BRB, rereading Chain of Gold again and again and again and again. (And then again for good measure because oh-my-god, I'm obsessed.)

I haven't shouted about The Shadowhunter Chronicles in a good five minutes so how about we review Ghosts of the Shadow Market? (And, yes, I'm playing catch-up on my reviews. Because I am ALWAYS behind.)

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare | Rating: ★★★★★

Did I spend the very last of my money on this book? Think about who you're dealing with here. Think a little harder. I ABSOLUTELY spent the last of my money on this. Who needs food when you have Shadowhunters. I wasn't kidding when I said Cassie's basically got me in a choke-hold. It's all fun and games until a demon comes and bites your left eyebrow off. Which is kind of how Queen of Air and Darkness left me feeling--like a demon bit my left eyebrow off. But, like, in a fun, "I can always draw them back on" satisfying way.

I tried to read it slowly. Really, I did. I was like, "Jessica. You're going to regret reading this too quickly." And then I was like, "Jessica. Don't listen to yourself. You can't be trusted. You're having a conversation with yourself when you could be reading Queen of Air and Darkness." Some points were made, right? I made a very valid point. So, I inhaled it.

SO. Queen of Air and Darkness, first of all, ripped my rune necklace off and poked me in the eye with it. Which, again, satisfying. Truly. 10/10 would be stabbed by a necklace again.

I was going to post this on Friday but I'm kind of in denial that the celebration is almost done so I did find myself procrastinating just a smidge. Where did the time go? Do we really have only one more week left of my very first meme? Further, is City of Bones really 10 years old?! 

Man. I just really want to thank everyone who has taken the time to participate in these questions and this getting to know you dance we've been doing for almost ten weeks. While I've nearly completed these tasks, you are more than welcome to join in at any time and work at whatever pace you wish. To learn more about Ten Years of City of Bones, click on "celebration" in the very first sentence of this post.

And now, to the Tardis main attraction!

Well, well, well. It is finally Friday again. While my week has been less than desirable (see: my cell-phone no longer working, general scratchy throat things, laptop being a slow little bugger) I can honestly say I'm stoked to continue my celebration of Ten Years of City of Bones.

As the celebration's ending draws nearer (hullo, week eight!), I just want to say thank-you to anyone who has participated. It's never too late to join in, for those who are new.

This weeks theme is all about the locations and plots which was a great question in theory. Now that I'm over here planning this post I'm just cursing myself because this one seems to have stumped me today. So, I'm skipping over the plots in lieu of the locations only.

The good news is, I've had my fill of coffee for the day and my brain is finally starting to work with itself a bit. It's still sluggish but, hey, that's what happens when you don't sleep, kids. SO! Let's talk locations.

*Sniffles* This meme is officially over half way done and I'm totally not ready to say goodbye. They all just grow up so fast *blows into tissue* don't they? It's not to late to join in on the fun--if you're a fan of The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, you can join in on our weekly celebration at any time you want. It could literally be 2027 and you could join in. To learn more about it, click here.

This weeks theme is the age old question: WHO THE FRICKITY FRACK AM I? Or, rather, who would I be in the pages--ahem, the world--we've come to know and love. Which, to be honest, sent me into a bit of an identity crisis! Who am I? What will I become? What characters would have a restraining order against me IRL?

Yes, yes, yes. I know what you're thinking, "Jessica. Didn't you, like, so totally write the questions for this meme? Shouldn't you have made it easier on yourself?" the answer is yes, I did. But where would the fun be in the easy route? Is it really a day if I haven't spun myself around in about forty different circles?

I'm not sure. Probably not. Sounds pretty fake to me. #ALTERNATIVEFACTS

And now... without further ado...

I've spent the better part of my week (1) Trying to hunt down a copy of the anniversary edition of City of Bones (to no avail--guess I'll have to suck it up and order online and hope my idiot neighbors don't steal the package) and (2) Listening to the new Taylor Swift record on repeat (I'm not going to apologize about this just so we're on the same page) while trying to plot this weeks post out in my head. As you can imagine, that didn't go off as well as I'd hoped--however, I finally got off my arse and got it done. I know, I'm proud of me too.

To be honest, this is a pretty short post compared to the other topics. I have no idea why I procrastinated like I did. Whoops. 

I'm so excited to continue my celebration. Which, if you're confused as to what I'm talking about--click here. Basically, my stan is at its highest level when it comes to Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series.

I'm going to be tackling my favourite parabatai pairings from The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices because reasons. So let's get down to business. Grab a drink. And blast "I Did Something Bad" by Taylor Swift because it's what I'm doing--it's a total banger.

