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Soooooo I finished City of Lost Souls. It's one of the best "middle" books I've ever read... and in YA, potentially the best. Middle books -- or maybe I'll even say, second books in a series -- tend to be some of the weakest. It's sort of treading water in between the beginning and the end, and consequently not much happens. TOTALLY not the case with CoLS. :D
- Jace is so hot. I loved him even when his name was Draco and he was in the DT. :P As Jade says, he's such a good character that it's a good thing he's able to finally be his own character instead of wearing the name of one from HP.
- Really loved most of the pace/action in this book. I'm also pleasantly surprised that there's some resolution at the end (at least wrt Jace). I was kind of expecting her to drag out that whole thing and not have Jace be 'cured' until the end of book 3. But, of course, that begs the question of what is going to drive the angst of the last book. I mean... yeah, Sebastian's still at large, but the thing that drove book 2 (well, 4, but since 1-3 and 4-6 were conceived of as trilogies, that's how I'm thinking of CoLS) was that one of the characters we care most about was at risk. Right now, none of the good guys are at risk, so... what's going to make us care about what Sebastian is doing? I mean, the world being in danger is one thing, but we need to feel personally involved with that, which involves raising the stakes with either Jace or Clary, imho.
- Maybe it's Clary's turn. After all, there IS all that setup with regard to Sebastian's feelings/claims on her. Plus, in the first 5 books, it's been Jace who needed to be 'rescued' (twice!) from the machinations of the other side. Which is hot and interesting and all, but it's been done, so maybe it's time for Clary to be the one at risk.
- Speaking of Sebastian's professed desire for Clary... GRRM certainly paved the way for Cassie, didn't he? <g> Now the whole brother/sister thing barely seems taboo at all. In fact, I found it pretty hot. I was so disturbed by this that I emailed Jade (who hasn't read the book yet) about how disturbed I was at my lack of being disturbed, though I wasn't specific about what. :)) Through most of the book, there are definite signs showing how Sebastian feels, but I wondered if it was just me being crazy or me channeling my enjoyment of ASoIaF. It was made explicit toward the end of the book though, so yay for not being crazy. On the one hand, it really says something that it was probably considered more acceptable for a brother to feel that way about his sister, than for a guy to feel that way about another guy (especially since Alex/Magnus are already a couple). Because some of the clues we got, such as Sebastian's "poem," I wondered if it was about Jace. If this were the DT, or fanfic, it would have been. But almost bizarrely, Sebastian is into Clary. I would say, "Because he's evil, that's why he feels that way about his sister," except that when Jace thought Clary was his sister he was totally into her anyway, so that's not really it. I did like Sebastian scoffing at the idea of being limited by the taboo of incest, though, that normal human rules don't apply to them because they're Shadowhunters.
- But given that he IS into her in that way, why didn't he ever express jealousy about Jace and Clary being together, or try to prevent them from being together? Why allow them so much time alone?
- And why did he never come on to Clary or show that he was interested in her, in front of Jace? I mean, would Jace have cared, given his connection with Sebastian? In fact, why did Clary dare Sebastian to kill her, knowing that he would have to "explain" it to Jace? The whole thing where not-Jace still cared about Clary didn't really make sense. It was like CC wanting to have her cake and eat it too. If under Lilith's influence, Jace and Sebastian are one, and Sebastian is the dominant one, and Jace wants what Sebastian wants, etc., then why did Jace still care that much about Clary at all? Why did Brother Zachariah say that she was still the center of his universe? I mean, she wasn't! Sebastian was. Sebastian could do no wrong in Jace's eyes, so even if he had harmed Clary, would Jace really have cared? And if he did, wouldn't that imply that his and Sebastian's bond wasn't that strong? That just didn't make any sense if Sebastian's hold on Jace was as complete as we were told. In fact, I would have liked to have seen that tested. If Sebastian kissed Clary, or slapped her, or did any of the things he did do, in front of Jace, what would Jace have done? In theory he should have done NOTHING. Yet Clary is able to prevent Sebastian from killing her by implying that Jace would be unhappy/rebel against Sebastian if he did so? MAKES NO SENSE.
- Another thing that didn't really make sense... why didn't Sebastian stop Jace from bringing Clary, or why did he allow her to be there, if he knew about her Seelie ring/method of communication all along, and knew everything she'd told Simon, and what her true plans were? Because he actually wanted her there, due to his interest in her?
