From the Ashes: City of Glass

From the Ashes is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know where I re-read books that I read before blogging and finally review them.

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, # 3)

By: Cassandra Clare

Published: March 24th 2009 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

541 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Angels, Demons, Vampires, Werewolves

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

City of Glass is going to be hard for me to review without spoilers. First off, the prior two books have had the major conflict going on about whether Jace and Clary are actually brother and sister or not. This was my biggest concern going into City of Glass the first time through. I wanted so bad for them not to be siblings. I mean for one if they turned out to be siblings I was going to feel slightly grossed out—more than I already did just reading about them potentially being siblings. I can’t tell you which way the book went. I can only tell you that if this aspect bothered you then just keep reading.

My first reading of City of Glass was years ago. I’m talking 6+ years ago. I’m surprised that I’m just now re-reading this series as it has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. But I do remember that there were aspects of City of Glass that I predicted fairly early on. I think one of the biggest twists was pretty easy to spot, and especially so since this was a re-read for me.

There’s so much going on in this book, and so many storylines have to come together starting from hints that were dropped in City of Bones and City of Ashes all the way through this book. Each character has a part to play and each part is of great importance. Alec and Magnus—while I like each character individually—officially annoyed me with this book. I guess truly Alec isn’t really my favorite at all. I enjoyed seeing Isabelle and Simon draw closer in this book. Even though this doesn’t spring into anything romantic at this point, I liked seeing them have a special sort of bond. All of the side characters: Luke, Amatis, Jocelyn, Sebastian, Maia had much to contribute to the book and the series up to this point. Each one feels fully fleshed out.

And of course we get more backstory on Valentine & Jocelyn—how she could even fall in love with a man like him. We find out more about the Circle. And we see why Jace and Clary have abilities and talents that no ordinary shadowhunter has. I liked that while Clary was involved in the final battle and saving the day, it wasn’t because she all of a sudden knew how to fight. Clary worked her magic in a way that was completely legit to who she was and what she can do.

There was one aspect involving Jace and a lake and a wish that I remember feeling like was too easy the first time I read this, and I can’t say I really felt any differently during this read-through. Especially considering the ending of Clockwork Princess.

***Highlight for spoiler: I do find it interesting that the major conflict throughout the first three books of this series revolves around Clary/Jace being in love with each other who they think for a period of time is their sibling. But yet when we find out that Jace isn’t Clary’s brother—instead Sebastian is—it still turns out that Sebastian has a twisted fetish about his sister in a very physical way. Of course we don’t know the extent of that at this point, but it’s there. End spoiler***.

I wish I’d taken notes on my favorite quotes, but since I was listening to an audiobook version this time through I decided not to worry about that. Audiobooks can be really hard to quote from sometimes.

All in all, City of Glass was a really good book. It was thought to be the series ender for The Mortal Instruments series until Cassandra Clare decided that these characters’ stories weren’t finished. I love how each piece of the puzzle from book 1, City of Bones, all the way through this book is tied together and means something. Very little is included that does not have a specific purpose. And even though I would have been happy with this book ending the series, I do think Cassandra Clare picks the right threads to pick back up and carry on with through the remaining three books. City of Glass gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read City of Glass? What did you think? Let me know!

From the Ashes: City of Ashes

From the Ashes is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know where I re-read books that I read before blogging and finally review them.

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, # 2)

By: Cassandra Clare

Published: March 25th 2008 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

453 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Werewolves, Angels, Demons

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

Despite The Mortal Instruments being a favorite series of mine, I have only read each book once—until now. I’m actually surprised that this series hasn’t gotten a re-read from me sooner, but until starting my From the Ashes and Upon Further Review features, I felt guilty for re-reading because re-reads didn’t benefit my blog any. Well now they do, and I think it is way past time for me to re-read this entire series. Here’s my review of City of Bones in case you’re interested in checking that out.

One thing that hit me while reading City of Ashes was truly how much of the details of this story I’d forgotten. While I remember the most major plot-points, I’d forgotten almost ALL of the little details. Usually with my favorite series, I know them backwards and forwards. But since I haven’t re-read this series until now and my original read through was somewhere close to 5ish years ago, I just don’t have this series ingrained as much as I’d like. I guess I actually forgot some big things too because I totally forgot that we meet Maia and Jordan in City of Ashes. I also forgot that Valentine had white hair. I mean I knew Sebastian had white hair, but I totally forgot about Valentine having white hair too. And while Jace’s sarcasm and wit is one of the things that stood out to me upon first reading, this time through, I was reminded how funny Simon actually is too.

One of the best things about City of Ashes my first read-through was wondering whether Jace and Clary would turn out to truly be brother and sister or not. I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t finished the series though. I remember being slightly sick to my stomach while reading City of Ashes for the first time because IF, just IF, they really did turn out to be brother and sister then that would be kind of gross. I was praying that they weren’t, because I didn’t think I’d want to read the series if they actually turned out to be brother and sister. And this was made even more awkward and uncomfortable the first read-through with how adamant Jace was that he didn’t care if they were brother and sister or not. Jace even tells Clary that they can be together anyway. And Clary bless her heart still obviously cares about Jace in a way that isn’t sisterly, but she can’t go there with him. She can’t disregard something so major just to indulge her desires. The whole thing is super awkward and the real driving force for me behind the first three books in the series.

Speaking of super awkward, Simon…bless him! Simon saw Clary’s feelings for Jace beginning to develop in City of Bones, but when it was revealed that Clary and Jace are brother and sister, he decides that it’s now or never to jump on the feelings that he’s always had for Clary. Obviously, Clary can’t be with her brother. So why not take this opportunity to step up and show her how he feels. While I won’t say that Clary was encouraging exactly, she definitely wasn’t discouraging to him either. She kind of let Simon take the reigns despite feeling a bit apathetic to the changes he’s bringing to their friendship all while knowing that the heat just isn’t there the way it was is with Jace.

One of the bigger things I forgot was the desperation that Jace feels. He’s so alone. He’s found out that his father is still alive, and he’s also a maniac set on destruction. He’s lost the possibility of being with the one person for which he’s developed the strongest feelings he's ever felt. While Clary can still be in his life, she can’t be with him the way he wants. And he’s lost his adoptive family as well. Although Isabel and Alec still have his back, Maryse has been cold to him since the revelation of him being Valentine’s son. Even Jocelyn who is supposed to be his real mother that he never knew he had is in a comma, and he finds that he just can’t connect to her. He feels like he’s lost and floundering. And I forgot how young he feels in this book. Jace even reaches out to Luke because Luke is essentially the only person left. His last option.

There were a couple of moments when I feel like having read City of Heavenly Fire things didn’t add up. Magnus makes a comment in City of Ashes about how he’s never seen one of the Night Children rise, but in City of Heavenly Fire we’re told that Magnus is the one who was there when Raphael dug his way out of his grave and offered him some donor blood to drink. Also, this one can probably be explained away, but the attack on the Silent City in City of Ashes doesn’t really explain how Brother Zachariah survived—apparently along with some other Silent Brothers—despite the statement being made that all the Silent Brothers were murdered by Valentine in this attack. That one was minor, but these are the kinds of things that bug me.

