The Falconer

Title: The Falconer (The Falconer #1)
Author: Elizabeth May
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

"One girl's nightmare is this girl's faery tale

She's a stunner.
Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a title—and drop-dead beauty.

She's a liar.
But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. she's leading a double life: She has a rare ability to sense the sìthíchean—the faery race obsessed with slaughtering humans—and, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them.

She's a murderer.
Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weapons—from flying machines to detonators to lightning pistols—ruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother.

She's a Falconer.
The last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother's murder—but she'll have to save the world first.

The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller combines romance and action, steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read."

***

Life has been so hectic lately, it took me way longer than it should have done to finish The Falconer; especially because there's very little not to love about this book.

I'm a sucker for historicals, so that probably helps. But the plot itself is beautifully woven, and the reveals are expertly delivered. May does a great job of keeping the balance between showing the world and introducing new characters, and keeping the pace at a level that will keep the reader interested.

And Kam was an absolute delight of a narrator. Spunky and self-assured, she is deeply flawed, and she knows it. She owns her flaws and uses them to her strength.

But what I loved, loved, loved about The Falconer was that, while the romantic elements certainly ran in an undercurrent throughout the novel (hard not to, when the society depicted is one that still places so much emphasis on marriage), it by no means eclipsed the actual plot; and, most wondrously, the love interests played other parts in the novel, rather than just pretty furniture for girls to fight over. Even more shockingly, all the attention and love wasn't instantly directed to the boys - yes, they're beautiful, but they also serve as very important plot elements (and I'm saying 'them', when really it's just 'him', but I had to include Gavin in there, because of reasons... though I adore the fact that May didn't try to make it into a love triangle with him).

Definitely give this one a read! It's filled with action, and all around amazing characters (I want a Derrick!)

Sisters' Fate

Title: Sisters' Fate (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #3)
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

I finally lost my patience for waiting until January for it to come out on kindle, and got it in hardback. And now it has nowhere to go, since my room is already overflowing with books. Ah, well. 'Twas worth it.
I'm not ashamed to say I read this instead of reading my set text for this week. Weirdly, I found witches more interesting than the morbid what-ifs of Hitler winning the war. Hmm.
Hitler notwithstanding though, Sisters' Fate was such a roller-coaster of emotions, I'm not even sure where to start.
Cate was, as usual, so easy to relate to. She's only trying to do what's right - even, and maybe especially, when it's not the easy thing to do - but there isn't always a black and white with those kind of decisions; should she save innocent girls and risk exposing the Sisterhood? Or save the Sisterhood and let 60 innocent girls die? She had no easy choices this book, but I found her strength and determination to do what she believed to be the right thing very inspiring. She never backed down from a decision. And seeing her with Finn, while heartbreaking, was also quite sweet, sort of like in the first book, when they were still falling. Bittersweet, really.
Finn was amazing. Spotswood did a fabulous job of keeping him in character even without his memories. That boy is way too smart for his own good. And while I would have liked some kind of magical cure to his erased memories, or for the book to have ended slightly further on in the future, the promise made at the end was enough to leave me with a happy smile on my face; they'll be fine... eventually.
Tess was weird, though. I still can't quite figure how Inez was able to control her if she's supposed to be so strong not even her own sisters were able to do magic on her. It didn't add up, and I got really confused; I get that something like that had to happen, but still. It was weird.
Maura... what to say? Deep down, she had a good heart. Really, really deep down. As wrong as it was, as deluded as she was, she really believed that she had helped Cate by erasing Finn's memories of her, and I can't really fault her for doing what she thought was best for her sister, even if it was cruel. Love is weird sometimes, and at least they got to make up at the end. But, oh what an end. I cried like a baby.

