The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.

Today's book is The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan. 

This was my first zombie book, and I found it quite fascinating. It had a bit of an "I Am Legend" feel to it, but it's very different. I'd heard that zombies were the new rage, and I had wondered how on earth zombies could be interesting.

This book is definitely interesting. Mary and her village live in small clearing surrounded by zombies, people who have died from a zombie bite and come back to life, hungry for more people. Mary begins to uncover secrets from the Society of Sisters, and realizes that they're hiding something from her people. Besides that, she also falls in love--with someone who is not her betrothed.

The book started out with so much potential. There was so much going on. And then it all went flat. Without giving too much away, the secrets are never fully explored, nor is the love relationship. Well, it's explored, but Mary's character proves herself far too easily bored to maintain a relationship. Mary struck me as a self-centered person incapable of truly loving. I didn't like her. The elements of the story that reeled me in fell short of expectations.

Read it for yourself and see what you think. I give this book a C.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.
 
Today's book is City of Glass by Cassandra Clare, the last in her three book series. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST TWO, THIS REVIEW WILL GIVE YOU SPOILERS.

Clary finally gets to the capital city, the secret home of her people. But things aren't right. Her brother (and would-be lover), Jace, acts strange around her and tries to keep her from staying. Her vampire friend Simon is in prison, and it looks like there might be more than one corrupt person in the city council.

But that's not the worst of it. Demons break down the barriers protecting the city, and the Shadow Guardians are thrown into a war where they must unite with the werewolves, faeries, and vampires if they think they'll have a chance to overthrow Valentine.

I could hardly put this book down. It was very good and had me riveted. And yet a part of that was because I kept waiting for something to resolve itself between Jace and Clary. It finally did...and was very anticlimactic. After all the tension, the passion that was built between them over the whole trilogy, I felt let down in the end. That was my only complaint about the book.

I give this book a B.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.

Today's book is City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.

Warning: SPOILERS if you haven't read book 1!

Picking up right where City of Bones left off, City of Ashes continues with an action-packed adventure as Jace tries to prove his innocence. The forbidden love between Jace and his sister Clary is HOT, and even those of us who are absolutely not in favor of incense (like myself) find ourselves rooting for them to break all laws and be together.

Simon got on my nerves in this one--a little too much of Jacob from New Moon.

This book was even better than the first. It had me riveted. We see more of the werewolves and vampires and get to meet the fairies. But most importantly, we find out there is something special ability that Jace and Clary have--something that they gained through their common blood.

I give this book an B+.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it