- I can't decide what I want for Sebastian. If he's truly evil or if he ends up having a shred of good in him, either way it's kind of dissatisfying/cliche. Right now it would appear that things are black and white -- he's evil and has always been evil. But I thought it was interesting when he showed those moments of "kindness" (for lack of a better word), when he and Clary fought together, the banter he and Jace shared, etc. For awhile I thought CC was using the same thing she used in the DT, wherein Harry changed Draco the same way Draco changed Harry. Apparently, however, that "grayness" is not meant to be in MI. Jace's blood does not appear to have changed Sebastian at all.
- I'm glad Clary realized that she had to "free" Jace, that she had made a bad decision when she prevented him from turning himself in to the Clave, but I was a bit annoyed that she didn't see that she had behaved EXACTLY AS HIGH HANDEDLY AS HER MOTHER. I find Jocelyn super annoying and suffocating (probably because I grew up with a mother like that), and was glad when Isabelle told her off, but at the same time, no one can doubt her intentions, and Clary is kind of a child... so I really wanted her to realize that by taking Jace's choices away to "protect" him, she was doing just as her mother had done to her.
- I still don't understand how Simon's bite resurrected Sebastian. I mean, in 99% of vampire lore (maybe even 100%?), it's vampire BLOOD that affects change. Sebastian never drank Simon's blood, only the reverse, so why would that have rezzed Sebastian? What, Simon's saliva did it? That was the biggest question I had from book 4, and I find the explanation very dissatisfying.
- Speaking of Simon, thank God his Mark of Cain has been taken away. He was waaaaaaaaaaaaay too ridiculously overpowered with it!! I mean, a vampire who can walk in daylight AND who can't be killed?! WTF. I really had to roll my eyes when Izzy was like, "You aren't cursed anymore, Simon. You aren't cursed anymore." In WHAT WAY was the Mark of Cain a CURSE??? It was the best thing ever!!! There were NO NEGATIVE EFFECTS from it. Had it been placed on anyone but Simon, they would have taken over the world by now.
- WTF was up with Izzy saying that Simon should wield the sword? That was the stupidest thing ever, given that he has NO combat skills training!!!! And ended up giving the sword to Clary anyway!!!
- Alec. Ugh. I dislike him as much now as I ever did. Maybe more, because at least before, he made things interesting by being in love with Jace. Now he's just an immature, insecure asshole. He deserved to be broken up with by Magnus -- he never deserved someone that awesome. I mean, the idea that he would CONTEMPLATE taking Magnus's immortality away for his own petty, insecure purposes was just beyond the pale. I'm glad Magnus didn't stand for it, because I feel like he puts up with a LOT of Alec's immature whininess. Sadly, this only means though that book 6 is going to have to cover the angst between the two of them, and I really couldn't care less.
- Though there is one relationship I care about even less than theirs... that of Jordan and Maia. I pretty much skimmed over anything to do with them. One of the weaknesses of the book was that there were far too many POVs, especially of things that had no real place in the action (which is pretty much J/M). Simon/Isabelle was the most tolerable of the side pairings, though if it hadn't existed I wouldn't have cried any tears over it.
- Partly why these side pairings existed, imho, was to introduce sex into the series without having it be between Jace and Clary. When Jordan and Maia started boinking after Alec and Magnus were already boinking, I KNEW Jace and Clary weren't going to get any. Sigh. Even though several of their scenes were sooooooooooo hot. One in particular, where they're sooooooo close to it (when Jace is briefly himself again), it kind of doesn't make sense that they don't. Clary herself thinks that if this is the last time she ever sees real!Jace, that it'll be something she wants to keep with her forever, and yet when Jace is like, I don't want to because I'm jealous of the other me, she capitulates without using her (very good) argument. I mean, his reasoning isn't all that strong. There's no guarantee that the other him won't somehow get her to sleep with him, in which case wouldn't it be better if their real selves got to experience their first time, together? What, even though it's not really him, he's confident this other him won't coerce her in some way? And given the events at the end of book 5, it seems there won't be any J/C nookie for most of book 6 either. If then. I mean, is CC holding back because of their ages, or because she thinks it'll ruin their relationship? Right now I'm of the opinion that artificially preventing it from happening over and over is getting tiresome, and she's losing more than she's gaining. I also have a problem with how little Clary seems to care. Every time Jace is like, "We can't do it" she's like, "OK!" Girls want it just as much as guys! And if you had a boyfriend like Jace, well...
