Cassandra Clare: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

“These pictures are my heart. And if my heart was a canvas, every square inch of it would be painted over with you.” | Lady Midnight, Cassandra Clare.

Cassandra Clare, you either love her or you hate her. If you had the misfortune of reading The Mortal Instruments series and that dreaded almost incest trope, you’ve probably sworn off every Cassandra Clare book for life, and honestly, I wouldn’t blame you for that! But my fellow downworlders, we’re not here to talk dwell on the negative, we’re here to talk about some of my absolute favourite, could gush about them for the rest of my life CC books! Hang up your seraph blades, take off your demon-hunting boots and grab a very mundane cup of tea!

1. Clockwork Prince

This book right here absolutely destroyed me. Complete, utter destruction. A feeling akin to opening the fridge after a long, hard day and seeing the fridge empty, the rows and rows of shelves offering no delectable treats. Let it be known that whilst I don’t usually enjoy the overused love triangle trope, the dynamic between Will/Tessa/Jem had me coming back for more. Can we talk about how utterly delicious the misunderstanding/unrequited feelings trope is? Will and Tessa served this SO well in this sequel and of course, we can’t forget the wholesome blossoming of Jem and Tessa’s bond. For once, I didn’t find myself hating any of the characters in the triangle and instead I felt a profound sadness for each of them. This is a book I relish re-reading every year to remind myself how ink on a page can cause very real, raw emotions.

I’m not going to talk about The Infernal Devices and just skirt over my enormous, gigantic, larger than life itself infatuation with Will Herondale. Can you imagine my teenage self reading this series and coming across the tortured, blue-eyed, dark haired boy who loves to discuss books and write letters to the object of his affection? Will, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but I truly would risk it all for you 😉

2. Clockwork Princess

It’s rare for me to say this so listen close folks but Will and Jem’s parabatai bond is the most wholesome, precious bond to exist in the entire fictional universe and it transcends any love story I’ve ever read. Yes, I loved it that much. It is so refreshing to see authors exploring platonic relationships and I would personally love to see more of these in the young adult book world because they represent real lives. Not everything in our lives is about finding the one or finding our star-crossed lover. Sometimes, the most important relationships come in the form of a friend, a sibling, a parent. Will and Jem’s bond resonates with me as I’m sure it does with a plethora of readers across the globe because even if we haven’t experienced romantic love, the kind that we might secretly yearn for, we do know what it’s like to care for or to be cared by someone and how sometimes, that can be enough.

Oh and of course, I can’t forget to mention that epilogue can I? This is a spoiler free blog so I won’t mention any specifics but if a certain character’s death didn’t have you bawling your eyes out then I’m 99% sure you’re a demon straight from Edom x

3. Lady Midnight

Julian Blackthorn, where have you BEEN all my life? *drools on to keyboard* Okay I’ll hold my hands up, I was hesitant to read The Dark Artifices after the car crash that was The Mortal Instruments. I knew it was a sequel of TMI and I had zero interest in reading about Clary or Jace so naturally, I put it off for months until the bookstagram hype inspired a change of heart (good old bookstagram, the bane of my bank account). I did eventually pick up Lady Midnight at the start of 2019 and I was truly addicted. Big books and I aren’t usually fast friends but I soon found myself sacrificing sleep to read about Emma and Julian’s forbidden romance and the trials of the Blackthorn family.

What I love the most about Cassandra Clare books are the depths she goes to in order to ensure that the reader understands the complexity of the Shadow World. Old faces are introduced and the new characters I met all became very dear to me. Most importantly, whilst I spent the majority of the book lusting over Julian, my heart broke for him and his bond with the rest of the Blackthorn siblings struck a deep chord with me. Needless to say, I raced through the sequels and this series cemented its place on my favourite Cassandra Clare books list!

4. Chain of Gold

An entire book about Will and Tessa’s children and lives set in the Edwardian era? YES PLEASE! I loved the Victorian backdrop of TID so I knew instantly that I would adore Chain of Gold and fortunately, that was the case! James, Matthew, Cordelia and Lucie are all incredible, complex characters who I cannot wait to read more about in the upcoming sequels. There were two stars of this book: one was Cordelia Carstairs and the other was the parallel of the legendary saga of Laila and Majnu. There’s something so *chef’s kiss* about authors who include classical literature and references within the context of their narrative and I utterly adored this particular story.

