Generation Dead - Daniel Waters

Author: Daniel Waters

Length: 392 pages

Release Date: May 6 2008

Publisher: Hyperion

Blurb

All over the country, teenagers who die aren’t staying dead…

Against her better judgement, Phoebe finds herself drawn to Tommy Williams. He’s gorgeous, funny, on the football team. And dead.

But not everyone is as accepting as Phoebe. There are those would like to rid the community of this sinister phenomenon, and they’ll stop at nothing to achieve it.

Review

This book was a Waterstones find but I have to confess that the first one I bought and started to read was the final book in the trilogy. I should have taken the hint when I had no idea what was going on, but Passing Strange led me to Generation Dead. I’m certainly glad I bought the third book that day because the first instalment in the series was fantastic. If you like realistic fiction with a twist, this book is definitely for you. There are no warring vampires or devious fallen angels to this book, just ordinary zombie kids trying to make their way in a prejudiced world.

Waters sets the tone immediately; from the very first sentence there is obvious prejudice toward the zombie community as the unexplained phenomenon continues to grip America. Waters paces well, allowing the information that the living dead wander the face of the Earth to sink in a little with some normalcy before hitting the reader with more conflict facing the zombies. Generation Dead is very much politically driven, without being preachy, and the hardships facing the dead teenagers and those who support them ring true of widespread racial prejudice that occurred not too many years ago. A set of fantastic characters are introduced, our protagonists easily likeable and brimming with potential as the story moves forward.

The book is very much centred on the simple day to day struggles of the living dead, and the persecution they face by the living population. The likes of Phoebe and Adam are beginning to adjust to a world of both living and dead, causing well written and believable conflict between characters.  Events progress at a steady pace, as Phoebe becomes attracted to differently biotic Tommy, setting of a chain of events that leads to a shocking denouement that leads easily and excitably into a sequel. Story threads such as Margi’s inability to cope with her friend’s death and subsequent afterlife, as well as Adam’s hidden feelings for Phoebe run parallel, dragging a reader in with a plot bursting with topical ideas and thought provoking twists.

From the start, I felt that the relationship between Phoebe and Tommy did not mesh well; it felt like the spark just wasn’t there. Throughout Generation Dead, I knew Phoebe’s heart lay with strong and silent Adam, making the finale of the book bittersweet. The psychosis of Pete Martinsburg was sensitively written too; turning from a teenager and his ill-informed prejudices to a full blown vendetta provided action and tension that bled into the main story arc in a subtle and exciting way, playing on the actions and hate crimes we see so often in our world today; this truly is edge of your seat reading.

Overall, Generation Dead was a riveting subject driven piece with supernatural spice that worked just right. The romantic tension between Phoebe, Tommy and Adam was played out beautifully, whilst Pete’s hatred for zombies and his subsequent action edged in action for those readers begging for a little bloodlust. Waters hits a home run with this beauty of a book, sucking in an audience that will be hooked on his effortlessly lyrical narrative and high suspense plot. Kiss of Life if just around the corner, and I cannot wait to continue this story; an excellent read with the edge of a sword.

Dusty :]

Meme - That Popular Author Run & An Apology

Hey everyone; it's Dusty from the Dust Jacket here for a number of reasons right now, well two reasons. The first is a massive apology to my readers for the lack of post this week; I've been socialising a lot this week (I saw Breaking Dawn part 1 on Wednesday) and I've had a truckload of work and assignments to do for college. It's left me with little time to read and I'm pretty run down, but I promise my review of Generation Dead will be up in two days maximum, so I'd just like to say sorry for that.

The next thing I wanted to say is that the month of December is going to be devoted to popular authors and their books here on the Dust Jacket; having looked at a huge number of bookshelf tours (Danny and Leanne, you constantly provide me with new ideas) and book hauls, I'm compiling a list of books that typically appear on people's shelves and am going to see how many I can read my New Years. This list will be up on the blog by December 1st so keep your eyes peeled for that, and if you want to leave your own suggestions in the comments section that would be great.