The scene at the Seelie Court is one of my all-time favorite scenes in the series. And if you have already read City of Ashes but haven’t read that scene from Jace’s POV on Cassandra Clare’s website then go read that as soon as you’re finished reading this review. I have no idea why that scene from his POV didn't make the final cut.

I find Cassandra Clare to be one of the most quotable authors that I’ve read over the last 5 years or so. So please bear with me while I share some of my favorites:

-"I don’t want to be a man," said Jace. "I want to be an angst-ridden teenager who can't confront his own inner demons and takes it out verbally on other people instead."

-"That’s sweet," said Maia. "That he loves his sister like that." "Yeah," Simon said. "It’s precious."

-"And you don’t think we’re smart enough to know the difference?" asked Simon. "I don’t think you’re smart enough not to get turned into a rat by accident."

-“That you freed a possible criminal by trading away your brother to a warlock who looks like a gay Sonic the Hedgehog and dresses like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?”

-"I knew it," he said."You want to kiss me, don’t you?” (Jace to Simon)

-“You can close your eyes and think of England if you like.”

-“You shouldn’t have kissed me like that.” He had been leaning against the door frame; now he stood up straight. “How should I have kissed you? Is there another way you like it?”

-"You heard what the Queen said. She thought she was doing me a favor." ... "She wasn’t wrong."

-"It doesn't matter how many times you say it. It'll still be true." "And it doesn’t matter what you won’t let me say, that'll still be true too."

-"I remember you saying that growing up happens when you start having things you look back on and wish you could change. I guess that means I've grown up now."

-"Clary, I'm telling you he made his own decisions. What you're blaming yourself for is being what you are. And that's no one's fault and nothing you can change. You told him the truth and he made up his own mind what he wanted to do about that. Everyone has choices to make; no one has the right to take those choices away from us. Not even out of love.” "But that’s just it," Clary said. "When you love someone, you don’t have a choice."

-“Any uncle of yours is an uncle of mine darling sister...” –this one fittingly reminds me of Jamie and Cersie from A Song of Ice and Fire

-“I wish I could hate you.”

Like Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, there is so much that I want to discuss that falls into the category of spoilers. I don’t want to ruin anything for any readers that haven’t finished this series, so I’ll just say that I want to say so much more than I already have.

I feel like I’d be remiss without saying that I could do without the Magnus and Alec relationship. I’ve discussed how I feel about that before. I love each of the characters individually—especially Magnus—but the relationship doesn’t work for me.

City of Ashes is full of angst but the good kind. There’s emotion, forbidden and otherwise. I love the characters. I love the world building. And I even love the conflict, despite how awkward and uncomfortable it can be. City of Ashes gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read City of Ashes? What did you think? Let me know!

From the Ashes: The Power of a Praying Wife

From the Ashes is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know where I re-read books that I read before blogging and finally review them.

The Power of a Praying Wife

By: Stormie Omartian

Expected Publication: April 1st 2014 by Harvest House Publishers (first published January 1st 1997)

208 pages

Genre: Religious, Christian, Spirituality, Self-Help

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!!), I also own an earlier edition

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Goodreads description--Stormie Omartian's bestselling The Power of a Praying series (more than 23 million copies sold) is rereleased with fresh new covers and new material to reach a still-growing market of readers eager to discover the power of prayer for their lives. The Power of a Praying Wife has sold more than 3.5 million copies and has encouraged countless women to trust God for their marriages. In this beautiful new padded hardcover edition, Stormie shares how God has strengthened her own marriage since she began to pray for her husband concerning key areas in his life, including his spiritual walk emotions role as father and leader security in work and finances health faith and future.

If you desire a closer relationship with your husband, you will appreciate this refreshing look at the power of prayer in marriage.

You guys, Stormie Omartian has taught me so much about prayer. I know you guys might be tired of seeing me review these books, but I just can’t help myself. The Power of a Praying Wife was the first of these books I ever read. I grew up being taught that prayer was important and we prayed before meal times and bedtimes, and I was told to pray throughout my life, for the sick, thanksgiving for our blessings, etc. But I had not made prayer a real part of my life. After reading a fiction book where the main character had a better prayer life with her fictitious god than I had with the One True God, I realized that I really needed to make this a priority in my life. And where better to start than to pray for my husband—I was newly married at the time. So I picked up this book for the first time.

I remember what immediately impressed me upon my first reading was how Mrs. Omartian dedicates an entire chapter on praying for “His Wife.” In most cases, the person reading The Power of a Praying Wife is going to be the wife. And so Mrs. Omartian starts off the book with a chapter about praying for yourself because change always has to start with yourself. While you can pray for your spouse and while God will work because of that, this book is not designed to be about changing your husband. God is not a genie in a bottle that you rub when you pray and He pops out and asks you all of the many things you wish you could change about your husband, snaps His fingers and all of those things are now to your wishes and specifications. That’s not how this thing works. Truthfully the only person I can work on changing is myself. And so I was really impressed with her choice to start this book off about me instead of about my husband.

Obviously, The Power of a Praying Wife does not address every possible thing that your husband needs prayer over. That’s just not possible. So someone looking for this book to cover every aspect that your husband will ever need prayed about in his life is going to be disappointed. What this book does is teach you how to focus your prayers on a specific area of your husband’s life and spend some dedicated time covering that topic, characteristic, aspect--whatever--in prayer. This can really apply to any aspect of your life and any relationship you have, not just your spouse. As a matter of fact while reading The Power of a Praying Wife this time, I thought of several chapter topics that some of my friends were struggling with and could use prayer in that area even more than my husband. The principle is the same. So obviously, this book isn’t going to have a prayer for every obstacle you might come up against as a wife praying for your husband. It doesn’t cover every prayer need your husband will have in his life. But it is a guide—and a really good one at that—designed to teach you how to focus your prayers for your husband to better yourself, to better him, and to better your marriage.

The first time I read through this book, I took one chapter at a time. I would read that chapter and focus my prayer throughout the week in this area for my husband. And it worked really well for me then. This time I was aware of how short each chapter was and I just wanted to keep reading, to keep devouring this book, and to keep covering my husband with these prayers in the moment. Also, through this reading of The Power of a Praying Wife, I typed the prayers at the end of chapter and emailed them to my husband. Even though I did read multiple chapters in a day, I would only send him one prayer each day so as to not overwhelm him. I think there is something really special in sharing with that person the actual words You lift up in prayer on their behalf. It does a lot more for the soul than just saying “I’m praying for you.” I will add though that if you decide to share the prayers with your husband, you might want to preface that by telling him that you're about to share some prayers with him from this book and that it doesn't necessarily mean that you think he (or your marriage) is necessarily struggling in each of these areas, but these prayers can be used as preventative measures just as much as addressing an actual issue.