Arcana

Title: Arcana
Author: Jessica Leake
Genre: YA/New Adult historical
Rating: 4/5
Cover: 9/10

I received an e-galley from edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I'm not quite sure what to say about 'Arcana'. In truth, the story and the characters (*sighs*, Colin Thornewood, you gorgeous specimen you!) were extremely likeable and compelling, but I felt like sometimes the author was trying maybe a little too hard. Although Wren was a delight as a narrator, there were instances of telling, not showing, that jarred from the rest of the story, stopping the flow of the narrative.
Most specifically, I felt like the matter of her mother could have been handled differently to make it more mysterious and less... well, cringe-worthy really.
But other than that, the plot was well-thought out and developed, so much so that I find myself wondering if there will be a second book. Even if it was about Lucy (and James...), with Wren and Colin only coming in as secondaries, or even just exploring more about the Order - either way, I would be very excited for a continuation, especially as I haven't had anywhere near my fill of Thornewood men.

A definite must-read for all lovers of magic/historical romances!

Fair warning to those of you considering getting this: I marked it as YA/New Adult (I hate that label, to me it's either YA or adult, but oh well) because it gets to the steamier side of YA, though it is in no way explicit, and there is no swearing. Just be warned, in case you plan on letting a 9 year-old read it ;)

Publication is due for November 4th, so keep your eyes open for this beauty!

Illusions of Fate

Title: Illusions of Fate
Author: Kiersten White
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

I don't know about Downtown Abbey, cause I don't watch it (yes, yes, I know...) but in my humble opinion, this was way better than The Mortal Instruments, so take the Cassandra Clare part with a pinch of salt.

I loved Jessamin. She is so headstrong, and determined to go after her dreams, it was really nice to read. She is thrust into this world of magic, helter-skelter, and yet she manages to maintain a level of cool confidence - both in herself and in others - that was just awesome to read.
As for Finn, well. He was infuriatingly cute, and the scenes between those two were, without a doubt, some of the best scenes. Their banter was off the scale, and seeing the high-and-mighty magician thrown by an 'island rat' was loads of fun.

Beware of the twist at the end, though. There are two, one of which was pretty obvious, but the other one threw me for a loop entirely.
I look forward to the possible short story from one of my favourite characters, Eleanor. I felt like there was a whole lot of story potential there, and hope to see something about her in the near future :)

How I Live Now

Title: How I Live Now
Author: Meg Rosoff
Genre: YA
Rating: 3/5
Cover: 6/10

This book was different, and definitely not what I was expecting.

Knowing it was YA, I never thought it would deal with something like incest so openly, and yet there is no doubt in the book about what is going on, and Daisy shows no real qualms about it. That is one of the aspects that drew me in. Daisy's voice was so guileless, so innocent and naive, despite her age, that I couldn't help but feel protective of her.

Rosoff's account of the war was fresh and interesting in that the war didn't really play that big a part in the first half of the book.

What did annoy me endlessly, and made me have to put the book down more than once to re-focus, was the lack of quotation marks for speech. The lack of that distinction does give the book an original feel, but it messed with my brain way too much, and ended up disrupting the narrative for me, making everything more complicated than it needed to be.

The Stone Rose

Title: The Stone Rose
Author: Jacqueline Rayner
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 6/10

WHY wasn't this filmed?? Ultimate Rose/Doctor episode ever. 

And it has all the stuff we love the most about Doctor Who: crazy aliens, impossible situations, lots of humour, and the best of all... it takes place in Classical Rome. Picture The Fires of Pompeii, take away Donna and put Rose in her place, and add a hell of a lot of Doctor sass, and you have The Stone Rose.

And when I say it would have been the ultimate Rose/Doctor episode, I mean it. The Stone Rose is like a mix of Tooth & Claw, The Idiot's Lantern, The Impossible Planet, Satan's Pit and Army of Ghosts, all rolled into one beautiful package of Doctor/Rose cuteness. The Doctor is worried and possessive. Rose is teasing and flirty. And yes, there is kissing.

This is what feeds those NC17 fanfictions out there. Amazing. Fantastic. Allons-y!

And if all that wasn't enough to convince you to read it, how about this: the audiobook is read by David Tennant in his Scottish accent ;)

The Mayan Prophecy

Title: The Mayan Prophecy (TimeRiders #8)
Author: Alex Scarrow
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 4/5
Cover: 7/10

A little bit of a confusing start (my own fault for insisting on starting a series on book 8), but all that was quickly forgotten when the story took off. And boy, did it take off.