Okay you guys, that's me done for the day. So again, massive apologies to those of you who read the Dust Jacket (all one of you XD) but my review of Generation Dead will be up soon. I hope you have fun celebrating the demise of November and look forward to your comments. All the best.

Dusty :]  

The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness

Author: Patrick Ness

Length: 516 pages

Release Date: May 4 2009

Publisher: Walker Books

Blurb

Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss.

Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor’s new order.

But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer?

And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode…

Review

But they were captured…and she was dying…and they were coming…and they were almost safe. So many questions went unanswered by the time The Knife of Never Letting Go was closed, and the reader was left hungry for more. The Ask and the Answer, the second instalment in the Chaos Walking trilogy, supplies us with the answers we so desperately need, before adding more questions just for good measure. Ness has produced a thrilling, white knuckle novel that never lets up on pace and tension, pulling that reader back into the unchartered and deadly planet of New World, where our story picks up right where it left off; on the brink of the end…

But I’m not spoiling this one for you; The Ask and the Answer has to be experienced by oneself. It cannot be told; just read or the magic of this fantastic book is lessened. I’m deadly serious; The Ask and the Answer is everything that The Knife of Never Letting Go was and more, weaving this way and that until the image of something beautiful and horrible is formed. The book shows the horror of living under a dictator and the pressure of resistance as our faithful protagonists Todd and Viola try and strike back against the complex and intriguing character of Mayor Prentiss. Told in a smooth and scintillating manner that does nothing but impress, Ness amps up the danger and suspense until, by the book’s denouement, there appears to be no way out for our heroes.

Character development is fantastic here, with the likes of Todd, Viola, Mayor Prentiss and his son Davy progressed to the max, their true thoughts and feeling unfolding before our very eyes as the battle of New Prentisstown unfolds itself. An added bonus to this book is sections told from Viola’s point of view, seeing the world of death and destruction, murder and mystery through the eyes of this headstrong and independent protagonist. The changes to Todd and Davy were those that shocked me most, I must say, with their personalities taking hard U-turns that warp and defile the characters we saw in the books predecessor, though done in an imaginative and believable way. Ness also shows he is not afraid to cause conflict between his main characters; animosity between Todd and Viola spans for chapters at a time, allowing a genuine feel for a caring and fiery relationship.

New characters within The Ask and the Answer further the plot in fantastic and subtle ways; the likes of the devious and manipulative Mistress Coyle, love struck Lee and the cunning Mayor Ledger all add new factors to this intricate ball of threads, thickening the plot to astronomical proportions. On top of these new faces, new elements of New World, its history and geography, truly come into play. There are twists and turns just when the reader thinks there can be no more; Ness controls the story like a master puppeteer, directing the readers attention one way so to distract them from an indistinct factor that is about to explode in their faces; this novel is just that clever.

Beating the cliff-hanger we were left at the climax of the Knife of Never Letting Go was always going to be hard going, but Ness pulls it off with style, crafting a delicate and powerful finale that makes his audience turn immediately to the third and final book in the trilogy. Tension oozes from every word in this edge of your seat, biting your nails ending, figuratively pulling the reader over that cliff with curiosity. There is no way anyone could resist Monsters of Men after that fantastic final scene; I truly pity those initial readers who were forced to wait a year for the next book; I truly do.

Overall, The Ask and the Answer takes top position as my favourite read of 2011; it’s an explosive whirlwind of plot elements, literary flare and powerful prose that left me cursing my ‘five books before the next in a series’ rule. I may have to cheat and skip ahead to Monsters of Men, which holds bags of potential to be crowned my best book of 2011. The Ask and the Answer is an addictive show stopper that refuses to let a reader go; the Chaos Walking trilogy is a must read; plain and simple.

