A Manual for Shadowhunters

"Welcome and Congratulations. You have been chosen to become one of the Nephilim." 

The Shadowhunter's Codex is a manual for new Shadowhunters. It is meant to guide them into their new, dangerous, usually short life. The life of a Shadowhunter is violent and often brief, but their role in containing rogue Downworlders and preventing harm upon mundanes by demons and the like is an important one. While most Shadowhunters are born into the life, some mundanes can ascend to become Raziel's soldiers. For those who have not been raised as a Shadowhunter, there is a lot to learn. The Codex is meant to guide those young, new Shadowhunters to prevent their even more untimely deaths. 

This is a brief little book that is mostly unnecessary if you have followed along with the series up to its most recent book. It details everything from the Mortal Instruments to a Shadowhunter's weapons to the different kinds of Downworlders. While I didn't mind all this information, and enjoyed this little manual, it is pretty repetitive and would make only the most die-hard fans happy. The most important information you get is the history in the last part of the book. The history of the Shadowhunters has been touched on in bits and pieces throughout the series, but it was good to have it all together in one place. 

The most entertaining part of this book wasn't the actual book itself, but the "notations" made by Clary, Jace, and Simon. They were funny little quips, especially about the parts where the Codex is lacking due to plot events from previous books. If I hadn't read the series, though, these little smart-guy comments wouldn't make much sense. I would use this book for a student who is going through the series but reads slow and might lose track of different names that are complex and unfamiliar. Using this as a dictionary/reference of sorts for those oddball items and names would help them keep up with the series at their own pace. It was a cute companion to the story, but if you read pretty steadily with the series, it isn't entirely necessary for your Mortal Instruments enjoyment!

Landing on Hallowed Ground

Clara may have been angel blood, but she still had free will, and that is what led her to defy the very will of God. Now, in Hallowed, by Cynthia Hand, she must deal with the consequences of choosing her own path.

After the dreams led her to her purpose of saving Christian and sacrificing her boyfriend Tucker, Clara realized the purpose given to her as an angel born wasn't worth losing the boy she cared for as much as she did Tucker. When it turned out Christian was also angel born, perfectly capable of flying, and in absolutely no danger, her decision became even more right in her mind. Unfortunately, she had now exposed herself to a Dark Wing who was now stalking her family and desperate to get ahold of Clara's mother.

It is bad enough to have a Dark Wing stalking them, but Clara then begins to get visions of her adapted purpose, and they involve a funeral. When she realizes the only one not present at the funeral (including the Dark Wing) is Tucker, she is convinced it is going to be his funeral. She already defied a heavenly purpose to save him once. She is not going to be involved in yet another plot to kill her boyfriend. What Clara doesn't consider, though, is that there are a lot more stories at play and more purposes involved than just her own free will... especially those involving her own fate. 

I tend to find these books a little slow at times while I am reading them, but by the end, I always seemed to have enjoyed them and want to read the next. I think that is because they end at the absolute perfect spot- enough revealed for some closure and enough left open to entice me into reading the next book. What I particularly enjoyed, however, was the increased family background and historical information about the angels. What can I say? I am a sucker for a good background story! In fact, it makes me connect to the current players, even if the background was centuries before they were even fictionally born! 

I think the sometimes slow nature might be a struggle for a reader who needs a fast-paced story, but this is a sweet book with plenty of mystery to keep most readers going. Any reader who wants some romance amongst her fallen angels would also be pleased with this story. I will definitely be checking out the final story, especially with how this story ended!

Falling for the Final Angel

Only true love could survive everything Nora and Patch have been through, but they are still standing on the edge of a cliff looking into the face of a war Nora is supposed to lead against the fallen angels like Patch. In Finale, Becca Fitzpatrick concludes the fallen angel story, not with a whimper, but with a bang.

Nora has inherited the Black Hand's army when she killed the Black Hand himself, who also happened to be her father. Becoming the leader of the army, however, means she is now responsible for continuing their cause: stopping the fallen angels from possessing the bodies of the Nephilim during the holy month of Cheshvan. The angels have always taken advantage of this time to use the Nephilim's bodies, which is the only time they can feel human emotions, but their forceful possession and reckless use of the bodies is a time that is feared by all Nephilim. Now the Nephilim want to end Cheshvan, but they need someone to lead them.