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare | Rating: ★★★★★

There's something about a place you've been with someone you love. It takes on a meaning in your mind. It becomes more than a place. It becomes a distillation of what you felt for each other. The moments you spend in a place with someone... they become part of its bricks and mortar. Part of its soul.

Five months. Five. Freaking. Months. That's how long it has taken me to recover from Lord of Shadows and I have to admit, I'm not even remotely over it. I just reread Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows over the course of one week because (1) I missed this world and (2) It's getting to be chilly outside so I typically go for comfort in Harry Potter or Shadowhunters. I figured now was the time to get up and write my review despite my inability to come to terms with the final chapter of this book as well as who we lose this time around. Basically, I am having a struggle when it comes to comprehending my emotions.

I think we all know how far up Cassandra Clare's ass I am at this point. That is a very vulgar way of putting it but, eh, what can you do? The Dark Artifices began with a really solid first installment and I briefly wondered if she could top it. I know better than to underestimate Clare because once again she proves she just keeps getting better with age--the writing in Lord of Shadows was phenomenal. I felt every word. Every heartbreak. Every butterfly. Every tingle and shock. There was something so good about Lord of Shadows that I can't quite put my finger on its pulse--it is perhaps one of her best works to date.

First of all HOW ARE WE ALMOST HALF WAY THROUGH THIS CELEBRATION?! This is nuts. Completely bonkers. It's, dare I say it, cuckoo bananas. This week's topic in my celebration of the 10th anniversary of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones is all about the relationships of The Mortal Instruments. Romantic, platonic/parabatai, family bonds, etc. Part of me wants to really expand this week's theme to extend to The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices since they all technically do make an appearance in one way or another throughout all the Shadowhunters novels.

So. Guess what I'm doing? *Evil laughter* Besides drinking coffee and ogling lipsticks on Temptalia, of course.  I'M GOING WILD WITH IT. Or, at the very least moderately untamed fangirl levels of joy and squeals and probably a lot of tears because Cass does tend to have that effect on us, right? Right?! No--but for real, I am extending this weeks theme to those three series because I'm a little feral this evening, as I just finished rereading Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows this week. And it's one of those moments where our beloved characters just pop up at random or are at least mentioned.

(And I'm still procrastinating writing a review for Lord of Shadows. Which, yes, is pretty sad as I've read it twice since it was released in the spring.)

I feel winded. Can you possibly feel winded from typing? I am pretty sure you can. Let's just get down to the good stuff. Grab a drink. Snuggle in. Find something to use as a tissue just in case the mere mention of a relationship causes total tears and distraction. We're going to be here for a good bit of time.

I don't know what's more shocking--the fact that City of Bones is 10 or that we're on week three of the celebration already! Nuts. Completely. I'm actually in shock about this because apparently I'm easily shocked. Or just #shook. I have a busy weekend ahead of me so your girl actually wrote this ALMOST A WEEK EARLY to schedule it in. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are.

If you're wondering what the fresh hell (do the kids still say that?) I am babbling about now (...as opposed to whatever it is I typically babble about on here?)--to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Cassandra Clare's beloved introduction to The Shadowhunters Chronicles/The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones, I decided to host a little meme to get better acquainted with my fellow TMI fans. Which you can read more about here.

I'm not going to lie to you guys. This weeks topic is the one I've been most looking forward to. I was *almost* tempted to make it the first task/theme/topic/trumpet (???) when I came up with the list but decided to pace myself. Adaptations are on the table--including both the film and Freeform television series. Are you excited? Am I vibrating?

For starters, I didn't used to be so mellow about my favourite books being adapted for screen. From the time that Gossip Girl was first aired (honestly, I hated it) and made me flinch into my beloved pieces of trash (the books, obviously) to the Harry Potter films, whose problems were less frustrating for me than Gossip Girl because at least Harry Potter stuck to the general plots, I would analyze and nitpick EVERY LAST DETAIL of everything. Because that's what us book lovers tend to do--we love the way it translates on screen more or equal to the source material or we loath it. And that's that.

As I got older and saw more television and film adaptations of work I'd been familiar with or loved--such as The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Game of Thrones, The Secret Circle, Pretty Little Liars, The Giver, Outlander, The Hunger Games, Divergent--I began to be able to separate the original vs. the adaptations bit by bit. I'm not saying I loved them but I'm not saying I hated them either way, I just slowly began to loosen my grip on the work in question and embraced changes with a little less stubbornness.

ANNNND, the celebration continues. Happy weekend to us! I was going to post this yesterday but I not only forgot to set it up in the queue, I didn't have internet for most of the day! Sad face. It's okay, though, because I totally talked my best-friends ear off about it while we got up to our usual weekend shenanigans. Because... anything to hear myself talk more. Anything to talk about the things I love!