Dusty :]

Dear Bully - Anthology

Author: Anthology

Length: 339 pages

Release Date: September 1 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Blurb

Discover how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one girl getting under her skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to celebrate ambiguity in her classmates and herself, and how R.L Stine turned being the ‘funny guy’ into the best defence against the bullies in his class.

Today’s top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying – as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators – in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal.

Review

We’ve all been bullied at some point; you have, I have. You may not have realised you were being bullied, but no one is free of this little demon, no matter where they are and how old they are. Even your favourite authors have been bullied at some point; those invincible, anonymous people who wield the power of words so elegantly; Dear Bully is a beautifully written and touching anthology that calls forth our inner demons and makes us question them, analyse them; see the bully inside yourself and others.

There are so many gorgeous stories in this anthology it is almost impossible to choose a favourite; all of the stories were powerful and moving, but one certain one really made me stop and feel and this one was ‘When I Was A Bully, Too’ by Melissa Walker. I don’t know why this story got its hooks into me but I may have read this story a dozen times in the two days I have owned this anthology. To be even more specific, one particular line really got me. This was ‘and then I heard her start to cry’. This line ravaged my emotions; it made me question why I felt so awful hearing it, why those words repeated again and again in my head like some kind of hideous tape recording and whether, in some small distinct way, I was wondering whether anyone I have ever hurt has cried over something I have done. Let me take this moment to apologise; if I have ever hurt you, my friends, or said something callous or made you feel small, I am truly sorry. I just hope you have given me another chance to prove to you that I can be a good friend.

This really was one of the most powerful books I have read this year; seeing the souls of seventy people laid bare like this has a profound effect on any reader; these authors admitted to being frightened and belittled, to being vindictive and cruel. These authors were honest with themselves; they left no stone unturned and delved into crap they thought had long ago left them. The authors who contributed to this book deserve all the praise they can get; this was a fantastic piece of work, soul-searching and emotional, repenting and forgiving. Dear Bully is crammed with stories that make you think, make you sad and happy, make you want to go back in time and stand up to her or apologise profusely to him; Dear Bully is that strong, so emotionally penned.

Overall, Dear Bully is a book that I recommend everyone reads. To see bullying shown for what it is; not dramatised or exaggerated, is rare and provides the reader with both a sense of victory and defeat, casts your minds back to the past as you wonder; was I bullied? Or perhaps, even worse, was I bully? Dear Bully is an asset to any young adult shelf; laced with beautiful emotion, crushing memories and simply some of the most well written stories around, it leaves the reader wanting to be a better person by its end; at least, it did with me.

Dusty :]

The Pigeon Hole #2

The Pigeon Hole #2

   Hey everyone, it’s Dusty from the Dust Jacket here with another Pigeon Hole for you guys. I’ve got some great new books up for review this month, including a book from one of my Wish Lists. I hope that you enjoy; let’s get started.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson – John Green & David Levithan

I am a very big John Green fan and I have read some David Levithan in a few anthologies that I own; what could be better than a book written by two of the best young adult authors of recent years? I’m completely psyched about reading this book; it promises to be amazing.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson detail the meeting of two teenagers with the same name and the events that occur after this meeting. Believe me, it sounds far better than how I’ve described it; both John Green and David Levithan provide interesting and intricate plots, this being no exception.

Put this on your Christmas lists guys; Will Grayson, Will Grayson promises to be a thriller, one that I’m extremely excited to read. Expect a review of this book up this side of Christmas.

Dear Bully - Anthology

Yes! I finally have it! Dear Bully is an anthology that I have been coveting since it appeared on one of the Story Siren’s In My Mailbox posts. It sounds so heart-wrenching and, although it was wrong of me, I’ve already flicked through a few pages and am already addicted.

Dear Bully is a collaboration of seventy different authors who pen their experiences with the painful subject of bullying, be I they the victim, the bully or a bystander.

