I feel like I’ve been hearing about The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare nonstop since I started blogging. It comes up in every meme, every Top Ten list, every discussion post when people are discussing YA books or characters. And I’d never read it, because apparently I have been living in a hole all this time.

So finally, I decided to make some time for Book 1 in this series, City of Bones. I may not have time for the entire Mortal Instruments series (or the prequel series, The Infernal Devices) right now, but I could at least read the first book. I could meet the characters and become familiar with the world and the mythology. And maybe then I’d understand what all the hype is about.

The Plot

City of Bones follows Clary Fray, only child of single mom Jocelyn Fray. Clary and her best friend Simon go to a club in New York City one night, and all is well, until Clary witnesses a murder. But not just any murder. First, the victim grew claws and attacked viciously. Second, the victim disappeared before her eyes. Third, no one could see the three murderers but Clary.

Thus, Clary discovers the world of the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons and monsters. No human is supposed to be able to see them, which makes what Clary witnessed even more peculiar. And while Clary vows to steer clear of the Shadowhunters, they are forced to join forces when Clary’s mother disappears and Clary is attacked by a demon.

Soon, Clary has joined forces with Jace, Isabelle and Alec; three teenage Shadowhunters determined to solve the mystery of Jocelyn’s disappearance, while answering some questions of their own.

My Thoughts

I have this problem when it comes to highly hyped things. I tend to not like them. I get this vision in my head of MAGIC, and then when whatever it is fails to completely knock my socks off, I feel let down. It happens with movies, books, TV shows…you name it, I have been disappointed by the overhyping in it.

So I was a bit cautious heading into City of Bones. On the one hand, I like the premise a lot. Magic + city + all manner of beasties = GOOD.

On the other hand, everyone loves it, ergo I will hate it.

Hello, backwards logic. Fancy meeting you here.

Anyway.

I did not hate it. As a matter of fact, I rather liked it.

I enjoyed Clary. She was spunky and resourceful and loyal. She had her moments of head-scratching stupidity, but they were infrequent. Overall, she had great development, she was likable, and I could understand why I was supposed to be rooting for her.

Of course, as with many books that have a protagonist discovering all manner of interesting things about their own mysterious past, I found myself scratching my head sometimes and wondering, “How did she not figure this out already?” But the book actually explains why she’s remained in the dark for so long, and it makes sense. There was one non-magic related development involving Clary that I saw coming from miles away, that she was completely oblivious to. It was kind of frustrating. But only kind of.

As for the other characters, my favorite is Simon. I know, I know, it’s supposed to be Jace. Everyone’s favorite character is Jace. But mine is Simon. He’s hilarious, he’s smart, he’s incredibly loyal, and he keeps trying to do the right thing even when no one has tried to do the right thing by him. Simon, you rock. I know you’re the underdog and will probably get the short end of the stick in this series, but I’m rooting for you.

Alec, Isabelle and Jace are also well-developed characters. They each have their own distinct personalities, they each grow throughout the course of the book, and I came to feel like I knew, liked, and mostly understood each of them.

Although I have a little issue, and that is that if you name two of your characters Alec and Isabelle, I’m going to picture them like this, no matter how they’re described in the book, and regardless of the fact that they’re brother and sister:

So. That was an interesting little hurdle for me.

Then there’s the matter of the story and the mythology. I thought Cassandra Clare did a great job of weaving together basically every fairy tale/paranormal story we’ve ever heard. Vampires, werewolves, demons, angels, fairies, elves, witches, monsters – they all make an appearance here, but it doesn’t feel like you’re just being pummeled with bedtime stories. I loved the creativity in constructing the world, and how the fantasy world was integrated into our own.

And the story was great. A solid villain, a few mysteries to solve, some surprise discoveries, and a lot of action. I can see why so many people love this series so much, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here.

No, I’m not ready to add it to my list of “favorites” yet, but there’s still four books left in this series, plus two prequels. So who knows, maybe it’ll get there one day. Part of the problem is that unlike most readers, I wasn’t all that enamored with Jace, and he’s one of the cornerstone characters of the book. I understood why he was the way he was, and his snark was amusing, but he just kind of got on my nerves. Too guarded, too untrusting. Yes, he had good cause, but it didn’t make him a character I loved. At least not yet.

And I still have a lot of questions, which was definitely intentional on Cassandra Clare’s part. You’re not supposed to walk away from City of Bones with all the answers. It sets up a series, and it does it well. But as a result, I didn’t feel very satisfied when I finished this book. I prefer my “first” books — even when there are many sequels to come — to still leave me satisfied, with more answers than questions. And while I felt this book was highly enjoyable, I wasn’t satisfied.

I will definitely get to the rest of the books in the series — City of Ashes is next. It’s a great premise and a fascinating world with likable characters, and I thought City of Bones was a good start. And now I can officially (at least in part) understand what the hype is all about.