- I didn't mind... too much... that Cassie borrowed from BtVS when she has Clary stab Jace in the heart. However, my beef with that is the same one I had on the show ... did she have to stab him right through the heart???? She couldn't have just cut his arm a little? I mean, nothing Raziel said indicated that she (or anyone) would have to drive the friggin sword through his heart, that I recall. I mean, the sword could HARM Jace and Sebastian separately, which meant that it wasn't like she was killing Sebastian by doing it! And in theory, the sword would have still burned their connection had she stabbed Jace in the leg -- without risking that he might actually DIE from the stab wound. So that was pretty lame. I mean, just like on BtVS, I understand that it wouldn't have the same visual effect as stabbing him through the heart (seriously though, how many times does one person have to go through that? Poor Jace), but then LEARN FROM THE FORMER'S MISTAKE and make it part of the requirement or something!
- Maureen. So don't give a crap. And also find it hard to believe that a newbie vampire could take out Camille. -.- Maybe I've been watching too much VD, but I do think it makes sense that the older you are, the more powerful you should be. There ought to be a reward for surviving that long. Plus it's obvious she's there to give Simon some angst, and just like Alec/Magnus breaking up, I just don't give a shit.
- Why does Jace care so much about the Morgenstern ring? Doesn't he hate Valentine? And he isn't even a Morgenstern anyway. Yet he keeps giving Clary the ring to wear like it means something to him.
- Is Jace going to angst about having killed a human being (the Iron Sister), or is it OK because he wasn't really himself and also she was willing to use her skills for people outside of the Clave?
- This is at least the second instance of Clary "creating" a rune without knowing what real use she could make of it, which then ends up helping her in an unexpected way. I don't believe in coincidences (and in this case, it feels especially lazy if that's what it is), so does that mean she's somehow prophetic, too?
- Now that Sebastian has been made so hot, I fear even more Jamie Campbell Bower's casting as Jace. There's a very high probability that in the movie, I will actually be rooting for Sebastian instead of the guy I'm supposed to be rooting for. >< >< ><
- A few of my favorite scenes from the book: 1) When Jace is going to turn himself and the second Mortal Cup in and Clary shouts for Sebastian and he appears; 2) The first time Clary wakes up, early on in the book, to find Jace there; 3) Sebastian saving Clary from the "bodyguard" demons; 4) Jace in the training room when Sebastian and Clary return from Paris; 5) Jace and Clary in his room after he is injured by the Iron Sister and knows exactly who he is.
Last night I went to a PCC Cooks class... except it was less a cooking class than it was that they served us dinner. It's the first time I've ever done anything through PCC Cooks (which K. loves), so I didn't realize the distinction, I guess. It was good, but not worth the $50 I paid, even with the recipes they gave us. :/ I mean, the theme was "Madame Butterfly," the cuisine was Japanese, and it was REALLY simple. Nothing I couldn't have looked up how to make elsewhere, and with it being so simple, there wasn't a ton of technique to learn either. We started with a lovely dashi soup, followed by seared ahi tuna and shrimp tempura, followed by teppan-style filet mignon (TWO CUBES, so it's not like the portions were all that generous), followed by cherry sorbet and an almond pirouette. Each course was also accompanied by a wine pairing, a teeny amount that was just right for me. When I realized there would be wine I took a Zantac, which helped me not turn into a total lobster. (There's a tip for those of you who tend to get the "Asian flush"!) In a way it was a good thing that there wasn't a lot of hands-on stuff involved, because I wasn't really feeling up to it. I've been dragging a lot lately. :/
Awesome news... Community's been renewed for 13 episodes. I'm trying not to be bummed that it's only 13 eps, but imho they'll only order more eps if ratings improve, and there's no reason to suspect that they will. Sigh. Everyone should be watching this fantastic show!
If all goes well, tomorrow there will be Boiling Point withadelagia, Tilth brunch on Sunday, and hopefully The Avengers w/ K. sometime during the weekend. Wheeeeeeee!
- Jace is so hot. I loved him even when his name was Draco and he was in the DT. :P As Jade says, he's such a good character that it's a good thing he's able to finally be his own character instead of wearing the name of one from HP.
- Really loved most of the pace/action in this book. I'm also pleasantly surprised that there's some resolution at the end (at least wrt Jace). I was kind of expecting her to drag out that whole thing and not have Jace be 'cured' until the end of book 3. But, of course, that begs the question of what is going to drive the angst of the last book. I mean... yeah, Sebastian's still at large, but the thing that drove book 2 (well, 4, but since 1-3 and 4-6 were conceived of as trilogies, that's how I'm thinking of CoLS) was that one of the characters we care most about was at risk. Right now, none of the good guys are at risk, so... what's going to make us care about what Sebastian is doing? I mean, the world being in danger is one thing, but we need to feel personally involved with that, which involves raising the stakes with either Jace or Clary, imho.
