Review: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: March 19th 2013 by Simon & Schuster Margaret K. McElderry
Series: #3 (The Infernal Devices)
Length: 570 pages
Source: Bought

“Tessa Gray should be happy – aren’t all brides happy?
Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa’s heart, will do anything to save her.”

What a satisfying, page-turner, jaw-dropper conclusion to The Infernal Devices trilogy! I am so happy I continued reading this trilogy after not being a big fan of the first book (Clockwork Angel). There are some crazy rollercoasters that happened in this book that I would have never guessed. I loved the climax and how everything turned out even though it was a bittersweet ending.

The characters and romance were spectacular! I totally ship most of the relationships in this book because they are awesome <3. Spoiler [I totally ship Gideon and Sophie. Like, when I read their scenes, I just die inside because CUTENESS OVERLOAD. Not sure how I feel about the Tessa-Jem-Will love triangle though. At first I loved it, but now Tessa can’t make up her mind lol]. I also enjoyed seeing the characters grow and it still amazes me how these characters are only teenagers! I always thought Jem & Will were like in their mid twenties because of how they spoke and acted but they’re like 17! My favorite character is Sophie though. She is so wise and thoughtful and I’m so happy how her life turned out!

Now the ending… SO DEPRESSING. Spoiler [The epilogue made me so sad since it basically said everyone dies except Magnus, Tessa, and Jem. How depressing Cassandra Clare!] It was so sad especially the epilogue but it was a fantastic end nonetheless. One thing that prevented me from giving this a 5 star is that I still get confused what a Nephilim, Shadowhunter, Downworlder, Silent Brothers blah blah are. I think that wasn’t emphasized enough or explained thoroughly. Overall if you’re hesitant to pick up The Mortal Instruments but want to see what the buzz is all about with these Shadowhunters, I suggest you pick up The Infernal Devices trilogy! The writing style is beautiful and the characters have so much depth and flaws that it’ll be hard to not fall in love with them!

Review: Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Genre: YA Dystopian
Published: October 22, 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books
Series: #3 (Divergent)
Length: 526 pages
Source: Bought

“The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered – fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningliess. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend to complexities of human nature – and of herself – while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.”

I have mixed feelings for this book, but for the most part I did enjoy reading Allegiant. I’ll start off with what I did not like. I understand why Veronica did the dual point of view with Tris and Tobias and I DO like it, but what I did not like is how they sounded so similar. Even though at the beginning of the chapter it says who’s narrating it, it still gets confusing especially if you decide to stop reading in the middle of the chapter then continue to read it later on. Also I think Allegiant has a much slower pace compared to Divergent and Insurgent maybe because of our questions finally being answered since it’s the finale, but nonetheless I still managed to fly through this book (not as quickly as I did for Divergent & Insurgent though). Also I thought the “big revelation” was a bit anticlimactic..like the explanation made sense, but I thought “oh okay…that’s it?” I was looking for something more, but I’m glad that it did made sense.

Now on to the things I loved. I really loved the character developments especially with Four. I also like the themes presented in this book which are love, sacrifice, friendship, and of course bravery. Believe it or not, I really like what happens in the end. I already know the big bang that happens before going into it because someone spoiled me on Instagram, but I do like it because it makes sense since the trilogy is about being brave and selfless. I actually cried in some parts of the book which I rarely do because I’m not a crier when it comes to reading books, but this one just made me so sad for all the characters. Overall I highly recommend you to read this because it is one of those books that will make you feel all the feels and a book that will leave an impact on you in so many ways.

Review: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

Genre: YA Dystopian
Published: August 24, 2010 by Scholastic Press
Series: #3 (The Hunger Games)
Length: 390 pages
Source: bought

“My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss’s family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans–except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss’s willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels’ Mockingjay–no matter what the personal cost.”

Mockingjay was such a depressing read especially when you get to the second half of the book. Although it was a great end to the trilogy, it is my least favorite out of the whole trilogy. I do not think this book was bad, but compared to the first two books, this was less action packed and exciting. This book is told from Katniss’s point of view like the rest of the books in the trilogy, and is divided up into three parts. The action scenes did not really start until the second half of the book which were crazy! That is all I’m going to say. My mouth was literally hanging from all the unpredictable twists.

There weren’t a lot of romance scenes compared to the first two books which I am glad because if I were in a revolution, finding a mate is the last thing I’d do. I’m kind of in between about Collin’s writing style because some of her wordings and descriptions were really confusing. It was hard to picture what was happening in some of the action scenes, yet I love Katniss’s propaganda lines. Her line “if we burn, you burn with us!” sent me chills. It was so good and just shows how Katniss is a true leader since she will do anything to bring Snow down.

For the characters, they were perfectly written as always. I love how we got to know more about Finnick and Gale in this book because we didn’t really get to know them during the first two books. Effie and Haymitch were just hilarious in this book. Like I said, this book was depressing, but those two characters made the situation light at times. There were, of course, amazing character development with Katniss, Peeta, Prim, and the other Hunger Games tributes. I think that’s the best part of this book. They have changed a lot and Collin did a fantastic job making the characters so realistic. Like, if I were in their condition, I would probably do the same thing. There are other new characters in this book that I was immediately attached to which I think is great because I think it’s very difficult for an author to write a character and have the reader immediately be attached to that character.

Overall Mockingjay was a fantastic, action-packed conclusion to the trilogy. It is definitely worth the money and read. There are a lot of mystery, thrill, and tears.