I’m a bog fan of quite a few of the authors who submitted pieces for this anthology, including Ellen Hopkins, Daniel Waters and Cecil Castellucci so I cannot wait to read their stories, as well as all of the others that appear so emotional and tense. I don’t think I’ll be able to hold myself back; expect a review very soon!

That’s it for this week guys; I’m looking forward to reading these excellent books, as well as anticipating your thoughts and comments. What came in your Pigeon Hole? Until next time, bye.

Dusty :]

Forgotten - Cat Patrick

Author: Cat Patrick

Length: 277 pages

Release Date: June 7 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown

Blurb

Here’s the thing about me: I can see the future in flashes, like memories, but my past is blank.

I remember what I’ll wear tomorrow and an argument I won’t happen until this afternoon. But I don’t know what I ate for dinner last night. I get by using notes, my mom and best friend Jamie…

But now Jamie’s going off the rails, my mom is lying to me and I can’t see the boy I adore in my future. Today, I love him and never want to forget how much.

Review

Forgotten certainly has an interesting premise, and shows how a small spark can develop into something huge. When Cat Patrick forgot what she was doing, she never thought she would end up writing a book. Similarly, when I started reading Forgotten I never expected it to suck the life out of me. This book feels like a black hole that has been annihilating everything else in my life for days. No matter how many pages I turned, so many more seemed to lie in front of me, stretching forever onwards until I sacrificed my Saturday to blitz this bad boy.

Weirdly, the story itself was extremely decent. I wanted to find out about how London dealt with her rare condition, what secrets were hiding in her past rather than her future. It just seemed that Patrick’s book took forever to finish; perhaps it was the pacing, perhaps I just wasn’t concentrating for long enough on the story; I am not sure, but what I am sure of is that by the end of the book I realised that I had enjoyed Forgotten; it was a good book with an interesting plot and decent characters, though I cannot say my opinion was not tainted by the lengths by which I had to go to reach that final page. All I can say is that I’m finished now and am pretty satisfied with the end result.

Let’s get one thing straight; I hated

London Lane

as a protagonist. I just could not connect with this character; she seemed to have no interests, goals or hobbies by which to define her. What this character appears to be is a vessel for the plot, which may be okay for some readers, but I found it jarring and awkward. There was nothing about London other than her condition that allowed us a window into the true character. Overall, London was a serious let down; she damaged the plot by being nothing but a mouthpiece for the main elements of the novel, lacking a sense of self or persona for the reader to connect with.

Other than this flaw however, Forgotten’s characters were both interesting and well rounded. Jamie, Luke and Bridgette were fairly intriguing creations, whilst London’s abilities allowed us more of a luck at them that of herself. There were a few nice plot twists in Forgotten too; things that I seriously never saw coming that hit me like a brick wall. You know how much I love plot twists and the final seventy pages or so of Forgotten was rife with them!

The romantic elements of a book are the parts that I tend to review most harshly. I hate it when characters are falling over each other proclaiming their love after meeting for two minutes; that is a real turn off for me as it is unrealistic and shows that the book is simply the author’s high school romance fantasy that was better off staying in their imaginations. I enjoy romances that are dark, built upon a basis of lust and mutual respect; the romance in Forgotten seemed slap bang in the middle of the two extremes. Luke and London were not suddenly drooling over how perfect the other was and how they couldn’t live without the other, but there wasn’t so much of a slow build, more of a lurch forward in time so that the sugary stuff could start. Luke and London’s romance was above all believable; they fought, they made up, their feelings were growing for each other; just how most romances are, though at times Luke did appear more interested in ears that in London!

Overall, Forgotten was not a bad read, just a long one. For a debut novel, Patrick’s effort is more than respectable and I look forward to more from this author as her writing matures. When it comes to Forgotten, what I can say is that the book was let down by an anonymous lead, but lifted by a fascinating idea and fairly good secondary characters. At the end of the day Forgotten was not a disappointment, but it did not live up to the expectations that I had placed on it.