The Power of a Praying Wife is a must read for any married woman of faith. I’d even recommend it to any and all people everywhere, but specifically for married women who want to cover their husbands in prayer. The Power of a Praying Wife gets 4.5 Stars from me. Have you read The Power of a Praying Wife? What did you think? Let me know!

Upon Further Review: Last Sacrifice

Upon Further Review is an original feature here at Somewhere Only We Know. I have always loved re-reading my favorite books, and I wanted a way to incorporate re-reading into my blog. Thus From the Ashes and Upon Further Review were born. From the Ashes is where I re-read a book that I have never reviewed before and finally review it. Upon Further Review is where I re-read a book that I've already reviewed and see if my original rating stands or not. This is also the time for me to discuss any new revelations that my latest re-read has brought to my attention.

As you guys know, I've been re-reading the Vampire Academy series. Check out my From the Ashes reviews of: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, and my Upon Further Review of: Spirit Bound. Last Sacrifice also gets an Upon Further Review post instead of From the Ashes because I actually semi-reviewed it before. I can barely stand to look at my old posts much less call them reviews. As with Spirit Bound here's my attempt to make up for that.

Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, # 6)

By: Richelle Mead

Published: December 7th 2010 by Razorbill

594 pages

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires, Urban Fantasy

Source: Own in multiple formats

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*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--They come first.

My vision was growing dimmer, the blackness and ghosts closing in. I swore it was like I could hear Robert whispering in my ear: The world of the dead won't give you up a second time. Just before the light completely vanished, I saw Dimitri's face join Lissa's. I wanted to smile. I decided then that if the two people I loved most were safe, I could leave this world.

The dead could finally have me.

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir's Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose - for a crime she didn't even commit. She's in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She'll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose's life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back...and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will save you?

Join Rose, Dimitri, Adrian, and Lissa in Last Sacrifice, the epic, unforgettable finale to Richelle Mead's international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series.

I read Last Sacrifice the first time immediately after its release in December 2010. Along with Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice was one of the first books I ever did a post about. Seriously, that post is so embarrassing I didn’t even want to link to it. I didn’t know anything about writing a book review at that point.

I’m not really sure how I feel about the Goodreads description above. In some ways I feel like it gives too much away and yet it’s deceptive at the same time. I’ve been discussing how Richelle Mead is a foreshadowing magician, right? Well it all culminates in Last Sacrifice. Everything that’s been set up and alluded to has come out. But does she stop there? Absolutely not. She goes on to foreshadow and set up her Bloodlines series with Last Sacrifice. I love it.

I only took 3 pages of notes this reading of Last Sacrifice because my 6 pages of notes from Spirit Bound was so overwhelming I had a hard time even using them to write my review. Too much information is just as hard to muddle through as not enough. Either way, just the fact that these books are worthy of note-taking—and they are!—is enough to make them top rated books for me. So let’s dive in. Again….spoilers for Spirit Bound (book 5) and all previous books.

At the end of Spirit Bound, Rose and Adrian have just had a very sensual night together. Having not gone all the way, Rose does let Adrian drink from her which is totally taboo. The evidence is on her neck the next morning when she sneaks out to get breakfast. She stumbles upon Dimitri who acts like he wants nothing to do with her at first. They begin talking about the new dhampir age decree, and then the guardians swoop in and try to arrest Rose. Dimitri fiercely protects Rose from them in a way that can only come from someone who has the history that they have together. Rose is eventually arrested for the murder of Queen Tatitana because she talks Dimitri into backing down. And that’s essentially where we pick up with Last Sacrifice. Rose is still in holding for this crime.

Abe, Rose’s father, has taken on the task of defending her. He’s sworn to her that she won’t be convicted or executed for this crime, but time appears to be running out. I know I’ve been talking about him since he first showed up in Blood Promise, but I just love Abe. He’s snarky, sarcastic, a flirt, a mobster/gangster, dresses like a pimp, and his faith in his daughter is nothing short of endearing. Even though Rose and Abe haven’t had a very long relationship, it doesn’t take years for them to click and to depend upon each other. Rose could easily have that “I didn’t have a dad” victim mentality, but as she discusses at the end of the book, she’s never had a victim mentality at all—and it’s one of the reasons why I love her character so dearly.

Lissa is the strongest in Last Sacrifice that we’ve ever seen her throughout the whole series. She started the series as a character that I struggled connecting to, but has come out on the other side being a character that I can respect. She isn’t going to let Rose go down for this crime she didn’t commit, and instead of letting Rose take care of everything like she normally does, Lissa steps up and takes charge to take care of Rose this time. She executes her plan with poise and grace, even when bumps in the road come. As I said, I’ve come to respect her a lot. Now there is some pieces of her behavior at the very end of the book that had me furrowing my brow in slight confusion but nothing too bad. Also, as I’ve said in every single review of this series, the bond between Lissa and Rose is the perfect way for Richelle Mead to have dual narration without actually having dual narration. So smart.

The biggest thing for me with Last Sacrifice is Rose and Dimitri’s relationship contrasted with Rose and Adrian’s relationship. I’m going to try to be as vague as possible here, but proceed with caution. I don’t condone Rose’s treatment of Adrian. She doesn’t always take him seriously. She uses him even when she’s not fully aware that she’s doing it. Sometimes Rose almost treats Adrian with scorn. This should not be the way you think about the person you’re with—your other half. Rose never intended to be forever with Adrian. She tells his mother as much in Spirit Bound. She cares about him, sure, but she sums it up by saying “I should have said we strengthen each other. He makes me want to be a better person. We understand each other. I didn’t motivate him,” and “We have fun together.” While my heart aches for Adrian, I love how utterly raw he is with Rose about how he’s feeling. He tells her some harsh things in a harsh way, but they’re things she needs to hear. And the same goes for her. While she’s in a position that can’t really defend her actions and he might not want to hear the truth, she is completely right about their relationship.

Obviously in contrast, Rose and Dimitri do better each other. They make a great team. Dimitri is willing to fight for Rose, for her life, even if that means forfeiting any life of his own to go on the run with her. He comes alive with her after having been dead. After feeling the extreme guilt over his actions as a Strigoi. Rose is the only one who knows how bad Dimitri really was as a Strigoi. She’s the only person he can share those feelings with because she’s the only one who saw him at his lowest. When Dimitri kind of goes off the deep end and kills Donovan in a messed up attempt to atone for his Strigoi days, Rose is the only one who can bring him out of it by showing him that he can’t possibly have any Strigoi left in him because he’s able to see the beauty in her—in the world. Seeing how beautiful a second opportunity at life after being Strigoi really is, Dimitri can’t help but want to live his life to the fullest. That includes being with Rose—what he ultimately wants and is scared he’s lost forever. He wants her to be happy, even if that means she’s with Adrian—or someone else. And Rose…well look at every single thing she’s done since Shadow Kiss. Every move she’s made has either been in service to Dimitri and her love for him or in service to Lissa and her love for her. Rose has matched Dimitri moment for moment, sacrifice for sacrifice. Rose and Dimitri match. They fit.

