A Splash of Colors in the Wonderland of Books!

Today is Holi, the festival of colors! Here, in India, we celebrate this festival with lots of joy, verve and enthusiasm throughout the country. The festival has many purposes. First and foremost, it celebrates the beginning of the new season, spring. We color each other, almost losing our identities behind the shades of numerous colors, throw water balloons at others, even complete strangers at random, and above all have enormous fun!! ^_^ This festival is one of my favourites and goes without saying, I'm very very excited  about today!

In this regard I'm doing this feature post - the connection of colors and books! Lots of books have name of colors in the titles. I'd be talking about some of those most famous books and also the color coding system of Penguin Publishers books.

Title: The Color Purple

Author: Alice Walker

Publishers: Pocket (2004)

Genre(s): Classics, Historical Fiction

Format: Paperback (304 pages)

Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.12/5

Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to “Mister,” a brutal man who terrorizes her. Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has been keeping her sister’s letters from her and the rage she feels, combined with an example of love and independence provided by her close friend Shug, pushes her finally toward an awakening of her creative and loving self.

Title: White Oleander

Author: Janet Fitch

Publishers: Little, Brown and Company (2001)

Genre(s): Contemporary, Women's Fiction

Format: Paperback (496 pages)

Average Rating on Goodreads: 3.87/5

When Astrid's mother, a beautiful, headstrong poet, murders a former lover and is imprisoned for life, Astrid becomes one of the thousands of foster children in Los Angeles. As she navigates this new reality, Astrid finds strength in her unshakable certainty of her own worth and her unfettered sense of the absurd.

Title: Black Like Me

Author: John Howard Griffin

Publishers: NAL Trade (2003)

Genre(s): Memoir, Non-Fiction

Format: Paperback (200 pages)

Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.08/5

In the Deep South of the 1950s, journalist John Howard Griffin decided to cross the color line. Using medication that darkened his skin to deep brown, he exchanged his privileged life as a Southern white man for the disenfranchised world of an unemployed black man. His audacious, still chillingly relevant eyewitness history is a work about race and humanity-that in this new millennium still has something important to say to every American.

Title: Green Eggs and Ham

Author: Dr. Seuss

Publishers: Random House (1960)

Genre(s): YA, Humor

Format: Hardcover (62 pages)

Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.30/5

Illustrated in color. Sam-I-Am mounts a determined campaign to convince another Seuss character to eat a plate of green eggs and ham. Green Eggs and Ham is a best-selling and critically acclaimed children's book by Dr. Seuss (a pen-name of Theodor Seuss Geisel), first published on August 12, 1960. As of 2001, according to Publishers Weekly, it was the fourth best-selling English-language children's book of all time.[1] The story has appeared in several animated videos starting with 1973's Dr. Seuss on the Loose: The Sneetches, The Zax; Green Eggs and Ham starring Paul Winchell as the voice of both Sam-I-am and the first-person narrating man.

Title: A Clockwork Orange

Author: Anthony Burgess

Publishers: W. W. Norton and Company (1995)

Genre(s): Sci-fi, Dystopia, Mystery

Format: Paperback (213 pages)

Average Rating on Goodreads: 3.94/5

A vicious fifteen-year-old "droog" is the central character of this 1963 classic, whose stark terror was captured in Stanley Kubrick's magnificent film of the same title. In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex—to "redeem" him—the novel asks, "At what cost?" This edition includes the controversial last chapter not published in the first edition and Burgess's introduction "A Clockwork Orange Resucked".