Hidden messages in the holy grail are only the tip of the iceberg of awesome that was this book. The whole 'Windrunners' thing created such a knot in my head, that I didn't even see the next twist coming. The switching between narrators, far from making it even more complicated, only added to the book, and allowed me to understand a bit more of what was going on, and why.

Adam's character intrigued me, and I have a feeling, considering his involvement, that this isn't the last we'll hear of him, which I'm happy about. Maybe it's just because he was the newest character to the series, but I really liked him and his personality.

And wow... that ending! Chilling (in the best way possible).

Definitely worth a read! (though I'd start with book 1, which I have already bought...)

The Great Gatsby

Title: The Great Gatsby

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Rating: 4/5

Cover: (way too many. I do like the Penguin Classics edition one, though. Hate the original blue one)

With all the hype surrounding Gatsby because of the movie (and, let's face it, DiCaprio), reading Gatsby took me completely by surprise. 

I'm not sure what it was, exactly, that I was expecting, but whatever it was... it definitely wasn't what I got

Fitzgerald creates believable, flawed characters that, despite our misgivings, we can't help but fall in love with. In a clear light, Gatsby is an obsessed, dangerous man who uses his illegally earned money to throw huge parties. But the view presented to us of Gatsby by Nick is that of a lovesick man, who wants nothing more than to be loved by the woman of his dreams. And we can all relate, on different levels, with that kind of unrequited love.

Even more interesting are the other characters, as well as Fitzgerald's narrator choice. When you read the title, you instantly think that the book will be narrated by Gatsby, or at least have him introduced immediately. But the book does neither, and that is the first hint that nothing about this book is what it seems. 

Fitzgerald played smartly with the conventions of a society used to debauchery, and showed us, without ever actually saying he was doing so, the dark side of love. Reading Gatsby, it's easy to understand why Fitzgerald described the 20s as the 'biggest orgy in the world'. 

Gatsby is delicious, enticing, sad and frustrating. A definite must-read.

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

Dusk

Title: Dusk 
Author: Eve Edwards
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5/5
Cover: 9/10

I was a bit weary going into Dusk, because I assumed that, being a war novel, it could be a little too heavy for light reading. I'm happy to say that, while it captured the despair and sadness of war, as well as the danger and fear, Dusk still managed to be a fun, entertaining read that just flowed extremely well.

Helen is interesting in that she is very matter-of-fact in stating what she sees as her 'shortcomings' that would make her not be the perfect woman to her father. The mystery of why her sister isn't with her, or why she doesn't mention her sister more in the start intrigues us, as does the fact that, at first, it doesn't seem like the book focuses on a romance; it isn't until a few pages in that she finally mentions Sebastian. 

The interesting thing is that Sebastian mentions her almost instantly. This idea that his love for her is more on the forefront of his mind is echoed in the end of the book, when Helen runs and Sebastian goes after her.

Of course, like any good period romance, the requisite interfering family makes an appearance, trying to split up the couple. However, my favourite part of Dusk was the ending. Although it's open-ended, it doesn't have too big of a cliffhanger, and therefore isn't torture; but it's still enough of one to make sure I'll read Dawn when it comes out. I'd definitely recommend Dusk to anyone looking for a short, sweet book that ends with the promise of happiness.

The Widow of Larkspur Inn

Title: The Widow of Larkspur Inn 
Author: Lawana Blackwell
Genre: historical
Rating: 3.5/5
Cover: 10/10

While I appreciate that a truly Victorian-time novel would have quite a few links to the church, and God, I did feel that it was a little too heavily laid-on here. Maybe it's just because of my views on religion (I'm an atheist), but it just didn't sit very well with me. It felt a bit like the book itself was preaching, trying to convert me the entire time. Now, despite my religious views, I have nothing against religion, and/or religious people. I don't even mind people trying to convert me. I enjoy getting to know the dogmas of different religions - perhaps there is still a small part of me that wants to find one creed that I can believe in heart & soul, rather than agree with bits and pieces of different religions. I've been to Mormon services (quite a few, too. Long story, and I digress), Baptist services, Catholic services and even some Church of England and Spiritist ... "service" (I forget the name of what the Spiritist do, but I'm pretty sure it's not a service), and I highly enjoyed them all. I talked to priests, pastors, and all that, and am starting to build my own Bible collection, one from each different religion. So, no, it wasn't the fact that it felt like the book was trying to convert me that bothered me. It was just a little too excessive. I can see why a recent widow would turn to God for help, and like I said before, in the Victorian Era, religion was a BIG part of society, but still.