5. Ghosts of the Shadow Market

I seldom read short story collections (you’re probably questioning what I do like to read at this point or wondering why on Mars I’m so reluctant to try new things) but I was pleasantly surprised by this short story collection. Ghosts of the Shadow Market offered a deeper look into the workings of the Shadow World and inside the head of the precious cinnamon roll that is Jem Carstairs aka Brother Snackariah. I didn’t expect to find the backstories of characters such as Celine and Stephen Herondale all that intriguing but Cassie had me ensnared from the very beginning.

This was the last Shadowhunter book I read and boy am I craving new supernatural content!

That’s a wrap on my top five Cassandra Clare books, I hope you enjoyed reading my random thoughts and one last parting note, please do refrain from interacting with any ducks. They are deadly.

Bookishly yours,

Canbefoundfangirling x

‘If you like this book, you’ll love …’ recommendations you need in your life.

“Teach me again how to be someone’s nightmare.” | Rhapsodic, Laura Thalassa.

Picture the scene, it’s the early hours of dawn and you’ve just finished an amazing book, no, not amazing, amazing doesn’t even begin to cover the multitude of emotions this book evoked. You sit there, reeling from what you just read and the thought slithers into your head, “I need another book like this.”

Well friends, look no further. Below are some books that I’m sure we all loved and adored and the books you need to read if you want something similar.

1. If you like A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas you’ll love Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa. If you loved the vivid descriptions of the fae courts in Prythian, then you’ll love the four kingdoms in Rhapsodic. Similar to Maas’ concept of having a High Lord ruling over each court, the kingdoms of Flora, Fauna, Day and Night each have their own ruler. Calypso, aka Callie, is a siren running from a dark past which leads her straight to The Bargainer, a supernatural being who can’t seem to stay away from Callie or the promise of a bargain. Enter Desmond Flynn, King of the Night. Honestly, if you’re a fan of fae royalty or fell head over heels for Rhysand like I did, then good luck resisting Des! Rhapsodic also has a plethora of supernatural creatures, from wolves to sirens and witches, and the fae are just as cold and conniving as those in Prythian. Did I mention the angst levels give ACOMAF a run for its money? Chapter 55 vibes anyone? I really cannot express how similar these two books are! You can grab Rhapsodic for free if you’re signed up to Kindle Unlimited or for a very cheap price of £2.39 on the Kindle store.

2. If you like Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout, you’ll love The Fallen Star series by Jessica Sorensen. I have to admit that I’m fairly new to The Lux Series, I’m currently binging it and if anyone knows where I can get a Daemon Black then please don’t hesitate to share! Wait, where was I? The Fallen Star series follows 18-year-old Gemma who is unable to experience any emotion until she comes across the handsome and alluring Alex and his twin sister Aislin. When Gemma is near Alex, she experiences the sensation of electricity running across her skin (yes, I know that sounds cheesy but for once, it’s ACTUAL ELECTRICITY that’s integral to the plot so don’t judge please!). Gemma is unable to resist and is drawn into a supernatural world of Keepers, Death Walkers and vampires. Believe me when I say this series and its spin-off are both extremely underrated and a must read for lovers of Obsidian and more importantly, Daemon Black. Who doesn’t love a mysterious, green-eyed supernatural boy who has a tortured past and is a complete sucker for the protagonist?

3. If you like A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas, you’ll love The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. As hesitant as I was to feature ACOTAR twice on this list, I couldn’t skip this one. The Iron Fey series, like the name suggests, is rooted in fae mythology and focuses on the protagonist Meghan’s journey into the Seelie, Unseelie and Iron courts to find her kidnapped brother. Along the way she meets Prince Ash, the blueprint for the moody, broody characters we all know and love. Not only is there an incredible enemies-to-lovers relationship, there’s plenty of banter and heartbreak along the way. This is a must read for lovers of faeries in all and any forms!

4. If you like Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, you’ll love Angelfall by Susan Ee. Okay this series right here is criminally underrated. Angelfall is part of a three book series, Penryn and the End of Days, which follows our protagonist, Penryn, navigating a post-apocalyptic world when she encounters fallen angel Raffe. I don’t know about you but I have an immense obsession with any paranormal book that contains a cast of fallen angels and boy did this one live up to my expectations. Throw in a good enemies-to-lovers trope and you have an addictive, snappy series that’ll have you on the edge of your seat at four in the morning. This series gave me major Hush Hush vibes and it’s a must read for fans who are looking for something similar! Side note: did you know that Hush Hush is officially being adapted and brought to the big screen?