Title: The Silver Chair (The Chronicles of Narnia #4)

Author: C. S. Lewis

Publishers: HarperCollins Publisher (2005)

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy

Format: Paperback (268 pages)

Average Rating on Goodreads: 3.91/5

The story starts when Eustace Scrubb, introduced in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, is driven into the company of classmate Jill Pole at their miserable school Experiment House. The impetus is their need to find sanctuary from the gang of school bullies who run rampant in this laissez-faire and mismanaged school run by an incompetent headmistress. Eustace confides to Jill that he has recently been "out of this world" to a land called Narnia, and that his experiences there have led to the changes in his behaviour that everyone seems to have noticed. Jill initially believes that Eustace is lying, but when he promises and asks her to attempt to go to Narnia with him, she agrees. When the bullies are about to converge on the two, Eustace suggests asking for Aslan's help, and the two blunder through a gate that leads them to a high cliff in Aslan's Country. 

Title: Blue Highways (The Travel Trilogy #1) 

Author: William Least Heat-Moon

Publishers: Back Bay Books

Genre(s): Memoir

Format: Paperback (428 pages)

Average Rating on Goodreads: 3.98/5

Hailed as a masterpiece of American travel writing, Blue Highways is an unforgettable journey along our nation's backroads. William Least Heat-Moon set out with little more than the need to put home behind him and a sense of curiosity about "those little towns that get on the map-if they get on at all-only because some cartographer has a blank space to fill: Remote, Oregon; Simplicity, Virginia; New Freedom, Pennsylvania; New Hope, Tennessee; Why, Arizona; Whynot, Mississippi." His adventures, his discoveries, and his recollections of the extraordinary people he encountered along the way amount to a revelation of the true American experience.

Title: The Yellow Wall-Paper

Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Publishers: The Feminist Press (1996)

Genre(s): Short Stories, Feminism

Format: Paperback (64 pages)

Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.11/5

First published in 1892, The Yellow Wall-Paper is written as the secret journal of a woman who, failing to relish the joys of marriage and motherhood, is sentenced to a country rest cure. Though she longs to write, her husband and doctor forbid it, prescribing instead complete passivity. In the involuntary confinement of her bedroom, the hero creates a reality of her own beyond the hypnotic pattern of the faded yellow wallpaper – a pattern that has come to symbolize her own imprisonment. Narrated with superb psychological and dramatic precision, The Yellow Wall-Paper stands out not only for the imaginative authenticity with which it depicts one woman’s descent into insanity, but also for the power of its testimony to the importance of freedom and self-empowerment for women.

 

Title: The Grey King (The Dark Rising #4)

Author: Susan Cooper

Publishers: Simon Pulse (2007)

Genre(s): YA Fantasy, Mythology

Format: Paperback (165 pages)

Average Rating on Goodreads: 4.18/5

"Fire on the Mountain Shall Find the Harp of Gold Played to Wake the Sleepers, Oldest of the Old..."" With the final battle between the Light and the Dark soon approaching, Will sets out on a quest to call for aid. Hidden within the Welsh hills is a magical harp that he must use to wake the Sleepers - six noble riders who have slept for centuries. But an illness has robbed Will of nearly all his knowledge of the Old Ones, and he is left only with a broken riddle to guide him in his task. As Will travels blindly through the hills, his journey will bring him face-to-face with the most powerful Lord of the Dark - the Grey King. The King holds the harp and Sleepers within his lands, and there has yet to be a force strong enough to tear them from his grasp...

Title: My Name is Red

Author: Orhan Pamuk

Publishers: Vintage (2002)

Genre(s): Contemporary, Literary Fiction

Format: Paperback (417 pages)

Average Rating on Goodreads: 3.79/5

At once a fiendishly devious mystery, a beguiling love story, and a brilliant symposium on the power of art, My Name Is Red is a transporting tale set amid the splendor and religious intrigue of sixteenth-century Istanbul, from one of the most prominent contemporary Turkish writers. The Sultan has commissioned a cadre of the most acclaimed artists in the land to create a great book celebrating the glories of his realm. Their task: to illuminate the work in the European style. But because figurative art can be deemed an affront to Islam, this commission is a dangerous proposition indeed. The ruling elite therefore mustn’t know the full scope or nature of the project, and panic erupts when one of the chosen miniaturists disappears. The only clue to the mystery–or crime? –lies in the half-finished illuminations themselves. Part fantasy and part philosophical puzzle, My Name is Red is a kaleidoscopic journey to the intersection of art, religion, love, sex and power.

