Cute... But Creepy? ("Hollow City" Part 1)

Alright I've really buckled down and made real headway with "Hollow City" and am about half way through so sound the trumpets it's update time. *Standard idk if spoilers will be here or not but they might so just be careful I WARNED YOU*
I think getting into this book was a bit hard for me at first because I had to get reacquainted with the characters and the story. I had a little trouble trying to remember what happened in this books predecessor, "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," and felt a bit lost at first (I know I could just reread it but 1.) that would make too much sense and 2.) I don't like rereading I feel like I'm cheating on all the books on my shelf that are still untouched). But once I got back into the story oh man was I back.
I love how creepy these kids are. Like... bees? That live in your stomach? And an invisible boy? And another that can brings things back to life? Creepy very creepy but... cute? Because they're just kids who aren't old enough to want to do anything menacing with these peculiarities of theirs.
I think Riggs did a good job making the children sound like children but also like they're from a different time than the main character, Jacob. It's nice that Jacob doesn't just completely forget that he comes from a different world than these kids he's decided to leave his family for. The little scene where he decided to keep his now useless cellphone added another layer to Jacob I didn't think he had.
It's very strange how this book sort of reads as if it would be a children's book since the majority of the main characters are quite young but is pretty gruesome at times.  The wights are truly the monsters under the peculiar beds.
This series reminds me of something Neil Gaiman would write. So if you're into that...

Excuse my naked book. Like a young child, it doesn't like wearing clothes.

Kelsey's Classics (Non-YA Book Recommendation)

Okay so I'm totally slacking on trying to get through "Hollow City." Don't let my slow pace reflect on the story. It's very interesting and well written I've just been unmotivated. So since it's been about a month since I've posted something and I'm buying books for people for Christmas, I thought I'd start a series where I talk about books that I consider classics. Now, said book may or may not ACTUALLY be a classic but in Kelsey's world it is. Basically this'll be a series of posts where I talk about my favorite books.
FIRST UP: "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess. Originally I read this book because I wanted to watch the movie (I'm one of those wierdos that must read the book before they see the movie OR ELSE). I'm a huge fan of scary movies and I had it in my head that this movie was a scary movie (it's not). It is actually a dystopian novella that centers around a troublemaker, Alex, and his friends. They go around terrorizing the people in their city and love doing it (this is putting it mildly they do some pretty fucked up shit). Eventually they get caught and Alex gets sent to a correctional facility where he goes through various forms of "therapy" to avert him from doing bad things.
Now first things first this story is so so so so interesting but also a little (a lot) disturbing. The narrator is a sociopath who you watch do awful things and kind of hate but by the end you end up feeling sympathy for this seemingly unredeemable character (at least I did). It's a little unsettling. This novel is also a little hard to get through not only because of the story but the way it's written. The author came up with completely new slang words for his gang of hooligans to use. It was a little confusing when I tried to look up all these words he was using that I didn't know and none of them were in the dictionary. Luckily the internet provided translations for me.
BUT it's totally worth it and if you're looking for a disturbing read, this is your book. Good luck man

EREN?? (Manga/ Anime Reccomendation)

So I know I said that I was going to read "Hollow City" next but not everything happens like you think it will. I decided to read "Attack on Titan" (super nerdy manga) as I started "Hollow City" and I've completely neglected "Hollow City" and focused on "Attack on Titan." I watched the anime with my brother and two of my brothers read the manga before I did and idk I guess it bothered me that they knew more about the story than I did so I NEEDED to know everything. I figured since I've recommended a poetry book, I could recommend a manga.
Now, I totally understand if your first thought is along the lines of omg mangas are so weird and for weirdos and WEIRD because I used to think the same thing. I definitely thought (when I was in high school and stupid) that manga and animes were for the strange kids who liked Hello Kitty. I was so wrong I feel kind of dumb for ever holding that opinion. But I've seen the light and want to watch ALL THE ANIMES.
"Attack on Titan" is one of my favorites. I will warn you if you do decide to go on that journey, it is a very intense and gruesome story. It's probably the most gory anime I've ever watched so much so that parts are hard to watch and IT'S ALL ANIMATED???? Like I'm kind of impressed that something animated can churn my stomach.
This story is very layered and leaves a lot of questions unanswered. I don't want to give too much away but if you're smart (or stupid depending your view) you'll give this one a chance.
GOOD LUCK