Not only that, but the ending was rushed. After all those chapters creating a rapport for the various characters (and what characters! Oh, so wonderfully three dimensional, all of them! This is character heaven), the last quarter of the book skipped various months and weeks at a time, and frankly, I felt cheated of time with my friends. I know that, for the sake of healing, more time needed to have gone by before wounds healed to the point where a happy ending was possible, but it still bugged me a bit, the jumping.

HOWEVER, as previously mentioned, the characters! Oh, they are so delicious to read! Not one person in the quite extensive cast of characters in 'The Widow of Larkspur Inn' is the dreaded one-dimensional character. They all have rich, wonderful, intriguing back stories. Even the smallest, most insignificant characters has more behind him/her than what first meets the eye, and that is what gives this book a 3.5. If religion puts you off, you HAVE to read this, even if it's just for the characters. Please do. Everyone deserves to read such wonderfully real characters.

Cover Reveal: Dark Triumph

Remember back when Grave Mercy came out and all I could do was rant and rave about the absolutely gorgeous cover? Book 2 in the His Fair Assassin trilogy, Dark Triumph, has gone for a less attention-grabbing cover this time, though not at all less striking.

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.

But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dun geons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.


I'm always a little wary when books change MC like this, but eventually always end up reading the sequels regardless, so I guess we'll see... Dark Triumph hits stores April 2013.

Cover Reveal: Clockwork Princess

That's right, it's here! There was a mad scramble on twitter today to help unveil Clockwork Princess's cover, and I must say -- it's such a beautiful cover for what will, without a doubt, be a very painful book to read!
I just wonder what book it is that Tessa is holding. My first hope was A Tale of Two Cities, but since it's, you know, shining, I think I'll go with the Grey Book. Which pretty much confirms she's a warlock... and I love her dress.

In Clockwork Princess, Tessa and her companions travel all over the world as they race to stop the clockwork army before it’s too late. As Jem’s health worsens alarmingly and his friends search desperately for a cure, can Tessa choose between the two boys she loves—even if it means never seeing the other one again?

Clockwork Princess will be out March 19th 2013.

The False Princess

Title: The False Princess
Author: Eilis O'Neal
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 7/10 I'm a little confused as to what the necklace is all about...


Sinda Azaway has spent the first sixteen years of her life believing she is the princess of Thorvaldor. When her entire life turns out to have been a ploy to keep the real princess safe from a threat that a prophecy about the princess, which said that she would die before the age of 16, Sinda is sent to live with an aunt she never knew she had.
Things don't go so well for Sinda after that. Without her best friend, Kiernan, son of the Earl of Rithia, Sinda feels empty and at a loss. Expected to help her aunt in household chores she hasn't a clue how to do, everything becomes even more complex when Sinda's magic, hidden because of the spell cast on her to make her look like princess Nalia, has finally bloomed, and she has no idea what to do with it, or worse, how to stop it from bursting out of her and burning things at random.
After she returns to the city to seek help with her magic, Sinda unravels a ploy deep within the heart of Thorvaldor, meant to dethrone the rightful princess. With time running out, and an uncertain hold on her magic at the best of times, Sinda will have to decide if getting to the end of the ploy is worth the price she'll have to pay.