Dusty :]      

The Wish List #3

Hey there fellow book lovers, its Dusty from the Dust Jacket here brining you another weekly Wish List. I hope in the next few days I’ll be able to upload another Pigeon Hole segment as I have ordered some pre-Christmas books! On that note, let’s get started with this week’s Wish List, because boy do I want these books!

Inheritance – Christopher Paolini

The Inheritance Cycle was a set of books my sister actually introduced me to. Inheritance is the fourth and final book in the series, preceded by Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr.

This looks set to be a thrilling conclusion to what has been a really good series. If I’m really lucky this little baby may land in what is sure to be a massive Christmas book haul and I can tell you that there will certainly be a happy dance moment should it be buried amongst the tinsel and wrapping paper.

I simply cannot wait to get my hands on this tome; the past three have been exciting and I’m sure Christopher Paolini has delivered a climax to the series his readers will not soon forget. All I can hope for is that it lives up to my extra-ordinary expectations. Is Inheritance on your Christmas list?

The Prisoner – Robert Muchamore

I’ve never been as keen on the Henderson’s Boys series as I have the CHERUB series, but that doesn’t stop me from looking forward to the newest release in the series. Set in World War II, Henderson’s Boys tells the story of CHERUB’s roots and the organisations’ first recruits.

The Prisoner is the fifth out of seven instalments in the series and continues Henderson’s Boys assignment of interrupting the Nazi regime. I’m looking forward to seeing how much the characters have evolved in the large portions of time that interlude each story.

So far, I’ve really enjoyed the Henderson’s Boys series, and this one promises to be just as action packed. With this and the new CHERUB books, Robert Muchamore keeps providing. Are you looking forward to The Prisoner?

Crossed – Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie, the first book in the Matched trilogy was a great start to the series with an open ending and bags of potential to make Crossed brilliant. Condie has a way with words and although Matched was fantastic, I’m hoping Crossed will have more action and answers.

Cassia and Ky’s romance promises to be even more exciting in this sequel with so many obstacles and enemies in their way; with a little luck we may see their characters develop a little more too. What can I say? Matched was pretty good, but I’m anticipating some improvements here.

There have been mixed reviews of the first books, but I really enjoyed Matched, and I might bring up my review of it this side of Christmas. Are you coveting Crossed?

Well, that concludes another week’s Wish List post; I hope you like the books I chose and I look forward to any comments I receive; they are always welcome. As a side note, I’d just like to thank the people who have viewed my blog in this first week, and especially those of you who followed it too. I cannot thank you enough. For this week, happy reading!

- Inheritance by Christopher Paolini was released on November 8^th 2011 from Alfred A. Knopf.

- Robert Muchamore’s The Prisoner will be released from Hodder Children Books in February 2012.

- Crossed by Ally Condie was released on November 1^st 2011 from Dutton Publishing.

Dusty :]

Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Length: 391 pages

Release Date: October 13 2009

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Blurb

For Nora Grey, romance was never part of the plan. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgement.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora isn’t sure she can trust him. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and to know more about her than her closest friends. And when she tries to seek answers, she discovers she is right in the middle of a centuries old battle between the immortal and the fallen… and it’s time to take sides…

Review

I was of two minds about trying Hush, Hush; for one it screamed Twilight and for two it was on a table in the book store for books that were on sale; not too encouraging for an authors debut novel. But what I found inside was completely different from what I anticipated; Hush, Hush was a fast paced addictive novel that pulled me in and refused to let go. Fitzpatrick managed to deviate just that little bit away from the stereotypical dark romance novel without alienating the intended audience. With a stunning narrative, beautifully crafted plot and complex characters, Hush, Hush has sped to the one of the top slots in my 2011 reads.