Of course, not everything in Last Sacrifice revolves around the Rose/Dimitri/Adrian love triangle. Lissa, as we found out at the end of Spirit Bound, has a sibling and the sibling must be brought to court so that Lissa can have her family backing and vote on the counsel. Rose, Dimitri, and Sydney are out and about searching for Lissa’s long lost sibling while Lissa, Christian, Adrian, Eddie, and Abe are back at court investigating Tatiana’s murder in order to prove Rose innocent. Politics still infest the Moroi at court as elections begin for a new monarch. And Spirit continues to play a vital role in both sides as spirit dreams, Strigoi healings, aura watching, compulsion, telekinesis, and charming various silver objects abound.

Favorite quotes:

“Of course not. Why do anything without a reason?” – Abe pg 16

“Ah, my daughter," he said. "Eighteen, and already you’ve been accused of murder, aided felons, and acquired a death count higher than most guardians will ever see." He paused. "I couldn’t be prouder.” – Abe pg 64

“You’ve always been my equal, Roza.” – Dimitri pg 72

“Impossible situations are our specialty...” – Rose pg 94

“I don’t need luck, Roza. I’ll always find you.” – Dimitri pg 117

“I've seen you too. Ozera. Crispen, right?” ... “So what brings you and Christopher here?” ... “But you just got here! I was hoping we could get to know each other." It went without saying what he went by that. "Oh. And Kreskin too.”– Blake Lazar pgs 316, 317, & 321-322

“Fighting is easy. It’s why we fight that matters.” (I don't remember who said it and therefore wasn't able to find it searching through the book. If anyone knows, please let me know in the comments, and I'll update this.)

“...it was better to be alone with my self-respect than to be in the wrong relationship.” – Rose pg 486 - amen Rose, amen!

“Ah, Belikov," said Abe, shaking Dimitri's hand. "I'd been hoping we'd run into each other. I'd really like to get to know you better. Maybe we can set aside some time to talk, learn more about life, love, et cetera. Do you like to hunt? You seem like a hunting man. That's what we should do sometime. I know a great spot in the woods. Far, far away. We could make a day of it. I've certainly got a lot of questions I'd like to ask you. A lot of things I'd like to tell you too.” – Abe pg 589

Last Sacrifice is an excellent series ender. Everything wraps up nicely but in a way where it doesn’t feel forced or overly predictable. As a matter of fact, the true killer for Tatiana’s murder was a pretty good surprise the first time reading it. Richelle Mead pulls in pieces from even the very first book and references them again in Last Sacrifice which I love. The characters continue to grow and change, and I love them even more in this book than I did in the beginning. Last Sacrifice is witty as Richelle Mead tends to throw in those one-liners here and there for the right characters at just the right moments. It’s passionate and yet methodical. I love it. Last Sacrifice easily gets 5 Stars from me for an overall 5 Stars for the series. Have you read Last Sacrifice? What did you think? Let me know!

From the Ashes: Blood Promise

From the Ashes is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know where I re-read books that I read before blogging and finally review them.

You can see my From the Ashes reviews of Vampire Academy here, Frostbite here, and Shadow Kiss here.

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, # 4)

By: Richelle Mead

Published: August 25th 2009 by Razorbill

503 pages

Genre: YA, Vampires, Paranormal, Supernatural, Fantasy

Source: Own in multiple formats

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

I typically feel like what I'm about to do is pointless, but the epicness of the cliffhangers between Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, and Spirit Bound are so huge, I refuse to ruin this series for anyone without ultra-fair warning. I mean it should be understood that if you haven't read book 3 in a series that there are probably spoilers for that book in a review of book 4, but as I said, I'm making it ultra-clear here. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR SHADOW KISS IN THIS REVIEW!!!!!!!! If you have not read Shadow Kiss (book 3) or any of the books in this series, PLEASE!!!!! Do not read this review!

Blood Promise was the first of the Vampire Academy books that I had to wait on for publication. Vampire Academy, Frostbite, and Shadow Kiss were already published when I started reading the series. If you've read the series then you know how torturous it must have been to have to wait between Shadow Kiss and Blood Promise to see what happens next. Shadow Kiss leaves off at this epic cliffhanger/twist that demands getting your hands on the next book as stinking soon as possible. And that's what I did. Blood Promise was bought and started on release day. I don't remember how long it actually took me to read it. Not long, I know. And I remember that I finished Blood Promise at work the first time because the last three to five pages were huge and I ran back to a co-worker's desk and said "I know you haven't read this series, but I have to tell you what just happened," because I just couldn't hold it in, and I didn't want to ruin it for my friends who I knew would eventually read it. Which as it turns out, when I acquired the audiobook versions of this series, I forced that same coworker to listen to them. Thankfully she didn't really remember what I told her, so it all worked out.

Enough background, let's jump into it the book itself. At the end of Shadow Kiss, we find out that Dimitri has been turned into a Strigoi against his will. And Rose has borrowed money from Adrian (which I don't think she ever repays) to hunt Dimitri down and kill him in order to free him from his evil state as the old Dimitri would have wanted per a discussion that Rose and Dimitri had back in Vampire Academy. This was a really difficult decision for Rose because it meant leaving Lissa behind, which she's never done since they've been bonded. Blood Promise picks up with Rose being in Russia on the hunt for Dimitri.

Rose's mission breaks my heart. I can't imagine suffering from the pain and grief of losing the one that you love, but also having to hunt them down and kill them. Even knowing that you're doing them a favor. It's an extremely emotional mission. And Richelle Mead does a great job weaving in Rose's emotions which range from hurt and grief, to anxiety and trepidation, to anger and determination. And the emotional parts don't stop at her mission alone. Rose also meets Dimitri's family in Blood Promise. And when she does, she realizes that no one has bothered to let them know what's happened to Dimitri. She's faced with being the only one who cares enough to share the truth with them. How hard it would be to tell your love's family that he's gone! And not just dead, but now evil.

We're introduced to a new character in Blood Promise. One that Richelle Mead ended up loving as the rest of us have as well. Sydney Sage and the Alchemists. Sydney is extremely smart and methodical. She's been raised to believe that vampires, Moroi and Strigoi, and even dhampirs, half-Moroi, are all evil and unnatural. Her unease plays into her relationship with Rose, even though the two do grow closer through their small journey together. Sydney isn't scared of jumping into the mix hitting that Strigoi in the back in the fight scene in the alley when she and Rose first meet. I never really paid much attention to that part before, but I was impressed by it in this reading. Richelle Mead does a really good job of establishing how much of a nerd Sydney is in a very short amount of time. Sydney is present in Blood Promise but not overly so. I love how Sydney does her part to take care of Rose in Blood Promise and as we come to see in the Bloodlines series, she takes care of everyone else. I was really impressed with Richelle Mead's ability to take someone who might not have even been intended as a main character and to keep her true to herself throughout the Vampire Academy series and the Bloodlines series. I do want to note how funny it is about Adrian and Rose having a Spirit dream with Sydney sleeping in the same room as Rose (on the train from St. Petersburg).