I'll warn you, you will fall in love with these three it'll hurt but in the good way I swear

GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS CINDER ("The Lunar Chronicles: Cress" Part 2)

Omfg I literally just finished "Cress" and I'm a little emotional so we'll see how this goes but it's discussion time. Blah blah blah fucking blah standard warning of spoilers that may or may not be in this post because I haven't written it yet so idk. Jesus okay here WE GOOOOOOO
Alright omg I don't even know where to begin. This by far is my favorite book from "The Lunar Chronicles" so far. Like it ends with everyone together to go get Scarlet and dethrone Levana and I'm so excited to see how the rest of this story unfolds.
And ALL MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE FINALLY Kai knows about Cinder and all is right in the world. And they can finally be in love sigh I can't wait. I loved how right before he kissed her he asked if she was using her gift on him. Idk why I thought that was cute or something. I kind of felt like it was weird for him to say that she was right about how he probably wouldn't have talked to her after finding out she was cyborg. It doesn't seem in his character but idk.
Also omfg can we talk about Cress and Throne and how fucking adorable they are. I really can't handle it I giggled like a little girl when he kissed her around all the chaos. It was a stupid thing for him to do, granted, but incredibly sweet and romantic which are things my heart is not immune to.
Doubly also I'm, once again, falling in love with another female character. We got two scenes with Princess Winter and I already need more. I need to know more like now.
Triply also RIP Doctor Erland :( I'll miss you. It's awful that he got taken by the very disease he'd been trying to find a cure for that he was supposed to be immune to. And right after he'd told Cress he's her father :( too much sad.
Sigh okay I feel like I could go on forever but I'll stop now. \
In conclusion: IT HURTS SO GOOD

And next: "Hollow City" (the sequel to "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children") by  Ransom Riggs

RAPUNZEL, RAPUNZEL... er I mean Cress ("The Lunar Chronicles: Cress" Part 1)

Ugh I know I'm the slowest reader of all time but I'm FINALLY half way through "Cress" from "The Lunar Chronicles" and boy oh boy am I ready to start discussing. Also blah blah spoilers blah blah blah maybe blah idk.
I LOVE THIS BOOK OMG like this one might be my favorite from the series so far (I've found out it's not a trilogy like I originally thought more on that later). Cress is so adorable and has captured my heart. Behind Cinder, she's my favorite female character. I think I love her so much because she reminds me a lot of the way Rapunzel was portrayed in "Tangled." She's a bit naive and awkward and shy but so smart. Also all of her like internal fangirling and lusting towards Thorin is really adorable and I relate.
I'm glad that Cinder is finally in Africa with Dr. Erland. Maybe now they can get some real shit done. Wolf's fate is kind of in the balance and Scarlet is currently a hostage so I'm a bit worried. I hope their story isn't over so soon.
There was this moment with Kai and his wedding planner that I thought was really sweet. She like told him she's worried about him as a mother would be about her son I was like awwwww I'm glad someone is on his side. Also I want to choke him sometimes because CINDER IS SELENE YOU IDIOT. That's all I really want from this book. By the end, I want Kai to figure out that Cinder is the missing princess and it's okay to love her.
My friend told me recently that the next book in the series is going to center around Levana? and is going to be called "Mirror"????* Now, I love when people play with the ideas of good and evil and sort of blur the lines, making everything not so black and white. I love the way it's done with Regina AKA The Evil Queen in "Once Upon a Time" and what they did with Maleficent in the recent movie. HOWEVER I've grown to hate Levana so much that I don't want to be convinced she's not so bad after all. I don't want to grow any sympathy seeds for her.  She's awful and that's that YOU CAN'T MAKE ME LIKE HER, MARISSA!
In summation: Kelsey like. Kelsey like a lot.

also look how long my hair is oOoOoOoOo am I Rapunzel yet?

