The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu -- 350 pages
The Eldest Curses -- bk 1

Alec and Magnus are on their first vacation as a couple.  Both are hoping to take their relationship further.  However, their plans are ruined when rumors reach them that a cult is trying to raise a demon and somehow everyone believes Magnus is the leader.  Now, they must work together to clear Magnus' name and stop the cult.

I really enjoyed this book.  It both gives a look into Alec and Magnus' relationship and reveals more of Magnus' past.  It is a must read for those who enjoy the Mortal Instruments series.

 

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare - 768 pages
Mortal Instruments #6

Sebastian launches his final attack against the Shadowhunters and their allies.  The final book in the series is a good conclusion to this series.  I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels.  I'm looking forward to reading the next Shadowhunters series.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare - 536 pages
Mortal Instruments #5

Jace has disappeared.  While the Clave has stopped its search for Jace and Sebastian, his friends won't.  Clary has a plan to go with Jace and discover what Sebastian's plans are.  Meanwhile, the others are raising demons and angels in an attempt to figure out how to separate Jace and Sebastian without killing both of them.

This is the fifth of the Mortal Instruments series.  It was a great addition to the series -- advancing both character development and the over-arching plot.  I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the series.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare - 425 pages
Mortal Instruments #4

Things should be going great after the war with Valentine.  But everything seems to be going wrong.  Jace is having nightmares.  Simon is being attacked constantly and was kicked out of the house by his mother.  Alec is jealous of Magnus' past relationship with the vampire Camille.  Then they discover someone is trying to create demonic babies . . .

This is the fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series.  It is almost a reset of the series after the last book.  It introduces new characters and resets relationships within the series. 

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - 541 pages

Clary travels to Idris, the city of the Shadowhunters, in her quest to wake her mother from the coma.  Things are complicated when Simon is imprisoned by the Inquisitor and Valentine sends a spy into Idris to destroy its wards keeping the demons out.  Now Shadowhunters and Downworlders must work together or all will be lost as Valentine sets his final plans in motion.

This is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series.  It ties up the Valentine story arc.  I actually liked this book best in the series so far.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare - 473 pages
Mortal Instruments #2

Clary wished her life would go back to normal.  But what's normal now is her new life.  She's a Shadowhunter with a mother in a coma, a newly discovered brother, and best friend who thinks he's turning into a vampire.  Now her father is after the sword that is the second Mortal Instrument.

This is the second book int he series.  It furthered the story and added more depth to the characterizations.  A great entry in the series.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - 485 pages

Clary is amazed when she sees three teens killing another and nobody else does.  It seems that she is the only one able to see them.  Clary's eyes are opened to the world of magic and demons when her mother is kidnapped.  Now Clary must work with those three teens to discover what is going on and to rescue her mom.

This is the first book in the Mortal Instruments series.  It's a great start to the series.

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly fire by Cassandra Clare - 729 pages
The Mortal Instruments - book 6

Sebastian has kidnapped the Downworlder representatives to the council in hopes of causing strife between the Downworlders and the Shadowhunters.  So Clary, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Simon set off to rescue them from Hell itself.

This is the final book of The Mortal Instruments series.  I thought it was a good ending to the series.  You could tell that there was a fair amount of set up for the next series which I look forward to reading.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare - 535 pages
The Mortal Instruments - Book 5

Jace has disappeared and seems to be working with Sebastian.  Even worse, they are tied together so that what hurts one hurts the other.  Clary must use all her resources and smarts to save Jace and stop Sebastian.

This is the fifth book of The Mortal Instruments series.  It definitely kicked up the suspense and evil.  A great addition to the series.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - 541 pages
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare - 424 pages
The Mortal Instuments series: books 3 & 4

These two books continue the story of Clary, Jace, Simon and the other Shadowhunters and Downworlders as they continue their fight against Valentine and fight a new villain.  I'm continuing to enjoy the series.  They are very enjoyable and quick to read.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare - 487 pages
The Mortal Instruments - book 2

Things are getting more complicated for Clary and Jace.  Jace is being accused by the Shadowhunters of being a spy for Valentine.  Clary's mother is in a coma at the hospital.  They still have feelings for each other even after their father Valentine revealed they were siblings.  And now Valentine is raising an army of demons in preparation for attacking the Nephilim.

This is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series.  I read the first book over a year ago but never read the rest of the series.  After listening to the short story collection The Bane Chronicles I decided that if I liked the short stories set in that world then I would probably like the regular stories as well.  Turns out that was correct and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan & Maureen Johnson - 507 pages

This is a collection of short stories about the character Magnus Bane from Cassandra Clare's series' The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.
I listened to this on audio and found it a lot of fun to listen to.  Each story is narrated by a different British author.  I found this approach interesting and enjoyed listening to all of the narrators.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone to listen to.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - 507 pages
The Mortal Instruments - book 1

Clary is shocked to see three teens kill someone at Pandemonium Club in New York City.  The next night her world is turned further upside down when she goes home to find her mother gone and a demon waiting for her.  One of the teens from the previous night -- Jace -- rescues her and brings her to the Institute.  It is a place for Shadowhunters -- those who fight demons, vampires, werewolves and other creatures.  Turns out her mother stole a powerful Mortal Instrument - the Mortal Cup - and Clary must find it to find her mother.

I read this book after seeing the movie.  While the movie was okay, the book includes a whole lot more than the book did.  I was confused from the book as to why Clary would like Jace.  He spent his whole time being rude and arrogant towards her.  At least in the movie he had a few redeeming qualities.  I did enjoy the book and look forward to reading more books in the series.

"Die For Me" by Amy Plum

"Die For Me" by Amy Plum, 344 pages
Book 1 of the series

Kate and Georgia have moved to Paris, France, to live with their grandparents following the death of their parents. Georgia is a heavy party girl and expresses her grief by continuing her party lifestyle. Kate is more of an introvert and grieves silently in books, museums and French cafes. One day, she meets a stranger who just happens to be immortal. Obviously there is something more there and within a few chapters they are deeply in love. Never mind that she sees him do some amazing inhuman things as well as witnesses his friend die and come back to life. She's in love and although she freaks for a few pages, she decides he's worth it and absolutely nothing else matters. As Gomer Pyle would say, "Surprise! Surprise!" This novel while well-written smacks loudly of "Twilight" meets the "Mortal Instruments" series. However, I have to give credit for the storyline behind the immortality. It was very creative. I also like how the writer brought Georgia into the story though the book is told in first person by Kate. In a nutshell - Kate falls for "Mr. Right", Georgia falls for "Mr. Wrong." What happens when two sisters who are very close date very different guys who happen to be immortal enemies? You'll have to read the series to find out.