Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare

Summary from Goodreads:

James and Cordelia must save London—and their marriage—in this conclusion to the Last Hours series from author Cassandra Clare.
Chain of Thorns is a Shadowhunters novel.

Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.

After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.

Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.

For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.

Review:

I’ve had a weird relationship with this series. I didn’t love the first book in the series. But, then I did LOVE book 2. And I guess I should own up to being an avid Cassandra Clare fan. Until this book, I’ve purchased all of the books when they come out. I love the characters and the shippy romances. And I love the shadow world where supernatural creatures blend with humans.

Sadly, the plot of book 1 of this series felt so recycled to me that I almost stopped reading Clare’s books. It was literally half taken from City of Bones and half taken from Clockwork Angel….without a lot of new ideas. But, then I still went and read the sequel and I was glad I did. I needed to read something comforting at the beginning of 2021…Maybe it was a Covid security blanket? Maybe it was just a lot better. I don’t know. And the plot had a serial killer and the characters grew on me. There was a love story with a ghost….And lots of LGBT love happening.

And then this book happened. Maybe for the first time in all of my history of this author, I found myself skimming whole sections of the book….It did not need to be 778 pages (with bonus chapters after that). Again, all of the love stories felt old. The fight scenes felt old. It took what felt like hundreds of pages for James to find his sister and for anything to actually happen. I almost stopped reading because it felt like the book needed an editor.

When stuff finally did start happening, it felt more like a filler book (a book 2 between installments) and less like a finale. There was a death in here that felt unnecessary, almost like the author felt like someone had to go. Everything just felt forced, like Clare didn’t want to be writing it. Even the cameos of beloved characters from the past didn’t feel authentic. Their voices just didn’t ring true to me.

And again, normally I’m a huge fan. This is the first time I didn’t purchase the book (and I’m glad). Maybe this series just wasn’t for me. And maybe I’m just done with the universe for now. I don’t know. I still love this world. And I’ll always have my old favorite books to go back to. But, this one gets a 6/10.

Lockwood and Co 5: The Empty Grave by Jonathan stroud

Summary from Goodreads:

Five months after the events in THE CREEPING SHADOW, we join Lockwood, Lucy, George, Holly, and their associate Quill Kipps on a perilous night mission: they have broken into the booby-trapped Fittes Mausoleum, where the body of the legendary psychic heroine Marissa Fittes lies. Or does it? This is just one of the many questions to be answered in Book 5 of the Lockwood & Co. series. Will Lockwood ever reveal more about his family's past to Lucy? Will their trip to the Other Side leave Lucy and Lockwood forever changed? Will Penelope Fittes succeed in shutting down their agency forever? The young agents must survive attacks from foes both spectral and human before they can take on their greatest enemy in a climactic and chaotic battle. And to prevail they will have to rely on help from some surprising--and shadowy--allies. Jonathan Stroud once again delivers a rousing adventure full of danger, laughs, twists, and frights. The revelations will send readers back to Book 1 to start the series all over again.

Review:

So, this is how a series is supposed to be end. I can’t really begin to put to words how epic this book was. It begins with grave digging in a booby trapped tomb. There’s visits to the realm of the dead, there’s HUGE battles with ghosts all over London. There’s teaming up with old enemies. There’s hints or romance, explosions, answered questions about this well thought out world, and one epic throw-down between Lucy and Ms. Fittes.

So much happens in this book, plot and suspense-wise, it’s hard to believe that the world-building and the character development continue to climb as well, but they do. Stroud is a master storyteller. He ties everything together, closes up loose strands of story you thought would go unnoticed, and circles back to concepts from book 1. To say I was impressed would be an understatement.

I felt like there were elements of the classic Children’s book heroes in here too.  I could almost see how Stroud was inspired by Philip Pullman, Rick Riordan, and CS Lewis. But, then he adds his own layer of darkness and creepiness that none of those others could do. This whole series has been a treat. The setting for these books has been so creepy and atmospheric. I’m glad Netflix picked up the story. And, the characters are just so real and believable, and flawed in just the right way.

I’m glad the finale didn’t sizzle out. It went out with a bang. I highly recommend these books to fans of YA, middle grade, fantasy and horror. They were fantastic. 10/10.

Lockwood and Co 4: The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud

Summary from Goodreads:

After leaving Lockwood & Co. at the end of The Hollow Boy, Lucy is a freelance operative, hiring herself out to agencies that value her ever-improving skills. One day she is pleasantly surprised by a visit from Lockwood, who tells her he needs a good Listener for a tough assignment. Penelope Fittes, the leader of the giant Fittes Agency wants them--and only them--to locate and remove the Source for the legendary Brixton Cannibal. They succeed in their very dangerous task, but tensions remain high between Lucy and the other agents. Even the skull in the jar talks to her like a jilted lover. What will it take to reunite the team? Black marketeers, an informant ghost, a Spirit Cape that transports the wearer, and mysteries involving Steve Rotwell and Penelope Fittes just may do the trick. But, in a shocking cliffhanger ending, the team learns that someone has been manipulating them all along. . . .

