one of the toughest, most admirable characters I have met since Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. She is willing to do whatever it takes to free her society and her people from total control...even if it means someone dies. Her sacrifices, spirit, and fiery, dauntless heart is something every teenage girl should come to know. She broke my heart after making one final choice in Allegiant that would change everything as we knew it.

 

 "And I'm the kind of person who does not let inconsequential things like boys and near death experiences stop her."

— Veronica Roth (Divergent (Divergent, #1))

 

Official Movie Still*

 

6.  Anna from Kendare Blake's Anna Dressed in Blood is certainly someone who makes me smile and cringe all at the same time. Though she is known for ripping people limb from limb, and though she is dead, she can be seen as either a goddess of death or a sweet sixteen year old girl who is just trying to fight a curse put on her decades ago. She broke my heart after making a sacrifice in the sequel to protect everyone else.

 

“I peek over the back of the couch and there she is, my goddess of death, her hair snaking out in a great black cloud, her teeth grinding hard enough to make living gums bleed.”

― Kendare Blake, Anna Dressed in Blood

 

“God, living people are irritating.”

― Kendare Blake, Anna Dressed in Blood

 

Cover*

 

5. Peeta Mellark from Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games is the second sweetest, most caring fictional character I've read about. His heart and love for Katniss shows throughout the series, and his selflessness for her and others is something I admire. He breaks my heart because he tries so hard to keep everyone he loves safe and protected, no matter the cost.

 

“I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now and live in it forever.”

― Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire

 

Official Movie*



 

4. Edward Cullen from Stephanie Meyer's Twilight makes me want to GAG. (No offense, Twi-hards.) God, is he creepy. I almost have no words besides the fact that he almost scares me, and though he's seen as this hero, I suppose...It breaks my heart to see a character developed like this. Bonus points on just being sketchy.

 

“I coveted you. I had no right to want you--but I reached out and took you anyway. And now look what's become of you! Trying to seduce a vampire.”

― Stephenie Meyer, Eclipse

 

Official Movie*

 

3. James "Jem" Carstairs from Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices is definitely one of my favorite characters I've ever read about...simply because he stole my heart! *swoons* :)

 

His sweet, caring, forgiving air is so much more to me than anything else. Though he is terminally ill and massively weakened  from demon poisoning, he doesn't make excuses. He fights alongside the rest of his friends the same as anyone else would.

 

“Will has always been the brighter burning star, the one to catch attention — but Jem is a steady flame, unwavering and honest. He could make you happy.”

― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince

 

“Jem spoke with enormous care; talking to Will about anything personal was like trying not to startle away a wild animal.”

― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

 

Drawing by Cassandra Jean*

 

2. Augustus Waters from John Green's The Fault in Our Stars....Wow. Okay. I think Augustus would be my best friend in the entire world. Seriously. I love this kid. He's smart, funny, philosophical, and the best part...he READS *gasp* I would totally go meet him...if he was real, of course. *cue sobbing* He has most definitely stolen my heart.

 

"Oh, I wouldn't mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you."

— John Green The Fault in Our Stars

 

"Tell me my copy is missing the last twenty pages or something.

Hazel Grace, tell me I have not reached the end of this book.

OH MY GOD DO THEY GET MARRIED OR NOT OH MY GOD WHAT IS THIS?!"

— John Green, The Fault in Our Stars              

 

Ansel Elgort as Augustus Waters*

 

1. Ruth Berger from Eva Ibbotson's The Morning Gift would totally be another best buddy. I find her to be both reasonable and funny in all the right spots, and boys are not her first priority (though she appears to be married). She is yet another heroine I admire as she struggles through the second World War back in the 1940's. She is one of the only characters who both broke my heart in half, then patched it back up by making a better final choice in the end.

 

"I want to live like music sounds."

— Eva Ibbotson, The Morning Gift

 

Cover*

 

*Disclaimer: I own none of these pictures. All rights go to those who created or drew them.





REVIEW: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Mortal Instruments book one)

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
YA Paranormal
528 pages
5 Stars

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

MY REVIEW

I’ve loved the Mortal Instruments from the beginning; the characters, the plot, the descriptions that Cassandra Clare uses...It gives the reader the sense that they’ve entered a whole new world that’s very real.

The plot revolves around Clarissa Fray, nicknamed “Clary”. She lives a normal life in a normal world, or so it seems. She is soon to discover a whole new world, which is what I loved: How Ms. Clare introduces Clary to the shadow world, how she depicts the shadowhunters and demons that live among us every day, under the effects of the glamor that hides them from the mundane, or mortal, sight. It’s interesting watching Clary develop under these new circumstances, being thrown into a life that she’s never even heard of or even thought to have existed. Her actions in the time depict her heart and courage, and the strength of a lion that she possesses. Occasionally, she acts impulsively and ends up endangering her friends and family, but she learns quickly how to adapt to the rules.

Jace, on the other hand, is probably one of my favorite characters in the books. His combination of annoying sarcasm and loyalty is something that I admire. As much as he makes fun of his friends, he’d give up his life for any of them. They say that humor can hide the pain: That’s Jace’s ego talking. You can see a bit of his character in the quote below:

“Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?'

Jace said, "Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself."

..."At least," she said, "You don't have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland."

"Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.”

Simon is the awkward best friend of Clary, who shows the more human side to the whole story. He’s nice, caring, and nerdy, but he’s got a big heart and does everything that he can for Clary, whether she notices his actions or not.

“Simon looked like the sort of boy who'd come over to your house to pick you up for a date and be polite to your parents and nice to your pets. Jace, on the other hand, looked like the sort of boy who'd come over to your house and burn it down for kicks.”

Magnus Bane is my other favorite character, simply because he often provides comic relief to the storyline, even if he doesn’t notice. He can be dangerous, simply being the High Warlock of Brooklyn, but it wouldn’t be the same without him.

“Magnus, standing by the door, snapped his fingers impatiently.

‘Move it along, teenagers. The only person who gets to canoodle in my bedroom is my magnificent self.’

‘Canoodle?’ repeated Clary, never having heard the word before.

‘Magnificent?’ repeated Jace, who was just being nasty. Magnus growled. The growl sounded like ‘Get out.’”

Isabelle is strong, and sticks by her friends like glue. She’s caring and funny, but if any demon or evil downworlder tried to lay a finger on her close friends and family, she’d hunt it down and kill it. She has in her possession a gold whip that curls around her arm like a bracelet: Let me just say I’ve never wanted anything like that so badly before.

Alec, her brother, is the exact opposite. Where Isabelle likes to go out and socialize, Alec likes to stay hidden. He can come across as unfriendly and hostile, but he’s got a fierce devotion to Isabelle and Jace.

Because all of these amazing people are known as Nephilim: half angel, half human, they can use the angel’s marks (runes) on their skin to heal, to induce speed, strength, love, stamina, and others such as the wedlock rune, parabati rune, and angelic power rune, all using a simple tool known as a stele. (Ste-LAY)

Their sole purpose in life is to hunt and kill demons to keep the mundane world safe. Hidden under glamors most of the time, the shadowhunters bed in the Institute, their home, which houses many rooms, books, deadly weapons, and clothes, given to them by the Clave, the head of the shadow world.

Overall, it’s a great story. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves fiction, fantasy, action, and romance.