You know the drill by now, I suppose--but if you don't... in the weeks leading up to the release of THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Cassandra Clare's bestselling City of Bones, I am hosting a meme/celebration to get better acquainted with my fellow fans. You can read more on that here and jump in at any time. Please, I'm so needy and want to converse with you guys. 

This week, the questions are FUN and not at all requiring bloodshed and sacrifice. That's a joke... there may be some. I am feeling like a mother picking out her favourite children when she shouldn't have favourites but sometimes you just love the SPARKLING BISEXUAL WARLOCK most of all, you know? And then the little girl who stopped a big war is like, "Excuse me?"  

I'm rambling again, aren't I? LET'S GET DOWN TO WORK, KIDS. Get your runes drawn and your stele ready because things are about to get WILD and CRAZY.*

*I say this while I'm sitting on my bed, watching Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies while eating Count Chocula out of a Rugrats bowl. 

Here we go! As a way of celebrating the ten years since Cassandra Clare's beloved bestselling series The Mortal Instruments began, I decided to do a little something fun for the fans. Something that is sort of leading up to (and after) the release of the STUNNING anniversary edition of City of Bones. Think of it as a fun way to get better acquainted with fans as well as to talk about the series we love.

To catch you up to speed, chances are, you've already read about it here. If not, and you are a fan who wants to participate, please feel free to join in at any time! And across any platform you so desire. 

Let's get started on the first week, shall we? The theme is a general walk through your memory lane of the series.

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Rees Brennon and Robin Wasserman | Rating: ★★★★★ 

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via Edelweiss by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

There's no shortage of companion novels these days amongst the young adult book series which dominate the scene. In the case of Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, it had a lot to live up to--even in a side by side comparison with its previous companion novel, The Bane Chronicles. Nearly a decade has passed since Cassandra Clare's publication of the first of six novels in The Mortal Instruments series and with that milestone, the world has expanded to multiple series, two companion novels of short stories, one film and one television adaptation. And there's more to come in the future.

With no signs of stopping, Cassandra Clare enlisted some help once more to expand her Shadow world and reintroduces us to our favourite characters from all of her series. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy primarily focuses on the events of fan-favourite, Simon Lewis, as he grapples with his newfound life as a Shadowhunter-to-be and struggles to regain his memories. Seeing Simon grow in his own short stories is a lot different from the growth--and loss--we saw in the original series run; it's bittersweet and promising, it's a new light on self discovery and armed with heartfelt prose and with humour.

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare | Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)

When you love someone, they become a part of who you are. They're in everything you do. They're in the air you breathe and the water you drink and the blood in your veins. Their touch stays on your skin and their voice stays in your ears and their thoughts stay in your mind. You know their dreams because their nightmares pierce your heart and their good dreams are your dreams too. And you don't think they're perfect, but you know their flaws, the deep-down truth of them, and the shadows of all their secrets, and they don't frighten you away; in fact you love them more for it, because you don't want perfect. You want them. You want—"
He broke off then, as if realizing everyone was looking at him again.

There are many reoccurring themes and characters mentioned from past releases by Cassandra Clare in Lady Midnight, but perhaps the most significant part to this installment–the first of a planned trilogy called The Dark Artifices–is the nod to a small truth each and everyone of us faces. It’s that sometimes answers come about in ways you least expected and that often, these truths can leave our lives in shambles and make us wonder how it came to be.

Not to mention a world of betrayal.

So–answers. Answers and more questions. That’s the first thing we come to see and have resolved piece by piece throughout this monster of a novel. Lady Midnight is large and fast paced and steamy; Clare brings us back into the Shadowhunter world effortlessly and in some ways just keeps getting better.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare | Rating: ★★★★★

“I know about parabatai,” said Magnus, an angry, dark undercurrent to his voice. “I’ve known parabatai so close they were almost the same person; do you know what happens, when one of them dies, to the one that’s left —?”

I can’t believe I’m almost done with my reread of the entire TMI series but here we are! Cassandra Clare still has me hooked all these years later and rereading the novels feels like I’ve been greeted by an old from. Onto one of my favorite novels in the entire series: this little guy is by far one of the funnest and darkest of the entire run; Cassandra as usual does the best with her plots.

Teenage angst, action, romance and mystery follow us–and in this installment we see even more descriptive locations that will leave us with hearts in our eyes just as much as our bones will chill by the events scattered about. In terms of suspense and comparison to the installments that came before it, City of Lost Souls rivals City of Glass.