The Penguin Books Color Codes

Arranging books according to color has become quite popular and looks great. However, it is a method that can result in placing paleontology next to poetry and novels next to non-fiction, a troubling thought indeed! That's why I adore the color-coding system that Penguin has been using 1935, wherein each genre is assigned a color and the spine (and sometimes the cover) of works within that genre are printed in the designated color.

The Penguin code is as follows:
Red = Drama
Orange = Fiction
Yellow = Miscellaneous
Green = Crime Fiction
Dark Blue = Autobiographies
Purple = Essays
Cerise = Travel and Adventure
Grey = World Affairs

For more info check out: Phil Baines' book, Penguin by Design: A Cover Story 1935-2005

Finally, once again Happy Holi to all of you!!! (even if you're not playing with colors). 

Have Fun & Keep Reading!

Blog Tour: Ondine by Emma Raveling [Blitz + Excerpt]

Title: Ondine

Author: Emma Raveling
Series: Ondine Quartet 0.5

Date of Publication: December 19th, 2013

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

“I shouldn’t get involved.” 
 Rebellious and headstrong, sixteen-year-old Kendra Irisavie doesn’t have much respect for authority. An ondine with the powerful gift of Virtue, she uses her tough attitude and Empath magic to navigate through high school and keep others away. Because being an ondine also means keeping secrets. Kendra and her mother are Rogue water elementals in the middle of an ancient war. They hide among humans, their survival constantly threatened by monstrous Aquidae demons. Along with a rigorous training regimen to mold Kendra into a lethal fighter, her mother has instituted four rules to keep her safe. Trust no one. Relationships are weaknesses. Emotional attachments are dangerous. Be responsible only for yourself. But when Kendra witnesses a classmate in trouble, she intervenes and her decision to break the rules comes at a price. Sometimes, humans could be more dangerous than demons. Ondine is a short prequel novella for the young adult urban / paranormal fantasy series, the Ondine Quartet.

Amazon 

** The Book will be available after release date. **

Afternoon sunlight drenched the wood, heat seeping through my jeans and warming the back of my legs.

Rui’s icy voice sliced through the delicate spring air. “I need you to get the money from him.”

Potheads occupied the narrow recess beside the stairs while the cheerleaders and athletes took the table farthest from the building door.

They weren’t getting involved.

Neither was the Student Council group gathered along the west side.

I’d managed to follow her rules for the four months we’d been in L.A. The championship tournament was in two hours and she’d be seriously pissed if my performance wasn’t better than the last one.

I needed to concentrate on my own shit, not get involved in anyone else’s.

Troy’s fear ratcheted up another notch and the hot spike of emotion raked against my insides.

“I—I don’t know him that w-well…”

“That’s a problem.” Rui adopted an expression of mock concern and pulled out a cigarette. “‘Cause your dad owes mine a lot of money.”

Empath magic reached inside him, sensing clumps of frustration and rage, hardened over the years.

“It’s just me and my mom,” Troy said in a desperate voice. “I don’t see him that often —“

Mistake one.

“Often?” Rui’s voice rumbled with the dark glee of a predator who’d spotted its prey. “So you do see him.”

“N..no.” Troy’s eyes darted around the courtyard.

Don’t, don’t…

Wide eyes locked on to me. Great.

“What do you mean, no?”

“I m-m-mean…” He stumbled over the words. “S-sometimes I do, but…”

Mistake two.

“Then you can get the money from him, right?” Rui lit his cigarette. Troy flinched at the click of the lighter. “I don’t think your old man would like it if my father got his hands on you.”

Troy swallowed, his gaze flickering toward me again.

Sasha followed his line of sight. “You thinkin’ a chick’s gonna help you?”

Rui slowly turned. Black hair, dark eyes set against olive skin. Cold, grim awareness etched into his face, creating an impression of severe superiority.