5. If you liked It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, you’ll love The Places I’ve Cried Before in Public by Holly Bourne and Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios. I might be cheating a little with this one by giving two recs but these books all deal with the topics of domestic abuse and controlling relationships. While It Ends With Us showcases abuse in the life of an adult woman, The Places I’ve Cried Before in Public and Bad Romance bring to light the experience of teenage girls. These are books that I can’t say I “enjoyed” because to do so takes away the importance of these books. Abusive relationships are hard to read about but both books are powerful and will leave you with the similar ponderings It Ends With Us did.

I’d love to know if you plan to read any of these, feel free to drop a comment below!

Bookishly yours,

Canbefoundfangirling x

High Fantasy recs: an enemies-to-lovers story.

“Rise, red as the dawn.” | Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard.

I have to start this post with a confession: I used to hate high fantasy. We’re talking a strong loathing here, not just a “nah, that’s not my cup of tea.” Friends had recommended Game of Thrones and I couldn’t even fathom myself sitting through pages and pages of vivid, drawn out details of battle after battle. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, high fantasy and I have gone from enemies to lovers. I find myself itching to read about worlds and situations so unlike what we’re currently experiencing, and today I’ll be sharing some of those favourites with you- some are old and some are new but they’re all utterly addictive.

1. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. If you have the misfortune of following my bookstagram, you’ll have seen that this book is all I talk about lately. From Blood and Ash follows Poppy also known as the Maiden. This title is just as important (and boring) as it sounds- as the Maiden, the common people believe that Poppy is chosen by the gods themselves and in doing so, she is kept isolated in the Duke’s castle and advised not to immerse herself into society, separating herself with a veil that she must wear at all times. Enter Hawke. Okay, it’s important to note here that this isn’t one of those ‘naive protagonist meets sexy, arrogant love interest and no longer gives a toss about anything’ stories. Poppy resists and questions her status as the Maiden from the beginning, and that is coincidentally how she meets Hawke Flynn, a mysterious guard from the Capital who takes everyone by surprise.

The best thing about this book, without a shadow of a doubt, has to be the forbidden romance between Poppy and Hawke. If you’re not a fan of romance, you’ve probably already written this book off but hey, give me a chance to finish okay? If you’re looking for a lush, well-written and thought out fantasy world with vampires and immortals from fallen kingdoms, you will LOVE this book. The romance is the delicious, sugary icing on top of the cake but if you prefer a Madeira cake with no icing then you’ll definitely enjoy this too!

2. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. This is the most brutal, intense young adult fantasy book I have ever read. And I love it. An Ember in the Ashes is modelled from the world of Ancient Rome and set in the city of Serra where Scholars like the protagonist Laia answer to the ruling elite known as the Empire. This series gives no warning and we’re expected to hit the ground running in a dual POV narrative. We follow Laia, whose brother, Darin, has been arrested by the Empire for ties to the Resistance. Also given a voice is Elias, labelled as one of the most gifted students of the Blackcliff Martial Academy where the very best of the Empire are trained. Except he has no interest in fulfilling this destiny. Laia is thrust into the role of a slave and Tahir holds nothing back, using Laia’s first person narrative to describe the very real threat of rape and torture Laia faces simply by being the virtue of being a Scholar girl.

There are so many incredible aspects of this book that are worth gushing over; the detailed world-building, the fast-paced, high stakes narrative, the development of side characters such as Helene, Marcus and the Commandant. Laia and Elias share the most painful slow burn that I have ever read and one that makes you want to throw the book at the nearest object and scream ‘just kiss already!’ Tahir weaves a story that will have you hooked, as it had me hooked at 5am, and immediately wishing that you had the sequel on standby.

3. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. Red Queen is set in the kingdom of Norta, where Reds and Silvers are separated simply due to the colour of their blood. Silver citizens are seen as having supernatural power and are classed as the sophisticated, ruling elite by virtue of their blood alone. Like every dystopian, this unjust system leaves the oppressed, in this case the Reds, stewing in feelings of bitterness and resentment. Mare Barrow soon finds herself in the den of wolves, posing as the daughter of a Silver general which, as you can already guess, is the most dangerous situation a Red like Mare could be in. I’m not sure why I was late to the party with this series, but it is one that I actually enjoyed enough to recommend. After the flux of YA dystopians a few years ago, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to invest myself into this world. Turns out my worrying was for nothing and this was a more than addictive read. If you enjoy books that are centred around the protagonist burning down the establishment whilst dealing with a healthy dose of teenage angst, then this book is perfect for you!

