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Kyera (8 KP) rated Lady Midnight in Books

Feb 1, 2018  
Lady Midnight
Lady Midnight
Cassandra Clare | 2016 | Children
10
9.0 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
I do not discuss any plot points in my review, so you will not be spoiled.

While the Dark Artifices may not be my favourite Shadowhunter series, I believe it is the most well written thus far. It is difficult to accurately judge, as this is only the first book in a trilogy but the more that Cassandra Clare writes – the better a writer she becomes. Her books have always been fantastic but Lady Midnight just felt like another step up. Cassie has clearly grown as a writer and storyteller over the years, which gives me so much hope for all her future Shadowhunter novels.

While it is possible to come into the Shadowhunter Chronicles with Lady Midnight as your first book, I would not suggest it. The Mortal Instruments is fantastic for that, as we follow Clary a girl who discovers that there is more to the world than the mundane life she thought she knew. The world building in that first series really lays the groundwork for Cassie’s entire Shadow World. Even in the Infernal Devices, we mainly experience the Shadow World through the eyes of Tessa who has also not grown up with the knowledge of who she is. That is the first aspect that makes Lady Midnight so different from the previous two series – our two main characters Emma and Julian have grown up as Shadowhunters.

I felt that there was less world-building overall for the Shadow World, but that’s not to say that the world building in this novel wasn’t fantastic as can be expected from Cassandra Clare. The politics of the Clave and the Downworld, the role of the Shadowhunter and the world that they live in have been brilliantly described over the course of the novels that Cassie has written. It is for this reason that I feel that while it is not necessary to read the Infernal Devices or the Mortal Instruments before reading the Dark Artifices, I would highly recommend it. You won’t necessarily understand the history or the events that led up to Lady Midnight as well as you could. There are also spoilers from the previous series and character cameos that you won’t appreciate as much unless you read the previous series.

The world building the Los Angeles itself and the new aspects that Cassie writes about the Shadow World, like the Shadow Market, are absolutely fantastic in this book. With each book she writes in the Shadowhunter World, she continues to build and develop this immersive experience that is like no other. Her words are vividly descriptive and paint the image of the world in your mind. It is what makes her such an incredible writer and one of the reasons that I love her books so much.
Lady Midnight takes place in Los Angeles, the Institute that has been the home of the Blackthorn children for their whole lives. Our main characters, Emma and Julian are parabatai which makes for a nice change to the point of view that we have experienced before. You learn a lot more about the parabatai bond and its potential in this book.

With Helen exiled to Wrangel Island and Mark taken by the Hunt, Julian has had to raise his brothers and sisters for the last five years. This forced him to grow up a lot faster than he would have otherwise and changed him in various ways. He loves his family more than anything else in the world and would do anything for them, even if it meant crossing a line. That ruthless heart, willingness to betray, and capacity to lie was learned after the Dark War. Those were not traits that he had prior but were forced upon him when everything changed and the Clave tore his family apart.

Emma has made it her life’s mission to discover who killed her parents at the end of the Dark War and why. That mystery has defined her every day, pushing her to train for hours at a time, run along the beach to get faster and turn her into an incredible Shadowhunter. She is also very sassy, quippy in conversations and the midst of a battle, which reminds me a lot of Jace.
The other characters we spend time with throughout the book are Julian’s siblings: Ty, Livvy, Dru, and Tavvy; Cristina; Diana and Malcolm. Diana has a lot of secrets, which I’m sure we’ll discover over time, but she’s the character we end up knowing the least about. Beyond being their tutor, not wanting to take over the Institute and supposedly taking her travel year in Thailand, I can’t tell you anything about her.

It was nice to see the Blackthorn children grow and develop from how we knew them in the Mortal Instruments to this series. Their familial relationship and interactions were authentic and heartwarming. You fall in love with them, just like you do with Cassie’s other characters and understand Julian’s plight.