The things he’d seen and experienced exceeded your worst nightmares and he wanted you to know it.

Rui flicked his cigarette, ash landing a foot away from me.

“She’s not bad, Troy. Don’t think she’s your type, though.”

I suppressed a sigh and stood. Might as well get this over with.

“You don’t know my type, Vergara.”

A flicker of surprise in those dead eyes. “You know my name. I’m flattered.”

“Don’t be.” I strode over and leaned against the metal railing of the stairs. “You just have a rep of being an asshole.”

Kane stepped forward, body tense. Rui’s arm shot out and stopped him.

“You’re that junior.” A ring of smoke gently swirled around his face. “Transferred here a few months ago. Kendra, right?”

Empath detected a quick shift. Irritation and anger smoothly transformed to calculating curiosity. The unusual degree of control set off my internal alarms.

I shouldn’t underestimate him.

I’m a fantasy writer who lives a slightly eccentric life with my accommodating husband and our charming, neurotic dog. I'm currently working on the Ondine Quartet, a young adult urban fantasy/paranormal series featuring a kick-ass heroine, powerful magic, and the complex world of water elementals.

I have a weird love of spreadsheets and organizational tools because they give me the illusion that I am somehow in control of the chaos that is my life. I adore beautiful art such as painting and sculpture, classical music, lyrical writing, and great graphic design. My all-time favorite books (as of this writing) are Immortality by Milan Kundera, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Author Interview: Michael Thies

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview the wonderful debutante author Michael E. Thies. Mike's debut novel, The Trials of the Core, the first book in the series Guardian of the Core, is expected to be published in December this year! We had a discussion over his book, his writing and other stuffs. 

Hi Mike! Its such a pleasure to have you here! Welcome to my blog. To start the interview, first tell us something about yourself.

I am 23 years old and I am from Wisconsin. I actually just had a big change of heart concerning my profession in the past couple of months to be an English teacher. So, although I already have a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in Advertising and Creative Writing, I am going back to school in the Spring to get my licensure for teaching. I am super excited for that and hope it helps me market my book even.

Wow! Wish you luck with that. Now lets talk about your book and writing. So, when did you first know that you wanted to be an author? Did you always want to be one?

No. Actually I didn’t. I wanted to be Don Draper from MadMen. Someone who designed slogans for companies. That is a really hard market to break into, though. And, I suppose this is too but when I was studying advertising I found out that in the first 24 hours J.K. Rowling sold 5.6 million copies of her fifth Harry Potter book. Her fifth one! Not even the seventh. If she managed to get a dollar per book in royalties, not even two, that is some serious dough. Although those are pretty high goals to try to achieve, having the ability to wake up, engage yourself in something you love and work from home is fascinating. That, I think, is one of the biggest perks of being a successful author. Although, until that point, you are merely a starving artist working three jobs and trying to find time to write on top of it.

 How did you come up with the idea behind "The Trials of the Core"?

My friend and I actually had tried making a card game back in middle school. I also did a short story in middle school about this great battle at a coliseum where gods clashed and died. Then, I found that short story while cleaning out my room one day and I took some of my friend’s photos and started to create characters and plotlines to go with them. And, now, it’s here!

Is any of the characters/incidents in your book influenced by real life people or circumstances?

I really like the idea of you find out the man you are when faced with death. Like, if it came down to it, would you risk your life for someone. Would you sacrifice yourself? That whole complexity is crazy and honestly I am not sure I could do it, I don’t have anyone in my life that means that much to me, or have any sins to atone for. But, a big thing that happens in the end of the novel is definitely influenced by that and my favorite alliteration that I use throughout the novel, “The toughest trials test you truest.”

What was the biggest challenge while writing the book?