Nora is torn between being a newly created Nephilim and understanding the terror involved with the angel's possession, but she also loves her boyfriend Patch, who is a fallen angel. If she doesn't lead the army, she will break her oath and be killed. But how can she, not even as strong as the natural born Nephilim, stop the angels? And it doesn't help that she doesn't even know who to trust as the Nephilim and angels around her are all working for their own personal desires. They have even created a synthetic devilcraft, which is a substance that can enhance a Nephilim's abilities, but different prototypes also have severe consequences and side-effects. Nora learns about them first hand and her addiction to the substance may keep her from finding a peaceful way out of this war. But if there is one thing Nora won't do, it is sacrifice her love for Patch.

I have had an up and down relationship with this series, but I have to say, I am so glad I hung in there. It turned out to be a really big upswing and left me very happy I didn't give up on it. Each book got better and better and the conclusion of the series was exciting and interesting. At times I was annoyed with either Patch or Nora for different reasons (in this one I was annoyed with her stupid addiction to the devilcraft- c'mon!), but something kept me going to the conclusion, which was really well crafted.

My favorite part of this series were the supporting characters like Vee and Scott, but also mean Marcie and others. I think this is a common finding in all stories these days where the main characters can frustrated you, but the supporting characters are more dynamic, funnier, and easier to root for than the main characters. Maybe there isn't as much at stake for a supporting character, but I hope authors in the future consider making their main characters as endearing as their supporting characters. Either way, though, the story was definitely the best in the series and made me feel good about the end!

Otherworldly Goodness

Just because you know who you are, doesn't mean you can understand your purpose. For Clara in Unearthly, knowing who she is makes her life even more confusing. But Cynthia Hand isn't afraid to throw a few curveballs, even to a divine being (or quarter of a divine being).

Clara knows that as an angel-blood, she has a purpose. All angel-bloods have a purpose, even if they are only a quarter angel. They live to serve their purpose, and Clara is no exception. When she starts to have visions, her half-angel mother tells her the visions are leading her to her purpose... even if that means abandoning California for Wyoming. But in Wyoming is Christian, the boy of her visions. And her purpose is clearly tied to him and the fire that chokes her visions, which start come with increasing frequency. 

But as Clara settles into her new school, she realizes she isn't comfortable living life just for her purpose. She makes friends, has a crush on a boy, and starts to realize there is more to her than a girl who glows from her hair and sprouts wings on command. As Clara gets to know Christian and the brother of her best friend, Tucker, she is torn between what she should do and what she wants to do. but it is difficult to make a decision when one side is determined by God. Even if going against God means a totally wonderful cowboy named Tucker!

There are lots of angel books out there these days, so a new one is always a comparison to the previous stories. In this case, I have to say this was quite an enjoyable angel book. I really appreciated that the angels weren't hidden for 75% of the book (like Hush, Hush), or doled out in tiny little bots, feather by feather, if you will. It was apparent from the beginning that Clara was angel-blood, as were her mother and brother. All the secrets weren't splayed out immediately, of course, but you were given enough upfront to keep you from reading through that foggy confusion. 

Clara was an interesting character who wavered between a girl who wanted more than she was given and a girl who felt responsible for the gifts she was given, even though she didn't totally understand them. I liked the added angel history that added to the story and will certainly keep the story going into the series. This is a great story for strong middle school readers into the young adult readers. It is very clean and interesting, and should appeal to a great deal of readers. I can't wait to find out what happens to Clara, Tuck, and Christian!

City of Magic and Conspiracy

Clary has never been more confused. The man who threatens all the Shadowhunters is actually her father, Valentine, the boy she couldn't stop thinking about is actually her brother, and there is a whole world her mother kept from her that is full of warlocks, vampires, demons, and werewolves, among other creepy beasties. Having been brought up as a mundane, Clary must find her way in the Shadowhunter world or quickly be devoured by it in City of Ashes: Mortal Instruments, Book Two by Cassandra Clare.


Clary doesn't know what to do about Jace now that they recently found out they share a father, and an evil father no less. She has trouble reconciling her feelings for Jace, but she knows her friend Simon, a simple mundane, is the less creepy option. Meanwhile, Jace has been thrown out of the only home he ever knew with the adoptive Lightwood family. Lost and alone, Jace is being punished for the sins of the father he never knew or had allegiance to. But now a war is brewing between Downworlders. A werewolf child and a warlock child were found dead, bled to death, and there is no one more logical to blame than the vampires. 


