Welcome to another edition of...

I'm so happy today to be reviewing another one of Cassandra Clare's books! This time, I'll be talking about the first book in the trilogy, The Infernal Devices, called Clockwork Angel.

GoodReads | Amazon

Blurb:


In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Timesbestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...



Okay to be honest, I read Clockwork Angel a while ago but then I got so consumed by a million other books that are on my TBR list that I completely forgot: 
a) That I had already read this book
b) Everything that had happened
Therefore, when I decided to re-read Clare's novel, it felt as if I was reading it for the first time!

Firstly, I adore Cassandra Clare's writing style and the Shadowhunter world that I had been introduced to in The Mortal Instruments, so I went into this book with a positive attitude and high hopes.

Let me tell you, this novel met and exceeded my expectations!

My absolute favourite things about Clockwork Angel are the characters and the dialogue between them. Cassandra Clare is so great at bringing the characters to life, making them feel three-dimensional and real. As well as this, the 'banter' adds a touch of hilarity to the book. In particular, Will had me laughing with just one smooth line or joke. Furthermore, the back-and-forth between Jem and Will is awesome! I wish that I could experience a friendship like theirs because they would do anything for each other and are willing to sacrifice themselves for their parabatai. As well as this, Tessa is such a great protagonist! Tessa is everything I look for in a main (female) character. She's headstrong, persistent, brave, willing to stand up for herself and most importantly, she adores books. I'm sure you can all agree that relating to a character in a story is the best feeling, so reading about Tessa's love for books made me so happy! 

However, even though these characters are great, there are a great number of similarities between them and the main characters from The Mortal Instruments - which is fine, I guess, but something I thought I should point out. For example, Tessa is similar to Clary, Will is nearly exactly the same as Jace (particularly in terms of their great looks and witty, sly humour and their dark secrets), Jem and Simon would be brothers or best friends and the villain (who I won't spoil) in TID is very similar to Valentine.

Cassandra Clare is quite honestly a romance expert! She is able to convey the chemistry between her characters, in this case she particularly focused on Tessa and Will, and Tessa and Jem. Clare knows how to insert small moments throughout her novels that truly hit you right in the feels! All of the characters in Clockwork Angel, rich in personality, complement each other perfectly, resulting in a well-rounded read.

Furthermore, the plot itself is quite interesting. One thing I love about this book is that Clare answers enough of your questions to help you understand the story and where it's going, but still manages to create an air of mystery and keep you guessing, which means that the reader is gripped from start to finish. 

Beginning The Infernal Devices, especially after finishing The Mortal Instruments recently (review up soon!), has simply reminded me that I love Cassandra Clare's work! Her books are brimming with twists and turns, and each page evokes a whole range of emotions - one moment you're laughing, the next your screaming and then suddenly you're crying! But, no matter what you're feeling, you are on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Favourite Quotes:

• “It's all right to love someone who doesn't love you back, as long as they're worth you loving them. As long as they deserve it.” 
• “Sometimes, when I have to do something I don't want to do, I pretend I'm a character from a book. It's easier to know what they would do.”
• “Dreams can be dangerous things.” 

It doesn't matter if you haven't read or didn't like The Mortal Instruments, Clockwork Angel is a book that can appeal to Shadowhunters and mundanes alike.

Hi lovelies!

I created this blog a couple of years ago, but I think it's safe to say that I haven't really taken it very seriously. Sure, I'd post a few blog entries here and there, but particularly last year, I struggled to find the time to blog (thanks to school being so chaotic).

However, even though I'm going to be in my FINAL year of High School this year (ahhh!!), I've decided that it's time to truly take pride in Tyra's Bookshelf. So, whenever I'm busy with schoolwork, I am actually going to use blogging as a study break and take some time on the weekend or one night in the week to create a heap of posts that I genuinely love, and then post them sporadically throughout the week (maybe once or twice a fortnight? hopefully more if I'm not so busy?), instead of suddenly remembering that I haven't posted in a month in the middle of the night and then hurriedly creating a haphazard entry that I'm not 100% happy with! Luckily, in 2017, I have a few blog tours lined up and have even been in contact with some authors that have asked me to read and review their book - which is very exciting! I've also come up with some really awesome post ideas that I will be sharing with you guys this year! Stay tuned! (also, do you guys like my new header?)

*was given this book in exchange for an honest review - and that's exactly what I wrote!*

Goodreads | Amazon

This review has been a long time coming, however, today, I will be talking to you all about the up-and-coming novel: School Of Deaths by Christopher Maninno.

School Of Deaths is the first book in 'The Scythe Wielder's Secret' trilogy - a thrilling young adult series that encompasses both fantasy and adventure. Other reviewers have even compared this trilogy to Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Percy Jackson (three of my personal favourites).