Intricate and unique, the romance between protagonist Nora and mysterious love interest Patch has not quite been replicated in any of the romance books I’ve read; they shared a tenuous attraction fuelled by suspicion and lust, rather than falling down on their knees and confessing their undying love for each other by the eight chapter. This pair’s relationship truly did fall into the category of ‘dark’ with a powerful tug of war commencing right from the first chapter and for once the heroine gives her love interest as good as it gets, with Nora’s sassy and independent attitude the perfect agent against Patch’s cool and confident demeanour.

In a smooth and mature style, Fitzpatrick pens an emotional and fascinating plot, filled with twists here and hard turns there that drive this book to all sorts of places you never expect it to go. Several story threads running at once crams this book with action and secrecy as each parts unravels, another takes it place to carry the reader further into this well placed and descriptive book. Fitzpatrick isn’t afraid to take typically ‘dark romance ideas’ and incorporate them into her book either; however the links between those other novels and Hush, Hush have their own Fitzpatrick spin on them as our esteemed authoress rethinks and reworks features that so commonly appear in our young adult romance novels, adding a sense of comfort and a certain spice to the book.

As far as characters go, Fitzpatrick came up well. Nora was a likeable, but at times overly paranoid, lead with a great persona so different from the wallflower we readers are inflicted with in so many other books of the same type. Patch played a great love interest, slippery smooth and mysterious, with a real air of menace and danger mixed in so that his ‘bad boy’ label was played to its full potential. Secondary characters such as the delightful Vee, Nora’s neurotic best friend, and a fantastic set of villains and antagonists provided an all star set encompassing humour, mystery and evil all in a book under four hundred pages; these are characters your really love to read about.

Overall, Hush, Hush was a fantastic beginning to the series, an individual and intelligent spin on the tried and tested dark romance demographic. Not only will this book keep the target audience happy, but a whole host of readers who picked this book up by mistake or were recommended it by a friend will find it hard to put down. Fitzpatrick shows us what a great young adult book should be; punchy, thrilling and beautifully written. With a confirmed two sequels already released and a fourth in the pipeline, I’m looking forward to experiencing more of Nora and Patch’s white hot relationship wherever it may take them; from what I can gather from Hush, Hush, it’s going to be one heck of a ride whatever happens next! 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

Author: Mark Haddon

Length: 268 pages

Release Date: June 17 2003

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Blurb

Fifteen year old Christopher has a photographic memory. He understands maths. He understands science. What he can’t understand are other human beings.

When he finds his neighbour’s dog lying dead on the lawn, he decides to rack down the killer and write a murder mystery about it. But what other mysteries will he end up uncovering?

Review

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was a recommendation from my English teacher and so I had high hopes for this novel. Sadly these hopes were never realised; in defence of the book it did what it set out to do, to tell the story of an autistic boy searching for the killer of his neighbour’s dog, but sadly Christopher’s observations, no matter how necessary, did not make for terribly interesting reading.

Haddon’s book started well enough, and Wellington’s slaying did sound truly horrendous, but the narrative took a down hill slide from there. The writing came across as bald, the story seemed to have nowhere to go and although it was of the purposes of a realistic novel, wading through list after list of Christopher’s superfluous observations slowly saw my brain disconnecting. I don’t know, perhaps I wasn’t looking at this book in the right perspective, but reading this book became a chore in parts, where the plot seemed to come to a solid stand still and I found no interest in Christopher’s investigation of Wellington’s death.

Christopher himself was a sweet character, his disability resulting in an infantile persona that I found quite endearing. No, I had no problem with the main character; it was quite often the characters around Christopher that I found quite annoying. His father and neighbours were callous and selfish, tactless and presumptuous. They seemed to only serve the purpose of making Christopher’s life even harder than it was already, though a few of the tender moments Christopher shared with his father were actually quite touching. There is another character I could mention, but that would involve major plot spoilers, but they were similar to Christopher’s other relations, forever moaning about how hard coping with Christopher’s disability was and yeah, I am sure it is difficult, but they never seemed to care about what Christopher was feeling, so really I felt no sympathy for the secondary characters of this novel.

