Throwback Thursday is my weekly feature which I created to post a review that I've written from the past. Every week I will post a review that I've written prior to my blogs existence. I'll be sharing both the books that I think you'd enjoy and the books that I should warn you against wasting your time on! ;-)

With the release of City of Bones coming up at the end of the month, I'm continuing on with the Mortal Instrument reviews. This week is book 2, City of Ashes.  I really enjoyed this one as well.  If you haven't read it, you should. This series is highly addicting.  I feel that the stories get more mature and better and better as the series goes along.

Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books 
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 453
Source: Purchase
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Original Review Date: September 8, 2009
Rating: 4 bookmarks 

Synopsis: 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.

The 2nd book was pretty good. As expected. If you read a lot of these kind of Urban Fiction YA books, they follow a formula...stick to that and the book seems to be good. Well, so far that rings true for me. I don't want to give away anything, so I'll keep this spoiler free. 

Our usual suspects are all in CoA, and they are all enjoyable to read about.  We also see a few new faces added to the mix as well. There's something new happening with Simon, a new girl Maia. Maryse and the Inquisitor, well....they are just dreadful. Of course, don't we can't forget psychopathic Valentine! Woah, that dude is more than a little cray cray.

This installment did have it's share of teenage angst, so if you have an extreme aversion to it, you may want to be aware that it's there.  

Now this book is not perfect, but the story was moving forward and you want to find out what happens to Clare and Jace.  I feel like their situation is very reminiscent of the earlier V.C. Andrews books, they always seemed to have sibling falling for each other...well before they knew they were related...but we'll see where this goes.

I am looking forward to reading book 3. Fans of City of Bones will certainly enjoy this sequel. I know I did. 

Happy Reading,
~Tamara
Missed my review of the first book in the Mortal Instruments series? Check out my thoughts on City of Bones.

Throwback Thursday is my weekly feature which I created to post a review that I've written from the past. Every week I will post a review that I've written prior to my blogs existence. I'll be sharing both the books that I think you'd enjoy and the books that I should warn you against wasting your time on! ;-)

City of Bones....yes, everyone has been talking about this book lately. Mostly because the movie adaptation is coming out at the end of the month.  In honor of that, for the next 4 weeks, I'll be posting my reviews of the first 4 books in the Mortal Instruments series.  I read and reviewed the first couple book back in 2009, actually almost 3 years ago exactly, long before my Shelf Addiction days.  Back then my reviews were a tad more "spoilery" (Yes, I know that's not a word) Lol...so if you haven't read this book yet, you've been warned!

I feel that The Mortal instruments series has a strong star with City of Bones, but this is another one of those series that really gets better and better with each book.  I recommend this for any YA Urban Fantasy fan. Trust me, if you're not hooked with the first book, you will be after the second book.

Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books 
Release Date: March 27, 2007
Format: Paperback
Pages: 512
Source: Purchase
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy, Book to Movie Adaptation
Original Review Date: August 13, 2009
Rating: 4 bookmarks 

Synopsis: 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.

This book ultimately was very good and a fast read. The story was interesting out of the gate even though it began slightly slower than I like. Her adventure is started with a series of events which is triggered when her mother gets kidnapped in front of her and the roll coaster ride begins. The book focuses on Clary, a 16 year old who discovers that she is not human and that her whole life is a lie. That her mother and her “uncle” Luke have been lying to her about everything. The reader unfolds the mysteries as Clary does, which is vividly well written. Clary Fray is daring, independent and I really like her character’s style. 

Throwback Thursday is my weekly feature which I created to post a review that I've written from the past. Every week I will post a review that I've written prior to my blogs existence. I'll be sharing both the books that I think you'd enjoy and the books that I should warn you against wasting your time on! ;-)

Staying with the VA series, here's my review of the sixth and final book in the Vampire Academy series!  A series of this length is just perfect.  It's not so long that you get sick of it, yet not too short that you feel you were jipped out of something. I enjoyed it so much, this is on my short list of series to re-read.

I apologize in advance, I don't know what I was thinking about when I originally wrote this review a little over 2 years ago...I'm sort of all over the place and it's laden with spoilers...so read on at your own risk!! You've been warned! For those of you that have read books 1-5 even the 6th book, you'll know what I'm talking about. :-)

Publisher: Razorbill 
Release Date: Deecember 7, 2010
Format: Kindle
Pages: 594
Source: Amazon Purchase
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Original Review Date: June 5, 2011
Rating: 5 bookmarks 

Synopsis: 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?

This book was very good. Thank you Ms.Mead for giving us the ending we all so badly wanted! Even though we know that Dimitri and Rose had to over come alot and had tons of road blocks along the way, the payoff was totally worth it!

Throwback Thursday is my weekly feature which I created to post a review that I've written from the past. Every week I will post a review that I've written prior to my blogs existence. I'll be sharing both the books that I think you'd enjoy and the books that I should warn you against wasting your time on! ;-)

Staying with the VA series, here's my review of book five from the Vampire Academy series!  This review is short and sweet. I had a seriously hard time leeping myself from rewriting it!

Publisher: Razorbill 
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Format: Kindle
Pages: 489
Source: Amazon Purchase
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Original Review Date: June 2, 2011
Rating: 4 bookmarks 

Synopsis: After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.

Very good read, as expected. I’m going to try not to mention too many spoilers, because it’s really easy to tell the whole book!

Hi friends,

In honor of the Summer Lovin' read-a-thon, today I have for you a special triple threat post. It's a review, an author feature and a giveaway all in one! With that said, let's get started!

Publisher: Strategic Book Group
Release Date: October 22, 2012
Format: ebook
Pages: 360 (paperback)
Source: Author
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Sci Fi
Review Date: July 5, 2013
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: It's the first day of school at prestigious Solstice High. Seniors Matt, Rochelle, Daphne and Jonas each have a big surprise waiting for them. When the four friends undergo a freak accident, they begin to develop superhuman abilities and come to realize that all is not as it seems within the bleak walls of their high school. While dealing with the day-to-day challenges of being teenagers, they must also confront their sinister principal, Mr. Devlin, who seems to have more than just education on his agenda.


Disclaimer: I received this book as a ebook courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.

First let me say it was refreshing to read a YA book actually written by a young age author,  At the time this book was written Ardash was actually in the YA age. Solstice High was a fast read with likable characters.I liked that there were four leads instead of just the usual two. Two girls and two boys.  The story was told from each of their POVs by chapter. With four narrators that can be risky, thankfully all of their voices are distinct. You can tell whose narrating even without their names being posted at the top of each chapter (unlike another book I read recently). 

This novel is a mix of teenage drama and fantasy, sprinkled with a healthy dose of pop culture.  You can really tell what decade these kids are from. That's not bad, but it was interesting to see references to Mean Girls, True Blood, Gilmore Girls and other pop culture things.

Let me do a quick run down of the characters for you.  Matt has been picked on and made fun all thought school He is coming to terms with being gay and has a crush on the captain of the swim team, Julian.  Rochelle is the self proclaimed "Queen Bee" and seems a bit temperamental to say the least.  Daphne has a dysfunctional and delusional family home life.  Jonas is a jock who is in love with Rochelle. Who is left alone for long periods of time, so it seems he's a bit of a loner.  Together, they are an odd bunch, but they work.

Teens with super powers, what's not to like? This book was a nice surprise and I perfect for your summer reading list.

Throwback Thursday is my weekly feature which I created to post a review that I've written from the past. Every week I will post a review that I've written prior to my blogs existence. I'll be sharing both the books that I think you'd enjoy and the books that I should warn you against wasting your time on! ;-)

Side note: I must admit, as I'm posting these old reviews, I can see how my review style has evolved. I't been pretty hard to restrain myself from rewriting them! LOL

Staying in line with the last few weeks post, here's my review of book three from the Vampire Academy series! I really enjoyed this series and recommend it for older teens (16+) and adults alike!

Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: November 13, 2008
Format: Kindle
Pages: 443
Source: Amazon Purchase
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Original Review Date: April 12, 2011
Rating: 4 bookmarks 

Synopsis: 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.

The third installment of the Vampire Academy books was excellent and I didn't want to put it down. The more books of this series I read, the more I like it. Wow…that’s all I can say. That ending was wow! As I suspected, Rose finally got her man. I was so excited for Rose and Dimitri, but I also knew it was too good to be true. As the story went on I could see the writing on the wall. I really love Rose’s character. It’s amazing to see how she’s grown into her own as a guardian, friend, daughter, lover. From a young minded teen to an adult. The tragedy they all experienced at the hands of the Strigoi attacks in the book was massive and it clearly effected everyone on the campus. It was good to see the Moroi stand up and fight with the dhampirs on their rescue mission. I really like how their society is evolving. 

Throwback Thursday is my weekly feature which I created to post a review that I've written from the past. Every week I will post a review that I've written prior to my blogs existence. I'll be sharing both the books that I think you'd enjoy and the books that I should warn you against wasting your time on! ;-)

I'm continuing on with my review of all the books in the Vampire Academy series! I really enjoyed this series and recommend it for older teens (16+) and adults alike!

Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: April 10, 2008
Format: Kindle
Pages: 327
Source: Amazon Purchase
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Original Review Date: April 5, 2011
Rating: 4 bookmarks 

Synopsis: t’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...

As always the writing by this author pulls you in. Ms.Mead’s writing is fluid and easy to follow. I’ll try not to get into too many spoilers. This was a good read! In the 2nd installment of the series we got to see quite a few characters and lots of action.

Throwback Thursday is my weekly feature which I created to post a review that I've written from the past. Every week I will post a review that I've written prior to my blogs existence. I'll be sharing both the books that I think you'd enjoy and the books that I should warn you against wasting your time on! ;-)

The first book in this series was good, but it wasn't excellent. I did however fell vested enough to continue on, then before you knew it, the Vampire Academy books turned into one of my favorite YA Urban Fantasy series! I'm so glad that I  went on to read book two, because it was worth it!  I'll be posting for the next 6 weeks all of the VA reviews. I read this series in 2011, and it's #2 on my re-read list!

Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: August 16, 2007
Format: Kindle
Pages: 332
Source: Amazon Purchase
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy, Book to Movie Adaptation
Original Review Date: March 29, 2011
Rating: 3 bookmarks 

Synopsis: St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

At first I wasn’t sure I liked this book. I noticed a weird vibe in the beginning regarding the friendship between Rose and Lissa. I didn’t care so much for some of the borderline lesbian stuff happening. Even though the book explains it as necessary, why did Lissa have to feed from Rose’s neck…I mean really, couldn’t she had used her wrist or arm just as easily? In my opinion, the level of their closeness seemed a little odd. Even when whole “shadow kissed” thing was explained later on, it was a bit much at times. That vibe started to go away the longer the girls were back at the academy and interacting more with other friends. It lessened a bit more once boys that they both liked entered the picture.