* in my copy of "Cress" it says the fourth book is going to be called "Winter" which I'm guessing refers to Princess Winter  idk what's going on 

WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF?? (Hint: Me) ("The Lunar Chronicles: Scarlet" Part 2)

IT'S DISCUSSION TIME LET'S ALL SIT IN A CIRCLE and here is the standard warning that I may or may not be a big ole spoiler machine. Okay here we goooooooo
The pace of "Scarlet" was much faster than "Cinder" since the first book had a lot of ground work to lay down but it was nice that this one had so much action because of that. Usually characters don't really throw me off but Wolf totally did. I believed him 100% until they got back to the wolf pack headquarters then I was all ????? I had no idea what to think about him anymore. I definitely didn't want to believe that he would just betray Scarlet like that and that he felt nothing for her. Their little intimate scene in the train was so cute but a bit steamy at the same time. I loved it. I also appreciate that the author killed a character that she didn't get the reader attached to like SOME authors ( I'm lookin at you J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin) like to do. Although it was still a very sad scene. And omg can we talk about how poor Kai agreed to marry Levana because I am LIVID ABOUT THIS. Like Kai is doing what he thinks he has to do whatever but now he's kind of fucked over the entire planet. She's planning to just take over through becoming Empress of the Eastern commonwealth first and who the fuck knows what she's going to do after that. I hope he doesn't have to go through with it PLEASE DON'T DO IT KAI
Sigh okay I can't wait to read the third book yaaaaaaaayyyyy good series so excite

And next in the Lunar Chronicles "Cress" (duh)

It's about time. ("The Lunar Chronicles: Scarlet" Part 1)

For whatever reason I am DRAGGING this book out and it can't be helped. But I am finally halfway through "Scarlet" so let's discuss. (P.S. standard warning about spoilers that may or may not be in this post so you won't hate me)
I love Scarlet's spunk, although I find it to be a bit naive. But it is nice to see a strong female character who (at least thinks she) can do anything she puts her mind to. And OMFG I was so curious to see how the story line with Scarlet and all that's going on with Cinder was going to connect and I just got through that part and things are about to get super interesting.  Also I really love Thorne he's so damn charming. I do miss Kai I'm hoping there will be more of him in this second half of the book. And GOD BLESS IKO IS BACK I MISSED YOU GIRL
In summation: I'm loving these woven tales. Very intrigue.

HEAR ME OUT (Music/ Show/ Small Rant Post)

So, yesterday I got to do something that was all I wanted from the universe at one point in my life: I saw One Direction in concert. If I'd gone to a show last summer I would've been shitting my pants and crying at the same time. I had a problem and I'm not afraid to admit it. However, now I've done some soul searching and have gotten past that part of my life. But, through some unforeseen circumstances, Liz and I got to attend their show yesterday at the Lincoln Center stadium in Philadelphia.
We had floor seats pretty close to the stage. Before the show started, they were playing videos on the big screens. If anything related to One Direction played, there were screams. I saw one little girl freak out during their perfume ad. I was prepared for it to be loud but damn.
The opening act was 5 Seconds of Summer (of course) which is a band of four Australian boys. I don't listen to them but I think I might start. They sound like a pop punk band that would play at Warped which (of course) I'm into.
One Direction's set was SO LONG like I think they just performed the whole album they're touring and then some. They're a very energetic bunch with great vocals. There were some unruly girls who didn't follow securities rules but on the whole I can't complain.There was this really weird moment where this woman was yelling at Harry to hug her daughters bear (idk).
Now, I understand that I'm a 23- year- old woman who shouldn't be listening to some boy band and people will judge me for enjoying their music. I hate the sighs and eyerolls I get when people find out I like their music. For one thing, I find it silly to judge a person based on the music that makes them happy. I know it's hard to do this, I find myself doing it. But just because I don't like the same music as someone else doesn't mean they or I have bad taste in music, just that it's different. Also, I don't understand why people think that One Direction's target audience is young girls or children. I saw some kids there, but mostly it was girls my age or close to it. The boys have some very... provocative songs and some stage moves I'm sure mothers wouldn't want the little ones to see. Essentially I'm saying they sing about sex and grab their dicks on stage. Their show isn't exactly geared towards children. They are designed to engage girls their age and I'm very aware that I'm totally buying into some corporate mess. Let me morally worry about that.
OKAY SORRY FOR THIS WEIRD TIRADE HERE'S A PICTURE FROM THE SHOW

