Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Published: December 28, 2006
Publisher: Dutton Books
Pages: 221
Age Group: Young Adult
Format I Own: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 5/5

This is the second book I've read by John Green so far (the first being The Fault in Our Stars) and I loved it every bit as much as Looking for Alaska. Gosh I don't even know what to say about this book, I'm finding it quite difficult to come up with reasons why I liked it so much, which seems to be common among people who rate books they loved.

I loved the characters, all of them, particularly Alaska. I found her to be quite intriguing. But I will say that it was a little irritating that she would get super cranky at times, and it was never really discovered what exactly she was so cranky about. And then there's the main plot point in this book which wasn't 100% resolved, which left me feeling kind of an empty void, but at the same time it fits in well with the story, it would have been unrealistic to get the answers to all the questions that were asked. Often times when someone is put into that experience, they are left with a lot of questions, that can never be answered but will still tear you up inside. However I feel like not knowing kind of drew me closer to the characters and everything they were going through.

This book is definitely one that will have you questioning a lot about life, and why we are the way that we are. It's something I think about from time to time anyways, but this book brought me right back into that mind setting. Very thought provoking, and just an altogether amazing read.

Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Series: The Infernal Devices #1
Author Info: Goodreads | Wikipedia
Published: August 31, 2010
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 479
Age Group: Young Adult
Format I Own: Kindle e-book
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 3/5


I've been wanting to read this (or The Mortal Instruments) series for quite a while, considering they're quite popular and the story seemed unique enough to spark my interest. And now that I've finished Clockwork Angel, I'm not completely floored by it, but I did still enjoy it. But I'm perhaps thinking that maybe I picked the wrong book to read first, and maybe I should have started with City of Bones. I picked Clockwork Angel to read first because it's story comes first, in timeline order. But I got the feeling while reading this that it assumes I have already read at least the first Mortal Instruments book. I felt like there might have been some things left out. For example I didn't quite understand exactly why everyone was doing what they were doing. I think maybe there was some back story that was told in City of Bones/Glass/Ashes that if I had read those first (considering they were published before Clockwork Angel) that maybe I would have had a better understanding of the plot.

This book was still enjoyable though, I felt that most of the characters were really unique. I took a liking toward Jem, wasn't sure whether to like or dislike Will, and I couldn't stand Jessamine. Every time she spoke she made me dislike her. They only character that bored me was Tessa. I felt she was just very flat and boring. Nothing at all interested me about her, save for her ability. And I still enjoyed the story even though I felt there were things that were left out. There were lots of plot twists and shockers, especially towards the end, that I didn't even see coming.

I may or may not continue on with these series, I think if I do I'll read them now in publication order instead of timeline order. Maybe then I'll have a better grasp of what these novels are about. And of course I'd also like to know, what's up with Will? Why is he the way he is? What secrets is he hiding? Those questions alone compel me to want to read more.