Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell

Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
Release Date –  December 28 2010
Publisher Website –  Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages -  310 pages
My Rating- 2.5/5
**obtained from the library**

**************MILD SPOILERS******************

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Terrell delivers the first book in a dark, edgy new angel series about a girl drawn into an ancient conflict that threatens everything she knows, even the life of the boy she loves.

Fallen Angel offers an interesting perspective on angel mythology, however the characters were hard for me to relate to.

Ellie and Michael are the main characters in the story. Two teenagers who begin to suspect that they may be something more than human. I feel we did not get to know the characters that well. I could barely picture them, and I wish they had been developed more. This made for a disconnect that was prevalent throughout the entire book.

I really liked that Ellie and Michael are both equal. They both are going through the same thing, and they are both supernatural. Too often we read of the supernatural being in love with the human (or vice versa) so it was nice to see it from a perspective that we don’t often get to see. It made the relationship seem more natural, even though it happens very quickly.  The relationship is intense, passionate and consuming for both of them, and as with most YA novels there is an underlying element to the attraction.

The relationship between Ellie and her best friend Ruth seemed a little awkward and strange at times. Ruth was overly dependant on Ellie, scarily so. It could have been a interesting development to dive deeper in the psychological reasons behind Ruth’s behaviour, but it wasn’t fully dealt with or explained.

Fallen Angel has an really intriguing premise. The synopsis doesn’t give much away, but as I reading I could see the mythology the author wanted to incorporate. I though the Book of Enoch was a great touch, and wished that would have been explored more. The novel has a lot of vampire references and qualities.  Blood is a huge plot point, and the characters actually think they are vampires at first. Applying this mythology could have been very intriguing and unique, but in a way I felt the author really wanted to write about vampires. A large part of the book is Ellie and Michael trying to determine what they are and I feel the title gives it away to the reader. This made me less invested because I knew the end result.

While the promise of an interesting premise, and good mythology was there, I was hoping to dive deeper into the story. It left me vaguely wishing the novel focused on the angel aspect more. I do think the second book maybe stronger, and that a younger teen would enjoy this novel a lot more.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare *Spoilers for some of the series*

*There may be spoilers in this review. There will be spoilers for the first 3 books in the series*


City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare
Release Date – April 5, 2011
Publisher – Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages - 432
My Rating- 10/10


Here is the synopsis from GoodReads

City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.”

I will start this review with a brief disclaimer (it’s also at the top of the post and in the subject line) - there will be spoilers for the first 3 books here (and maybe some minor teases from this book). If you haven’t read the first three books you may want to wait and read this review after…also run to a bookstore and pick them up (and Clockwork Angel while you are at it). I will also say that this is going to a be a bunch of gushing.

I had been waiting to get my hands on this novel for what feels like forever. I went at lunch the day it was released to purchase a copy. Couldn’t wait to start reading. My expectations were so high…and this book did not disappoint. It met all my expectations and more.

Cassandra Clare’s talent as a writer was evident in the previous books, but I noticed that Clockwork Angel was on a whole other level. This book was also a step up from her previous work (which was already perfect). Her writing style, and pacing is perfection. I have to applaud how much she’s grown from book to book.

I was curious to know what was going to happen with Simon and the Mark of Cain that Clary put on him during City of Glass. I was so happy to see it addressed fully in this novel. I was surprised that we get to see what it means for Simon to have it and we are just beginning to see the effect it’s going to have on Simon’s life I expect. I was also surprised that we get to see what consequences there are for other choices Clary made in the previous novels.

One of the things I love about these novels is Cassandra Clare’s ability to weave in romance along the way and make it a seamless part of the story. The romance in this novel is sigh inducing and some of my favourite in literature. Jace and Clary are the main couple and novel is filled with cute, sweet dialogue, some angst, and heavy duty make out scenes. The Dirty Sexy Alley Scene lives up to it’s nickname and was SO hot. I fully believe that Clare writes some of the best make out scenes. Alec and Magnus are my favourite couple though. Magnus is my favourite character so that may have something to do with it. I loved the speech Magnus gives Alec towards the end of the novel. I was smiling so big and wanted to hug my book after. I enjoyed getting a reference to Clockwork Angel with Will Herondale being mentioned. It was cute to see Alec jealous and unsure because he cares so much. I was trying to gain some information about Will and if he was alive when this series takes place but nothing was given away (grumble). I like it that way. I want to be shocked in both series and that is something Cassandra does very well.

The twists/reveals/etc in this novel were genuine surprises. There was one especially that I never saw coming. I didn’t even think of it as a possibility and once I found out I was floored at how much planning and detail must go into writing one of these books.

We meet some characters that were not in the previous novels. Jordan, and Maureen are the two main ones that come to mind. They both had some what important roles in the story. They were nice additions and I am interested to see what happens with both of them in the next two instalments.

There is a tradition that these books end on insane cliff hangers and that they make the wait for the next one unbearable and this novel is no exception. The ending wrecked me, shocked me, and left me anxious about what is in store for us in the next two books. I do not expect it to be an easy journey and I am going to love every minute of it. What makes this series so great is that fact that I adore some of the characters. I care enough to be moved and impacted. I would much rather feel this than indifferent. It makes the novels even more fun to read.

This series is one of my favourites and I can not recommend it highly enough. Read it, you won’t be disappointed.

Epic Book Release Day...

Today I will be going to the bookstore and walking out with an amazing haul. April 5 has turned into a fantastic day for book lovers.

Cassandra Clare's 4th Mortal Instruments novel City of Fallen Angels is released today. It's one of the most anticipated novels of the year and I expect it to be a hot seller.

Here are some promotional videos that were released.

A cute video shot by Maureen (a new character in the novels). It's cute, and we get to see some of our favourites. View it here at EW.com

A second video discusses the making of the audio book. You get to hear Ed Westwick's sexy voice. It can be found here. (Again, from EW.com). I could listen to him read all day.

Also, Holly Black's Red Glove is released today. I have yet to read White Cat (must fix this immediately) but there is tons of buzz surrounding this sequel.

Also being released today is the first book in Kelley Armstrong's new YA series The Gathering. I had posted the trailer for the book here.

Lastly (and there may be more that I am forgetting) is Gayle Forman's Where She Went. The follow up to If I Stay that I can't wait to get my hands on.

So fellow book lovers - which books are you picking up today? Or will you be getting all 4? Any I forgot?

City of Fallen Angels Trailer 2 - DSAS

I am sure EVERYONE has already seen it...however in case you were not aware the second trailer for the City of Fallen Angels was released yesterday.

If you follow Cassandra Clare on twitter (or read the teasers she gave out) you most likely heard about the DSAS or the the Dirty Sexy Alley Scene. This is that trailer. It's hot, you should watch.

It was provided in the form of a fun treasure hunt so I am not going to spoil the surprise by posting the video here. Start out at Cassandra Clare's blog and follow her instructions.

Here is a tease to get you excited...

Mortal Instruments City of Fallen Angels Trailer #1

The first trailer for City of Fallen Angels was released yesterday. It is one of the most anticipated releases in YA this year.

I am a huge fan of this series, and really enjoy Cassandra Clare's writing style.

This trailer fills you in on some of the happenings from the first 3 books. (so maybe some spoilers if you haven't read the first 3).

There will be 4 more trailers leading up to the release date of April 5!

Enjoy!

Waiting on Wednesday

Here is my weekly book I am waiting on. This is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

My choice is City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare.

Is there anyone not waiting on this book??! I LOVE this series and I will be grabbing a copy April 5th!

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book in the bestselling series The Mortal Instruments. “City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.”