The vampires swear they had nothing to do with the deaths, but everyone suspects them. When Jace is investigated by the Clave and held prisoner in the Silent City, his father breaks in. He comes to see Jace and ask for Jace's help, but his own son was not his purpose for visiting the city and killing all the Silent Brothers. He was after the Mortal Sword. With or without Jace's help, Valentine plans to reverse the allegiance of the sword from good to bad so he can control the demons and finally fulfill his purpose- the extermination of the Downworlders who threaten the lives of humans and Shadowhunters alike. Even if the Clave doesn't believe in Jace's innocence, Clary and his adoptive siblings refuse to let him suffer for the evils Valentine has acted on. But will they make it in time to stop the conversion of the Mortal Sword?


These books sometimes seem overwhelming because they are quite large, but whenever I read one of Clare's books, I am immediately dragged right into it. I regret to admit I started this series almost 2 years ago and haven't kept up with it since. However, I have been keeping up with the Infernal Devices series, which renewed my interest in this series. Clare does a good job of giving you enough background that you can pick up a book even if you haven't read the one before it in a long while, and for that I was grateful (lately my ever-growing pile of books prevents me from much rereading). And after a few brief pages of catch-up, I was thrown right back into this story with a vengeance. The story was interesting and exciting, and as with all her books, she ends it with a satisfactory conclusion (no real huge cliffhangers) but still keeps you wanting more and leaves the end open for the next installment.


The stories are perfect for anyone who likes supernatural or paranormal stories. They are full of mysterious creatures, many of whom balance between their true evil nature and the life the Clave forces them into. There is a god deal of death and violence, but it is mostly of the supernatural type and isn't particularly gory. I love the excitement and in particular, the characters. Jace is that typical bad boy who really has a heart of gold despite his crusty, snarky exterior and you can't help but love him. My one icky-factor is the weirdness between him and Clary, who now appears to be his sister. So we have a Luke and Leia moment, but why is it continuing? And why aren't they grossed out now that they are brother and sister? I can only imagine this will resolve itself eventually and Clare won't have a Flowers in the Attic moment, but who knows where this plans to go... just please make them not be brother and sister because I am all in on team Jace!

Fallen Angels in Love

Lauren Kate's books are more than just a pretty cover, although the covers are so beautiful they are hard to stop looking at. She has some really captivating stories, too. The Fallen series is a few months away from the release of the final novel, but in Fallen in Love, Kate gave us four love stories that tie to the series as a little Valentine's treat. Although, in the world of fallen angels and demons, we know love can't always end happily...

Shelby and Miles are stuck in the past after having followed Luce through the Announcers. Now they must find an angel to get another Announcer to take them home, but first they can't stand out like sore thumbs. In their efforts to blend in, they come across Luce, the Luce of a different time who has yet to meet her fate for her love for Daniel. They know they shouldn't tamper with the past, but they can't help but try to give Luce even a few moments of the love that has spanned centuries.

Roland may seem like a curmudgeon, but there was a time when he was ready to do anything just for a few short years in his immortal life to be with the woman he loved, the mortal woman he knew he couldn't really be with. He broke her heart five years earlier, but now he knows he can't live without her.

Arriane finds herself in the ultimate of star-crossed love. As a fallen angel who is still loyal to heaven, she isn't sure what drew her to Tess, a fallen angel who has aligned herself with Lucifer. Tess is one of Lucifer's chosen soldiers, making it even more dangerous for them to spend time together, not to mention the stigma of two women in love. They know no good can come of their love, but they aren't prepared for the scars that will last for lifetimes.

Finally, Daniel and Luce. In this past self, she was a farmer's daughter while Daniel was a knight- two classes that can never come together. She knows she shouldn't put any faith in the fact that he might overlook her lot in life, but at the same time, she can't help but think about him. She feels there is something more powerful drawing them together, and that feeling can't be tempered by something as trivial as social class. That is a love that lasts, over and over again.

This was a fun little book to tide anyone over until the final book in the series comes out this summer. The timeline is muddled between the Luce of that time and the angels and Nephilim of the present day. But what I liked the most was that they all tied in together to this specific time and this specific Valentine's Day. It felt like they weren't separate short stories, but rather that they had a purpose in the scheme of the whole series and as a stand-alone book. It was a bittersweet tale of love and love lost... just in time for Valentine's Day!