Content guide: Contains fantasy violence and tales of domestic violence, mild sexual situations

Today is my 9th wedding anniversary. The hubs and I met in college, and got married when we were barely more than teenagers. We’ve been through re-locations, career changes, new pets, new kids, and just all sorts of the abundant craziness you’d imagine would take place when you’ve been married for nine years.

This was one of our engagement pictures. So young. So innocent.

But as I have a book blog, and a mostly YA book blog at that, I’m not going to get all sappy right now just because it’s my anniversary. I don’t run a sappy blog, people.

So instead, I’m going to take a different route.

You know the YA Crush Tourney going on right now? My Twitter is all abuzz with bloggers and readers nominating their favorite YA heroes and love interests to “compete” for prestige and virtual bragging rights, which they will never use because they are all fictional, but which are still fun.

Well, I got to thinking about it, and I thought to myself, “Dude, [because I call myself “Dude” in my head] my husband is totally YA Crush-worthy, if he was a fictional character. And still a teenager.”

Because seriously, my husband is nearly 30, and considering most YA heroines are in the 15-17 age bracket, that’s not going to work. Plus, he’s taken, ladies.

But when I met him, he was 18. We started dating when he was 19 (notice I’m not saying how old I was, because I am older and I like to try to forget that little tidbit of information). And I think that if I was a fictional female protagonist, I would want my husband (whom I will henceforth refer to as “G”) to be the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the cream in my coffee. (Bonus points if you can name the movie that quote came from). So for the purposes of this post, let’s just assume I’m talking about the 19-year-old version of G.

Writers, feel free to be inspired in the writing of your male protagonists.

Why My Husband Would Make an Excellent YA Hero

1. He’s pretty darn cute. And as we all know, heroes must be easy on the eyes. Otherwise, the heroine’s heart can’t go all aflutter.

Okay, funny story. Once upon a time, I was chatting to G on the phone. He was using his Bluetooth earpiece, and happened to walk into a convenience store. And we paused our conversation so that he could pay for his purchases, and through the phone, I could hear the distinctive sounds of giggly teenage flirting.

Yes. The convenience store cashier was hitting on my husband. And he was being very polite and proper, but she wasn’t getting the hint.

“Is she hitting on you?” I hissed into the phone. “Yes, sorry,“ he whispered back under his breath. “Don’t be sorry, this is hilarious,” I responded. And proceeded to eavesdrop on the rest of their really awkward conversation until G finished paying for whatever he was buying. Probably a hot dog and a Mountain Dew, because that’s what he buys at convenience stores.

Poor girl. She was coming on pretty strong too.

Waitresses have also been known to hit on him pretty regularly. When I’m sitting right there. It’s kind of baffling, yet strangely amusing. For me. G finds it embarrassing.

I wonder if it will happen while we’re out celebrating our anniversary.

2. He has martial arts training. You want your hero to have some sort of training for when you are attacked by the forces of darkness.

When he was 18 and 19, his skills were still pretty fresh. There was one time in college where a group of his friends thought he was joking when he said he could beat them all in a fight. And as we stood outside the music building, he told them, “Attack me.” And being college boys, they did.

I don’t remember how many of them there were. Three or four probably. I do remember that they ran at him, and in a matter of seconds, he had them in a heap on the ground. They all were panting and rather bewildered as he stood above them, barely out of breath. Granted, these were our friends and fellow music majors — hardly the forces of darkness — but it was still rather impressive.

Also, we have weapons in our bedroom. There’s some scary looking knife/sword things, and a set of tonfas. And once upon a time, he knew how to use them.

3. He is clear-headed in a crisis situation. This seems to be a staple with YA heroes. They always seem to know exactly what to do when the world is ending and the heroine is FREAKING OUT. Because not all heroines can be Katniss and Hermione. Some are like me and are completely useless in crisis situations.

On our first date, we went to a movie. When we came out of the theater, we discovered my car had been broken into. The window was gone and some valuables had been stolen. My gut reaction was to drive back to my dorm and crawl into bed and hope that when I woke up, somehow the robbery would magically be reversed. G was the one who called the police and filed the report, then drove home while I huddled in a miserable ball in the passenger side, because it was late October and I was freezing and the car had no window.

4. He has a deep sense of honor. Which, let’s face it, is a must for a hero. They always seem to be made of stronger moral fiber than everyone else.

G won’t even let me smuggle a soda into the movie theater in my purse. We have to pay six bucks for the movie theater soda (which we share, because when a soda costs six bucks, you only buy one.)

5. He is easy to talk to. Now, I realize not all heroes are outgoing and personable, but lots of them are. Just look at Peeta!

G is like that. He’ll enter a roomful of strangers and just start chatting someone up. Many of our friends were made because G would just invite people over to our house, thus forcing me into contact with other humans. Otherwise, I’d never meet anyone or do anything, and I’d be miserable and lonely, but wouldn’t know what to do about it because I’m colossally introverted.

I knew G was different when we would talk for hours on the phone every night while we were “just friends.” I abhor phones. I will do everything in my power to avoid them. I won’t even call family members for things like birthdays unless G makes me. I hate phones THAT MUCH. But I would call and talk to G every night.