I always think the hardest challenge is the first draft where you have to get all of your ideas on the table. Then, especially with fantasy genre, it’s creating a magic system that can’t be abused. VERY HARD TO DO. In my original draft I had teleportation be an ability and also being able to heal with magic. With the former you race to many “Well why couldn’t he just teleport away from danger then?” How do you put a limit on the distance to be able to teleport? You can’t. Not really or I haven’t been able to come up with a way yet so I just canceled that. Also, I found it way to convenient in books like Eragon and Eldest where you can heal with magic and you always have “just enough” magic to heal you.

Did you ever suffer writer's block? If yes, what did you do to get over it?

Oh, I definitely did. I don’t know which writer hasn’t. Actually, I don’t do anything during writer’s block. I just put my story away and when writing comes to me, it does and I write. I know it’s kind of a cop-out answer but that is really what I do.

What were your feelings when you first saw the finished copy of your book?

Don’t know yet. I haven’t seen the very first printed copy yet. I am getting so nervous and excited for it though. I can’t wait!

Are you completely satisfied with your writing or would you like to change something in your story, given a chance?

In the third trial there is a weapons’ tournament and I think I would have changed the order of how the contestants face one another. Due to some circumstances before that trial two contestants should have been forced to face each other right away instead of waiting for the final bout to do it. I actually was thinking about doing it this way but that would involve an extensive rewrite and there would be one battle that would be very diluted in terms of conflict since neither character has a problem with one another. So, really, it’s a horse a piece.

This is the first book of the series “Guardian of the core”. How many books will be there in this series? Are you working on the sequels already?

“The Trials of the Core” is the first book in the series. There will be five books in the actual series “Guardian of the Core”. I have a sixth book planned to close up some of the action that happens with some secondary and primary characters as a spin-off book but the main story line will be concluding at book number 5. I do have the second book in the works right now. I have around 2/3 of it written for the first draft. I want to release it sometime in 2015!

Why did you choose this particular genre to write about? Who are your target readers?

It has the most movie potential. Also, I’m a guy so this is more up my alley, than let’s say, romance novels would be. My target readers are New Adult readers because although most of it is Young Adult, the characters are not Young Adults and there is actually a few scenes that are probably not appropriate for them.

Okay! I'd now love to hear a few things about you. To start with, is writing your full time profession?

I wish it was. But, alas, it isn’t. I will be a student in the Spring and right now I work at a marketing firm doing some things for them and trying to build them more clientele.

When you're not writing what do you do to relax?

I think writers often get a stigma about them that they are bottled up people who don’t really meet many people. They are introverts. That is something that is just not me. I love meeting people. So I like to socialize and go out on the weekends, and then I like to bowl and play tennis and of course read. I love to read.

What’s the schedule of a typical day for you?

Currently? This is my schedule. I wake up at 6 eat breakfast. Workout from 7 – 9. 9 – 2 I work at my marketing job. 2 – 6 I engage in social media marketing for my own book (or other people who use me to help them market their book online). Then I have the rest of the night to read other novels or write my second story.

If your book is adopted for a movie, which actors would you like to play the characters of your story?

No idea yet actually. But, I would want the directors who did the Harry Potter movies to do mine. They did a fantastic job in translating the books into movies and the big thing I worry about is having my book be murdered in the cinema as was the case with the book-to-movie-translation that was Eragon.

You said you love reading. So what are your favourite books?

Game of Throne series. Name of the Wind. Eragon and Eldest (not the last 2 in the series). Harry Potter series.

What are you reading currently?

Prince of Thrones by Mark Lawrence (which is decent at best). And Ender’s Game because of the movie coming out soon. I know, I know, “You haven’t read Ender’s Game yet? It’s a staple of the science-fiction genre.” I have been meaning to read it and now I am buckling down at reading it.

What is your advice for aspiring writers?

The most important word that authors can learn is: perseverance. No one writes a perfect copy on their first draft. Writing is not a get rich quick scheme. It is a hard profession, much harder than everyone gives it credit for. Even after you write the book you need to market it and then continue writing the next one. There is no stopping. But, what you need to remember, is to persevere through it all and don’t let the writing process really change you much as a person (like becoming too introverted).

