Wow was that good! It was even better than book one!

I loved book one (which actually contains the first two volumes, Cycles and Unmanned), but, after reading it and thinking about it for a while, problems and possible plot-holes started popping up in my head. It's as if the book gods read my mind, magically made the second volume appear in the book store, and allowed me to read it and have all my doubts eradicated!

The story is developing so much now, and we're also being introduced to more really interesting groups of women. This book was so intense - I need the next one ASAP!

I enjoyed this book so much!

It's, in a way, 2 stories rather than one, and yet I found myself invested in both of them. However, I doubt I would've enjoyed Darcy's story nearly as much without being able to read the book she wrote, and gained so much more appreciation for Lizzie's story with a background on the process and influences behind it.

That being said, upon finishing it, I still felt that there was something missing, so I couldn't give it 5 stars. I still thoroughly enjoyed it though.

Normally books need to be somewhat unpredictable to hold my attention. Even though, while reading Animal Farm, I all throughout had the general idea of what was going to happen, it still kept me on my toes the entire time.

Having read 1984 already, I did notice that there were quite a few similarities and parallels, but I don't think that really took away from my reading experience.

Overall, this book was just brilliant. There's nothing more I can say about it.

Where do I begin.

Well, from my rating, I think you can see that I didn't like this book. A lot of the reasons for this were based on personal preference though.

1. Clary and Jace were annoying me and frustrating me almost the entire time.

2. Clary, in particular, I found really angsty and emotional - which, in itself isn't bad. I just didn't really appreciate how she gave into these emotions every single time, and didn't seem to even be trying to practice control. She got angry at people a lot for petty reasons, but the book just tried to make it come off as her standing up for herself and what she believed in, but, honestly, I just found it really selfish. Those sorts of actions should not be glorified.

3. There were actually quite a few elements of this book I did like. I liked the whole struggle to get the Nephilim to work together with the Downworlders, for one thing. Unfortunately, the love story ended up overshadowing the rest of the story at times.

4. It had plot-twists, but, for the most part, they weren't the type of plot-twists that were to my own personal taste. For me, they felt less "OMG MY MIND IS BLOWN" and more like a soap opera.

By the end up the novel I found myself skipping over paragraphs just to be done with it quicker.

That being said, I still gave this novel two stars, because, while it's not a book I personally enjoyed, I can see why others may love it. I guess Cassandra Clare and I just don't share similar tastes when it comes to romance, teenage angst and plot-twists, but I know lots of people enjoyed this book and this series immensely. It just wasn't for me at all.

For a book that I bought on a whim and knew nothing about going into, I actually ended up enjoying it!

I'm too lazy to organize my thoughts, so I'll just list them all down.

1. It was actually pretty difficult to put down, so I almost never did.
2. Even though it was somewhat predictable, I was still motivated to keep reading, because I was still curious about the reasoning behind certain things and how everything would tie together.
3. Even though it was somewhat cliche, it was in a fun way rather than in an annoying way.
4. Even though I never read Sherlock Holmes nor enjoyed reading Alice in Wonderland, I still enjoyed the references.

Overall, while this book wasn't outstanding by any means, it was still a really fun ride, and one that I definitely ended up enjoying more than I thought I would originally.

I actually really, really enjoyed this book!

It was so quirky and absurd, but in the most charming way! I felt like a child reading it, but, at the same time, I didn't feel like it was in any way shallowed or dumbed down. The whole time reading it, it gave me Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz vibes.

Overall I ended up liking this book so much more than I expected to, and actually really look forward to reading the next in this series!

Reading this graphic novel for me was such a unique experience. The story as well as the general atmosphere of this book were both just so different from what I usually read. It's a story that celebrates storytelling; in it are the tales from a world so much like our own, yet also so different. It's definitely one of those books I'm glad to have a physical copy of, because the illustrations and the book itself are just awesome to look at, and it's definitely a book I can see myself going back to and flipping through every now and then.

I'm thinking about giving this a 5 stars, but I'm still not sure. For now, I'll stick with 4.

That was actually really good!

There were quite a few things I liked about this novel. Generally though, I enjoyed it because it felt REAL. While reading it, I really felt like I understood Lucky. It was a very interesting experience, being inside his head. He has such a way of seeing things.

I also kind of like how, in the end, everything wasn't magically fixed - because, honestly, that's not how life is. Even though things weren't perfect in the end, they were better, and even though not everything was concluded, part of everything was. There was still some sense of finality, but accompanied with a sense of progress, a sense of things still being on the road to getting better.

Probably the only part of this novel I didn't enjoy so much was Ginny. I have a personal dislike for characters that toy with others' feelings or don't respect their own relationships.

Overall, it was such an experience though. It was definitely a novel I felt like I got something out of upon finishing.