There is one twist in this book that I found quite interesting, but it was strung out and easily guessed, and so ultimately failed to win The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time any favours. Each page seemed to drag on forever and even though it is quite a slim volume, it is often the smaller books that the reader does not like that takes longer than the six hundred page tome; so was the case with this book. The blurb to this novel sounded really interesting, and with a star recommendation how could I not give it a try? Do I regret reading this book? Never, it just showed me that what other people think is a good book does not mean that it is good for me.

Overall, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time proved to be a little bit of a disappointment. With a plot that seemed disjointed and wooden, this novel felt like a long slog with very little pay off at the end of it all. Other people my get a lot of enjoyment out of the book, but at the end of the day not every recommendation will lead you to your next favourite read, and although it was decent enough, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time isn’t brushing my top fifty.     

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare

Author: Cassandra Clare

Length: 476 pages

Release Date: August 31 2010

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Blurb

When sixteen year old Tessa Gray arrives in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters, a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn ever deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by – and torn between – two best friends and quickly realizes that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Review

Clockwork Angel, the first book in the Mortal Instruments prequel series the Infernal Devices, was everything that I expected it to be; enthralling, action packed and brimming with gorgeous descriptions and intriguing characters. Cassandra Clare never fails to impress as she sends the reader plummeting into the dark world of Victorian London at it’s most powerful; enveloped in magic and mystery. Clockwork Angel achieves at all levels, leaving readers with a must-read in their midst’s.

From word go, Clare hooks a reader with the sinister murder of a young girl, and quickly centralises the main theme of the book; magic. Impressive as the prologue is, this book just keeps getting better with pacing that will make your head spin, descriptions so crystal clear what is on the page may as well be in front of you and plot strands that weave and intersect until a tight story cast against the harsh historical background is formed. Clockwork Angel was un-put-down-able, my feverish page turning resulting in three nights of little sleep, and during the days my mind was buzzing with Clare’s beautiful world of sorcery and secrets, action and romance, so much so school was almost superfluous as my brain was sat within the pages of Clare’s magnificent novel.

Cassandra Clare did not hold back on the action sequences; those readers looking for more than just romance will be delighted with a number of gloriously described battles in vivid detail, on the edge of your seat scenes that are never clear cut; Clare shows us that our main characters are never safe, a factor that only served to impress me; I despise books where the reader is all too aware the protagonists will make it out unscathed, but Clare is no average writer and she keeps the tension brewing right up the final page, always leaving her master strike until the reader has let their guard down and thinks that all is well. Clare is just so intelligent in her execution, maintaining a number of different readers with a twisting plot, as well as developing full, complex characters that are we always hope to see triumph over evil.

Speaking of characters, Clare provides us with a host of different figures to read about, all written to potential, all holding their own secrets and morals that results in just layers and layers of plot that any reader will find it hard not to be entombed in. Tessa Gray was a magnificent lead, courteous and meek, not by character but by the time she was living in, whilst holding back a powerful, in-dependent persona that burst forth at vital moments throughout the book. Her power is interesting, but is also considered rare in the Infernal Devices world, whilst in most other books her power would be considered quite common, whilst Tessa deals with some serious circumstances from word go, but maintains a level of optimism, dignity and awareness that is commendable in what is usually such a two-dimensional character. Other character were made quickly likeable; the likes of Jem, Charlotte, Henry and even Jessamine earning a smile whenever they entered a scene, never allowing a page to flounder with another shocking revelation or intriguing character development. These were characters that were hard to dislike, whilst villains such the Dark Sisters and the mysterious Magister were just right, sinister enough to make them more than a playground bully, but not so they seemed over the top.