Blurb:

Thirteen-year-old Suzie Sarnio always believed the Grim Reaper was a fairy tale image of a skeleton with a scythe. Now, forced to enter the College of Deaths, she finds herself training to bring souls from the Living World to the Hereafter. The task is demanding enough, but as the only female in the all-male College, she quickly becomes a target. Attacked by both classmates and strangers, Suzie is alone in a world where even her teachers want her to fail. 

As her year progresses, Suzie suspects her presence isn't an accident. She uncovers a plot to overthrow the World of Deaths. Now she must also discover the reason she's been brought there: the first female Death in a million years.

Review:

I'm a lover of all things fantasy - in fact, some of my most cherished books fit into this genre. The 'fantasy-themed' novels I usually read consist of werewolves, vampires, witches, wizards...and even the occasional Shadowhunter. So, I had certain expectations when I began to read this book, however, it ended up being nothing like how I imagined it.

In the best way possible.

Firstly, girl power is a consistent theme throughout this novel - which makes me, a self-proclaimed feminist and believer in equal rights for both genders, incredibly happy. Maninno created a protagonist - Suzie Sarnio - that is strong-willed, determined character that any girl, including myself,  can find inspiring and motivating. Suzie is unbelievably courageous, and I admire her ability to hold her own in a world where she is the only girl, and where she was mocked and scorned. Suzie being the only female, and being ridiculed because of it, actually eerily reminds me of the problems women in the real world have faced since the dawn of time.

From the very first sentence, I was hooked. "She wanted to scream, but no sound came. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't move. The hooded man grinned." Immediately these words made me ask questions, and straightaway, I knew this was going to be an interesting book.

Even though the situation that Suzie is in, as a student at the College of Deaths, is so out of this world, being looked down upon for who she was, and feeling alone, is something that I found quite relatable, which enhanced my enjoyment. As well as this, the way that Maninno built his world was effortlessly beautiful. Everything from the setting, to background history, and even the characters, was created in such a way that I could clearly delve into this story, and become truly enraptured.The College of Deaths was described in an amazing way, because made it in such a way that reminds you of your own world, however as you read on, Mannino weaves magic and fantasy through his description.

One of my favourite things about this book, was that it was quite reminiscent of Harry Potter. This is shown, for example, through the subjects at the College of Deaths reminded me of studying at Hogwarts, or the forbidden mountains where the Dragons live making me think of Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest. However, even though it still focuses on an area of fantasy that I have never really come across. The idea of being a Death was quite intriguing, and as Suzie uncovers why she had been taken to the "Gatehouse of the In-Between" close to the beginning of the novel, I too felt like I was discovering a part of the magical world that I hadn't considered. Through Maninno's writing, I felt as if I was Suzie.

Another character I loved as soon as he was introduced was Billy. "He was lanky but cute in a way. His eyes were brilliantly blue, like shining sapphires. The side of his lip curled up in a smirk, but deepened into a broad smile." That was the first description of Billy, and that was also the moment I fell in love - I mean, doesn't he sound gorgeous? I've always been a fan of a smooth-talking boy to drool over.

School of Deaths is a book like no other. It is a whirlwind of paranormality, adventure, mystery, girl power, and romance. If you are a fan of the genre of fantasy, no matter you're age, I highly recommend this novel! This novel is for people that like to read something a little out of the ordinary, and love intriguing surprises and good-old plot twists. If you read this book, you will be at the edge of your seat until the very end.

Favourite Quotes:

• "Every night the same nightmare. Every night she heard the laughter. The hooded man with a scythe. The feeling of complete terror"

• "This is the world between the World of the Living and the World of the Dead."

• "To fade is a good thing"

• "They expected her to fail, the only girl in a million years. She'd teach these boys something."

- Tyra xx

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It has been a couple of weeks since I posted on this blog, and I am so angry with myself! Anyway, I really hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and end to the year! I wish you guys all the best in 2016, can't believe a new year has already begun!

Oh. My. Gosh.
It has been nearly a month since my last blog post. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? I've been sick, been on holidays and been drowning in schoolwork, so it has been so difficult to actually sit down and write a blog post. Dear, oh dear, oh dear.

So, welcome back to my blog! Thank you for reading this, I'm sure heaps of people have bailed on me due to the lack of posts.

Today, I will be reviewing a book from one of the best series' I have read EVER:

I haven't had a lot of time to blog unfortunately, so today I'm going to share with you some quotes from a few Young Adult books that I've read! 

In Beacon Heights High, Nolan Hotchkiss is king. His charm, wealth and good looks are deceptively seductive, and many are the students whose lives and reputations have been ruined by it. All while Nolan continues to reign, unquestioned and undisrupted. Until now, that is.

Mackenzie, Ava, Julie, Caitlin and Parker seemingly don't have much in common. Each has their own friends, dramas and goals. But one thing they do share: they all have a deep hatred of Nolan Hotchkiss. And they all think it's about time he paid for what he's done. They come up with the perfect murder - a hypothetical murder, of course. It's all wishful thinking ... until they wake up one morning to find that their wish has come true. Nolan has been killed - in exactly the way they planned. The thing is, they didn't do it. So who did?