Review: Shadows in the Silence (Angelfire #3) by Courtney Allison Moulton

Source: Purchased / Personal Library
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: Already Released.
Number of Pages: 469 (Hardcover)


Description from Goodreads:

Your strength in heart and hand will fall. . . .
Ellie knows that the darkest moments are still to come, and she has everything to fight for:

She must fight for Will.
The demonic have resorted to their cruelest weapons to put Will in mortal danger, and Ellie makes an unlikely alliance to save him and to stop Lilith and Sammael, who seek to drown the world in blood and tear a hole into Heaven.

She must fight for humanity.
As the armies of Hell rise and gather for the looming End of Days, Ellie and her band of allies travel to the world’s darkest and most ancient regions in her quest to come into her full glory as the archangel Gabriel.

And Ellie must save herself.
Her humanity withers beneath the weight of her cold archangel power, but Ellie must hold tight to who she is and who she loves as she prepares for the ultimate battle for Heaven and Earth.

In this final installment in the Angelfire trilogy, Courtney Allison Moulton brings her dark world of epic battles and blistering romance to a blazing bright conclusion.

Right from the very beginning, I have absolutely loved the Angelfire trilogy. The characters, the story, the action, the writing...everything is so well done and always compelled me to keep reading!! As soon as I finished Shadows in the Silence, I quickly wrote up my raving review on Goodreads....and accidentally deleted it instead of posting it. I meant to rewrite what I could remember and post it right away, but I kept putting it off because of my classes. Today, I'm finally getting my butt in gear, and putting my notes back together to post my review. :)

I absolutely loved Shadows in the Silence!! Ever since I first read Angelfire, I have been a huge fan of Courtney Allison Moulton's writing, and of her characters! Ellie in particular is one of my favourite YA heroines! She's always ready to kick butt and never backs down from a fight. She also never lets someone else fight her battles for her, and I totally love her for that! And Will...I absolutely ADORE Will! He's such an amazing guy, and I just love every single thing about him! Right from the very start, he has definitely had my heart. I also LOVE Ellie and Will together!! They're one of those couples that immediately send me into fangirl mode because I just SHIP them so FREAKING much!!! They're PERFECT---absolutely perfect together in the best way possible, and I personally just wanted them to be together so bad and was constantly cheering them on!!
 
Along with Ellie and Will, the trilogy is full of other AMAZING characters, too! I loved seeing all of the characters grow. Ellie becomes so strong over the series, and I loved seeing her relationship with Will evolve. I also loved seeing Ellie getting to know her own history better, and it was always interesting to see what would happen when she'd have a run-in with some of the "darker" characters, like Cadan. ;)

I'm leaving out finer details because I don't want to spoil anything since this is the final book, but I definitely thought that Shadows in the Silence was a wonderful conclusion to the Angelfire trilogy. It had me incredibly worried at times, and I was definitely just as desperate as Ellie was during parts of it, but I was also excited to see what would happen next. I definitely thought that Shadows in the Silence lived up to the dynamics and intensity that I have come to expect from the trilogy, and the ending was so satisfying!!! There is nothing better than finishing a series, trilogy or standalone, and just LOVING how it all turned out, and I definitely felt that with Shadows in the Silence. It satisfied all of my questions, and it was an extremely enjoyable story!!

I loved Shadows in the Silence, and the entire Angelfire trilogy!! If you haven't started it yet, I wholeheartedly recommend that you do because it is amazing, and you won't want to put any of the books down! I loved the characters, the story, the action, the romance...absolutely EVERYTHING!!! I found the trilogy to be so exciting and intense, and also unique since it did come out around the time when Angel books were super popular! I was riveted with each word, and loved every single moment!!

What do you think?
Have you read the Angelfire trilogy?
And if you haven't, does it sound like a trilogy you'd like?

Review: Vanish (Firelight #2) by Sophie Jordan

 Source: Received an eGalley from NetGalley and HarperTeen.

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: Already Released.
Number of Pages: 304 (Hardcover)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.