My main problem with this book, and sadly there was one, is our main male love interest, William Herondale. I could not stand this character; he was unbearable, unlovable and just downright repulsive. Why Tessa felt any attraction toward him other than what he looked like remains a mystery to me. He remained so superior throughout the novel, the typical ‘bad boy with pain from his past’ male lead that is growing so tedious in young adult literature. Where are the varied and sensitive males? Amazingly, we aren’t all complete gits, and Will just grated on my nerves with every smart-assed comment that was supposed to be funny and the way everyone seemed to in awe of him; I can honestly say I loved Sophie for her obvious hatred for this repugnant character.

Overall, Clockwork Angel was a fantastic book, rife with action and mystery that just keeps those pages turning. Clare’s ability at description is something to be envied, whilst her readers are left eagerly awaiting the next instalment in the Infernal Devices trilogy, named Clockwork Prince. The next book is actually on my Wish List, displaying how badly I want the next book. The only slight fly in the ointment is that Will is to be included, but I think I grit my teeth and bare it for more of this magical fantasy series. If you haven’t picked up a Cassandra Clare, do it now. With clever references to the present day Mortal Instruments series, Clare’s book is a wonderfully thrilling page turner that I and many others have found hard to resist!

The Wish List #2

Hey all you book lovers out there, it’s Dusty from the Dust Jacket here to the share my second Wish List with you guys. I hope that you guys can share your thoughts on the reads I have chosen, and perhaps suggest some other books that I could love. Okay, here we go!

A Million Suns – Beth Revis

To my envy, a few weeks ago the amazing Story Siren acquired a copy of A Million Suns by Beth Revis. All I can tell you is that a tantrum followed me discovering this little titbit of information. I was half way through Across the Universe when  I had to put it down and read a different, far more boring book for my English class, but I can honestly say I regret putting this book down. It was amazing.

So here we are, A Million Suns is atop my Wish List this week and I can hardly wait until I get my hands on this book. With a stunning cover and what I am sure is a gripping continuation of Across the Universe’s Story, I am counting down the days until this beauty arrives in an Amazon box!

All I can do for now is pout and look on mournfully for a while. Are you going to be buying A Million Suns?

Clockwork Prince – Cassandra Clare

Cassandra Clare is such an enchanting authoress that this book is actually on my ‘To Do’ calendar. I loved Clockwork Angel so much; readers could really see the growing maturity in Clare’s work in the first of the Infernal Devices and I am perfectly sure I am not going to be let down.

I love the Infernal Devices; I thought the Mortal Instruments series was amazing until Clare outdid herself with her prequel series and although I am very much anticipating the release of City of Lost Souls, Clockwork Prince has been on my mind every time someone has said the word book!

With great fortune, this bad boy is released ten days before my birthday so if I’ve been an extremely good guy this year, it may find itself either on my present pile or in my Christmas stocking! Is your clock set for Clockwork Prince?

People’s Republic – Robert Muchamore

I’ve been following CHERUB since the very start, picking the book up when I was rushed in Waterstones seven years ago. From that day, a passion bloomed. All I could think about was spy fiction; reading spy fiction, writing spy fiction; spires became my entire world. In 2010, when the final book Shadow Wave was released, I thought the dream had died.

That was until I got my complimentary bookmark, found the code and discovered Aramov.com. Three new books, a brand new mission and my fire was relit, a smile stretched across my face and all felt right with the world again!

Cheesy back story aside, the CHERUB books are great novels that I have enjoyed for coming up to a decade. People’s Republic looks set to be amazing; I simply cannot wait. Will People’s Republic be on your Christmas list this year?

Well, that’s it for another week my dear readers; as usual info will be below this post and I look forward to reading and replying to any comments anyone feels like leaving. A review of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare will be up soon, but until then; stay dusty! Bye!

- A Million Suns by Beth Revis will be released on January 12^th 2012 from Razorbill Publishing.

- Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Prince will be made available on December 6^th 2011 from McElderry Books.

- People’s Republic by Robert Muchamore was released from Hodder & Stoughton on August 4^th 2011.

Dusty :]