City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.31

Goodreads Summary:
What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series. 

Actual Rating: 4.7

Re-read: May 2014
Originally Read: August 2013

:(((((

"I'm loosing him, I just know I am." Poor Magnus.

Loved it then and I love it now. Cassie Clare has this magical ability to make me fall head over heals with every character she creates. This book was full of sexy times between all my favorite couples. My heart fills and bleeds for these couples and there were some definite ups and downs.

The fight scene at the end was epic. I have heard people say that they like Sebastian and feel sorry for him because he jus wants to be loved but I don't have that soft spot for him. I think he was born and raised in evil. He is pure evil and bad blood and I don't like him at all.

The Alec/Magnus saga and the breakup at the end was devastating but I understand the hesitation on both sides. I hope they get back together in CoHF but I could also see one of them dying in that book :/

Bring on the end of this amazing magical era.

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The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.15

Goodread's Summary: 
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.

Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Actual Rating: 3.2

I was confused for about 75% of this book... I was like WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?! Where did that guy come form? Who is talking!!?!? Who is human and who's not?!

So many questions but thankfully it came together in the end.. A lot of questions got answered at about 75% and then the action picked up and earned this book 3 stars instead of 2.

I really like the name Cassiopeia so that may have been my favorite part about this book. There was a bit of a love triangle but I never really fell for either of the guys.. Never liked one of them more than the other.

The "alien" aspect was confusing and when the "details" came out I really struggled to grasp my brain tentacles around them.

I don't know.. I'll have to reflect on this one. I don't know if I care enough to read the next one.

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The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.43

Goodreads Summary:
Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure — and re-education — looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this smoldering fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

Actual Rating: 4.7

NOOOOOO!! That book can NOT end like that. I can NOT wait a whole month and a half to read the next one. I can't imagine reading this a year ago when it came out and having to wait a full year!

She's done it again! Richelle Mead has caused sleepless nights and inability to focus on anything other than Sydney & Adrian.. This book had SO SO SO many good parts that I couldn't stand to stop reading. All my other responsibilities were put on the back burner so I could enjoy and savor this sizzling hot book.

It was new and interesting to read from Adrian's perspective. At first I thought I wouldn't like it but of course I was wrong. Loving Adrian for the inside of his mind is even better! My heart breaks and swells with him and for him. As him and Sydney fall more and more in love and he gets a grasp on his spirit induced craziness, you really get to see him for all he is. He's stubborn and sensitive yet puts off this air of confidence like nothing ever bothers him. There's things about him that no body knows or understands except Sydney (and us readers). He used to be such a mystery and now, even though he's not much of a mystery any more, he still manages to surprise us and captivate us in every instance.

I can't wait to read Silver Shadows, I have an idea that the Alchemist Re-Education process will erase Adrian from her mind but she will have "shadows" of him and eventually all her Moroi friends will come to the rescue and break her out.

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The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.45

Goodreads Summary:
Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets--and human lives."
In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next. 

My Rating: 5.0

I think if I could give it more than 5 stars I totally would! This book made my heart burst!

This series has really turned out to be one of my all time favorite and DEFINITELY better than The Vampire Academy Series. The characters have so much depth and they are all stellar individuals, and then you bring them all together to make a really great group of friends.

Richelle Mead is beyond talented.. She really has the gift of explaining personal battles going on within one's self. She's really good at weighing the pros and cons of every situation, making you understand the character's thought process before making a decision.

So much happens in every book and the intensity and chemistry between the characters grows and grows and I swear I thought my heart was going to explode at the end of this book. Finally, FINALLY Sydney comes to terms with her very real feelings for Adrian and stops fighting it. Finally, at the very end, she tells him he's been right all along and finally, they kiss in a "more romantic spot then Pie's N Stuff". And then I died.

Sydney's sister showing up at the very end was totally unexpected and will definitely make for an interesting situation in the next book. I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

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The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.39

Goodreads Summary:
Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

Actual Rating: 4.8

YES YES YES YES!!

Sydney has grown up knowing that Vampires are immoral creatures of the night.. But I would say her thoughts are definitely wavering in this book..

This book was fantastic and the series is super promising so far... Mead is just so good at hooking you and drawing you in and stretching it out over the perfect amount of time. There were so many twists in this book that I didn't expect, I felt the urge to finish it faster then was actually possible.

Can't wait to read the rest

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Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.24

Goodreads Summary:
Blood doesn't lie...

Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning...


Actual Rating: 4.7

Richelle Mead does it again! I'm straight hooked.

It's like all my favorite characters from Vampire Academy but with a whole new spin. Sydney, the main character, thinks Vampires are the devil. Unnatural and wrong and unethical. Then she meets some of the characters from this book and start to change her mind.

She gets herself into a crazy situation and joins forces with the "devil children" to save the day. The battle scene in the end was EPIC! Everyone did their share in taking down the "bad guys"

Adrian is TOTALLY swoon worthy... I think I'm in love with him. And watching Sydney fall in love with him is going to be great, I just know it. I definitely got butterflies in their cutesy scene at the end! I can't wait for that first kiss scene ;)

I can't decide if I'd rather Eddy and Jill be together or Michah and Jill... they both present interesting dynamics.

**SPOILER**

The way this book ended, the last line, "Dimitri Belikov" made my heart race!! I want to start the next one right away!!

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The Archived by Victoria Schwab
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.05

Goodreads Summary:
The dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead, called 'Histories', rest in the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper is dangerous and a constant reminder of those she lost, Da and her little brother. Mac wonders about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. Yet someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

Actual Rating: 5.0

WOW! Amazing! How did this book go so long without falling into my lap?

This book was so good from start to finish! I was literally NEVER bored. How creative of the author to come up with this world and concept! It's so well thought out and executed, I'm really impressed.

The main character is bad ass and the male lead is totally swoon worthy. At first I was like uhhhh... eyeliner and black nail polish? But then as I got to know him I was like ohhhhhhhh okay... Eyeliner and black nail polish!

**SPOILER***[ Owen wasn't trust worthy from the beginning. He moved in too fast and he was "too good to be true" in the silence department. (hide spoiler)]

I knew Owen wasn't trust worthy from the beginning. He moved in too fast and he was "too good to be true" in the silence department.

I didn't imagine it ending like that but it was perfect. Not too much of a cliffhanger but enough opportunity to be continued onto another crazy story for book 2 and 3.

Can't wait to read the rest of the series!

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