Lord of shadows: Cassandra Clare

The year was 2010, Clockwork Angel had just come out and my friend Karla introduced me to one of the greatest series I had read at the time. I was a young 14 year old and this one off my first kind of "mature books" in the since that it had a better story line, better character development, and better romance. City of bones became one of my favorite series, until I read Clockwork Angel. To this day I still think this is the best series in the shadowhunter world.
Anyway the year is 2017, Cassie Clare has just released the second book to her third series. The Dark Artifices. And I am disappointed. And here  are the reasons why, which I'll list as I go.

1. The romance

•     Specifically Emma and Julian's romance. From the moment Cassie told her readers, how much we were going to LOVE them.... I knew something was up, and I probably wouldn't like them. Flash forward to me reading Lady Midnight... guess what, I really didn't like Emma or Julian. Their relationship just felt weird to me. Like Cassie was trying to hard for this to happen. The romance was just unnatural with how fast it moved. And in Lord of Shadows it just gets worse. I'm kind of bored of Cassie's over use of "we can't love each other because blank." Cassie has pulled it off before and I loved it! But I just feels forced in this book, it was too fast. I feel like if she had done it like the other books where she took it slowly, maybe it wouldn't have been so forced.
• Mark and Cristina, be still my beating heart! My god these two characters are so interesting, they are so engaging. And the two times they kiss, I literally swooned. This is what I excepted Emma and Julian to be. Mark and Cristina were attracted to each other but it wasn't an instant love thing. It took them forever to finally kiss, and anytime they were together I couldn't help but want them to kiss! Or hug or hold hands, or something! This is want I wanted, they learned and grew from their past relationships. I just love these two so much 😻
• Cristina and Kieran, my god I am swooning for these two. Cristina just understands Kieran so well and I just love their dynamic. 

     2. The conflict

• Honestly it's too much drama. Like everything was set up to happen perfectly, Emma and Jules were going to get exiled (or whatever it's called), but then it doesn't happen. I know this was supposed to be super dramatic and, like, end of the world type of drama. But to me, it just felt like a cop out. It felt like Ms. Clare needed the drama to make the story work... and it didn't
• Livy's death.
• I'll have you know that I honestly didn't care the Livy died (heartless I know). But here's why, Livy's death did not feel genuine. It didn't feel organic to the plot, it didn't feel needed, it felt forced, it felt unnecessary. Yes I know in REAL life, death is unexpected. It is not planned. It just happens, but this is a book. And deaths in books usually help further the plot or have a great meaning. And this, to me, was neither of that.

Honestly I am disappointed. I have loved these books since I was young, but I truly felt cheated out of a better book. I have loved these books, and this author. To have this book be such a disappoint for me was tragic. Who knows, maybe the next book will be better. Maybe it won't. I'll read it.... But not as excitedly as I would read other books.

Until next time readers <3

Never Never: Brianna R. Shrum

James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up. When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child - at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children's dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up. But grow up he does. And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate. This story isn't about Peter Pan; it's about the boy whose life he stole. It's about a man in a world that hates men. It's about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan. Except one.
(Goodreads)

 I thought it would be better... It was good and very interesting especially the first two parts. But let me begin at the start.
The book starts with a young 12 year old James Hook who cannot wait to grow up and become and Elton boy, something I don't understand... Dude growing up sucks. Anyways things at home are good and happy but he becomes rebellious becasue his dad can't go to the gardens with him. I admit to doing this when things didn't go my way... Not a good idea. And that night he decided to go to the gardens by himself and meets a boy that's a little older than him. That was obviously Peter and he introduces him to the Faeries and its all very middle grade and whimsical. Until they got to Neverland and Peter changed and he wasn't all fun and games and he had all these pointless rules. I think the part that is most sad is when James realizes that he can't go home and he fights with Peter and demands to go home, but Peter being a brat said no he's a lost boy now and if he mentions his parents again he's going to get hurt. Hook runs away and cries in the forest with a six year old Tiger Lily. Pretty sad
Then part two starts with Hook getting older. And it was around here that the book started getting weird. Hook is taller than Peter so he tries to kill him, quite gruesome. And Hook returns to the pirate ship he was destined for. Literally since he's the one who dreamed it up at 12 
Everything is fun and games until Hook falls in love with Tiger Lily who just so happens to be growing up like James...I wonder why;)
Anyways this is when James Hook starts hating the Pan with every fiber in his being... It's a little much, but the plot itself is still very child like. It's as though they are just playing a game. 
Things take a turn for the worse when Captain Hook looses his hand and officially becomes "Captain Hook most feared pirate in Neverland" 
Kids are killing adults with no remorse, Tiger Lily and Hook have sex... I had a lot of mixed feelings here. It's a book that started out middle grade then young adult, and then sex... I dunno it just felt off. Especially when Hook started sleeping around, and having sex in caves with Tiger Lily...
The plot was weird, Hook's hatred for the Pan was... Pretty intense and I can understand parts of his hatred: ruining his childhood, kidnapping him from his loving parents, refusing to take him back home, trying to kill him multiple times with absolutely no remorse, ruining his love life with Tiger Lily see I'm confused with this but whatever... The list goes on. 
The book lacked a good plot with a good ending. I had hoped the entire time that this was all going to be a dream, or he would find a way to make it back home whether as a child or as an adult. Something for this poor pathetic man. But no, thing like that. We get a brief encounter with the Darling children.. And it's just like the 2003 Peter Pan... The whole ending was just lack luster and very dull. I had deluded myself into thinking that Hook could have a happy ending with Wendy.. But alas no such luck
It was interesting to say the least. And I truly have no way to really explain how I felt about this book
Until next time 
Kat