Another secondary character who continues through the remaining books in the series is Abe Mazur. Abe literally cracks me up. He's part of the comedic relief in this series, and in Blood Promise in particular, he makes up for the lack of comedy that we would normally get from Rose's interactions with Christian or Adrian. My first impression of Abe based off the description we get in Blood Promise is PIMP! He's an outlandish dresser and a mobster to boot. I won't say much more about him other than he's one of my favorite characters in the entire series, and that I hope the movies make it far enough that we get to see him come to life on the big screen.

We're introduced to so many other secondary characters in Blood Promise, but it didn't feel like character overload while reading, but when it comes to breaking it down in a review, it kind of does. There's Dimitri's family: Elena, his mother; his *THREE sisters, Karolina, Sonya, and Victoria; his grandmother, Yeva. There are the other dhampirs of the town: Nikolai, his brother and their band of merry men. There's the Strigoi: Dimitri, Nathan (which we met in Shadow Kiss), Galina, and that dude Rose tortured to send a message to Dimitri. There's Avery; her father, the new headmaster of St. Vladamir's; Reid, Avery's brother; and Avery's guardian. And we see a smidgen more of Jill who we also met in Shadow Kiss and who plays a role in the later books and especially in the Bloodlines series.

As always with Vampire Academy, Rose's ability to get into Lissa's head provides a way for dual narration without really being dual narration. Lissa seems like the weaker character like she was more from Vampire Academy and less like the stronger person she was becoming in Frostbite and Shadow Kiss. She's influenced by Avery and the loss of Rose. She makes some dumb mistakes that cause problems with her and Christian. But I love that when push comes to shove, Rose and Lissa can push aside whatever drama they've had and know the each has the other's back. They can trust that each other has their best interests at heart, and they are BOTH willing to work at their friendship to make it better and stronger. Not many relationships out there are so lucky.

Now let's talk Dimitri--because this review is getting way too long. The first time I read Blood Promise I was holding out hope that Dimitri the Strigoi wouldn't be as bad as Rose and the others were making it out like he would be. As far as the reader knows, we've never met a Strigoi that was turned by force on a personal level. Would any of who Dimitri was before remain? I'm not going to answer that question. But those were my thoughts going into my first reading. But the new Dimitri explores the ins and outs of love versus desire. The majority of what I want to talk about concerning Blood Promise revolves around Dimitri, and the last 30% of this book, but I feel like any of that would be spoilerish and I just do not want to ruin this series for anyone. So I guess that's all I'm going to say about this. Can I just add, "Rosa..." *sigh*

As I've said in every review of this series so far, Richelle Mead does a great job with the foreshadowing. And we get more of that here. Some of the things that were foreshadowed in earlier books come about in Blood Promise, and Blood Promise has more foreshadowing for things to come. It's brilliant, I tell you. Honestly guys, I have so much more to say. I have notes upon notes on this book.

Blood Promise is probably my least favorite book in the series--one of them has to be. Yet, it's still a worthy installment and so much is packed into it. As with Frostbite, Blood Promise is more of a catalyst than anything else. A lot happens that moves the story along and things are necessary for character growth, but Blood Promise really just sets everything up for the next book, Spirit Bound. Do beware, the last three to five pages of Blood Promise are bound to leave you wanting more. I'd advise having the next book ready to go immediately.

Blood Promise gets 4 stars from me. Have you read Blood Promise? What did you think? Let me know!

*Richelle Mead made a little mistake. In Vampire Academy, she says that Dimitri has two sisters. In Blood Promise, we see he does in fact have three.

Upon Further Review: Divergent

Upon Further Review is an original feature here at Somewhere Only We Know. I have always loved re-reading my favorite books, and I wanted a way to incorporate re-reading into my blog. Thus From the Ashes and Upon Further Review were born. From the Ashes is where I re-read a book that I have never reviewed before and finally review it. Upon Further Review is where I re-read a book that I've already reviewed and see if my original rating stands or not. This is also the time for me to discuss any new revelations that my latest re-read has brought to my attention.

Divergent (Divergent, # 1)

By: Veronica Roth

Published: April 25th 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books

487 pages

Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

So this is my first "Upon Further Review" feature. I have a similar feature called "From the Ashes." From the Ashes is where I re-read books that I've not reviewed on Somewhere Only We Know before and finally review them. Upon Further Review is where I re-read books that I have reviewed here before and let you know whether my original rating stands or whether upon second (or third or fourth, etc) reading that rating needs to be "overturned." Also, if there's anything I left out of my original review that hit me during this read, I'll include that.

I've always been a "re-reader," but since starting my blog, I haven't wanted to "waste time" re-reading because I need to read new-to-me books. That's why I started these two features mentioned above. They both give me the flexibility to re-read while also providing content for Somewhere Only We Know.

After watching The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and the Divergent teaser trailer, I got hit with this overwhelming desire to re-read both Divergent and The Hunger Games. These are both series that I've only read once but knew immediate would be worthy of multiple reads. But for some reason, I just couldn't get these two books out of my head. They're definitely similar. I think it's fair to say that fans of one of these series will have a high probability of enjoying the other series.

Through my re-reading of Divergent, I just knew that there had to have been stuff I left out of my original review. I made notes of page numbers and comments I wanted to make concerning Divergent, but when I went back and re-read my original review, I pretty much cover all of the same things that hit me during this past reading. Surprisingly so.

There are only a few things that I'll elaborate on. One is that I mentioned how Four forgets that Tris can be hurt because she appears to him to be so strong, so brave, so selfless. But Four really comes off as being aloof. He appears cold and callous for a while. While you can see the difference between Eric's style of "being Dauntless" and Four's, Four still has this very cold, you-must-prove-you-belong-here attitude that really comes through in his training of the initiates. Maybe that's really to protect them more than anything else because he's aware of some level of corruptness, but it's hard to tell. And truthfully, I like this demeanor about him. It serves as the foundation for my picture of him.

The other thing I wanted to mention is how much I enjoyed reading about the initiation process. Much more than the more political parts of the Divergent world. That's what fascinates me, and it's what makes Divergent so much better than Insurgent to me. Luckily, Veronica Roth spends the majority of Divergent exploring the initiation process for getting into the Dauntless faction, but I'd be really interested in seeing the initiation processes for the other factions as well. Specifically Candor's since that giant lie detector test was mentioned and we know it comes into play in Insurgent. Still, this is what interests me the most in this series, not the overall, bigger picture of the degradation of the faction system in their society. Not the political aspects of whether or not Abnegation is holding out luxuries from the rest of the factions or that all factions should be represented in their government. It's kind of the same way I feel about The Hunger Games series as a whole. I was really excited and interested in the aspects of the actual Games, but not so interested in the political, we're-going-to-fight-this-war-to-free-ourselves-from-corrupt-government aspects.