Now, I need to say something here. This is one of those books. You know the kind. Fabulous plot, incredible characters (if a little transparent at times) and awesome pacing - even the down time is just right; not too long that you get bored, and not too short that it feels rushed. There were a few spelling mistakes that jumped out to me, but aside from that, The False Princess is, by all accounts, a wonderful read.
And it is. But... it's not one of those books that sticks with you after you finished, and that you keep thinking about, wondering about the characters, etc, which means it could have been even better. The ending seemed somewhat abrupt, and left a few strings still hanging. I felt certain there'd be a continuation, but I can't find anything that points to one, so I'll just assume it ends here. In that case, read it if you're looking for a good magical YA, with great humour, sweet romance and lots of intrigue.

Cold Magic

Title: Cold Magic (Spiritwalker #1)
Author: Kate Elliott
Genre: YA, sci-fy
Rating 4.5/5
Cover: 8/10

Cold Magic tells the story of young Catherine Hassi Barahal, who, shortly before he twentieth birthday, is married to an arrogant cold mage, the haughty Andevai Diarisso Haranwy, who seems to regard her with as much happiness as one would a cockroach under one's shoe.
But then, why is it that, when Andevai's superiors find out that he married the wrong Hassi Barahal girl, and order him to kill her, does he refuse? Without answers, and faced with the question of who her real father is, since it would seem she has been lied to her entire life, Cat knows only this: she needs to warn her maybe-cousin, Bee, that the mage House who wants her killed is now after her cousin, to try to marry Bee off to Andevai in Cat's place.
But above all, Cat is faced with the question of whether or not she can trust her somewhat unwilling husband.
What follows is a race that will leave you biting your nails in nerves, cursing and laughing right along with Cat, Vai, Bee and Rory. Kate Elliott's world building is something to watch, it's so intricate and detailed, and, while that makes for an incredibly intricate and rich story, I found that the repetitive accounts about the story of how their world came to be the way it is tiring and unnecessary. It made the book, which is really absolutely great, drag, when it could have flowed so seamlessly, it would have been too good to express in words. On the other hand, the dialogue is so visceral, the characters so divertingly flawed, and the action scenes so good, I almost gave Cold Magic a 5/5. I can't pretend it didn't have this rather big fault, though, so 4.5/5 it is.
Cat's story is sure to ensnare you, and Cold Magic has it all: pig-headed heroins, haughty and seemingly indifferent heroes who turn out to be far too amazing for their own (and my sanity's) good, secondary characters with a depth that is quite remarkable, humour in just the right amount, family intrigue, lots of betrayals, and a romantic entanglement that makes me wish this wasn't a YA book... ;)
I other words, most highly recommended!

Book Review: Grave Mercy

Title: Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)
Author: Robin LaFevers
Genre: Historical YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

You know that old saying "never judge a book by its' cover"? Well, the sentiment behind it is really pretty, but I am guilty of doing exactyl what it tells us not to - I judge books by their covers. The way I see things, there's the Holy Trinity for picking up a book by an author you don't know: 1. The Cover; 2. The Title; 3. The Description.

Now, when I first heard of Grave Mercy, some three months ago, I fell in love with the cover. I tend to love historical books as a rule, and the cover made it clear that's what it was, not to mention that dress. I wanted that dress. The title was also interesting, and I was hooked with the description. Therefore, waiting until today to read this book was near impossible.

It's always a little daunting when you start a book you've waited to read for so long. There's always the risk that, after having waited, speculated, and bitten all your nails down to stubs with anxiety for it, the book won't live up to your expectations.
As was made obvious by my rating, Grave Mercy was not one of those cases. Ismae, despite her unusual name, was a lovely, albeit troubled girl to read about. One of the things I liked most about this book is that it spoke of the issues regarding men, and how women were - and at times, still are, even today - treated by the men who "owned" them: their fathers or their husbands. Ismae has been shunned and judged all her life for something that happened before she was born. She couldn't change it, even if she wanted to, and for 17 years, she desperately wanted to. Until, after an arranged marriage that ended before it had even truly begun, she found her way to St. Mortain, the Lord of Death's convent. She arrived there with a heart filled with hatred towards all men, and sure that any human with a Y chromosome (though she didn't call them that, of course) was despicable and selfish.
After she learns all she needs in the art of murder, she is sent on one of the most important missions of life; a mission which forces her to pretend to be a man's mistress. She almost refuses, but has sworn an oath, and goes ahead with the plan. What she never imagined was that maybe not all men are despicable; in fact, maybe one is actually quite agreeable, not to mention handsome...