Like Clockwork

A world filled with Nephilim and warlocks and vampires and werewolves and demons may be old hat by now, but one filled with creepy clockwork armies certainly isn't. Cassandra Clare continues her Infernal Devices series, a prequel series to the Mortal Instruments series with the second book, Clockwork Prince. 


Tessa knows she has lost her brother to the dark side, but she still doesn't know who she is. As the London Clave Institute fights Mortmain, a mundane with ties to black magic, she finds herself constantly confronted with the fact that she truly has no idea who she is- Shadowhunter? Mundane? Downworlder? Tessa is intent upon helping Henry and Charlotte remain in control of the Institute, as they are the only family she has left with her blood family all dead or gone. In their fight to keep the institute, they continue to investigate Mortmain. It leads them to find Will's family being held in one of Mortmain's home. While he knows Clave law prevents him from contacting them, he can't help but worry himself to death about them. It also forces him to acknowledge the curse he is burdened with that foretells everyone he grows to love dying a horrible death.


But there is a deeper problem in the London Institute. They have a mole. Someone has been funneling information to Mortmain about the investigation and where they are searching, which gives him the jump on them each and every time. When they find out who has been giving him the information, it is a  betrayal like they can't believe. The only thing that may repair their damaged family is that Jem, dying from an addiction to a demonic drug that was forced upon him, finally finds the love he never let himself hope for.


Oh. This book ended and I didn't know whether to cry or jump for joy. Talk about bittersweet! It was a typical Clare book full of action and cryptic back story that leaves you satisfied yet still wanting more, but somehow, the way she ended this was just too much! There is this heartbreaking love triangle between Jem, Tessa, and Will that will wrench your heart straight from your chest! It makes you unsure who you want Tessa to finally be with, kind, dying Jem or scampish, brooding Will. I love them both so much! I still can't decide! But the beautiful thing about this story is that the supporting characters are just as lovely as the main characters. You will find yourself loving everyone in the London Institute- even some warlocks and werewolves!


This is a very interesting series, but the books are long and dense. I often save them for a holiday when I have the time to sit down and just read the books with no interruptions. I think there are students out there who would love these books, but they look a little intimidating. I wonder how they would be as audiobooks. I imagine the story is even more magical, and that might be the key to sucking a struggling reader into the large but fantastic series. 

To Hell and Back

The second to last Blue Bloods story by Melissa de la Cruz, Lost in Time, is a story told in three parts: Jack and Schuyler, Mimi and Oliver, and Allegra and Ben. The stories intertwine and play off one another, but all three alternating story lines are leading to the final clash between the Blue Bloods and the evil Silver Bloods (pawns of Lucifer and creators of Nephilim) at which point one race may be eradicated for good.


Jack gave up everything to be with Schuyler. He abandoned Mimi, his bondmate, he and Schuyler are now on the run, and if Mimi catches him, he will face a blood trial for leaving her. They have traveled all over the world in search of the Gates of Paradise and the gatekeeper. They hope their efforts will save the Blue Bloods, and keep Jack out of Mimi's grasp, but they can't believe what they find. Human women are being snatched all around the world to breed Nephilim by the Silver Bloods as evil soldiers in Lucifer's fight against the heavens. And the covens aren't just in danger, they are being annihilated one by one.


Mimi wants to end Jack's life for leaving her, but she is heartbroken that Kingsley Martin, the man she loves, was swept into hell while trying to protect her. She and Oliver, Schuyler's former best friend, conduit, and familiar, rush to find a way to bring him back from the seventh layer of hell. Mimi knows she must barter  with a soul in order to pull Kingsley from Hell, and she plans to use Oliver for everything he is worth. What she doesn't expect is to find Kingsley fairly content as the Duke of Hell.


Allegra, Schuyler's mother, has awoken from her coma, and you finally see the events that put her in that very coma. In her attempts to stay away from Ben, Schuyler's human father, she finds herself drawn to him despite her visions of her in a coma and Ben lost. Allegra knows her choice is killing both her and Charles, the bondmate she abandoned, but she can't help but be drawn to the man she loves.