---

Vanish takes off right where Firelight ends, and I mean that literally...and let's just say, it's an intense moment! I have been wanting this book from the moment that I finished Firelight...and when it popped up on Netgalley, I freaked out a bit...and when I was accepted to review it, I freaked out even more...and when I started it...well, I think you get the picture. :P I absolutely loved Vanish. :D

The characters...oh the characters. I loved Jacinda in Firelight, and I still loved her in Vanish. She's so feisty...and she's a real fireball...okay, even I admit, that pun was pretty awful, but...it's true! She goes for what she wants, and while she may be a bit selfish by not taking her family in account when she does things, she's so passionate that I usually don't mind. :P Her sister, Tamra, has a much bigger role in Vanish, and it was interesting to see her and Jacinda pretty much switch places. Then the boys, oh Will and Cassian...this is one of those series where I struggle to choose. I really do, they're both so amazing, and I do not envy Jacinda having to decide between them. :P The one positive thing about me liking both boys is that I'll be satisfied with whichever ones she ends up with though. haha

Onto the story itself. Vanish is so intense. One of my favourite parts was getting to see Jacinda fly. I love the flight scenes of these books, they're so vivid, and I can almost imagine what it would be like...almost because let's face it, I don't have wings so it's a big harder to picture, but that doesn't stop it from being so amazing to experience through her. :D I'm not going to tell you too much because I think it's hard to describe a middle book without giving too much away, but I will say that if you loved Firelight...you will love Vanish! At least, I hope you will because personally, I absolutely loved it. :D

I recommend this series to anyone who loves dragons, especially if you're a fan of reinterpretations of paranormal beings. Firelight is an incredibly unique series, and it brings a fresh new brand of paranormal entities to the table. It will keep you on your toes, and leave you craving more to read. :D

Have you started this series yet?
Just Firelight? Vanish, too? Or is this the first time you're hearing about it?

Also, what are your thoughts on dragons, and on reinterpretations of traditional paranormal creatures?

Review: Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire #2) by Courtney Allison Moulton

Source: Received an ARC from Harper Collins Canada for an honest review.

Publisher: Harper Collins / Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: January 31, 2012
Number of Pages: 528 (Hardcover)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined.
Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She’s been warned.
Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.

She’ll be betrayed.
Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.

---

Wowza! I loved the first book in this series, Angelfire, and Wings of the Wicked definitely managed to live up to the high expectations I had for it. I loved absolutely every moment of it! The crazy demonic reapers, the new angelic ones that we meet, Ellie's fierceness...and Will, oh I love me some Will! :D

At the beginning of Wings of the Wicked, you're thrust immediately into a killer action scene. Ellie and Will are battling some old demonic reapers...meaning they're seriously strong, and it is INTENSE! Yes, so intense that I totally put it intense all in caps, and the best part is that the intensity just skyrockets the further you get into the book!

One of the things that I loved most about Wings of the Wicked was that you see even more of Ellie's memories from her past lives. You learn about her past selves, and people that she associated with in her pasts. You even get to experience some Will and Ellie moments from her previous lives, which I totally loved. Along with Ellie's past, we learn some more about Will and his family. I'm a serious sucker for anything Will related, so obviously I loved that part...seriously, the boy just gets me every time! ;)

For all those Cadan fans, you'll be thrilled to know that he also makes some appearances in Wings of the Wicked, and I really enjoyed them. He and Ellie have some amazing banter when they're together. :) Bastian's also back, and he brings with him a bunch of powerful demonic reapers...like I said, it gets INTENSE!

I was incredibly impressed with Wings of the Wicked. Not surprised though--figured I would loved it--but I was impressed because Courtney has written a sequel that not only lives up to its predecessor but manages to build on to it in a way where you feel as if you've been with the characters for forever...it's as if you've lived some of their past lives with them. Also, I felt that the action was incredibly well done. It didn't go overboard, and it kept me completely hooked and absorbed in the story.

I love that this series is full of action, while still managing to maintain an emotional element that keeps you attached to the characters and their feelings. Throughout Wings of the Wicked I was kept on my toes. I was anxious about what would happen next, and I worried with the characters over things that happened. I was tormented when they were, and was drawn into their upward and downward spirals. I felt everything that they went through.

The fact that Courtney can make me feel so strongly over the things that her characters go through, while also creating such vivid action sequences, never ceases to amaze me. Once again I was blown away by her writing, and I can't recommend this series enough. If you haven't started it yet, seriously go out and get yourself a copy of Angelfire, and as soon as you can...get yourself a copy of Wings of the Wicked, too. This is one series you do not want to miss!


