City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare

This being the second book of a trilogy was quite surprising to me.Normally the second book doesn't really do a whole lot except set up the story for the third and final part of the story, and while it does do that it also has its own story that hold its own weight. I actually found this book to be more interesting that the first one. I'm not sure if that was because I already knew the characters or the world in which the story was written, or even if I thought it was just a better story. All I know is that I enjoyed it more, I felt like more happened.

Sure the story did jump around from character to character to follow all the story arcs that were going on, but there weren't too many to follow that you lost track of what was going on. Plus I am used to that sort of writing style from other books I read. The introduction of new parts of the 'downworld' was great and interesting and even fun. Having now brought these characters and races into the mix there is so much potential in what can be done in book three City of Glass.

Having a different narrator on the audio book made a large difference too. I found the reader of this book more involving and I didn't feel as though the book went for the full 12 and a half hours, whereas City of Bones dragged on.

Very interested to see where the story goes as I have many questions that need answers. Starting the third and final book tomorrow.

City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

This book has been on my nightstand for the past 4 years.
I always wanted to read it by many other books were higher on my list and so I didn't ever get around to it. Then they made it into a movie which I saw before I listened to the book.

I must say from watching the movie there were many things that were confusing and not clear which I assumed must be explained more in the book. Similar of what people have said about The Hunger Games move compared to the book written by Suzanne Collins. However after listening to this book I found that some of the questions I had are still there. Not everything I wanted explained was explained.

However saying that I found the storyline to be interesting. I felt that so much more could have been done with the idea, but that may happen in the following books City of Ashes and City of Glass. While the writing was a little bland for my liking (reminiscent of Stephenie Meyers Twilight books) I did still find it engaging and easy to listen to. I'm sure that if you were to read this book it would flow well and be a fast read. I also found that if I stopped the recording and come back to listen to it after time had passed, I still know where I was and what was going on in the storyline, which makes for a good non thinking, easy-going, pass time book.

I feel for what this book was trying to be, it hit the mark and created a world that could be believable with only a little suspended reality. Fun but not a book I'd keep on my shelves.

Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore

This book was so great until the last 50 pages. I felt like the end of the book went in a totally different direction. I can see that it may perhaps set up another book to follow, but it made the end of this amazing book disappointing.  I was waiting for a huge climax to end it all and explain things and wrap it all up, but instead got what I feel is a shortened finish so that other new stuff could be included.

It didn't help that by the time I got to read Bitterblue I had almost forgotten everything that happened in Graceling and Fire. I know they can be read as stand alone books but there is so much info you learn in both of the previous books that is good to know.

There was so much intrigue, adventure and discovery in the majority of the book that kept me in suspense and wanting more but the ending seemed to dash that away. So I hope Kristin Cashore writes more books in this universe as it is so full of diverse and charismatic characters, but doesn't cut the endings too short.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith

This book was so much fun. I'm not sure if it made it better by listening to it on audiobook, but I was giggling to myself at work while listening to it. Seth Grahame-Smith has tied the zombies in so brilliantly and seamlessly that you can hardly notice the additions. I would say this is a great way to introduce someone to the great works of Jane Austin, who wouldn't normally read it.

While Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favourite books, this version does not take away from the story at all, but alternatively enhances it for a different audience. I would advice anyone who loves the classics like Austen and Bronte to give this book a go.

I will definitely be listening to the prequel Dawn of the Dreadfuls, the end of the trilogy Dreadfully Ever After and other similar titles such as Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

This book had a lot of potential when I first heard of it, enough to make me buy it and want to read it. But then it sat on my bookshelf for the next 3 years. Each time I finished another book and had to choose my next one to read it always looked a little less enticing, especially when I read the back jacket. It has a blurb the similar as Twilight, where it doesn’t really tell you much about the book and so doesn’t pique your interest.

To be honest, what made me take it off my shelf and finally read it was the fact that the movie was coming out. I had to read it before I saw the movie, otherwise if the movie was bad it would deter me from reading the book to see if it was any better.

I started on it in the hope that I would remember the reason for buying it in the first place. The beginning was a little slow and seemed disjointed. I put that down to there being two co-authors on this book. Being as it was my first co-authored experience, I decided to try to not put as much emphasis on this as I normally would a disorganized novel. However it still did annoy me. Further into the book I was either more into the book that I didn’t notice as much or there was a better flow.

The story started to pick up and I grew to like the characters. Like, not love. I felt I didn’t get enough of them to love them; no history, no in depth explanation, no quirky humanising character flaws. But the story continued and I kept reading for its potential.

At some point after the middle something must have changed without me being aware, as I found myself wanting to continue reading when I really had to go to bed. The last quarter of the book was very good, it had a nice pace to it but I would have preferred the climax to be a little more long winded than it was. It seemed to me that the end was planned but rushed in it’s execution. More in depth descriptions would have been appreciated to make you feel like you were there, not just reading about it. That’s it, I felt for the whole book that I was reading about the story rather than experiencing it.

Then there was that ending, that last paragraph/stanza that made me so angry. It’s sort of the like the end of a big budget movie when you are satisfied with the story, but they add this little lose end in there to make a sequel possible if it makes enough money. Exactly how I felt about the ending of the book. It left me with a huge sour taste in my mouth. Not happy Jan. However I have found myself today researching the sequels and adding them to my to-be-read list on Goodreads. I just hope that they live up to the potential of the story.

Rapture - Lauren Kate

While this book did have an ending that was easy to spot from book 2 (Torment), it was still very entertaining and a great read. I sped through it very easily as it was written well and easily. All the characters I had grown to love over the last three books featured and all had their own part in the story. 

There was a slight twist near the end that I didn't see coming until just a little while beforehand, and that is just another reason to love this book and the author. Even when you think you have it all figured out, there is a little bit more to add.

Rapture neatly wraps up the series, while still leaving it open for tangent series to be made from it (which I personally would love to see happen as I enjoy the world the books are set in). Also what is great is that you don't have to have read Fallen in Love the novella 3.5 that come out after Passion but before Rapture to help tide fans over and it also gave more history into some of your favourite characters.

A solid 4 stars, great for a weekend read along with the entire series. 

Fallen in Love - Lauren Kate

Great book. I love that Lauren Kate let you into the Fallen world just that little bit more with an addition to the story. As it is 3.5 in the series, it doesn't continue the main story line but it does give you insight into a few things that you being to wonder about it the main books.

I loved learning more about Arriane and Cam, what was behind the choices they made and the explanations of how things came to be in the main series.

Mainly this book just whet me appetite for the fourth book in the series, Rapture. Unfortunately I will have to wait an entire 2 more months for it. But at least I had this jaunt back into the Fallen world as a reprieve from the long break between books three and four.