This was an interesting twist to the story, and I have to say I enjoyed the three separate parts of the story. Each chapter alternated between the three stories, and it was done well. I can imagine it is hard not to make it seem choppy or inconsistent, but de la Cruz did a good job with it. My only issue was how important everything was to the ultimate story. The only subplot of the three that really makes a huge difference in the entire series is Jack and Schuyler. Mimi spends a month in hell flirting with and being ignored by Kingsley. I wanted to tell her to grow up and get back up to the surface where her people needed her. And the Allegra story, while interesting background and relevant to what is happening between Jack and Schuyler, seemed more like filler than necessary plot advancement this late in the series. Overall, if you have stayed with the series this long, you will appreciate this book, but it wasn't enough to tide me over until January 2013 when the final book is going to be released. I know de la Cruz is plucking away at two more series' (Beauchamps and Wolf Pact), but I wish she would just shore this one up before moving on. It seems silly to make people wait almost 18 months between books while you work on other projects, but then again, I am sure her publishers had something to do with that decision (and who am I to judge- I guess they know their business). And so here I wait for book #7, very (im)patiently!

Best in the Series So Far!

I read the first book because of al the hype, I read the second book because I figured it had to be better than the first book (350 pages of nothing and 50 pages of action at the end), and I read the third book because I had already invested two books into the series and might as well finish it. Imagine my surprise when Silence was actually the best in Becca Fitzpatrick's series!

Nora has been kidnapped. When she wakes up in a graveyard, she doesn't realize how long she has been gone or what has happened to her. She was kidnapped in June, but she has lost everything that happened from April to September when she was found. When she returns home, she finds her mother is now dating Hank Millar- Nora's archenemy Marcie's father. She also gets the feeling people are keeping things from her. Her mother and best friend aren't telling her the entire truth about her life before the kidnapping, but she doesn't know who to trust until Scott Parnell returns. The Nephilim fills her in on the fallen angels and the war with the Nephilim whom the angels possess two weeks out of every year. Nora knows she is somehow involved in the situation, but she isn't sure how.

She also know the stranger Jev is someone she has met in the past, but she can't place him. As she and Scott uncover more and more about Hank Millar, Jev keeps pulling her out of sticky situations. She feels drawn to him, even though she suspects he may be dangerous and is definitely on the opposite side of her friend, Scott. When Jev pulls her from a warehouse where hundreds of Nephilim soldiers are sleeping and would kill her for trespassing, he takes her to his home in the tunnels and reveals who he truly is to Nora- he is really Patch, the one man/angel Nora has loved. Now they must find out what Hank Millar is doing and save Nora's family in the meantime. Hank Millar may have nothing to lose, but Nora has everything in the world to lose now that she has fallen in love with Patch all over again.

This was undoubtedly the best story in the series. many people complain Nora is as whiny and spineless as Bella in Twilight, so it was nice to see her in a whole new light. She is more assertive in this book and gets herself into a lot of trouble because she won't just move on after the kidnapping and forget everything that happened to her. She is determined to get to the bottom of it all. I also, after the last ridiculous book, needed to see her and Patch really fall in love. Her amnesia really made that possible. She was drawn to him, couldn't resist him, and that was the Nora and Patch I originally loved and wanted to see more of!

Finally, Fitzpatrick solved her biggest problem from both original books in the series- she didn't give you 90% filler and 10% action at the very end. The last two books I hated until the very end and then I was left liking the book but still feeling duped or cheated. This book was interesting the whole way through. from start to finish, it was interesting and there was a lot going on. I am surprised how it ended, but now I am actually looking forward to the next installment instead of feeling obligated to read the silly thing! I am glad to see this book redeemed the series, but I still probably wouldn't give this series to a struggling reader. It isn't exciting enough to hold their attention and help them be successful in finishing a whole book. I would leave this for adults (just for sheer boredom's sake- not content) or stronger readers who could make it through the whole thing without giving up because clearly Fitzpatrick saved the best for last!

Steampunk and the Supernatural

Sometimes I am intimidated by the sheer size of Cassandra Clare's books. I have only read the first of the Mortal Instruments series because they are sooo big! But I was talking to my sister about them the other day and she made a very good point- they might be big, but they are so good you fly right through them. She was right! I am glad I picked up Clockwork Angel, the first book in the new Infernal Devices series, a prequel to the Mortal Instruments series. Had I not, I would have missed out on so much supernatural goodness!

