February Wrap Up

Welcome back, dear reader 

This wrap-up is later than intended in part because the idea of summarizing four more Cassandra Clare books was too daunting an undertaking. However, I have made it my business to do just that, reader, so do just that I shall.

Before we further any more ados, let's dive in.

 

February's Reads from Left to Right: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare, The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, The Victorian City by Judith Flanders

 First, we have Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. I liked this book just fine, reader. Cassandra Clare's strength is writing quite a lot of books we so many moving pieces that summarizing them is an impossible task. They read quickly and don't seem complicated at the time. Then you go back and try to tell someone about it. That's where the trouble really begins, reader.

Clockwork Angel is the first book in the next trilogy after the Mortal Instruments series. It goes by the name The Infernal Devices. So named because there are devices of an infernal nature in this story. The core cast consists of Jem, a troubled shadowhunter who we met briefly at the end of the Mortal Instruments series, his parabatai Will Herondale, and Tessa Grey a warlock*. The asterisk is because Tessa is a special kind of warlock. I won't get into the details, it's a whole plot point.

My main disappointment is that Tessa, Jem, and Will could all be dating one another. They all care about each other, but polyamory is never brought up. They jump through so many narrative hoops to end up both dating Tessa, but at different times. It's so much, reader. Just let them all date. I know this was Victorian times (tm) but there are so many demons running around. Don't you realize? The triangle is the strongest shape? (This joke brought to you by go read Iron Widow.)

By the end of the first book, there wasn't a real sense of what the big bad was planning, and there was not enough Magnus Bane. This will be a running complaint. People were also comically prejudiced against the Welsh.

All told, though I haven't told you much, it was an alright book. It's fine start to the new series that kept me just interested enough to keep reading.

I will give mention to two minor characters, Henry and his wife. These two fools thought they were fake married to one another and resigned themselves to pining for their own spouse. The straights truly are oppressed. By Cassandra Clare, specifically. 

4/5 pumpkins

 

 

Next up is Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, the middle of this trilogy. Many things happen in this book. Marriage. Death. Demonic misunderstandings. 

During the course of this story, Will tries to find the demon who cursed him as a child so that everyone he ever loves dies a horrible death. (I don't remember if we find out in this book that this curse was in fact just a prank. Will was never actually cursed. He's been an emotionally distant jerk for no real reason, alas.) Magnus assists with this task, so we see him a little more.

Jem and Tess plan on getting married. This does not work out how they would like it to.

I shall be honest, reader. I don't remember anything beyond that. Most of the book is taken up by Jem, Tessa, and Will being in their feelings about each other. Clockwork Prince is definitely suffering from Middle Book Syndrome. It's mostly character-driven, which I like just fine so the plot momentum didn't really suffer for me. Hence why I have rated this as:

4/5 pumpkins.

Last is Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. Much like the other two, this one is also just okay. We get a safe sex PSA in the form of a man turning into a wurm and trying to eat his heirs because sleeping with a demon just does that sometimes. It's a novel new STI, I must say.

We also lose Jem in this book, a plot point we knew was going to happen, although I must say it was a very emotional scene. I would not say that I like Will, but seeing bad things happen to him is like watching a man be kicked while he's down. He's already suffered through so much clownery, let him date his best friends. Please. For me?

Sigh.

My quest to destroy all love triangles continues apace, it seems.

Anyway, this was a solid ending to the series. Even though the middle wandered, the ending was well put together. I felt like it wrapped everything up nicely.

I will say that after having read nine of these books I've noticed a pattern. Cassandra Clare can only write one romance dynamic which is 'couple with a third who's pining after someone or being pined after.' There's a soft boy and your Byronic hero type and then the plucky girl who's a little new to this thing. Given that Cassandra Clare does seem to be able to write different characters I'm going to chalk this up to personal preference. Perhaps she just really likes these tropes.

 

4/5 pumpkins

Last of the CCs is The Bane Chronicles ed by Cassandra Clare, which is a collection of short stories about the titular character. Was there enough Magnus in the Chronicles, you might be wondering? The answer is no. There will never be enough Magnus Bane for my taste. If there's one thing I'm taking away from this series, it's this gay warlock and his shadowhunter twunk, Alec. 

Fittingly, the best stories in here were the ones centered around Alec and Magnus' relationship. There were other stories that got into Magnus' backstory and what he got up to during all the times he was alive for. They were alright, but I didn't care for them as much.

My two favorite stories were one about Magus trying to find a good birthday present for Alec's birthday. It involves a slime demon whose advice is mix tape. Love it.

The last story was also excellent. It was Magus' voicemail from the period where he and Alec were briefly not together. Isabelle goes to bat for her brother so hard, reader. It's very funny.

4/5 pumpkins

Second to last we have A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, a romantic urban fantasy novel set in Edwardian England. 

I've seen this book advertised all over the web and I finally picked up a copy on a day trip to the coast. I'm very glad I did because this is a delightful read. I've been looking for books that remind me of Jane Austen's and this fits the bill. 

It's very gay, first of all, which is always a plus. The dialogue is excellent, the characters radiant. I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the solution to the mystery we're presented. 

The story follows Robin Blythe, a strapping specimen of British manhood who finds out magic exists when he's dropped into what seems like a dead-end desk job. There he meets Edwin Courcey, stand-offish, awkward around people, and in possession of limited magical talent. Someone killed Robin's predecessor and looks to be after Robin too since they bestow a curse on him that causes flares of intense pain at random. 

Edwin does his best to help Robin lift the curse, which leads to much adventure, feelings, and eventual romance.

It's the first book in a series, and it makes for a solid start. I can't wait to find out what happens to those two Edwardian idiots. Some aspects of the writing style were hit and miss for me, but that's in part because I'm particular about hyphenated word strings. It is a small detail and one that didn't detract from the experience as a whole.

5/5 pumpkins.

Last is a re-read of The Victorian City by Judith Flanders. It is still an excellent source of information, especially if you want to know what the lower and middle classes were up to during this era. This is the third time I've read this particular book, this time to highlight all the information that I wanted to save for later. There are a great many sticky tabs in my edition now, reader.

If you're looking for a good source of information about daily life in Victorian London, pick this book up. I especially recommend it if you're thinking of writing anything set in that period. It makes for an informative and inspirational read.

 5/5 pumpkins.

That ends this month's wrap-up. I was shorter than normal, but I felt I'd put this off for long enough. The month is almost half over, in point of fact. In any case, I hope your March is going well and as always:

Until next time, reader 🎃