4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. What high fantasy list is complete without mentioning Throne of Glass? This series is a COMPLETE ROLLERCOASTER but before I get ahead of myself, let me give you a brief synopsis. Throne of Glass follows 18-year-old Celaena Sardothien, an assassin who is released from a year in the slave camps under one condition; that she compete in a competition to be named the King’s Champion in the Kingdom of Adarlan. This series gets A LOT of hype and I personally believe it is well deserved given that this is a debut series. Celaena is the epitome of a sassy, arrogant, couldn’t give a damn about anything protagonist and I found that to be a refreshing change from other books of this ilk. I will say that this series takes the most unexpected turns and has you questioning if you accidentally picked up the wrong book halfway through. New faces are introduced, old faces are changed and the various romances are woven excellently into the story. If you’re looking for a lengthy but exciting high fantasy world you can completely lose yourself in, Throne of Glass is the series for you!

If you made it to the end of this post, kudos to you and can I say I’m extremely honoured because I’m well aware that was a long read so thank you for 1) choosing to read this post 2) not immediately clicking the close browser tab. Have yourself a socially distanced high five from me!

Bookishly yours,

canbefoundfangirling x

Books and me: A better love story than Twilight.

“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.” | Twilight, Stephenie Meyer.

Hi hello, welcome to my first blog post!

I suppose it’s mandatory to start off any blog with a little egotistical, ‘hey, read all about me’ post, right? (Seriously, look it up in the Complete Guide to Becoming a Blogging Champ, Chapter 4, available at thisbookdoesn’texist.com).

My torrid love affair with books began as all torrid love affairs do, on a school trip to the local library. Allow me to set the scene. Upon setting foot through the library doors, my pint-sized eight-year-old self was immediately smitten. I had never seen so many books in one place, or so many books, period. The endless rows of tantalising, rainbow spines stretching farther than the eye could see, the delicious scent of ink and pages, the soothing lull of flicking pages. Tranquility in its purest form.

Okay, I’ll admit it. At the age of eight, I was completely and wholly obsessed with the Weather Fairies/Rainbow Magic book series by Daisy Meadows. Come on, just look at the wholesome covers before you roll your eyes at me! Like every zealous, eager child, I moved on to JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, which, in all honesty, was the very definition of ‘jumping on the bandwagon.’

By my pre-teens, I delved deeper into the world of horror and thus was introduced to Darren Shan’s Demonata and Cirque de Freak series. At the height of my obsession, I met the man behind the horror when he visited my secondary school and I think this may be the root of all my fangirling. I have to confess, I was elated that entire day and told anyone who listened that I had just met, THE Darren Shan *insert theatrical gasp*

A drum roll for the teenage years please because this is where it all went down. I have fond memories of the young adult dystopian craze that swept the book world, all of us united with one cause: bring down the establishment. Divergent by Veronica Roth, Matched by Ally Condie, Delirium by Lauren Oliver- suddenly, a plethora of series came to the market starring fierce, determined protagonists and mysterious, broody male love interests. I would spend my nights curled up with a book, reading until early morning, the first rays of dawn forcing the pages from my hands.

And then the vampires descended. Did you really have a reading experience if you weren’t irrevocably in love with Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga? I’m more than ashamed to say that I was 100% Team Jacob (though I think Taylor Lautner’s six pack might have had a deciding vote in that decision.) I was sucked into the supernatural world of cold, pale vampires and shape-shifting wolves with a tendency to imprint on babies (we don’t talk about that).

*funnily enough, I just read Midnight Sun and a decade later, I’m still a Twihard. Character development who?

Skip forward a few years and I was in a pretty dark place…a place where no bookworm wants to be…THE DREADED BOOK SLUMP. For two years, the only books I could read were the ones mandatory for my college courses. And from that darkness emerged A Court of Thorns and Roses. You know how parents hate being asked who their favourite child is because they don’t want to pick a favorite and upset their other children? I have no such qualms saying that, after reading Sarah J Maas’ ACOTAR series, it holds the number one spot for me. It did, after all, resurrect my passion for reading and introduced me to the the brilliance that is Rhysand. I have no shame admitting I re-read ACOMAF at least twice every year.

Being a member of the bookstagram community continually keeps my tbr on its toes, and I’ve found so many new favourites since joining this incredible community of fellow bookworms. Honourable mentions to An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang and The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare.

My love affair with books persists, growing stronger with every book that keeps me awake at night, with every book that I have to rant to someone about because of the emotions it invoked in me and every series that shapes my worldly experience.

Bookishly yours,

canbefoundfangirling x