Tessa comes to London to meet her brother. She hasn't seen him since he left New York and now that he is the only family she has left, she is anxious to reunite with him. Immediately she is captured by two vile women who call themselves the Dark Sisters. The Dark Sisters kept Tessa for months, forcing her to get control of a power she never knew she had: shape-shifting. But Tessa's is no normal shifting, she can actually become the person, thoughts and all. The Dark Sisters use her to tell them what happened to people they thought might be dead, as Tessa could relive their last moments. The shifting was terrifying for Tessa, especially since she thought she was dying along with the person she had become. Finally, when Tessa is finished training, they prepare her for her wedding (magical) to the Magistrar, the head of a very powerful supernatural group who wants to control London.

When Tessa sees an opportunity to escape, she takes it. Luckily it happens to be at the exact same time a wild young man named Will comes in to investigate a dead girl he tied to the Dark Sisters. He takes Tessa back to the Institute, a place where Shadowhunters are trained to control magical folks and if necessary, hunt and kill them when they threaten the mundanes (non-magical folks). There, Tessa finds people she can trust and who will help her find her brother, who is now missing. The people at the institute track her brother Nate to a mundane who dabbles in the supernatural. He directs them to a vampire who controls the most powerful London coven and seems to have forgotten the Accords, laws created by the Shadowhunters that prevent magical people from hurting non-magical people. When Tessa shifts into a vampire and goes with a Shadowhunter into the vampire's party, she finds evidence the Accords have been broken as well as her brother Nate, bound and ready to be eaten by the head vampire. The Shadowhunters break in and kill most of the vampires, but the head of the coven escapes. Now they must find him before he can give life using demon energy to his army of robotic clockwork minions, because he won't stop until he has Tessa all to his own, even if it means killing every last Shadowhunter.

For those of you who don't know, Steampunk is an interesting subgenre of science fiction. It involves alternate history with interesting technological advances for the time period (usually 19th century). The movie "Wild Wild West" was a type of Steampunk, as well as a lot of stories by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. This book is not only full of your typical supernatural beastlies like warlocks and vampires and werewolves, it also has these creepy automatons that are being created as a new, unstoppable army. The uses of clockwork cogs and wheels to led to the name "clockwork army". It is a really interesting subgenre, and one our kids might not have had any exposure to.

The story is interesting from start to finish and although it is long, it doesn't feel like it is long. Instead, you find yourself plowing through all 500 or so pages like it was a couple hundred, shocked when you get to the end. The story is a little sophisticated, but not in terms of adult content or language. Instead, it just seems like a grown-up story, which would appeal to kids who don't like "childish" stories. The alternate history, science fiction, and Steampunk might appeal to those a wide range of students, including quirky kids who are hard to find a book for. It is exciting and engaging. While the size of the book might intimidate some kids (or adults!), don't let that keep them from starting this series- it's too good not to give it a shot!

Things are Not Always as They Seem

When we last left the Blue Bloods, Schuyler had left Oliver, Jack had left Mimi, and Bliss had left altogether (after Lucifer inside her had failed to open the gate to hell under Jack and Mimi's bonding ceremony). Now the Coven is in complete disarray, Mimi plans to kill Jack as soon as she can find him, for refusing their bond, and Jack and Schuyler are trying to find the remaining Gates to Hell in order to secure them against the Silver Bloods.

Schuyler and Jack found themselves being hidden by the European Coven. At first, the safety was welcomed, but when it became clear they were being held against their will, they knew they had to get free. Unfortunately, they aren't just fleeing their captors, they are also fleeing the bounty hunters Mimi sent after Jack. When they are rescued by a strange Somali priest, it becomes clear there is much more going on in the world than they thought. When young girls begin disappearing from villages, there is more to the story than they are ready to hear.

While Mimi was still ready to kill Jack for his betrayal, she hadn't forgotten what was happening at home. In NYC, with Forsythe gone (for harboring Lucifer), the Coven was without a Regis (Coven leader). When they nominate Mimi for the job, she reluctantly accepts the new found power. Soon, though, the situation begins to deteriorate when a young Blue Blood is kidnapped and a video hits the internet. The video not only displays vampires showing off and exposing their powers, it also shows the kidnapped girl being threatened by hellfire- one thing that can kill the very essence of a vampire. Now she must find a way to save the teen (and soon another one) without putting the entire coven in danger.

Deming is a Venator who is known for her skills. She is known for her ability to solve problems for her Chinese Coven, and now she has been brought to New York to help find the missing girls. She infiltrates Duchesne and gets to know the top suspects in the investigation. What she finds out quickly, though, is the person she least expects is responsible for the kidnapping. Deming manages to uncover the same terrifying news Schuyler and Jack have stumbled upon: Lucifer has found a way to attack the Blue Bloods without them even knowing it was coming. Now they are all in danger, and what comes next we must wait to see.