All in all, I think my final rating of Divergent as 4.7 Stars stands. I don't really do decimals other than .5 anymore, but in this case, it's deserved. Have you read or re-read Divergent? What did you think? What do you think about re-reads? Let me know!

From the Ashes: Shadow Kiss

From the Ashes is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know where I re-read books that I read before blogging and finally review them.

You can see my From the Ashes reviews of Vampire Academy here and Frostbite here.

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, # 3)

By: Richelle Mead

Published: November 13th 2008 by Razorbill

443 pages

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires

Source: Personal Library (own in multiple formats)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all... might be seeing ghosts.

As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line - and choose between the two people she loves most.

So Shadow Kiss is the book that takes the Vampire Academy series to the next level. I always tell people thinking about reading this series to at least give it until Shadow Kiss to decide how you feel about the series. Vampire Academy and Frostbite are both good and Frostbite progresses in depth and conflict, but Shadow Kiss blows both of these novels away.

Richelle Mead starts Shadow Kiss off with this opening scene that has you going "wow that's progressing fast," and "is this really happening," to "oh my goodness how embarrassing," and "poor Rose." And then you just end up laughing out loud--or I do anyway. This scene is the perfect way to set the tone for this book. Rose is so in her face, forcefully shown everything she wants, but can't have and I feel so bad for her. Still reeling from Mason's death, Rose is in an emotionally vulnerable place when we start Shadow Kiss.

A large portion of Vampire Academy is centered around Rose's training to become a guardian--Lissa's guardian. So I loved the concept of the field tests that Richelle Mead adds in as part of the novices' school curriculum. It's brilliant. But the setup and execution for the field tests doesn't really go as Rose expects it to. Rose, of course, has no issues in letting the authorities know how she feels about it all, but the guardians have good reason for making the decisions they have and Rose eventually comes to see the logic behind all of that. I just love how typical Rose handles all of this with her snarky, smart mouth.

Richelle Mead cuts this book with plenty of sarcasm and snarky, witty comments. Rose and Adrian continue to banter back and forth as well as Rose and Christian. I just love it. And considering how heavy the ending of this book is, the beginning needed all the lightness it could get from the jokes and laugh out loud moments.

Despite the letdown of hopes from the opening scene, Rose and Dimitri do continue to grow closer throughout Shadow Kiss. Dimitri's ability to predict Rose's behavior with the field experience setup, Dimitri volunteering to help with Rose's community service just to spend time with her, his protectiveness over her with Victor and the trial, telling her to wear her hair up for the trial, I could go on and on. Either way, the moments between them continue to build faith in each other, trust, tension, affection, all of the things that are necessary to make up truly epic love. Can I just say "fight scene" and "the cabin?" Those who have read this series will know what I mean. EEEE! *giggles like a little girl*

The other characters continue to grow as well. Lissa is showing herself to be more confident and comfortable in her abilities, herself, and in her opinions. Christian continues to press for what he believes in--though he does have a stint of jealousy throughout the book. Adrian grows more in his abilities, but his presence and the importance of having him around grows as well. Eddie is an almost completely changed character from where he was in the first two books. Being extremely affected by the death of Mason, his best friend, in Frostbite, Eddie can't help but take life and his job as a guardian seriously since he's seen first hand the hand of the enemy.

As I've said in both of my reviews of Vampire Academy and Frostbite, Richelle Mead continues to astound me with her level of foreshadowing. I've said before that good foreshadowing is a fine line between spelling out what's coming and hinting without the reader even knowing that's what the author is doing. Richelle Mead is a master. I wish I could tell you all of the places that I've found it, but most of them are spoilers for what's to come--obviously. But the fact that Richelle Mead is so good at placing these clues and phrases throughout this series makes Vampire Academy worthy to be read and re-read over and over again in my opinion. I love being able to see all of the pieces that she revealed throughout the series. Mind-blowing. Shoot, there's even one comment in Shadow Kiss that I don't know that Richelle Mead intended, but foreshadows some plot aspects in the Bloodlines series.

We find out more about what it means to be "shadow kissed" which makes sense considering that's essentially the title of this one. This would have been spoilerish for Frostbite, but once you know what's going on between the bond and Lissa and Rose with the shadow kissed business, some of Rose's behavior in Frostbite makes even more sense.

While all of Shadow Kiss is pretty stinking good, the best of the book is found in the last section really. From the "cabin scene" on things progress very quickly. I don't want to give away anything that happens, but be warned that there is quite the cliffhanger. Lucky for those of you who might not have read the Vampire Academy series yet, all of the books in this series are already published and you should be able to move straight from Shadow Kiss into Blood Promise. I will advise that you will probably want to do just that with the cliffhanger ending of Shadow Kiss. Some of us had to wait like 9 months or so after finishing Shadow Kiss before we could read Blood Promise. I still get chills reading the entire last portion of this book. I wish I could do some quotes from this section or even just talk about it, but I just can't spoil anything for you. It's too major.

There's so much more that I want to say, but I've got to cut it off somewhere. Shadow Kiss got 5 stars from me after my very first read. I'm willing to give it the same now. It's still epic. And as I said before, Shadow Kiss completely takes the Vampire Academy series to the next level. I do consider Shadow Kiss and the Vampire Academy series to be a must read. Have you read Shadow Kiss? What did you think? Let me know!

From the Ashes - Frostbite

From the Ashes is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know where I re-read books that I read before blogging and finally review them.

Frostbite (Vampire Academy, # 2)

By: Richelle Mead

Published: January 1st 2008 by Razorbill

327 pages

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...

My review of Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, # 1) by Richelle Mead.

*sigh* I still love these books. Frostbite has a kind of New Moon feel to it for me. It has at times been my least favorite book in the series as book 2's often are. But at the same time there's so much that happens in Frostbite that is pivotal to the overall story, to each individual character's growth, to moving the plot along, and to turning this into more than a cute vampire novel series. It's really the glue that binds the whole series together and completely sets the scene for book 3, Shadow Kiss, which is probably the most pivotal book in the series. The prologue does a great job of spelling out this fantastic world that Richelle Mead has created. I can't tell you how many friends that I've forced this series on who told me they were so thankful for the prologue because while they really enjoyed Vampire Academy, they were a bit confused. So if you were confused at all after finishing Vampire Academy, the prologue breaks everything down quite nicely.

I just love Rose. She's such a strong character. She's impulsive and rash, but she's so passionate and loyal. Rose is stuck in this place where she can't really talk to anyone about what all she's feeling. She hasn't had a chance to really tell Lissa about her feelings for Dimitri and what has gone down between them--especially because Lissa has been pretty wrapped up in her new relationship with Christian. It's completely real to see Lissa and Rose drift apart during this time period as friendships often do when one friend has started a new relationship. Rose starts off Frostbite being extremely naive and even bordering on childish and immature, but she grows so, so much in this book. She sees death in all of it's brutal and ugly glory which forces her to grow up. She learns that she's not invincible and neither are like heroic figures like Arthur Showenberg. As always, Dimitri has a way of putting her in her place without making her feel like complete and utter crap--even when she deserves it.