Just for curiosity, if you’re ever deserted in an island alone, which 5 books would you pick to carry along with you? And why?

Interesting question. I love it. Let’s see here. 
 o Lord of the Flies, because I want to know how they survived on a deserted island of course! It’s a classic for this scenario. 
 o The Bible, because I want to keep close to god and I feel as though if I do that then maybe I’ll be saved from the island sooner. 
 o A dictionary, so I can understand all of the crazy language that is the Bible. Maybe I’d actually be able to finish reading it if I was deserted on a island. 
 o How to books, I would love to have a book that would tell me how to build a fire, or how to build a shelter. 
o Clash of Kings (3rd book in the Game of Thrones series), this book is honestly THE best book I have ever read. It was amazing. I loved it. Aaahhh. I would read this for fun on the island.

Is there any question you’d like to be asked?

I think you asked them all. Very good questions I enjoyed all of them.

Thank you so much, Mike. I loved the chat with you. And lots of good wishes for your book. :)

Title: The Trials of the Core

Author: Michael E. Thies 

Series: Guardian of the Core #1

Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy

Synopsis

As Edwyrd Eska approaches his two-hundredth year as Guardian of the Core, he must find an Apprentice to train under him. His title and role compels him to safeguard and govern his universe, Gladonus, as each Guardian before him has done and those after him shall continue to do until relieved of such duties by will of the Ancients. Prince Hydro Paen, Eirek Mourse, and Zain Berrese—amongst other contestants—receive invitations to compete in a quest of Trials intended to determine who becomes Eska’s Apprentice. An old adage goes: “the toughest trials test you truest” – and these events challenge their fortitude through tenuous partnerships, intellectual rivalries, and battles of weapons’ mastery. Along the way, each contestant must attempt to overcome personal demons that haunt them. In this tale of ideal dreams and lucid aspirations, these competitors find theirs threatened by deceit, betrayal, sabotage—and even flesh—as all become vital to success…

You can find about Michael Thies from his Goodreads profile and also by visiting his beautiful Website.

Find him on twitter and follow to know all updates about his book.

Review: Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Book One) by Heather Brewer

Title: Eighth Grade Bites

Series: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #1

Author: Heather Brewer

Publishers: Dutton Children's Book

Date of Publication: August 16th, 2007

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

Format: Hardcover

Length: 172 pages

My Source: Ebook

Synopsis

Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he's being hunted by a vampire killer.

Review

This book follows a 13 year old boy, Vladimir Tod, a vampire, through his first year of high school. Vlad is a human-vampire hybrid with a human mother and a vampire father. Vlad deals with the usual dilemmas in high school like crushing on the pretty girl at school, putting up with bullies and having your aunty hide your blood fix in your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches…


Vlad has to deal with a creepy substitute who seems to know exactly what he is. Vlad begins to discover secrets of his parent’s who died 3 years earlier in a mysterious fire and the secret’s his father had been keeping from Vlad and his mother. Without giving away any spoilers, I love Henry, Vlad’s best friend who just happens to be the only human Vlad has ever bitten. Throughout the book, Vlad is figuring out his vampire powers and lives with his Aunt Nellie who hides his blood fix in Twinkies (whatever they are) and sandwiches. While I think he could have just taken a normal drink bottle to school full of blood, I still love the creativity of the whole “hiding the blood capsule” thing.

Vlad discovers his father's journal in the attic and is learning about the reality of being a vampire and the powers that he may possess. Vlad also becomes convinced that there is a vampire killer in town, and that he is next on the killer's list. Things go from bad to worse when Aunt Nelly invites Otis to dinner and he confronts Vlad with what he knows. 

Overall, this book is a first in a series so it has a few plot holes and leaves you with a lot of questions as to how Grade 9 is going to be for Vlad. Vlad is refreshing and one of the best characters I’ve come across. So while the plot of this first book is a little washy, Vlad is freaking awesome and I’ll definitely be reading the next four to find out where this series is going.