As this series grows up, its readers do too. It went from "Gossip Girl" meets to "Twilight" to a truly dark tale. With the entrance of this new threat, the Nephilim, the story has a number of places to go. I am really interested to see where De La Cruz plans to go with this series. She has already developed a rich story line that has plenty of room to grow. The introduction of new characters definitely breathed a bit of life into the story as well. Deming and the story of her life spiced this story up. Now all I can wonder is what the Blue Bloods are going to do next!

Fallen Angels: The New Vampires

I had a tough time getting through Lauren Kate's first story, Fallen. It was a long book that wasted hundreds of pages being vague and didn't get to the point until the last 50 pages. The premise was good, but the execution was too slow. Therefore, I had great hopes that once the secret from Book One was out (Daniel was a fallen angel and Luce is his only love, but they were cursed and every time their love is realized, Luce dies and the cycle begins again), the story could progress a little faster. I was right, and the sequel, Torment, is an even better book than its big sister.

After the story of Daniel and Luce's history comes out, and the curse seems to be broken (usually the first kiss leads to Luce's smiting), they have to figure out what comes next. Unfortunately, there are a lot of creepers out there who don't want them to be together- namely the Outcasts. The Outcasts are fallen angels who never chose a side and found themselves cast out of both Heaven and Hell. For their betrayal, they were all blinded, but that only succeeded in making them creepier and more deadly. Now they are hunting Luce, and Daniel must go to great lengths to protect her. He makes a truce with Cam, the evil fallen angel (demon) who vied for Luce's attention. Together they decide to put her in a special school, Shoreline, to protect and shield her while they hunt the Outcasts.

Shoreline turns out to be educational on many levels for Luce. First, she realizes the school is populated by Nephilim, the children of angels and mortals who are left in a weird state of limbo that leaves them with diluted power and no place in either the angel or the mortal world. The school is disguised as a legitimate school filled with mortal students, but all the Nephilim attend a special "honors" program which is really training for how to brave the world at large. It is run by an angel and a demon who teach them a new curriculum once Luce arrives.

They begin to teach Luce, along with her friends Miles and Shelby and the rest of the class, about the Announcers. The Announcers are the same shadows Luce has seen all her life. They are shadows that allow the viewer to see glimpses of their past, although they don't always show what the viewer wants to see. As soon as Luce realizes what the Announcers can do, she begins investigating her former lives, with and without Daniel. She has been so consumed by Daniel's love that she never realized her love for him not only ended her past lives, it also ruined the lives of her past families. As she explores the people her former selves left behind, she sees the true costs of the curse that ends her life every time she finds her true love: the family who lose her.

With the pain of her families in her heart, and Daniel's refusal to tell her why she was banished to Shoreline and what is after her, Luce sets off on a dangerous and headstrong path. After putting herself in danger, the disappearance of a friend and almost drowning of another friend makes her realize there is more to the threat than she realized. Will the continued secrets and the weight of the curse be too much for Luce? Will she be able to get beyond everything in order to continue to love Daniel? Or will the kindness of another boy lead her from her destiny?

This was a vast improvement over the first book. While this installation still leaves much to the imagination and does not give so much away that you won't buy the third book, it doesn't leave the reader confused the entire time either. If you have read the first book, there is enough background knowledge already established to keep the reader intrigued yet informed. The new characters are really great additions to the story, and the old favorites from Luce and Daniel's previous school make appearances throughout the story. This was definitely a great follow-up to a mediocre first story that left me excited for the next book.

Like Fallen, the language is average, but the story requires a little staying power from a reader. I probably wouldn't recommend this series to a struggling reader, based on the length and will power needed to complete it. Once the story starts to progress, though, there is a lot to talk about and sink your teeth into. Don't give up on this series before you read Torment. You will be missing out if you don't keep with it!

Crescendo or Flat Tone?

I really liked Becca Fitzpatrick's first novel, Hush, Hush. I read it cover to cover during my Christmas break last year, and was looking forward to the sequel, Crescendo. Sequels have a funny lot in life though. They are plagued by the opinions on the original book, are derivative by pure nature, and expected still to take a stand of its own and wow the reader into continuing the series. The sad sequel is just like the middle child- never first and never final. It is just a bridge between the two most important parts of a trilogy. So did Crescendo elevate Hush, Hush or disgrace the series?