Review:

It’ been a while since I’ve written a book review. I’ve been focusing on my work and my art. But, considering how I’m moving again in just over a month, I need to get some reviews out, so I can start packing my books away again! It’ been a while since I read this book, so my mind is a tiny bit foggy on the finer details. I know I LOVED it. I honestly think this is one of my all time favorite middle grade series.

I remember being a little hesitant to start reading this book because Lucy branches out on her own…And so much of the magic in these books stems from the relationships between the characters.  However, this thankfully does not last long. And believe it or not the character with the most guilt trips for Lucy’s leaving is not Lockwood; it’s George! I love Lucy and George’s friendship so much. This book definitely had a strong focus on friendship and the bonds between all of the characters, and I was all for it. It reunites Lucy with her chosen family. It solidifies Holly as part of their team. And the skull becomes one of Lucy’s closest allies whether she wants to admit it or not.  Okay, I guess the details are mostly coming back to me…

I don’t remember a ton of the details about the ghost story/mystery plot. I do know the Fittes Agency got Lucy back involved with the team. And I remember the ending to this one. I wish I could say I was shocked by it, but I had my suspicions for a while about a whole bunch of things. Let’s just say I’m glad the characters are all more in the know by the end of this book, and it’s literally impossible not to jump from this book to the last one if you have them all in your possession.

This book was great for character development. It was was good for much needed answers. It was definitely great for setting up the plot for the final installment. I remember flying through this book despite being a little nervous about it. All in all I give it a 9/10.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

Summary from Goodreads:

n 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia's intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.

Review:

I’m so glad this book exists. I chose it for the February book in the Banned Books Book Club I started several months ago at my library. It’s currently the number 1 banned book in the country. So far, one member of the book club, which meets this Friday, came up to me and told me thank you for picking this book because she’d never have picked it up otherwise and now she feels like she understands some things a little bit better. Honestly,  feel like maybe I do too. I’m excited to talk about this book with a group of people from multiple generations.

There were things I related to. I remembered my first pap smear, and my first period. I remembered feeling like there were things everyone else seemed to know that I didn’t. And I remembered figuring things out about myself as I dated. This book has that ability to make you think back on your own experiences. And I can’t help but think how much harder my journey would have been if there were things I didn’t know about myself and my body, and I could’t find anyone like me in the books I was reading or the shows I was watching. I’m so glad Maia found eir tribe amongst what seemed to be really good, supportive friends.

One of my favorite parts of the book comes in the introduction of the version I was reading. ND Stevenson in November 2021 writes in the introduction, “At the time of writing this, parents in Texas and other states have pushed to have Gender Queer banned from school libraries. It’s not enough for them to rigorously restrict what their own children read, as my parent did; they insist that they have the right to make that choice for everyone. I understand -more,  I think, than they think I do -why they want this. It’s a last, desperate attempt to hammer an infinitely complex world into a small, unthreatening shape; to enforce a fantastical reality where challenging subjects simply don’t exist; to hole themselves up in a crumbling fortress as the the floods come in and let there own children pay the price.”

This book isn’t an instructional manual. It’s also not the typical graphic novel. It’s an autobiography of one person’s journey of self discovery. The book lets the world know that it’s okay to take time to figure out who you are, and it’s okay to be who you want to be. What better message is there?  I give this book a 10/10.

Lockwood and Co: The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud

Summary from Goodreads:

As a massive outbreak of supernatural Visitors baffles Scotland Yard and causes protests throughout London, Lockwood & Co. continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in exterminating spirits. Anthony Lockwood is dashing, George insightful, and Lucy dynamic, while the skull in the jar utters sardonic advice from the sidelines. There is a new spirit of openness in the team now that Lockwood has shared some of his childhood secrets, and Lucy is feeling more and more as if her true home is at Portland Row. It comes as a great shock, then, when Lockwood and George introduce her to an annoyingly perky and hyper-efficient new assistant, Holly Munro.

Meanwhile, there are reports of many new hauntings, including a house where bloody footprints are appearing, and a department store full of strange sounds and shadowy figures. But ghosts seem to be the least of Lockwood & Co.'s concerns when assassins attack during a carnival in the center of the city. Can the team get past their personal issues to save the day on all fronts, or will bad feelings attract yet more trouble?

Danger abounds, tensions escalate, and new loyalties form in this third delightfully terrifying adventure in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series.

Review:

I’ve had a weird journey with these books. I fell in love with the audio versions of book 1-2 on my very long road trip to Chicago with my husband and dog. We basically didn’t want to leave the car because we had to know what was going to happen next. Then sadly, after downloading book 3 on the Libby app, we found ourselves with a new narrator. We could not get into it! Why switch narrators? Why???? We get that these things happen, but sadly then we switched book series and  kind of somehow forgot about this series until I saw a trailer for the show on Netflix!