I KNEW IT ("The Lunar Chronicles: Cinder" Part 2)

I finished "The Lunar Chronicles: Cinder" today and here's the standard WARNING I'M TERRIBLE AND SPOIL EVERYTHING okay you've been warned here we go.
It's  a good thing this story is a series because I am so in love with it like can I marry Kai? Or Cinder? No? Never mind.
The whole idea of there being a colony of people on the moon is so interesting. Like these people are so different from people from earth and it's so weird but so cool. I'm not sure I 100% understand their mind trick powers but it's super scary and makes me nervous. Also I'm totally not mad at the fact that the author made it painfully obvious (to me at least) that Cinder is actually Princess Selene. It put me on edge making me wait for the confirmation and made me want to read more. Sometimes I enjoy anticipation more than surprise in stories. It makes for a more satisfying read in my opinion.
I haven't read a YA series in a long time, probably since "The Hunger Games," that pulled me in like this one is. My heart is going to get stomped all over and I'm not sure I'm ready. But I'm excited.

And now we venture onto the second book "Scarlet" oh jeez

Kind of a book post. (Broadway Meets Classic Lit Post)

I'm almost done with "Cinder" so get ready for me to spew some stuff about that gem. But in the mean time, I had another cool experience yesterday that I'd like to share OKAY COOL LET'S GET STARTED.
Yesterday was my roommates birthday (happy birthday booskers). My gift to her was the warped tour thing and hers to me (mine is in a week woo) was what we did yesterday even though it was her birthday. She bought us tickets to go see the play version of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" in New York with James Franco, Chris O'Dowd, Leighton Meister, and some other people idk. \
We took the train into the city and on the way there I re-read the novel. I read it when I was like 16 but I wanted a refresher. This is where the "kind of a book post" part comes in. Now, I know Steinbeck isn't YA or current or whatever but good storytelling is good storytelling regardless of genre or time and place. "Of Mice and Men" centers around two friends, Lennie and George, traveling doing ranch work in California during the 1930's. They sort of look after each other but mostly it's George looking after Lennie due to Lennie being a bit... off. Lennie gets in trouble a lot and George has to bail him out.
Now, reading the book I didn't get this but in seeing it portrayed before my very eyeballs, parts were actually kind of funny. Franco and O'Dowd together were really great and had the best chemistry between them. But at the same time the story is so beautiful sigh it was just so good.
Also this is how close we were to the stage I WAS THIS CLOSE TO JAMES FRANCO DO YOU UNDERSTAND???!

Cinder da Cyborg ("The Lunar Chronicles: Cinder" Part 1)

Alright so I'm about halfway through "Cinder" which you guessed it means UPDATE TIME WOOO
I'm loving this story so so so much. Many old fairy tales get retold and redone but don't usually end up being so different from the original. That is so not the case with this book. The aspects that are similar to "Cinderella" are basic: the fact she has a step mother and two step sisters, super hot prince everyone wants, and a dead father. Instead of animals being her companions, she has an android and instead of both of her sisters hating her just one of them does. Cinder is still told to do chores but instead of things like dusting and sweeping, Cinder has to do mechanical repairs. She's talented and smart. Plus omg LETUMOSIS GETTIN EVERYONE
There was a point a little over 100 pages into the book (WARNING THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE A SPOILER IDK YET) when I realized that Cinder is the missing Lunar princess. Okay, so it's still a theory but it's bound to be confirmed for me here soon. I just found out she's a lunar (oops).
All in all, so far I'm super into this series (trilogy? how many of these are there idk) and I can't wait to see how this book ends. WILL KAI AND CINDER DO THE BOOM BOOM??!?! Probably.

WARNING: This is not a book post. (Music/ Show Post)

I'm still reading "Cinder" (and loving it) but it's not quite time for me to start discussing it yet SO in the mean time I thought I would talk about a pretty cool experience I had last week.
My roommate and I went to Warped Tour for the first time last Friday. I donated to one of the artists Indigogo campaign which got me the perk of VIP status, along with a friend. So after waiting (and burning) in the sun, when we finally got in we went right to his tent. Oh, the artist in question is Watsky. There were two other girls already there who had also donated to the campaign already talking to his merch girl. She told us she would get back to us on what our VIP status got us and said we could pick out a t- shirt. We introduced ourselves to the other girls, who we ended up spending most of the day with. They're sisters and super cool. We walked around  and listened to some other bands ( Air Dubai is pretty cool you should check them out) until around three. Watsky's manager texted us and told us to come back to the tent. My roommate basically dragged me behind her she was walking so fast. His manager took us onto the tour bus where we got to sit and chill for around thirty minutes. Watsky told us to come back around thirty minutes before they were to perform and we could watch the set from backstage or on stage. We chose onstage. It felt awkward and weird swaying and rocking out behind the band, like groupies, but also so right.
It was probably one of the coolest experiences I've experienced. He was very chill and sweet ( one of the other girls asked him to facetime with her sister it was adorable). He really did his best to make sure we got the most out of our donation.
In Summary: Warped Tour is cool and fun and it was worth the burning and the obnoxious crowds.

No More Shadow World :( ("The Mortal Instruments: City of Heavenly Fire" Part 2)

Alright so I finished "City of Heavenly Fire," the last book in "The Mortal Instruments" series today.
FAIR WARNING I MIGHT SPOIL SOME SHIT BELOW YOU'VE BEEN WARNED
I'm a bit sad that this sexy and bloody journey is over. I've thought about it and I think what really grabbed me was the characters. The way they're developed made me feel like I actually knew them and understood them which made me care pretty deeply about them. They were so strong and unique and SIGH I'M GOING TO MISS THEM.
I was surprised how thick this book was when I bought it but damn am I glad it was. Granted, there were some sections I don't believe were necessary but it was also packed with tons of action. I thought she might actually do something permanent to someone in the main circle that would've been pretty messed up and tear making but it ended up fixing itself in the end so yay happy endings.
My friend and I have talked about how it seems like the main circle defies all laws and is kind of invincible. Like how many times has Jace supposed to have died and survived is he a cat or human no one will know. Things that are supposed to be impossible are always possible when it comes to them. Which I don't really mind like its a magical world literally anything goes. Idk my friend thought it was annoying but I'd rather them all end up okay.
In conclusion: I really enjoyed this series and recommend it to anyone who liked "Twilight" or just YA series in general. Also I might be in love with Jace Herondale the jury is still out.

Doubly also THIS PICTURE BREAKS MY HEART okay that's all

Wait no it's not, the next book/ series I'm reading is "Cinder" by Marissa Meyer okay now I'm done BYE

Wtf Sebastian ("The Mortal Instruments: City of Heavenly Fire" Part 1)

 Like srsly WTF MAN.
I'm about half way through "City of Heavenly Fire" so you know what that means (in case you don't this is when I do a little update about how I'm feeling about the book I'm reading okay good talk).
So much has happened already it's great how much action she's packing into this last book. Plus lots of cute coupley stuff that makes me want to puke rainbows. All in all I'm sad but excited to see how this series ends.

STORY TIME WITH KELSEY:
I rewatched the movie tonight which was actually what got me interested in reading the books. I'm not sure if this will be an insult (I certainly don't see as such) but this series really reminds me of "Twilight." I'm sorry HEAR ME OUT like I really can't put my finger on why I love these books but I'm hooked. It feels the same as reading "Twilight" did when I was 16. There's lots of hot kissing scenes and especially with this last book with the heavenly fire and there being the whole I can't lose my cool around you thing with Jace. It seemed very Edward of him. END

Returning from London Below ("Neverwhere" Seems to be missing a part 1??)

