This summer I read a great number of YA books. Generally, I read maybe four or five of these in the course of a year, and the rest of the year I read books meant for adult readers. But there is a boom in YA fantasy right now, and while a lot of it is franchise stuff written to order in practically no time at all (and it shows) this has also produced some very appealing work.
And the most appealing for me was The Mortal Instruments Trilogy by Cassandra Clare, City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass. These books are very, very popular. I would imagine most of Clare's readers are girls, because even though most of the characters are teenage boys, and some scenes are written from their viewpoint, the main character is a girl and there is an element of romance running through.
This is contemporary urban fantasy, which is not the sort of book I usually read, about demonhunters in New York City. But the plot is exciting and full of unexpected twists, and the characters are engaging. It is one of those books that I was able to enjoy immensely as an adult, but as a teenage girl it probably would have rocked my world.
(I especially love the character of Simon, who is exactly like all the guys I used to meet at SFF conventions must have been when they were 17.)
No sooner had I finished reading the third book, then I learned she is writing three more in the series, and alternating them with a series of prequels set in the Victorian era. And the first one was released at the end of August.
Clockwork Angel has just about everything I enjoyed about the first trilogy, and it's vaguely Steampunkish. What more could I ask? As with the other series, I suspect that the characters will develop more as the series progresses, so while they aren't quite as engaging as Clary, Simon, Jace, and the rest are by the end of TMI, I believe that they will be.
Has anyone else here read these books?
And the most appealing for me was The Mortal Instruments Trilogy by Cassandra Clare, City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass. These books are very, very popular. I would imagine most of Clare's readers are girls, because even though most of the characters are teenage boys, and some scenes are written from their viewpoint, the main character is a girl and there is an element of romance running through.
This is contemporary urban fantasy, which is not the sort of book I usually read, about demonhunters in New York City. But the plot is exciting and full of unexpected twists, and the characters are engaging. It is one of those books that I was able to enjoy immensely as an adult, but as a teenage girl it probably would have rocked my world.
(I especially love the character of Simon, who is exactly like all the guys I used to meet at SFF conventions must have been when they were 17.)
No sooner had I finished reading the third book, then I learned she is writing three more in the series, and alternating them with a series of prequels set in the Victorian era. And the first one was released at the end of August.
Clockwork Angel has just about everything I enjoyed about the first trilogy, and it's vaguely Steampunkish. What more could I ask? As with the other series, I suspect that the characters will develop more as the series progresses, so while they aren't quite as engaging as Clary, Simon, Jace, and the rest are by the end of TMI, I believe that they will be.
Has anyone else here read these books?
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