Here are some links to get the book if you want, and if you want to find Angelfire, these will at least get you to the websites. ;)

Purchase Links:
Book Depository: UK / US
Amazon: UK / US / Canada
Barnes and Noble

You can also find extras and more information about Wings of the Wicked on Harper Collins Canada Page: HERE. :)

Have you started the Angelfire trilogy yet? Thoughts?
If you have are you excited for Wings of the Wicked? Already read it?
Whatever your thoughts, I'd love to hear them. :)

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Review: Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare

Source: ARC sent by Simon and Schuster Canada for an honest review.

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Release Date: December 6, 2011
Number of Pages: 497 (hardcover)
(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends. 

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

---

I loved Clockwork Angel, and I have been waiting anxiously for Clockwork Prince, so when an ARC of CP turned up in my mailbox, I literally screamed and jumped for joy....I also had a smile on my face for at least a day afterwards. I immediately dropped everything and started reading...and I didn't stop until I finished.

Clockwork Prince is a remarkable story. It will hook you from the very first page, and will keep you in its thrall until its very last...it will also keep you guessing. I absolutely loved Clockwork Prince. As always, Cassandra Clare has delivered yet another beautiful (and addictive) piece of fiction. The characters draw you in even further into their story, and they will tear at your heartstrings. You may actually have to put the book down for a bit, just to compose yourself...I know I did.

This book had me in tears. It had me laughing, and above all it put a smile on my face. As heartbreaking as Clockwork Prince is, I cannot deny how much this book drew me in. I loved that I got to learn more about Will, so so much. I love Will, and just like I did in Clockwork Angel, through CP, I just wanted to give the poor boy a hug. He's been through so much, and I promise you that even if you didn't like Will in Clockwork Angel, you will like him after Clockwork Prince...and that will tear you up inside.

I may love Will, but I still like Jem, and I think it's fantastic that in Clockwork Prince you see a new side of him. A happier and more playful one. Cassandra Clare has mentioned that if CA was Will's book, CP is Jem's...well, I don't really think it is. I think Clockwork Prince showcases them both, and I think ultimately, that makes it more difficult for the reader, and for Tessa. Both boys are so remarkable...yes, Will, too! Seriously, read CP if you don't believe me. :P The fact that they are both incredible, and they are so close makes it hard for the reader, and Tessa...I'll let you read the book to see how all of that plays out...although, it definitely won't really be settled until Clockwork Princess, but the fact that they're both so amazing makes it heartbreaking. You love them both, or at the very least you love one and like the other, and either way you want them both to be happy...and for both boys to be happy something clearly has to change....okay, I'm stopping this train of thought now because I'm starting to tear up, and I really want to avoid spoiling anything.

I've waited a while to post my review for Clockwork Prince, and it wasn't because I didn't like it, because I loved it...it was because I was so tormented after reading it. I'm still heartbroken over this book. I can't think of it without wanting to burst into tears, or at the very least, lapse into silence and think for a very long time. This book will linger in your mind long after you've read it, and it will have you wishing for Clockwork Princess like you have never wished for anything before.

If you've already read Clockwork Angel, then I doubt I need to tell you to read this one, but if you haven't started this series yet, you seriously need to. The Infernal Devices is a fantastic series! It's addictive, it's fast-paced, it's steampunk, and it has unbelievably and inconceivably remarkable characters! Seriously, this book and this series have me gushing. If you ever decide to take my personal advice on a book or series to read...it should be this one. I can only say I'm serious so much in one review...but honestly, get started on this series. You will not be sorry! :)

Any takers? Are you a newbie to Cassandra Clare and want to start one of her series?
Have you read Clockwork Prince already? Were you heartbroken? Were you satisfied? Are you craving more stat?

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: Already Released

(Click this link to go to Angelfire's Goodreads page.)

