The Infernal Devices

The Infernal Devices 

Author- Cassandra Clare
Publisher- Simon and Schuster
Book 1- Clockwork Angel: published August 21st 2010, 479 Pages (first edition)
Book 2- Clockwork Prince: published December 6th 2011, 502 pages 
Book 3- Clockwork Princess: Published September 5th 2013, 567 pages

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray arrives in England in the hopes of being re-united with her brother but something dark is waiting for her in London's supernatural underworld. Friendless, hunted and in search of her missing brother Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters. Together they find themselves up against the Pandemonium club a organisation consisting of vampires, warlocks and even humans. Tessa's world has been turned upside down, in a world filled with vampires, Shadowhunters and Warlocks who can she truly trust? and where does she fit in among them?
Drawn ever deeper into their world Tessa finds herself fascinated and torn between between two best friends, but she must be careful as there is a traitor among them and the head of the Pandemonium club will not stop until he gets what he wants- Tessa.
Together with the Shadowhunters Tessa must find a way to stop the Pandemonium Club and save the Shadowhunters, even more so now that one of their own in threatened. 
However in and among all this Tessa soon realizes that love may be the most Dangerous magic of all.

My opinion 

I have been meaning to review this trilogy for a while now but something has kept holding me back but I'm finally writing one so here we go...

Firstly just a fair bit of warning for people who haven't heard of these books, it is the prequel series to the mortal instruments (the City of Bones books) so I would recommend reading those first if you're interested in these!
Secondly I have to say Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter story world is one of my favorites it's so brilliantly thought out every detail included, and this is without a doubt my favorite trilogy.

Now, when I first read the mortal instruments books I was in awe I completely fell in love with this fantasy world that Clare has so brilliantly executed and when I heard of a prequel series I have to admit I was skeptical as I'm sure we are all when it comes to spin-off series or prequels but it blew me away it was such an incredible trilogy and I liked it even more than the mortal instruments which believe me was something i'd never thought if say.

There is something so spellbinding about the way the characters are presented in this book, and for me one of the reasons I loved it more than the mortal instruments was that it felt like more of a mature read because the characters felt more mature. They are mostly of a similar age but there was just something about them that meant I could relate to them better, and expect to see some familiar names pop up *cough* perhaps a fabulous warlock *cough*

"One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us" 

One of the most common criticisms I've seen about these books is about Tessa being 'too girly' and unable to protect herself which I think is a harsh criticism as you have to remember when reading this book it was set in 1878 and back then girls didn't fight or wear trousers and yes men did protect them yet despite all the cultural stereotypes Tessa develops into a strong self-assured character capable of protecting herself  and that for me has been one of the best character developments I've read. 

The infernal devices is a beautiful trilogy about family, betrayal, self sacrifice, self-discovery  and the lengths we will go to for love.

                                                    Rating: I give these book 9.5/10

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight 

Author- Jennifer E. Smith
Page count- 236
Publisher- Poppy/Little Brown
Publication Date- January 2nd 2012

Synopsis

how well can you know someone after 24 hours?

17 year old Hadley Sullivan is preparing for the worst day of her Life, her father's wedding, and if that isn't already bad enough the wedding is in an unfamiliar country, she's flying out alone,she's never even met her soon to be step-mother oh and she's missed her flight.

She's stuck at JKF airport late for her father's wedding waiting for her flight when she meets Oliver, British born, American student, Oliver who is sitting on her row.

The long night that Oliver and Hadley spend on the plane together sparks an unforgettable connection between the two but nonetheless passes within a blink of an eye. Upon arrival Oliver and Hadley loose track of each other but can fate intervene to bring them back together once more?

My opinion

If you were a fan of Anna and the French Kiss you'll love this book!

Although this book only takes place over a 24 hours period.... a 24 hour period for both the characters and the reader it feels like a life time, I developed such an attachment to this book- and I think I read it in like 2-3 hours but then again it is only 236 pages long- whether I loved this book so much due to the way it was written or how the characters were presented I don't know but the statistical probability of this book making you laugh and cry or just feel an epic bout of sympathy is high.

What I loved about this book was that firstly the author managed to give you a deep understanding of the characters and make you fall in love with them in only 236 pages I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW JENNIFER E. SMITH HAS MADE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK IN ONLY 236 PAGES as you can tell that baffles me quite a bit. and secondly the chemistry and flirty banter between Oliver and Hadley was a nice thing to read, it was gradually built up and maintained throughout the story.

“It's one thing to run away when someone's chasing you. It's entirely another to be running all alone.” 

Now this is not necessarily one of my favourite books but it was just so easy to read and despite what you might gleam from the title it's not as cheesy as you might think, and to me it was quite a thought provoking book that expresses the beauty of the teenage mind. I mean we've all played out the meeting your soul mate scenario in an airport in our heads haven't we?

*coughs* no? just me?

                                  
                                                            rating: 7/10