A thrilling read, filled with great humor, amazing characters, beautiful plot and subplot, lots of intrigue, action and even a good spoonful of romance. Most highly recommended.

Book Review: A Kiss in Time

Title: A Kiss in Time
Author: Alex Finn
Genre: YA, historical
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10


Let me start this by saying I'm usually weary of these fairy tale re-tellings. Many times, it seems the authors get stuck with the idea of the original tale, and can't seem to add much of original to the story.
That was not the case with A Kiss in Time, that's for damned sure.

I had never, not once, paused to think what would happen if you took a person from over 300 years back, and just dropped them into today's world. Well, you're about to find out. Remember, back then, they didn't have electricity, most purchases were made by exchanges, and forget cell phones. I can't even begin to explain the hilarity that ensues when you take good ole Sleeping Beauty, but skip the part where the prince rides up not too late after the entire country has gone to sleep, but rather when 300 years have gone by since the princess pricked her finger on a spindle.
Suddenly, you have an entire kingdom, still with their hearts and minds frimly back in the feudal times, trying to battle it out in the twenty-frist century. And to make matters worse, the princess isn't awakened by some prince's kiss, but by your common, everyday american boy, who just wants to get rid of the memories of his slutty ex, and if he can somehow figure out how to disentangle himself from the marriage prospect with the crazy girl who claims to be a princess, all the better.

I was needing a light reading, due to stress regarding the Hunger Games movie release (also why I didn't write a review sooner), and this fit the bill perfectly - it helped me escape into a world which was both belieavable and hilariously unbelievable at the same time; which, I know, makes no sense, but turns out to work great as a book!
Definitely worth the while to anyone looking for a good laugh.

Book Review: Clockwork Prince

Title: Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices #2)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Historical, YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 8/10


I'd have written a review sooner, but I was still reeling with the ending. I don't believe I've felt so heartbroken with the end of a book since I finished Richelle Mead's Shadow Kiss, and goodness knows that almost killed me, though I had the next one to pounce on immediately.
In this case, I'm left with a broken heart, a thoroughly confused mind and no next book to ease the pain. Extremely frustrating, to say the very least!
And yet, despite the moments when I just stared at the book, shook my head in frustration, yelled at it, let the tears fall, and/or wanted to kill some characters, you'll notice I gave it five stars.
That's because I believe that what determines if a book is good or not isn't if the author paired who we wanted or not, but if the book is able to bring out strong emotions in those reading it. And Clockwork Prince most DEFINITELY did that. I was a sobbing, blubbering mess of nerves when I'd finished it, and had no idea what to do with myself.
Clockwork Prince has that very Cassie Clare feel to it: amazing plot, incredible characters, impeccable setting... in other words, a wonderful read.

Tessa started standing up for herself more, which I loved. I adored also seeing her friendship with Jem flourish. Gabriel and Gideon were interesting to me mostly because I was trying to see some similarities between them and Alec and Izzy. They're definitely there.
Magnus is always a welcome addition to the party; I love love him to bits, and some of the best scenes involved him (though his timing for interrupting is just horrible. HORRIBLE, Magnus!).
Will's story, on the other hand... that was the beginning of the undoing of my heart. I can't imagine what that poor boy had to go trhough, how much it hurt him to do everything he did for five years, only to find out in the end... I thought he took it quite well; I'd have gone on a rampage and smashed some things. And of course, his little monets with Tessa made me squeal with utter delight. That is one man who deserves to be happy and be loved heart, body and soul, and I believe Tessa can give him that.
It shocked me, though, how RIDICULOUSLY OBLIVIOUS both Jem and Will were about the other's feelings towards Tessa. I thought they were blood brothers; surely they'd have noticed? Well, apparenyl not. I am also incredibly mad at Tessa for what she did, and for what she said to Jem. Because of her, my heart is torn to smithereens on the floor.
I want both Jem and Will to be happy, but not if the happiness of one means sacrificing the happiness of the other.