We last left Nora Grey and Patch in a strange and forbidden relationship. Nora is the descendant of Patch's Nephilim- the child of a fallen angel- and as a fallen angel himself, Patch must kill the vassal or child of Nephilim in order to gain a human body. Instead he fell in love with Norah and not only didn't kill Nora himself, but protected her from another who was trying to do her in- Chauncey. Now Patch has been elevated to a guardian angels for his selfless act and is forbidden to love Nora, something he and Nora can't bear to admit.

The Nephilim are back and in rare form. They are creating a Blood society whose sole purpose is to keep the fallen angels from taking over their bodies during Cheshvan. Cheshvan is the only time fallen angels are allowed to feel and experience human thoughts and emotions, but it requires them to possess the body of their Nephilim for two weeks. Obviously, this doesn't make the Nephilim- a mean, super strong, immortal group of thugs- very happy. Now Nora is in their cross-hairs as Chauncey was once the leader of the Blood society and they are eager to exact their revenge.

As her guardian angel, Patch should be able to protect her, but when Nora sees him spending time with Marcie, her sworn childhood enemy, she breaks up with him and fires him as her guardian angel. When a guy she knew as a child returns to town (who is also Nephilim) she is oddly drawn to him despite her instinct that something is up with him. Can Nora survive the strange visions, the crazy Nephilim, the sneaky fallen angels, and the elementary school bullies?

As a sequel, this book doesn't surprise me. It's good, but not great. It's interesting but not thrilling. It is the perfect middle child in an eventual trilogy. If a student liked the first book, they might like this second one, but my guess is it might be a bit too stretched out with the meat of the story unceremoniously stuffed into the final 50 pages. I know the first bookw as written similarly, but you would think that by the second book with the characters finally having almost all the information about Angels and Nephilim that the story would be more involved than the first story. Unfortunately, it isn't. I liked the story fine enough, but I have to say I wasn't wowed. I probably wouldn't suggest it for a struggling student unless they had been flattened by the first book and needed more. If they felt lukewarm towards the first book, I certainly wouldn't encourage them to read the second installment. I am interested to see where the third book will go, but I hope Fitzpatrick ups the ante!

Fall for Hush, Hush

Whomever has the nerve to say "don't judge a book by its cover" hasn't seen the cover of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. This book is simply beautiful. And the story isn't far behind!

The story starts with Nora Grey, a girl who isn't terribly interested in the guys at her school, is suddenly very aware of the new guy, Patch. He is dark, mysterious, and possibly quite dangerous- all the things a teenage girl shouldn't want but can't resist. When it seems as though Patch is following her and turning up in the oddest place, Nora begins to wonder what is really going on behind those brooding eyes. But her friend Vee is determined to pair the two of them up with an odd duo of guys they met. In fact, Vee wants Nora to stop seeing Patch. So does Nora's new guidance counselor. From being followed by a mysterious person, to a few near-fatal encounters, Nora knows something is going on, but has no idea that something is who Patch really is- a fallen angel. And there is even more to the story about why Patch has shown up in Nora's life than you can imagine.

I really enjoyed this book, but I was a little concerned by two things: striking similarities to Twilight and 3/4 of the book without knowing anything about who Patch really is. From the "cute meet" in biology class, to the internet search that gleans vital information, there are certainly some similarities between Fitzpatrick's novel and Stephanie Meyers epic series. While they are glaring, and I do think Fitzpatrick would have been better off if she carefully chose situations that did not make us instantly think of Bella and Edward, I think this book still holds a good story.

However, leaving the meat of the story until the last 1/4 of the book was not the wisest decision. I think the vagueness and confusion of both the plot and the narrator is something that could easily turn a reader off. In fact, we don't actually know anything about the big conflict until the last 50 pages of the book (and this is a 400 page book)! While the information leading up to the big reveal is certainly interesting, by the time I finished the book, I was saying to myself, "Well, heck, Becca! Why not bring this out earlier! I want to know more!"

If you give this book a chance, though, you will find an intriguing story about Fallen Angels and Nephilim (human/fallen angel offspring). The book has a lot to offer if you give it a chance, but it might not be the best choice for a reader who needs to be grabbed by a story. Suggest this book for the student who can plow through pages, not the one who needs to be prodded along. Give it a chance, but leave the comparisons behind- they will only leave you a little disappointed!