About The Author

Heather Brewer was not your typical teen growing up. She wore black, danced under full moons and devoured every book in sight.
She hasn’t changed much.

Today, Heather can be found writing in her funky, black Happy Bunny jammie pants, dancing under the full moon, devouring every book in sight, and attending Renaissance Festivals in costume (and in character). 

When Heather's not writing, dressing up, dancing and reading, she's answering email, which she LOVES to get. You can email Heather by using the contact form on the right. But before you do, make sure you check the FAQ to see if your question has been answered there. Unfortunately, Heather cannot respond to all emails, as doing so would take up valuable writing time (and we wouldn't want that, would we?), but you can always reach her by commenting on her blog or her Facebook, or by following her on Twitter.

My Friendship Bond

My Reaction

Review: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments: Book One) by Cassandra Clare

How I Came To Know About This Book: I don't remember actually. And it doesn't matter! Who on earth doesn't know about this series?

Format of The Book: Ebook (epub version)

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal.

Length of The Book: 485 pages (hardcover).

A Short 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. (Goodreads Description)
Characters of The Book:

• Clary
• Jace
• Simon
• Isabelle
• Alexander
• Luke
• Valentine
• Magnus Bane
• Hodge
• Jocelyn Fray

My Review: Clary Fray is a regular fifteen year old, living with her mum, Jocelyn, an artist, in Brooklyn. Her father, she has been told, died before she was born. One night at an underage club with her best friend Simon, she witnesses something no one else can see: three teenagers kill what looks like a boy, but is really a demon. She shouldn't have been able to see anything - she's a "mundane", and doesn't have the Sight. Or does she? Has her mother been lying to her about who she really is? When her mother disappears and Clary is attacked by a demonic creature, the three kids - Jace, Isablle and Alec - are the only ones who can help her find her mum and explain this new, frightening underworld to her.

Comparisons to Harry Potter are unavoidable, mostly because of the author's background in writing HP fanfiction. I don't care about any of that, or any controversy surrounding said fanfic. I read and review books based on their own merit, as often as possible. You do get "mundanes" instead of "muggles", and the evil Valentine instead of Lord Voldemort, but there aren't many more similarities than that, and those are pretty superficial.

The "mortal instruments" are three artefacts with magical properties, including a cup that turns humans (mundanes) into Nephilim: Shadowhunters, those with the Sight who fight and kill demons who come from other dimensions. The cup has been missing for fifteen years, and Valentine wants to get his hands on it because with it he can create an army and kill not just demons but "downworlders" - the fairies and elves and ifrits etc.

It's not a powerful story, though there are some telling comments and descriptions about the Shadowhunters, especially Valentine and his "Circle", touch on racism and superiority issues - that cleansing thing that was also a theme in Harry Potter - but it is a good story, fast-paced, full of adventure and a couple of twists - one of which was predictable, though the reasons for it weren't so obvious. 

The characters could have done with more depth and development - Clare has fleshed them out well enough, but then they became static. Hopefully in the following books they'll grow some and move away from stock character traits. Clary's a solid protagonist, with a firm head on her shoulders, but Jace was a bit two-dimensional and Isabelle and Alec weren't really explored at all. 

The pacing is cracking and rarely lets up - we're flung from one predicament into another, facing off vampires, gay warlocks and traitors. It's a lot of fun, but the character development suffers for it. It's not bad, it just could have been better. I loved Magnus Bane, he was a real character, but that just proves my point.

As for plot, there was one glaring plothole that I noticed - I can't give the details without spoiling it, but if you're reading it or have read it, check page 375 - did she ever give Jace his stele back? Yes she did, on page 358. But look, here it is in her pocket just when she needs it! It was a bit glaring, and I'm surprised her pre-publishing readers, and her editor, didn't spot it - it could've been easily fixed.

Despite what looks like a lot of criticism, this is an enjoyable fantasy story with engaging characters. I recommend YA lovers to read it.

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