Cristina is a Shadowhunter from the Mexico City Institute who decided to spend her travel year in Los Angeles. It was nice to get to know her because we don’t always get to experience or hear from Shadowhunters from other Institutes. I really enjoyed her addition to the Blackthorn family (plus one) and the dimension she added. Plus, her backstory created a connection to the Scholomance and the Centurions which are going to add even more world building to the Shadow World we know – and I can’t wait to see more of it.

Malcolm is the High Warlock of Los Angeles and although his personality is very different, you immediately like him. He’s more playful and childlike at times than Magnus but seems to really care for the family. After falling in love with Magnus in the Mortal Instruments, and Catarina Loss to a lesser degree in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, I wanted Malcolm to be the next warlock character I loved.

There is so much betrayal in this book that I could never anticipate what was going to happen next. It doesn’t just come from those you would consider “bad guys” but Shadowhunters, crooks and those with broken hearts alike. Cassandra Clare is the Queen of plot twists, fantastic character development and astounding, emotional rollercoasters in her books – and this was no exception.

Lady Midnight was a fantastic read that made me fall in love with the Shadowhunter World all over again or more than I was before? It’s unclear. Either way, I adore this book and I actually think that I enjoyed it more the second time through. I would also highly recommend a re-read prior to Lord of Shadows because the novel is so packed full of incredible character development, world building and plot that you will appreciate its sequel more if the story is still fresh in your mind.
  
Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
2015 | Horror
Some very creepy moments (0 more)
No attempt to explain the background of ... anyone really (1 more)
No Rose Byrne
"Chapter 3" is a prequel to the first 2 Insidious films and follows a young girl, Quinn attempting to contact her dead mother, who eventually calls in the help of Elise Rainier (a former psychic who since her husband passed away has become a weird cat lady, played by the weird dog lady from There's Something About Mary), a key character of the first 2 films.
Quinn thinks her mother is attempting to respond to her and wants help breaking through, but after she is hit by a car, breaking both legs, she starts to realise it isn't her mother trying to contact her.
The demon in the film clearly has a backstory (tar footprints, breathing apparatus in his mouth, hospital gown) but there is no attempt to explain this at all. One of the best bits of the second film was the exposition of the demon haunting Josh his whole life and what he had been in life. That is completely absent here. Fan theories abound on the internet but these all seem like nonsense and clutching at straws.
This in itself is a half-decent horror film, there is enough atmosphere and the acting is (in places) decent, but for me was quite a disappointment based on the first film (and to a lesser extent the second chapter). It just be me being grumpy having paid for this film (despite having Sky Cinema, Netflix and Amazon Prime) and didn't feel like I got my £3.49 worth, but I felt a little disappointed at the end.
There was an annoying little teaser at the end of the film where the main demon from the first film appears. This was a bit "Prometheus" as it kind of felt like a prequel but didn't really make sense, and Elise seeing this demon should have meant she was expecting it in the first movie, which didn't quite sit right.
There was a similar teaser at the end of the second film which bore no relation to this film, so plenty of pressure on 2018's conclusion to tie up the loose ends!
  
Some Sunny Day
Some Sunny Day
Madge Lambert | 2018 | Biography, History & Politics
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Full review on www.diaryofdifference.com

Some Sunny Day was one of those books that go slowly, and tell a story of another times, reviving memories and emotions. A story of a lady that is sent to India to take care for the British Soldiers in the Second World War.

A beautiful memoir, full of lively descriptions that make the scenes more realistic. A powerful story of love, bravery, tragedy, sacrifices and hope.

Madge is a character that all people can relate to. Even though a nurse, and sent to another country, Madge is also a lady just like any other, capable of making decisions, mistakes, fall in love, lose the people she loves and hope for a better future.

A very relatable and non-distant character, too realistic for our own good. I loved her so much, and I was eager to know her story.

The pace, however, for me, was too slow. It took me a while to finish this book, and I stopped reading it two times before I finally finished it. The line between this being a great read and a DNF was very thick. That is why a few of my stars have to go away.

I love memoirs, I love stories behind the scenes of wars. Being born and growing up in the Balkans, this is something that triggers us very close to the heart. Being taught in school to protect each other, and living with our father’s stories of how they went and served in the army is something we can all relate to, and respect all these people that are ready to give their lives for a country.

