This was a surprisingly good read. I went into this just knowing about a boy asleep in a coffin and expected some sort of Snow White retelling. I had no idea that there were fairies and terrifying monsters! The book definitely kept me on my feet (I couldn't put it down at times and ended up reading as I was walking, which I don't recommend!). If you're not into fairies, I highly recommend reading this book. It's not what you would expect. I'm not generally drawn towards books centred around fairies and folklore creatures, but this was an interesting and dark twist!

4/5 stars

Don't listen to the people who say this book is a Harry Potter knock off! This book was incredible! Everything I was looking for in a book. I'm so glad I went into this with low expectations, because it ended up surprising me multiple times!!

Highly recommend! 4.5/5 stars

3.5/5 stars

I don't ever read graphic novels, but I did enjoy this one. I read it through overdrive so it didn't have the same effect as if I read the physical book, but the graphics were still amazing!

The end with Anda's mom agreeing for her to rejoin the guild was a little hard to believe especially considering she didn't even know what Anda had been doing to prevent bullying, but overall the story was cute and short and really helped me get out of this reading slump.

3.75/5 stars

I really did enjoy this book, but not as much as City of Bones. The whole Jace and Clary thing really bothered me. It seemed like the main focus of the plot and just made me mad. It felt unrealistic. I think in most cases finding out you kissed your own brother/sister would completely drive away any feelings you had for each, but this wasn't the case. Then adding Simon into the picture and it was just weird, especially the "bedroom make out scene" where Clary is all like "kissing Simon is comfortable"??? Her character seems inconsistent. At times she can be assertive and speak her mind and at other times she just goes with what others tell her. She also makes really rash decisions and at times she is quick to catch some important piece of information, and at other times she's completely oblivious. I did think the scene when she called Luke her father was heartbreaking and I definitely felt my throat swell up (I don't cry when I read books). Alec also annoyed me a little in this book. For a good 3/4 of it, he didn't do much except hide the fact that he's gay and dating Magnus. There wasn't a lot of character development for him until the end of the book during the battle on the ship, but at the same time I wasn't sure if his bravery was due to the fearless rune or something else. Isabelle was also a disappointment. Her character was pretty much non-existent and she didn't have much character development either. What redeemed this book was definitely Valentine. I hate him with a vengeance, but he's just so good at making me hate him that I can't help liking his character. His storyline and plot throughout the book really kept me going and wanting to find out more. He's evil and messed up and also unpredictable and it makes the story really interesting. Also the entire time I was picturing Alan van Sprang as him and it just works so well!!

Still plan to continue with the series, but might take a break and reading something a little different :)

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I went into it thinking that I would probably not end up finishing it, but it really grabbed my attention right from the beginning. I definitely plan to read more urban fantasy, now that I've had a little taste of the genre.

I love Cade's character. He's smart, strong, a good leader and well-spoken (?). I guess that's mostly due to the writing (which was really well done), but I love how he describes the tactics and battle strategies so clearly and concisely. Definitely shows that the author did his research because everything felt so authentic and real.

What really grabbed my attention when I was looking at reading this book was the mix of history with urban fantasy. Being a history nerd, I really liked how Nassise brought the story of the Knights Templar back to life. For someone who was just getting into urban fantasy it was a nice transition and definitely made me want to read more. I think if I'd been introduced to vampires and werewolves, I might have been a bit less inclined to continue reading.

One thing that I wish Nassise had done was add more female characters. It's understandable that the Templars are all male because in history that was the case, but it would have been cool to see a few female Knights as part of this contemporary setting.

I did love how this wasn't a romance heavy book. It's a good change every once in awhile and it's nice to see character development that doesn't involved falling in love with someone and discovering who you are through the process.

Cade and Gabrielle's story definitely was the main driving force for the plot with Cade's constant search for vengeance. I really hope to see maybe a bit about Cade's past with Gabrielle and hopefully there is someway to save her.

Highly recommend, especially if you're new to urban fantasy!
4/5 stars

I don't even know what to say of this book. The majority of it annoyed me, especially the constant dodging of what actually happened. I understood that it was there to create a tense and a "what actually happened?" feel to the book, but it dragged on. The end though was so sad and terrible. I'm not sure if I would be able to live with myself if I was Cadence. That's literally all I can think of at this point.
I did enjoy the writing and I really connected with Gat more than any of the other characters.

3/5 stars mainly for the beautiful, almost poetic writing and the surprise factor at the end