In the aftermath of events in the previous book, our second to last installment picks up right where we left off. Mostly City of Lost Souls begins with one question: where is Jace? which follows into who is Jace, now? The answer is not simple, but what ever is?

Due to the attempts of Lilith in resurrecting him, Sebastian has been brought back from the dead and is now tied to Jace.

City of Fallen Angels (TMI #4) by Cassandra Clare | Rating: ★★★☆☆

“Hearts are breakable," Isabelle said. "And I think even when you heal, you're never what you were before".”

My reread of The Mortal Instruments, in preparation for the new television adaptation Shadowhunters, continues with City of Fallen Angels. Serving as the fourth book in the expanded series, we see our favorite Shadowhunters and Downworlders return in a new mystery set a brief time after the events of City of Glass. It is also the weakest book of the series but does a decent job at setting up for this second arch therefore it doesn't dampen my love for this incredible series.

Now that The Mortal War is over, Sebastian (or Jonathan) and Valentine are dead, and the truth has all been revealed, our favorite kids think that they can finally sleep safely at night. Now, they can head back down the path of whatever normal is meant to be–for some that means hunting, for some that means love, some that means acceptance, for the Lightwoods it means mourning the loss of Max and others it means training.

And then there’s avoidance. But we’ll get to that later. I’m going to start with characters.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare | Rating: ★★★★★

“There is no pretending," Jace said with absolute clarity. "I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there is life after that, I'll love you then.”

City of Glass was the original end to the then-planned-trilogy The Mortal Instruments. As action packed, mysterious and sexy as the previous two books, we find our favorite Shadowhunters and Downworlders battling it out with Valentine one last time in an effort to end his terror. But as always, things aren’t always what they seem; surprising plot twists, revelations and characters come about in unexpected ways. And tears will be shed at the loss of a character.

Clary has big plans at the start of City of Glass but she isn’t the only one with a thing or two up her sleeves. Strong, witty and intelligent as always Clary is on point and undeniably a teenager. Her actions all reflect that from the start. At the beginning of the novel, we see our favorite feisty redhead explore the options to save her mother as she prepares to go to the Shadowhunters home country, Idris, with the Lightwoods.

The first bump of the series? Her supposed brother and secret crush Jace is attempting to leave without her, to keep her safe. In these moments he calls the only person who would want to protect Clary as he would: Simon. In spite of the two teen boys’ differences, they both love Clary and want to keep her from harms way as much as they can.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare | Rating: ★★★★★

“There's no need to clarify my finger snap," said Magnus. "The implication was clear in the snap itself.”

Cassandra Clare’s brilliantly fun and dashing The Mortal Instruments series continues with its first sequel City of Ashes; immediately following the events of its sarcastic and dark predecessor. After being introduced to this world, these characters, and watching a world of mystery unfold, readers were left grappling for the next installment.

So many things left us questioning what could possibly happen next; what each previous revelation means for the overall plot flow. It is just as vivid, thrilling, mysterious and twisty as City of Bones–there’s a whole world of magic out there just beyond our reach and we’ve only dipped our toes into it.

We left off with quite a bit on our plates. Joceyln’s lies, and her reasoning, Clary’s unusual gift, family connections as well as romance, demons, Downworlders, history, the mortal cup and so much more.

With Jocelyn seemingly asleep, Valentine growing stronger and building an army of his own, the world seems just a bit more dangerous than it was before.

So let’s start with connections thus far:

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Rees Brennan | Rating: ★★★★☆

"Trust. It is like placing a blade in someone's hand and setting the very point to your heart."

I may be biased in this -- because I'm such a fan of this world -- but this is the perfect collection of short stories on Magnus Bane. I'm always, always here for more Magnus. And while companion novels can run short when compared to the original stories, The Bane Chronicles is a wonderful extension to Cassandra Clare's beloved The Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments series. Fans of the original series -- this is a must read for you.

Say what you will about Cassandra -- her personality and actions may not be your cup of tea. You're certainly entitled to that because of things she's done or said in the past. But I want you to know: it's okay if you like her work but not her. And it's also okay if you don't. For me, personally, I love her writing. She's made some kickass stories for us -- intriguing plots and twists and characters that come together in such a terrific way. Her worlds are what fantasies are made of and I applaud her for bringing us these stories.

Back to The Bane Chronicles. It's so exciting to see more of Magnus, in a way we haven't seen before. He is such an interesting character -- witty, mysterious, the overall package when it comes down to entertainment. And because he is one of my favorite characters from her works, it's all the more thrilling to see more from his point of view. Previously, so much of who he is as a character was a mystery to us, but in these stories we get to see so much more of his story. His humor, his personality, his past -- the good, the bad, it's all tied together in a neat little bow for the fans to enjoy.