Those were times when I couldn’t have been easy at all, being away from your family, your loved ones. Hard times not only for the people serving the army, but also the people at home, that miss them and pray for them every single day.

What are we all fighting for? How can war bring peace?

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, for providing me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
  
Mermaids Singing
Mermaids Singing
Dilly Court | 2018 | History & Politics, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
See below...
Contains spoilers, click to show
Okay so I finished this book a few nights back but it's taken me until now to be able to write my review down.
I really enjoyed it, couldn't put it down and it has good plot lines that make you NEED to know whats next. You really start to root for most characters and loathe the others. Theres plenty of twists that are completely unexpected, which in some cases you can see a twist coming a mile off so thats a plus.
The reason I put that this contains spoilers is because of how I felt at the end, resulting in my rating only being a 7.
The ending is frustrating!!! I know some writers write their books in sequences (Rosie Goodwin: Days of the week, Annie Murray: Birmingham, Narrowboat Girl etc) so when i reached the ending (AT 1AM BECAUSE I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN) I assumed it had a sequel. IT DOESNT. So many questions, so many plot lines left unfulfilled. For example, Bella was in love with her step son Edward but he is now married and his father dead. The new Lady Mableton wants to adopt Bellas daughter after discovering she cannot have children and wants an heir to the mableton estate, she will stop at nothing to get this child. Kitty tries her hardest to get hold of Bella after she ran off to be with a man she was sold to when she was younger whom she thought was awful (dont even get me started) you never find out if Bella gets contacted!! Her daughter is left with her mother who says she will not let Lady Mableton have her granddaughter under no circumstances. THATS THE END OF THE BLUMMIN BOOK?!! How do they stop this woman from getting the child? Does bella and her beau come back and save the day? Does Edward put a stop to it? Also will Bellas mother (who was known to not be a very nice woman) give the child over at a price, since it would be of character?
DILLY COURT - PLEASE WRITE A SEQUEL AAARGHHH.
  
Confessions of Doctor Dream and Other Stories by Kevin Ayers
Confessions of Doctor Dream and Other Stories by Kevin Ayers
1974 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

Lady Rachel by Kevin Ayers

(0 Ratings)

Track

"I’ve always had a soft spot for those artists that came out of the sort of psych-folk scene in Canterbury in the late ‘60s, but of all those performers Kevin Ayers is probably my favourite. “‘Lady Rachel’ has a real Englishness about it, which is kind of alien and almost exotic to me, because it’s a place I don’t really know much about; I never lived there. There’s something so far removed about the way he sings and pronounces words, like he’s from some far-off land. It feels like it’s come from the world of King Arthur and Alice in Wonderland and maybe a little bit of Mary Shelley or something. It’s a little bit Victorian and again, the themes are dark - it suggests death in the water. I liked that section of the ‘60s, where the psychedelic stuff was becoming a little bit more playful and wacky. “I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get really obsessed with songs and hunt down every version I can find of it. With ‘Lady Rachel’ I always felt like no one take of the song completely captured everything that was good about it; instead, each version captures one element of what I loved about it. The one that ended up on the album, Joy of a Toy, is really full and rich and very produced, but it’s played too fast and it loses a bit of the suspense - that glittery other-worldliness that gets lost in the speed of the performance. “There’s an amazing rendition of it that he did on The John Peel Show in 1973. Again, it’s a really beautiful version but there’s just this one line where he kind of steps out of character - he says “at least not very much!” in this kind of dorky, jokey voice and it undermines the mood of the rest of the song. It’s like going to see a play, getting to a critical moment and then the lead actor turns to the audience and says, ‘Hey, everyone - I’m actually just an actor.’ I’m always going, “Oh, man! Why did you do that?” Anyway, what the fuck am I doing, chasing perfection in music"

Source
  
The Viscounts's Christmas Temptation
The Viscounts's Christmas Temptation
Erica Ridley | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
☆☆☆☆

– Character/ Story Development
X Enjoyed Reading/ Would Reread
X Plot
X Grammatical Errors
X Overall Story

Review: This little novel is what every feminist wants to see in a romance book. My wittle feminist heart was so blown away with the story line and how the roles were kind of reversed. Lady Amelia Pembroke is in charge and running her household, single and getting to the ripe ole age of being too old to be appealing to any man. Yes, this is set back in the early 1800’s so not quite 100% a feminist novel. But there are many parts that are!