6. He is loyal and persistent. Sometimes the hero and heroine have to surmount some serious obstacles before they can be together (Again, look at Peeta). So you need the leading man to be committed to his cause, and his lady.

G asked me out every other week for months before I finally broke down and said yes. We were good friends, but I didn’t want to “spoil the relationship,” and it “wasn’t a good time for me.” But he persevered, and obviously that worked out well for both of us. He was confident about the whole thing because he knew he was presenting his best self. I know not everyone feels that way right out of the gate, but there’s no shame in getting some help with your confidence by using True Pheromones or other supplements to feel that you could ask out the person you’re meant to be with too. After all, there could be a YA hero in you too.

7. He’s witty and sarcastic. And let’s be honest, the best male protagonists are the sarcastic ones.

I don’t have a quote to give you as an example, because I don’t write down all of G’s memorable quotes the same way I do with my kids. Because who does that?

8. He understands technology and wiring and tools and stuff. Some of this knowledge and understanding will probably come in handy when we are faced with the apocalypse/alien invasion/demon realms and have to fight back/hide out/build a spaceship/seek refuge in the wilderness.

9. He learns ridiculously fast. Surely adaptability and quick assimilation of new knowledge is an asset when saving the world.

As I’ve mentioned before, G is a web developer. What I didn’t mention was that he is completely self-taught, using books from the library and Internet research. After some hard-core self-education that spanned about a year, he was able to land a fabulous and legit web developer job at a fantastic company. He tends to downplay how awesome that is, but I won’t. It’s awesome. And he continues to learn, all the time. For fun. I don’t get it.

10. We were very nearly insta-love. It wasn’t true insta-love, as we were friends first (hence the aforementioned persistent whittling away at my defenses), but once we started dating, things moved really fast. We went from dating to engaged in four months. G was 19. Looking back on it, it’s a wonder our parents didn’t all have heart attacks. But as soon as we got involved, we knew. This was it.

And now, here we are. Nine years of marriage later. We made two small humans. We changed careers several times. We moved to Tennessee, then to the East Coast, then back to Tennessee. And we love each other more each day.

Then

Now

Happy Anniversary, honey! I love you oodles, and hope I didn’t embarrass you too much.

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the awesome people over at The Broke and the Bookish! I don’t know about you, but making these lists is one of the highlights of my blogging week.

Should I admit that? It makes me sound a little OCD/nerdy.

Then again, if you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you already know I’m nerdy. And you’ve probably guessed I’m a little OCD. So…I guess it doesn’t hurt anything to admit it.

So the topic for today is wonderful, because for once, I’m not going to struggle with my answers! If anything, I have too many answers this week. But summer is only so long, and my money is only so plentiful (or…not), so truthfully, it may be a stretch to even get to these.

I will do my best!

Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR List

(For the purposes of this list, I’m not including books I received for review. Which are plentiful, and will also get read. But these are the ones that are just for me.)

These are in no particular order. I will read them as they become available and the fancy strikes. Because sadly, I don’t own all of these.

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund.

Guys. It’s JANE AUSTEN. Set as a DYSTOPIAN. In SPACE. Are you KIDDING ME?

Across the Universe by Beth Revis.

First, this book has been sitting on my shelf for what feels like ages. Second, it sounds like a freakishly awesome sci-fi story IN SPACE. Third…wait, I don’t need a third. “Freakishly awesome sci-fi story IN SPACE” was enough.

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.

Because it’s getting to be ridiculous that I haven’t read this yet.

The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore.

Okay, I’ll admit this series is not “great literature,” but I really want to know how it ends.

The Kill Order by James Dashner.

WHY WERE THEY IN THE MAZE? I also need to read the two Maze Runner sequels sometime between now and the release of this book. So maybe I’ll know by the time it comes out why they were in the maze. But I’ll want to read it anyway.

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab.

I’ve heard lots of great things about this book, plus it’s a new fairy tale, and fairy tales = GOOD.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows.

 This is another one I’ve heard great things about. Plus, I have so much cover love for this book. I’d get it for the cover alone. I could keep it on my shelf and never read it and it would still make me happy.

But I will read it, because I have heard great things.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Because eventually the world is going to realize I haven’t read this yet, and they’re going to revoke my blogger credentials.

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness.

I’ve got to admit, this book kind of terrifies me. I wanted to throw the first one across the room. But I need to know what happens. I need to know.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson.

Another fantasy that I’ve heard is awesome that I haven’t read. Time to remedy that situation.

And obviously, I have oodles of potentially awesome review books to get through as well. Hopefully I’ll be able to fit everything in. But if I don’t, I just have to keep reminding myself that I am no longer in school. If I don’t finish my summer reading during summer, I will not get a bad grade. (I don’t even think my fifth grade teacher will notice.) So I’m going to try not to sweat it if summer reading turns into fall reading.

What books are you planning on reading this summer?