Okay so I finally finished "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman. I felt like I was reading this book FOREVER. When a book takes me this long to read, it's because I just can't get into it. I think what prevented me from really digging into this book was that I didn't really start to care about the characters till towards the end of the book. I'm not sure why but I didn't find myself worrying about the welfare of these characters even though I very well should have. They went through some crazy shit. I also think I had trouble picturing some of the places since I'm not from London. Although, there are enough descriptions provided that I wasn't totally in the dark.
I did enjoy the ending. It provided closure while at the same time allowing the reader to wonder what happens after the story ends.
If you're a fan of Mr. Gaiman's you will love this book.  I wasn't super crazy about it but I didn't hate it either.

AND NEXT THE LAST BOOK IN THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS SERIES I'M NOT READY

Sorry I'm awful (Poetry Book Recommendation)

I've been so busy with work I hardly have time to read so it's taking me forever to finish "Neverwhere." I'm only like five chapters in but of what I've read, I like it.
ANYWAY since I'm taking years to finish books I figure I'll recommend one I've already read that could be a quick read for anyone.
"Egghead: Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone" is a poetry book by Bo Burnham that I absolutely adore. He's a comedian, songwriter, musician, and poet among (probably many) other things. The book is full of quick, witty, smart, and funny poems. He's just so fucking funny and clever it makes me love/hate him in the most confusing way. On top of that he plays with different styles which is like wtf man free verse is hard enough.
Now, I'm not really the poetry type. I like writing it sometimes but I find reading it to be troublesome and to be honest exhausting. This book is perfect for the reader who doesn't think they like poetry.

FINALLY ("The Book Thief" Part 2)

Okay I know it's been like a month since I started "The Book Thief" but through some unforeseen events (i got a job sigh) my finishing was put off. But I finished today!
WARNING WEE WOO WEE WOO SPOILERS WEE WOO
What stood out to me most about this book, and the writing style really, is how fucking poetic and lyrical the entire thing is. The use of figurative language is really beautiful and inspiring honestly. This is one of those books where I read it and I'm like fuck I'll never be this good IT HURTS HOW GOOD PERSON WROTE.
Liesel kissing Rudy finally after he was dead was fucking heartbreaking and just so tragic. It made me want to rip my heart out and beat it to a pulp. And then her fucking foster parents are dead too and ouch I didn't sign up for this. And the part where she sees Max marching to Dachau OMFG I was so worried Liesel was going to get hurt so I was all NO WHAT ARE YOU DOING STOP but at the same time it's Max and she might not see him again after that and I have a weird attachment to Max so pls GO LOVE HIM LIESEL.
This book is simultaneously heartbreaking and tragic and lovely and beautiful. God bless and good luck if you venture.

Also this was one of my favorite parts sigh MAX

Doubly also, the next book I'm going to read is "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman are you excited I'm excited

On criticism. (Small Rant Post)

Tonight I watched this documentary Jamie Kennedy made called "Heckler." The movie basically just looks at the way people in the entertainment industry are criticized. There were some clips showed from comedy shows where a comedian would just lose it because of either one or multiple people in the audience not behaving accordingly. Jamie also talked a lot about specific reviews he's gotten and how most of them come off as a personal attack as opposed to an intelligent look at the work.
Since this movie also had a portion that discussed the stuff that is said online and the effect blogs can have, I feel it's important for me to put out there that I am not here to critique or criticize any of the books I choose to talk about on this blog. As someone who studied English and had numerous classes that consisted of lots of class discussions of texts, I love hearing other peoples reads of things and hearing other peoples interpretations. It's so interesting to me that we can all read the same book and notice and pick out different things about it. I'm not here to rip apart any book, even if I don't like it.
It's weird to me that some people gravitate towards meanness and hatred. Sometimes, I think people confuse being truthful with being plain mean. There's also this weird thing where like people seem to think they need to be shocking so they can gain notoriety but that is usually at the expense of another person. It's like people think it's cool to be cynical and mean and will say anything without thinking about what those words will mean after they're said. I guess my point is, as Ellen always says, be kind to one another.