Just reading blurbs about Angelfire, you get the sense that it is packed full of action. I can honestly tell you, those blurbs were right! Angelfire is action-packed, intense, and emotional...maybe not as emotional as I, or Ellie, would have liked, but still emotional. ;)

Courtney did a fabulous job weaving this story together, it’s fluid and so realistic. From the graphic fighting scenes to the raw emotions, Angelfire takes its readers on a roller coaster ride of an adventure. The folklore and all the bad guys in Angelfire were so hardcore! This book seriously had me on my toes constantly, and I wasn’t bored for a second. Plus they had crazy names, and I am a bigtime sucker for crazy names! haha

Along with the nonstop action and wonderful writing, I loved the characters in this story. Ellie’s progress was remarkable, and as the reader, we see her transform from someone who seems a little spoiled and slightly wimpy to someone so strong. Someone who would do anything to save the people she cares about and to fight against evil. And Will...oh Will, I think that most people who have read Angelfire will agree with me when I say that Will is simply delicious, and he fits mysterious, brooding, and sexy to perfection. His relationship with Ellie was one of my favourite parts of the book, their banter was awesome, and his devotion to her was probably one of the most beautiful things ever. I also loved the fact that he knew so much about her, their past went back so far, and I loved discovering little bits about it through Ellie’s flashbacks. :)

While Angelfire does revolve around Angels, I think that it is definitely one of the most unique interpretations of Angels that I’ve read in a long time. It didn’t have a cookie cutter plot, and while I was able to make guesses about what would happen next, it wasn’t in an obvious way. Angelfire was a fresh and exciting take on Angels and Demons, and I simply cannot wait to read the next book, Wings of the Wicked! :D

 

Goodreads Links to the rest of the series:

Wings of the Wicked --- 2nd book in the series.

Hymn to the Fallen --- 3rd book in the series.

You can get your own copy of Angelfire here:

Angelfire's been out for a while now, have you read it yet? If not, why haven't you? :)

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Source: My own personal copy.
(Click this link to go to Clockwork Angel's Goodreads page.)

As I've professed countless times, I love Cassandra Clare and the Mortal Instruments, so I was extremely excited to read Clockwork Angel. I loved the idea of different Shadowhunters in another time period. The fact that some of the characters in Clockwork Angel, and in the upcoming Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess, are related to characters in the Mortal Instruments series is pretty freaking awesome too. I'm very excited to see Cassandra Clare's family trees once she's finished both series. I love that there are people that we will recognize in the Infernal Devices Trilogy, and I'm excited to see future references to the newer characters from this series in the Mortal Instruments. :D

I absolutely loved Clockwork Angel, and I think that most fans of Cassandra Clare will too. There's a boy for everyone to love in this series, and once again Clare has written a truly remarkable heroine. Tessa is a booklover, so she's extremely easy to relate with, and she's also just discovering the world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders, but I won't spoil it and tell you from what perspective (Mundane, Shadowhunter, Downworlder, etc.). We learned a lot about things through Clary in the Mortal Instruments, but with Tessa we learn even more. She's incredibly curious, and asks tonnes of questions, which I loved...because I totally would've been asking the same massive amount of questions. I love Tessa, she's an amazing character, and I can't wait to get to know her even better in the future books! :)

Oh the boys in this book were just amazing too! I love the boys that Cassie writes! Jace is my number one fictional crush, and the boys in Infernal Devices definitely gave him a run for his money. Will and Jem couldn't be more different, yet they're best friends, somehow that makes both of them way more awesome than they are apart. After all...who doesn't love a good bromance! Will is clearly the bad boy of the series, while Jem is the sensitive, quiet type. The fact that Jem cares so much for Will immediately made me assume that he was amazing because otherwise Jem wouldn't care about him so much, and vice versa for Will. Will doesn't seem to love anyone, but he loves Jem, which then made me think that Jem was also amazing. The further I got into the book, the more their awesomeness grew. I'm a huge Jem fan, but Will totally stole my heart. What can I say...I'm a sucker for a sarcastic, and hot guy who obviously has a torrid and disturbed past. And MAGNUS! I love Magnus, and I was so excited when I got to the part in Clockwork Angel where he popped up!

Once again, Cassandra Clare has created some amazing characters that I immediately fell in love with! I'm so excited to get to know them even better as the rest of the trilogy unfolds. :D

Here are a couple of links for you:
Cassandra Clare's Livejournal
The Mortal Instruments Website

Here are the Goodreads pages for the rest of the Infernal Devices Trilogy:

Clockwork Prince

Clockwork Princess

You can get your own copy of Clockwork Angel here:


Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur