City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare

I haven’t done a review in a while, (SORRY!) but it’s because I’ve been trying to think of how to review THIS book.

Well, then. *Cracks knuckles*. Let’s get started.

                I’m going to start by saying that I began the torturous descent into The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare when my friend bought me the paperback version of City of Bones. Finished it in about 5 hours, and FREAKED OUT. I mean, c’mon, the topic of incest doesn’t pop up in very many books nowadays, does it? ;D A couple of months later, the hardcover version of City of Ashes was newly released in Chapters/Indigo. Read that in about 3 hours. Screamed at the cliffhanger ending. Then, had to wait another YEAR before City of Glass came out. And I read that in 5 hours, I broke down with pure JOY. No lie. I thought, “What a perfect ending! ^-^”

I really should’ve known better. *shakes head*

                August 2010: the announcement happened. Apparently, the world of Shadowhunters wasn’t finished quite with Clary, Jace and Simon. There was going to be not just one, but THREE more books coming out. I almost had a heart attack at this news. What more could this author write about? And then I had to wait in suspense for the fateful day of April 5^th, 2011 for City of Fallen Angels. Here’s how that day went:

Itinerary of Tuesday, April 5^th, 2011:

     -     Woke up at 6 AM, texted my friend, freaking out about the book

     -     Checked Twitter, enviously cursed those darned Australians for their time zone

     -     Went to school *tear*

     -     Came home from school at 3-ish, completely ecstatic

     -     Waited for my dad to come home (in agony, at this point)

     -     Went to the bookstore at 7 PM

     -     BOUGHT THE BOOK

     -     Began reading at 9 PM

     -     Finished the book by 12 PM

     -     Screamed soundlessly so my parents wouldn’t wake up

     -     Cried pitifully for the rest of the night

                And it took me an entire MONTH to think of an adequate way to describe City of Fallen Angels in words. But I couldn’t. I still can’t. SO, considering I wrote so much already, I’ve decided to review this book in pictures. 'Cuz, you know, a picture says a thousand words. Heh, hopefully it’s not too spoiler-y. =)

                The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

                But nothing comes without a price.

                Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary's best friend, Simon, can't help her. His mother just found out that he's a vampire and now he's homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse that's wrecking his life. And they're willing to do anything to get what they want. Not to mention that he's dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other one.

                When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

                Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels. More info here.

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Picture 1: Yep. Still TONNES of vampires in this. =) SIMON! <3.

Picture 2: Heh. Heh. =D

Picture 3: Notice the band name?

Picture 4: Salt is awesome on popcorn ;D

Picture 5: Word.

Picture 6: The theme of the book. Seriously!

Picture 7: HA! Endangered indeed ;D

Picture 8: Three things. Jace + Mangoes + Tomato Soup = LOOL

Picture 9: Praetor Lupus; the Good Samaratins. =D

Picture 10: A kid version of Jace vs. Kyle. Hee. =)

Picture 11: Dirty Sexy Alley Scene!! ;D

Picture 12: I'm sure an explaination is needed, but I'm not giving one. =)

Picture 13: The Dagger of Doom.

Picture 14: Teehee. A reference to this UBER AMAZING book is made =DD

Picture 15: Blood bags usually only mean one thing...

Picture 16: Wonder who's getting married in such an intense book?

Picture 17: Ring-a-ling-ling.

Picture 18: There's a reason why I chose a BLACK baby carriage.

VS.

Picture 19: There's a lot of this stuff going on at the end of the book.... EPIC is all I have to say!

Picture 20: A blood promise. o_O

 Picture 21: Cliffhanger. 'Nuff said.

                Okay, so I realize that maybe those pictures don’t convey the book very well. I mean, I only picked the ones that target the main components of a thoroughly AMAZING book. There are still so many missing parts, like all the fighting scenes, the dead Shadowhunters, Clary’s new runes… etc. =) But still, I like the pictures better. They keep the suspense ;D

                All in all, City of Fallen Angels is a TOTAL THRILLER from beginning to end. This book is proof that Cassandra Clare loves to torture both her readers and characters, but for some reason, we all love her for it! If you ever think about diving into this world of demon-hunters and complex love relationships, you’d better prepare yourself for all the heartache!!! I canNOT wait until the next book, City of Lost Souls comes out next year… But I suppose what’s another year compared to the 3 I waited for City of Fallen Angels? Besides, the sequel to Clockwork Angel DOES come out in December this year… =D

 OUT OF 5 STARS!!! ;D


 - sm:)e .

EASTER (belated)

Sorry, guys. Been busy, so this follow-up post to my Good Friday one will be short and sweet:

                Easter is 3 days after Good Friday. It is also a day of celebration, because Jesus died for everyone’s wrongdoings, but 3 days later, He rose again!

                You probably have question marks on your faces, but basically, Jesus was resurrected and pretty much came back from the dead. He was able to do this because he is the Son of God and he was able to conquer everything – even death!!

                By dying on the cross and coming back from death, Jesus paved the road to Heaven for anyone who believes in Him. =)

Happy Easter!



 - sm:)e .

IT'S FRIDAY.

            This isn't going to be a post about a book, but it IS a pretty interesting story. =)

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak. He told them this story:

He was walking through town yesterday when he saw a young boy coming toward him swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. He stopped the lad and asked, “What you got there, son?”

“Just some old birds,” came the reply.  

“What are you gonna do with them?” he asked.  

“Take 'em home and have fun with 'em,” the boy answered. “I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time.”

“But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?”

“Oh, I got some cats,” said the little boy. “They like birds. I'll take 'em to them.”

The pastor was silent for a moment. “How much do you want for those birds, son?”

“Huh??!!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!”

“How much?” the pastor asked again.  

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, “$10?”

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.  

The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.  

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story:

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden and he was gloating and boasting.

“Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap; used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!”

“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked.  

Satan replied, “Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!”

“And what will you do when you get done with them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, I'll kill 'em,” the serpent hissed proudly.

“How much do you want for them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!” 

“How much?” He asked again.  

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, “All your blood, tears and your life.”

Jesus looked to His Father in Heaven, turned back to the devil and said, “DONE!”

Then He paid the price.

The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.  

             Forgive me for preaching, but this is a very important day for me. Good Friday is a day in which Christians all over the world stop and remember Jesus Christ dying on the cross for everyone’s sins. The Bible says:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

            God sent Jesus to earth. While on earth, Jesus performed lots of miracles; healing the sick, bringing the dead back to life, etc. He IS the Son of God, and he is perfect. BUT the religious leaders of the time thought Jesus was lying and were so suspicious of him that they crucified him on the cross. And these are the RELIGIOUS. LEADERS. Ironic, eh?

            Three nails – about four inches long with a diameter the size of a nickel – were used to hang him on a wooden cross; one in each hand and one through BOTH of His feet.

            Here’s a fact: you don’t die on the cross from blood loss, although that IS a factor. You die from suffocation. It takes a lot of effort to push your chest up for every breath you take when all that’s supporting you are your hands and feet. And Jesus hung there for 6 hours.

            When Jesus hung on the cross, the entire world’s sins were laid on him. Sins are, to put it simply, bad things committed by humans against God; lies, murder, stealing, cheating, adultery, greed, etc. EVERYONE has sinned. And the consequence of sin is eternal death.

            But Jesus, well, you could say that he took responsibility for all our sins. He did it for you, me, and the whole world. So instead of US dying and going to the fiery pits of hell because of all our wrongdoings, Jesus went there for us.

            And by doing that, God forgives us. When He sees that we believe in Jesus wholeheartedly and that he died for our sins, the gates of Heaven are wide open, and, through Jesus, we can spend eternity there.

           I am always awestruck by this story. To think that God loves all the people in the world - you, me, EVERYONE - that He sent Jesus to DIE, it's almost unbelieveable that we're so important. But we are! And the story doesn’t even end here. If you want, come back to this blog later to find out what happens next.

Oh, and I promise to post a book review soon. =)