I wanted to re-read from the beginning because reading the book is different than listening to the book while driving and some time had past. My wonderful husband gifted the whole series to me for Christmas. It was my goal to finish all of them before the show came out…..That did not happen. I finished the first two, which I had already listened to. Then,  watched the show, which thankfully only covered the first two books. And I have to say, I was mostly impressed with Netflix… hope they keep making more.

Now, I’m finally up to book 3, a story that’s totally new to me, and I think this is my favorite in the series so far. SO much happens in it that I feel like I’m still wrapping my head around it all. Lucy’s powers grow even more. There’s a new girl in the group who’s an assistant who actually tidy’s up the house….more on this later. There’s definite romantic tension entering the plot. And there are several big jobs the characters go on, all of varying degrees of importance to the overarching plot. I also have to throw in that Lucy and the skull/ghost in the jar are developing a closer bond, which I find interesting and at moments hilarious.

The only element to these books that I don’t like is the ever slight element of sexism. When listening to them, I was confused about the time period. The sexism and maybe British turn of phrase made me think they took place decades ago, but nope. They take place today, just after a ghostly disaster took place. And maybe that ghostly disaster turned things in a negative direction for women? Like if girls aren’t fighting with swords to the death along with the boys, then they must be expected to clean houses? And maybe it’s just part of Lucy’s character, but I really hated the antagonism between her and Holly. It felt so icky….Like I kept wanting them to support each other, not put each other down….

All that aside, the plot in this book was the best so far. There really was never a good moment to put the book down. The suspense was crazy. There was an ending that kind of punches you in the gut. And I’m itching to start the next book already. Also, some of the ghost stuff was so creepy, I’m almost afraid for what Netflix can do with this. All in all, it gets a 9/10.

Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and artwork by Jason Griffin

Summary from Goodreads:

Prepare yourself for something unlike anything: A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now. Written by #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds.

Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop, in about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW.

And so for anyone who didn’t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you’ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.

Review:

I’m not 100 percent sure what I was expecting from this book, but WOW, this wasn’t what I thought it would be….This is better. It’s a quick read. I read the whole thing in one sitting. You kind of have to. It’s literally only several sentences long. And it’s kind of like one art installation in a museum. And you don’t want to skip any part of it. You want to experience the whole installation, the way it’s mean to be experienced, beginning to end….If that makes sense.

It’s about one black family experiencing the last 2 years, surviving Covid and racial injustices. And each page, each word makes you feel something. It’s not about making you re-live 2020-2021. Though, it might make you remember some things…It’s about this moment for one kid, one family. And it’s about the power of breathing, the power of oxygen.

I didn’t understand all of the art. Some of it made me scratch my head. Some of it is impossible not to understand. Some of it is just words on a notebook page. And some of it belongs in a museum. Maybe all of it. But together, this book not only captures the feeling of this moment in time, but it opens a window in a such a unique, beautiful way.

In all honesty, I have not allowed myself to think too hard about the last couple of years. I have lost people I care about. And I have found myself in this past month reading 2 books that have almost forced some self-reflection out of me (this one and Michelle Obama’s The Light We Carry) and I know I will at some point have to reflect and unpack some more.  I guess what I’m saying is if a book can pull this out of me, it’s a strong one. This book has the ability to make people reflect, feel, and communicate. I hope lots of people read it, talk about it, and reflect on it. I give it a 10/10.

Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas

Summary from Goodreads:

Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It's the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program.

It's not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the "greater good" that Bayt-Sajji's military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.

Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

Review

For a girl who grew up reading Tamora Pierce, this book jumped out to me right away. However unlike in Pierce’s novels, Aiza wasn’t penalized for being female and she never had to pretend otherwise. Instead, she pretended she was from a different background. She hid her tattoo that marked where she came from. There were other girls fighting for places in the military.

Still, the story was a familiar one. Aiza’s people were shamed and had stories being told that were not true. She had to endure falsehoods and hide things in order to be accepted. But, you also can’t help but love her. She’s a dreamer that flocks to other dreamers and she accepts everyone.  She works hard, trains hard, and fights for what she wants, despite all the obstacles in her way.

The graphic novels has many lessons in it. There are trials of friendship, propaganda, strength, and power. There’s also a sense of history and politics to everything. And when the group of fighters/dreamers/friends all truly come together for the right cause, everything is kind of magical.

I’m not sure the bad guy element needed to be in there. That was the one part that felt a little forced and too much like a typical cartoon story. I wanted something a little less cliche to go with  with everything else being so fresh. But, I get that there needed to be a conflict to get the characters away from what was happening….Oh well.

The artwork is stunning. It’s what really will draw the readers in. It’s what drew me in. The desert landscapes make for a unique background to the story. I would read a whole series that takes place here, just to see more. I hope more gets made. I give a 9/10.