Speaking of Dimitri, it sometimes surprises me how childish Rose can act and yet it doesn't really change the way he feels about her. Dimitri still plays the wise mentor, but Rose continues to see him for what and who he really is thus shaking him to his core. He tries to remain in control at all times, but some things are just beyond being controlled. Rose being one of those things, and his feelings for her being another. However, Dimitri is presented with another potential suitor and decisions must be made about what he'll do with his life and if he'll follow this new path set before him--one that's not restricted and won't put anyone in danger for pursuing.

I've always been impressed with the foreshadowing that Richelle Mead uses in this series. And things really begin to pick up in Frostbite as far as that's concerned. We've got stuff going on with the bond, false ideas, changing politics, and all kinds of things that are really eluded to in Frostbite that, again, without knowing the rest of the series a reader would easily miss. Going back through the series is really the only way to completely pick up on all of this stuff, and even after as many times as I've read this series, I still find something new each time. Specifically I love how Richelle Mead will tell the reader something that the character believes is fact. Because the character believes these things as fact, the reader takes them as fact as well. It's a great way to lay down the groundwork for some false ideas that will turn into plot twists and such in the later books. But how do you tell fact from fiction without knowing the ending? Ha! I love it!

Along with Rose and Dimitri--my favorite characters--we have the same secondary characters as before, Lissa and Christian (Lissa and Christian are probably main characters, but for me they're secondary), Mia, Mason, and with the addition of a few more, Rose's mom, Adrian--oh Adrian!--Eddie, who's mentioned in the first book, but doesn't have a large role, Tasha, etc. The secondary characters continue to grow, and the new additions shine. Eddie's character is so different from Frostbite to the end of the series that with this re-read I almost didn't recognize him. He seems like a totally different person. Obviously Rose and her mom have issues and seeing that relationship play out was interesting. Nothing brings out Rose's childish side like her mother. Lissa begins to step up and come into her own with the other royals. She's able to discuss Moroi politics with them on a level that serves as mediator and peacemaker during a few of the meetings which is a huge step up from the girl we saw in Vampire Academy.

I keep thinking that Adrian has blonde hair, but Frostbite clearly states that he's a brunette. (Is it okay to call a guy a brunette?) I love how Adrian immediately picks Rose out yet throughout Frostbite during my first reading of it, I was so distraught that he might actually be going after Lissa too since he does seem to be a player. Not that I wanted him to go stepping in between Rose and Dimitri either. But I seriously couldn't help but fall for Adrian's charm--even early on.

The ending was one of those that had my heart pounding. Do you remember that feeling of playing hide-and-seek when you were little and just sitting in the dark trying to be utterly silent so as to not give away your position but feeling the increased steady drum of your heart? I totally felt this exact way reading the ending of Frostbite. This ending was so brilliant because it's such a pinnacle point for so many of the characters, specifically Rose, Mia, Eddie, Christian, Mason, Dimitri, Rose's mom. It was the humbling experience that Rose needed and turned the series from cute vampire series to something a bit more serious. I loved how resolution doesn't come easy to Rose. She doesn't just miraculously get out of this dangerous situation, she has to fight her way out, and every single moment of that fight is tough and difficult.

Frostbite easily gets 4 Stars from me. I still adore this book and this series. Have you read Frostbite? What did you think? Let me know!

From the Ashes - City of Bones

From the Ashes is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know where I re-read books that I read before blogging and finally review them.

In light of the upcoming movie, City of Bones is my pick for this From the Ashes post. City of Bones, the movie, is set to release August 21, 2013. And I have to say that it looks pretty good to me.

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, # 1)

By: Cassandra Clare

Published: March 27th 2007 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

485 pages

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Books-A-Million )

Goodreads description--Don’t miss The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, soon to be a major motion picture in theaters August 2013.

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.

I'm actually extremely surprised that this is only my second time reading City of Bones. When I first started reading (post high school), I re-read almost everything I could get my hands on, and that was mostly because I didn't have the circulation of books surrounding me that I do now. City of Bones, and The Mortal Instruments in general, is definitely one that fits into the category of needing to be re-read multiple times. Since I've started blogging though, I feel very pressured to read "new" (to me) stuff so that I can review them on the blog. I don't have unlimited time available to me to read, so I do the best that I can. However, with the recent development of my "From the Ashes" feature reviews and with the upcoming movie release of City of Bones, I felt that it was past time that I take a second look at City of Bones.

One thing is for sure, I didn't have the details of City of Bones down as much as say Twilight or Vampire Academy--series that I've read upwards of 5 times or so. I had forgotten that Clary was fifteen at the beginning of City of Bones; however, she does turn sixteen during the book. And considering the book only spans about a week or so of time, that's not so bad. The beginning of the book was more confusing to me ironically enough because I remembered thinking that the "blue-haired-boy" wasn't really important from my first time reading it, being only a catalyst, but when Cassandra Clare switches to write from his POV, I was thrown off and thought for a second that maybe Jace had glamoured his hair blue or something. But obviously quickly figured things out. I felt a bit daft for a minute or two though.

Clary is a fairly strong leading lady. She doesn't have the fighting skills of Isabelle or Rose from Vampire Academy, but she has a quick mind and she stands her ground when it becomes necessary. Though reading through the book for a second time, I picked up on her jealousy of Simon's interaction with Isabelle and things like that more than I picked up on her developing attraction to Jace. I did notice more of Jace letting down his guard around her. He might be in the middle of being a jerk, but would stop to ask her if she were okay or place his hand on the small of her back--something to indicate that she was bringing him out more than you would expect.

Speaking of Jace, he's still one of my favorite characters. Between Jace and Will of The Infernal Devices, I tended to lean toward Will. Because truth be told, I like strong and dark a bit better than strong and blond (or golden as Jace is often described). But this time through, I found myself marking many passages where I just couldn't get over his sarcastic humor. I remember not understanding the Jace toward the end of the book. And can't say much about that without spoilers, but I was perhaps even more frustrated with it this time around while at the same time understanding it more. Does that make any sense?

I loved re-experiencing the other characters as well. Simon's quirky-nerdy self. Isabelle, who I originally read much meaner than I read her this past time, was awfully friendly to Clary all around, even when dealing with a bit of the female jealousy that's known to exist among our sex. I can't say I liked Alec any more this time around than I did the first time. And after having read about the close relationship that Will and Jem have from The Infernal Devices, it was hard for me to actually see or feel the parabatai bond/relationship between Jace and Alec in City of Bones. Maybe that will shine through more in the remaining books, but I can't really remember. And then there's Magnus Bane.