I’ve never really been a fan of historical romances but The Viscount’s Christmas Temptation has really brought about a new love for a new genre! This novel was short, simple, and all around sweet. I was left wanting more and more with each turn of the page and I fell in love with Lord Sheffield every darn time he came into the picture. He stole my heart just as fast as he stole Lady Amelia’s.

The only thing that I have against this cheesy novel, is that there wasn’t really any story or character development/ background. But it also worked really well for this story.

Reasons why I rated it 4 stars:
1. No character development
2. Story was amazing and easy to get into.
3. Background on the characters was non-existent.
4. I enjoyed the romance between the main two characters.
5. The novel had a bit of a feminist feel to it, which is really nice to see in this romance style.

“We should go,” he said gruffly, his face inscrutable.

“Why?” Her heartbeat thundered. She gripped his arms tight to keep herself from twining her own about his neck.

He lowered his mouth to her ear, brushing it with a feather-soft kiss. “It isn’t safe.”

Her answering shiver had nothing to do with the cold. She had never stood so close to any man, had never fought the urge to press herself even closer.

“What could happen?” she whispered.

He cupped her face in his hands. “Anything.”
  
Chesapeake Crimes: Fur, Feathers, and Felonies
Chesapeake Crimes: Fur, Feathers, and Felonies
Various Contributors | 2018 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Criminally Fun Animal Inspired Short Stories
This latest collection of short stories from the members of Sisters in Crime Chesapeake Chapter features 13 tales, or is it tails, involving animals. Yes, there are lots of dogs and cats featured, including a murdered crazy cat lady, a story about a dog getting into trouble with his human, and a movie stars famous dog. But we get some unusual animals, too, including an octopus and exploding cows.

As with any collection, there were a couple of stories that weren’t to my taste. But I would then find I loved the next one. And when each story takes less than 30 minutes to read, you aren’t committed to something you don’t like for very long. For short stories, the characters were well drawn, and each story featured at least one twist with longer ones features a few more surprises. While a couple stories trend a little darker, there are some light, very fun stories in the collection as well. Truly, there is something here everyone will enjoy.
  
Smartly written, highly engaging, totally unputdownable - I love this book! Seriously, it's not often that a book will so capture my interest in the first page that I don't put it down for seventy pages (regrettably), and when I next pick it up, keep reading until it's finished - at 509 pages too!

Deanna Raybourn did a wonderful job bringing the characters and Victorian setting alive, and in a fairly realistic fashion. The only iffy thing was how easily it was accepted that Portia was a lesbian. I know that the March's are a peculiar and unconventional bunch, but still. All the 'gay' plotting felt too modern to me and that's my only beef with the book, not that I overly minded it (just enough to mention it :P). The way the story unfolded was seamless and fitting with the atmosphere of the mystery. Lady Julia was a wonderful character and it really is amazing how well everything was brought to life using a first-person narrative. I am looking forward to the next installment and know that won't be enough of these characters!
  
TH
To Hell With Love
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I seriously do not even know what to say about this piece of work. It's a rare and special day when you run across a romance novel where the male protagonist is death/devil/Hades. They are personal favorites of mine. So you can imagine I snatched this one up as soon as I saw it. I am glad I only dished out $2 for it.

The plot is as thin as wet tissue and more boring than watching mud dry. Every page was obvious and expected, the obstruction between the protagonists was blaring, and it was just very...bland. I will give the author credit for knowing how to write and tell the story she wants to tell. However, I must deduct points for the lack of creativity. I wanted so much to be wowed or at least enjoy the novel, but instead I felt like this would be a the love story about death and his lady as written by a high school freshmen, still dewy eyed.