Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So, Lucy, what’s you’re opinion on this book?... ‘Ngh nghg nghg’ I groan. I do admit, I either sound like a five year old or an aged cat or a monster. But this is how I feel about ‘Clockwork Angel,’ – it’s just so ‘meh’ (or ‘ngh ngh’).

The ‘Clockwork Angel,’ was pleasingly a lot better than TMI (which, by book 3, I struggled to finish). Its plot was pleasingly fast-paced, the characters slightly more likeable and the Victorian London world an interesting concept.

BUT OTHERWISE. No. I didn’t hate this book; I just have a strong disregard for it.

Reason 1 (of many reasons)

The world. It’s a brilliant concept. A fantastic concept. THE BEST CONCEPT. But alas, it didn’t work very well, despite the brilliant idea of a Steampunk Victorian England, it didn’t work. Most of the language felt very modern, and there was little description that made you really fall into the world. I think perhaps Ms Clare could follow Linda Newberry’s style, (Set in Stone), whose work reads and feels very Victorian–like. I really hoped ‘Clockwork Angel’ would read different from TMI series, so that Ms Clare could have a chance to show us that she knew how to write books in different styles.

This brings us on to reason 1’s sub-point. Accents.

Accents well written excite me like a child waiting for Christmas. Britain has a lot of accents. You’ve got Welsh, Cockney, Cornish, Scottish, Brummie, Yorkshire and many more. Especially in a place like London you’ll get so many accents everywhere. So why didn’t Clare use this to her advantage? She described accents, but she didn’t incorporate much of this into their speech. Another opportunity lost! IIf Will is Welsh (he is Welsh, right?), yet he speaks in Proper English. WHYYYY.

Reason Number Two - Characters

Will. Is that guy meant to be attractive?



He’s a git. Seriously, one minute he’s fawning over Tessa – next minute he ‘offers’ that they can ‘use her room’. Steady on mate! I just found the ‘I’m such a cad, but underneath I’m loveable’ character a bit used.

Tessa. She cried. She screamed. She looked blankly. Etcetera. I just found her a bit dull, a bit annoying.


Jessamine = a Shame. She could've been a really good character, if she wasn't a jealous bitch.

However, I really did like the character of Jem. HE WAS A REAL GENTLEMAN! I liked his backstory, his personality. He was ‘the boy next door’, but however he’s probably going to get completely disregarded in the love triangle for this very reason.

Reason Number Three (the final reason).

Love Triangles are boring. I really don’t need to go into this one, do I?

I did like reading this book, I found the plot to be generally quite good, and it was something I needed at the time, light with a lot of adventure.


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Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

‘Etiquette and Espionage’ is a fun story about a young Victorian girl sent away to finishing school. Except, this school flies. Its teachers include vampires and werewolves. And, you learn how to spy sufficiently.

I really enjoyed this novel; it was fun, light and interesting. It wasn’t blow my mind amazing but it was a nice read. Would recommend


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Ask The Passengers by A.S. King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a small barrage of ‘I love A.S. King’s books!’ filled up booktube, I decided to acquaint myself with this author on a well-informed whim. And here’s the verdict: I loved it.

I did get mad at this book, or rather at certain people in this book. It kinda made me realise sometimes I hate humanity. I don’t want to spend this book post ranting but, I’ll say two things. One. Equality is obvious – a la Astrid Jones. Two. Love has no limits.

Moving on, I found this book to be amazingly relatable. Even though I’m not in Astrid’s situation, I found her confusion relatable, and I found that she had a very relatable voice. I really liked how A.S. King wrote her, and I loved A.S. King’s writing because it felt so realistic.

I also loved the magical realism. YAY magical realism. I did think in other books it has been done better, but I liked the idea that Astrid was sending the passengers her love.
I really liked this book but I wasn’t running round the house shoving it into people’s hands saying ‘read it’ ‘read it’. I’ll definitely look into ‘Everybody sees the ants’ that one’s meant to be ‘the one’!


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Bunheads by Sophie Flack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have always wanted to be a ballerina. Actually, that’s a complete lie. When I was five, after much persuasion, my mum took me to a local ballet class for 5-8 year olds. Nevertheless, I sat in the car and I wouldn’t budge. So my possibly successful career went out like a light. (I joke; I can barely keep my focus on school, never mind dancing.)
I have always admired ballet, and this January I went to see Swan Lake – a truly magnificent experience. I picked up this book as it is about a girl who has to make a choice, ballet or real life, and after watching dozens of ballet documentaries on YouTube, I read it.

Hannah is 19 years old, and has barely stepped out side of the Manhattan Ballet Company theatre in five years. However, after a serendipitous meeting with college student Jacob, she begins to question her life choice.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the feeling that for the majority of the book we were behind the ‘closed doors’ of the theatre – the stuff that the audience doesn’t see. I liked Hannah as a character, I found her very relatable, and although she was pretty selfish and confused. She was a normal teenage girl. I found the tensions in the dressing room to be fascinating, all the secret bitchy-ness that went on behind closed doors.

I personally really liked the relationship in this book. Yes, it was a love triangle – something which I usually hate- but I could see why the two guys found Hannah attractive both for different reasons. I found Matt insufferable but Jacob was a favourite. Certainly he’s one of the best ‘book boys’ I’ve read recently. He isn’t a ‘nothing’ character, he has character. Both Hannah and Jacob ignore each other and have arguments, well done Ms Flack I found this pleasantly realistic. I really appreciated that Jacob cared for Hannah, not like some slimy ‘perfect’ boys you read about.

I would definitely give Bunheads a read, I loved it, and it was light and easy to read but I liked Ms Flack’s characterisation in the novel.



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The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t know what to say. I’ve been sitting still for about half an hour wondering what to write. The Little Prince is a breath of fresh air. It is a beautiful fable told with such prowess and imagination, I was amazed. With its extremely poignant end and moral allegory, I’m stunned. All I can say is: Read it. It does not matter if you’re a child or not, just read it. It is easily one of the most thought provoking books I’ve read this year. Leave this page now and find a copy.

A final note, I don’t think I ever want to forget I was a child.


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Pirates! by Celia Rees
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nancy is a merchant’s daughter, who thinks she’s destined for a life controlled by people. However, after a ridiculous amount of curious events, she becomes a pirate with her best friend, who happens to be a run away slave.

I had previously read another of Celia Rees’ books; This is Not Forgiveness, which I quite enjoyed. However I cannot say the same for Pirates! This was a boring and frustrating read. Throughout the book, the plot seems silly, romanticised and melodramatic. I thought it was odd that all of the pirates were in essence, ‘good guys’, and I thought the plot line with The Brazilian lacked tension. Personally, the two main characters, Nancy and Minerva weren’t particularly compelling.

On the other hand, it’s not all bad. I liked the writing style, and I thought initially the beginning was quite good. But, I would give this book a miss.


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I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is Cassandra Mortmain’s diary, where for one summer she writes down the drama of family life and first love. Living in a crumbling castle in the 1930s, this book truly captures the essence of being a seventeen year old.

As I read this book, I swear I could smell the scent of the British summer. As I turned the pages, I was sure I could smell meadowsweet and fresh strawberries and cream. This was a beautiful book; however, I thought it missed a little ‘spark’ of something.


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