Oh Magnus, even when you frustrate the crap out of me, I still find myself cracking up at your jokes, your hilarious outfits, and your centuries-worth-of-being-alive wisdom. (Yes, I talk to these characters as if they're real people. So what?) I feel like I understand Magnus so much more from having read both The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices. He's seen and experienced so much. (Kind of off the subject, but one of my neighbors has a Great Dane named Magnus. I call him "Magnus Bane, the Great Dane." Totally cheesy.)

Obviously, the ending to City of Bones completely blew me away my first time reading it. And truth be told, I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading the series after that. While I won't include any spoilers, I will just say to anyone who might not have read The Mortal Instruments yet, keep reading. Just trust me. But since this wasn't my first time through, I must say that I was still left with a despair that these characters must be feeling. Yet, I felt like Clary handled the situation much better than I remembered, and much better than I think anyone could have expected.

I would be remiss if I concluded a review of this book without discussing the wonderful world that Cassandra Clare has created. Demons, vampires, werewolves, half-angel/half-human demon fighters, mundane humans...they all fit together into this world that is beautiful and intriguing. And I for one am thrilled to have not only The Infernal Devices as a spin-off series so that I can remain in this world a little longer, but I'm also thrilled about the upcoming The Dark Artifices spin-off series so that I don't have to worry about leaving this fantasy world any time soon.

Because I can't really talk about The Mortal Instruments without discussing The Infernal Devices to some extent, I can see so clearly how Cassandra Clare had not only the entire series planned out in her head from the beginning, but also at least a good portion of The Infernal Devices planned out as well. If that's not the case, then she's just brilliant about going back to the beginning of her story and tying in pieces that I would have never put together. She uses some of the smallest foreshadowing details that make the story that much better. ****Minor spoiler alert for Clockwork Princess (book 3 of The Infernal Devices): I was even wondering this time through why Alec has the dark hair and blue eyes that we find in the characteristics of Will when Will wasn't related even distantly to Alec. Will's sister, who just so happens to look just like him, is. Brilliant, I tell you. **End spoiler.

I gave City of Bones 4 stars on Goodreads when I first added it to my read-shelf, and upon my second reading, I find that this rating stands for me. Any reader who enjoys a well built world and a story that is worked and weaved like a tapestry from beginning to end will appreciate City of Bones and The Mortal Instruments. Have you read City of Bones? What did you think? Let me know!

Oh and here's the trailer for the movie coming out next week. There are longer trailers and such too if you want to look them up.

From the Ashes - New Moon

From the Ashes is a somewhat regular feature here at Somewhere Only We Know. I don't schedule these posts weekly or monthly, just do them as the situation fits. From the Ashes is my way of reviewing books I've read before I started my blog and therefore have not been reviewed on Somewhere Only We Know before. I am re-reading these books before my From the Ashes review.

So without further ramblings, today's From the Ashes review is of New Moon (Twilight, # 2) by Stephenie Meyer. (Here is my From the Ashes review of Twilight.)

****There will be spoilers for those who have never read New Moon****

New Moon (Twilight, # 2)

By: Stephenie Meyer

Published: September 6th 2006 by Little, Brown and Company

563 pages

Source: Personal Library, Own Hardback & Audiobook

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Books-A-Million )

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Goodreads description--For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella ever could have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning....

Legions of readers entranced by New York Times bestseller Twilight are hungry for the continuing story of star-crossed lovers Bella and Edward. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural spin. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

As I did in my From the Ashes review of Twilight, what I focused on the most with New Moon this time through was things that I'd forgotten or things that hit me specifically through this reading of New Moon.

I've lost count, but I do believe this is my 7th or 8th time reading through New Moon, but it's been probably 4 or 5 years since the last time I read it.

Here are the things I didn't remember or hit me during this reading:

1) Despite knowing and understanding WHY Bella feels the way that she does (hating to get older while Edward is frozen at the same age), the whining about her birthday was a bit much for me this go ‘round. And while I understand not wanting to celebrate your growing age, geez, just get over it already and enjoy some birthday cake and presents. Sheesh!

2) I totally missed most of Edward’s speech before he left Bella in the forest because I was listening to the audiobook version at work and my attention was being pulled away. :(

3) The formatting of the months passing by still brings me chills. I remember the first time I saw it while reading New Moon and thought it was brilliant. It’s still brilliant and has just as much impact on the audiobook. They space the reading of each month out just far enough so you can feel the void each passing month brought to Bella. Extremely well played.

4) And despite having been through this series more than a half a dozen times, this was the first time I realized that Bella and Jessica go see the “twilight showing” of the zombie movie in Port Angeles. I LOVE IT! (I’m sure most of you picked up on that much sooner than I did.)

5) I always crack up when Bella meets Quil and Embry for the first time. What with the muscle flexing and all. It’s the little things.

6) I forget how big Jacob was in the books too. Not just buff, but tall. Bless Taylor Lautner's heart, he's just not very tall.

7) Something I might have noticed before, but definitely noticed this time…After the illustrious papercut incident which we all know put into motion the series of events for New Moon, Edward tells Bella that if she’d gotten hurt with any of her normal friends it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Right? Yes, we all know that. So then Bella totally cracks her head learning how to ride motorcycles with Jacob and he asks her “why are you apologizing for bleeding?” Well not that Jacob believes the vampire stories at this point (“it’s just a scary story.” BAHAHAHAHA—my real life friends will get that and hear my mocking voice), but it’s still a huge contrast between what Bella can do around Jacob versus what she could do around Edward. Why was she apologizing for bleeding, Jacob? Well because just a few short months ago, she was hanging out with peeps who wanted to suck her dry without even seeing a drop of her blood. Of course she’d be in the habit of apologizing for doing the very thing that once ripped her life apart. Bleeding.

8) Love the double meaning conversation before Bella, Mike, and Jacob go to the movies. Jacob asks if Mike still confused about being Bella’s boyfriend. Bella says some people are hard to persuade (meaning Jacob and Mike both), and Jacob changes strategy and says that sometimes persistence pays off. BAHAHAHAHA! Nice!

9) I'd forgotten how Bella couldn't know that her reunion with Edward was just as welcome on his side as it was for her because she thought he didn't want her. In the past, I found it unbelievable that she couldn't see the truth of it all and know that Edward wouldn't go off and commit suicide because he didn't care about her and just because he felt guilty and all. But this time around, I understood more of how she might think that way.

10) I'd also forgotten that Marcus had a gift too--of seeing relationships.

11) And I guess finally, New Moon used to be my least favorite Twilight book, and I'm sure many people would say the same. Why? Well because there is very little Edward. But I've come to really appreciate New Moon. Bella grows the most as a character in New Moon, more than in any other book. Edward and Bella both come to realize how much they truly feel for each other because that love is tested by fire--granted it's a fire from Edward's own making, but still. New Moon still might not be my favorite, but it's not my least favorite for the same reasons as it used to be. There's much more to it than meets a first glance.

So that's it for my From the Ashes review of New Moon. New Moon gets 4 Stars from me at this point. What do you guys think? Was New Moon your least favorite Twilight book? Have you re-read it? And if so, did that change your opinion? Let me know!