(omg sorry about this weird tirade we'll be back to your regularly scheduled programming shortly here's an unflattering picture of me to get us back on track)

An Update from Liesel's Basement ("The Book Thief" Part 1)

So I'm just a smidge over halfway through the book.
I've basically fallen in love with death like he seriously makes the book. I loved when he said he liked the idea of a grim reaper, that he liked the scythe like his commentary is everything. And when he said that like he doesn't like mysteries because they bore him I was just like woah same.
I'm also really into Liesel and Rudy's friendship like how he's always asking to kiss her and they get into so many shenanigans. I ship it which feels wrong since they're children and freaking death has already told me what happens to Rudy but not HOW WTF DEATH?!?!
Also Max ugh sigh he's just so cute like he fucking just painted Liesel a book about how she's like his friend and how grateful he is for her and is so big brotherly. And he always is like down on himself and feeling guilty and I'm just like pls just let me hug you.
In conclusion: I like. So far.
P.S. sorry for saying fucking. (Just kidding I'm not sorry I like cursing.)

I'M TRYING REALLY HARD TO NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS ("The Mortal Instruments: City of Lost Souls" Part 2)

But there might be some so don't be mad if I included stuff that may or may not be spoilery!
Alright I finished "City of Lost Souls" today. What I'm enjoying as this series goes on is that the story doesn't just focus on what's going on with the main couple or characters (Jace and Clary) but the reader gets to feel like he or she knows all of these characters intimately, which is a quality I loved in Stephen King's "It."
Also, Clare really has a knack for making the endings move quickly. She packs so much into the last few chapters of the book. I found myself lazily moving through the story until I was approaching the end and all of the sudden it was like AH HELP CAN'T STOP MUST FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!!!!!
I really admire the way Clare writes her battle scenes. Particularly I loved this scene she wrote with Clary, Jace, and Sebastian (aka Jonathan) and Clary feels the adrenaline high from battle for the first time. I thought this scene was detailed really well. Clary kind of sums it all up when she says, "I feel good."
However much I love this series and was happy with this book, I do have a few bones to pick. The young couples in the novel all generally have sexy, detailed, intimate scenes where they generally just make out. Every touch and the feeling it evokes is described in a really lovely way. I love to see the dynamics and differences in each relationship. Jace and Clary are always sweet and slow with one another, Simon and Isabelle have some hesitations (and then there's the biting), Jordan and Maia are aggressive and passionate. I've noticed that Mangus and Alec don't really get these kind of detailed scenes. Sure, there are parts where they kiss but none of the intimacy or details are put into their scenes. I'd like to see some of that for them in the next book.
Another thing I had issue with was when Clary went to go help Jace while he was basically being controlled by Sebastian. I found parts of her being there a bit confusing. I know that she went to find out what they were planning but it didn't really seem like she made any real moves to find out what was going on. There were moments when she seemed to preoccupied by making out with Jace or being confused by her brother. Maybe parts of this section of the book were confusing since she was confused most of the time while she was with them. So maybe it's confusing on purpose NEVER MIND.
Overall, I'm in love with this series and I can't wait for the next one.

P.S. I really love this symbol and kind of want it (tattooed) on my body ugh okay bye

Just to get started ("The Mortal Instruments: Ciry of Lost Souls" Part 1)

Alright, just so everyone knows where I'm at, I'm currently reading "The Mortal Instruments: City of Lost Souls." What I find kind of irritating, not only about this book but the series as a whole, is that Jace just can't seem to catch a break. I mean I guess that's just the nature of storytelling but it always seems like once things are alright something completely horrible or life- threatening happens.
I'll do a whole post about the book when I'm finished. I don't want to post my opinion until I'm done the whole thing. I've about 200 pages to go so I should be done sometime this week.