- Maybe it's Clary's turn. After all, there IS all that setup with regard to Sebastian's feelings/claims on her. Plus, in the first 5 books, it's been Jace who needed to be 'rescued' (twice!) from the machinations of the other side. Which is hot and interesting and all, but it's been done, so maybe it's time for Clary to be the one at risk.
- Speaking of Sebastian's professed desire for Clary... GRRM certainly paved the way for Cassie, didn't he? <g> Now the whole brother/sister thing barely seems taboo at all. In fact, I found it pretty hot. I was so disturbed by this that I emailed Jade (who hasn't read the book yet) about how disturbed I was at my lack of being disturbed, though I wasn't specific about what. :)) Through most of the book, there are definite signs showing how Sebastian feels, but I wondered if it was just me being crazy or me channeling my enjoyment of ASoIaF. It was made explicit toward the end of the book though, so yay for not being crazy. On the one hand, it really says something that it was probably considered more acceptable for a brother to feel that way about his sister, than for a guy to feel that way about another guy (especially since Alex/Magnus are already a couple). Because some of the clues we got, such as Sebastian's "poem," I wondered if it was about Jace. If this were the DT, or fanfic, it would have been. But almost bizarrely, Sebastian is into Clary. I would say, "Because he's evil, that's why he feels that way about his sister," except that when Jace thought Clary was his sister he was totally into her anyway, so that's not really it. I did like Sebastian scoffing at the idea of being limited by the taboo of incest, though, that normal human rules don't apply to them because they're Shadowhunters.
- But given that he IS into her in that way, why didn't he ever express jealousy about Jace and Clary being together, or try to prevent them from being together? Why allow them so much time alone?
- And why did he never come on to Clary or show that he was interested in her, in front of Jace? I mean, would Jace have cared, given his connection with Sebastian? In fact, why did Clary dare Sebastian to kill her, knowing that he would have to "explain" it to Jace? The whole thing where not-Jace still cared about Clary didn't really make sense. It was like CC wanting to have her cake and eat it too. If under Lilith's influence, Jace and Sebastian are one, and Sebastian is the dominant one, and Jace wants what Sebastian wants, etc., then why did Jace still care that much about Clary at all? Why did Brother Zachariah say that she was still the center of his universe? I mean, she wasn't! Sebastian was. Sebastian could do no wrong in Jace's eyes, so even if he had harmed Clary, would Jace really have cared? And if he did, wouldn't that imply that his and Sebastian's bond wasn't that strong? That just didn't make any sense if Sebastian's hold on Jace was as complete as we were told. In fact, I would have liked to have seen that tested. If Sebastian kissed Clary, or slapped her, or did any of the things he did do, in front of Jace, what would Jace have done? In theory he should have done NOTHING. Yet Clary is able to prevent Sebastian from killing her by implying that Jace would be unhappy/rebel against Sebastian if he did so? MAKES NO SENSE.
- Another thing that didn't really make sense... why didn't Sebastian stop Jace from bringing Clary, or why did he allow her to be there, if he knew about her Seelie ring/method of communication all along, and knew everything she'd told Simon, and what her true plans were? Because he actually wanted her there, due to his interest in her?
- I can't decide what I want for Sebastian. If he's truly evil or if he ends up having a shred of good in him, either way it's kind of dissatisfying/cliche. Right now it would appear that things are black and white -- he's evil and has always been evil. But I thought it was interesting when he showed those moments of "kindness" (for lack of a better word), when he and Clary fought together, the banter he and Jace shared, etc. For awhile I thought CC was using the same thing she used in the DT, wherein Harry changed Draco the same way Draco changed Harry. Apparently, however, that "grayness" is not meant to be in MI. Jace's blood does not appear to have changed Sebastian at all.
- I'm glad Clary realized that she had to "free" Jace, that she had made a bad decision when she prevented him from turning himself in to the Clave, but I was a bit annoyed that she didn't see that she had behaved EXACTLY AS HIGH HANDEDLY AS HER MOTHER. I find Jocelyn super annoying and suffocating (probably because I grew up with a mother like that), and was glad when Isabelle told her off, but at the same time, no one can doubt her intentions, and Clary is kind of a child... so I really wanted her to realize that by taking Jace's choices away to "protect" him, she was doing just as her mother had done to her.
- I still don't understand how Simon's bite resurrected Sebastian. I mean, in 99% of vampire lore (maybe even 100%?), it's vampire BLOOD that affects change. Sebastian never drank Simon's blood, only the reverse, so why would that have rezzed Sebastian? What, Simon's saliva did it? That was the biggest question I had from book 4, and I find the explanation very dissatisfying.
- Speaking of Simon, thank God his Mark of Cain has been taken away. He was waaaaaaaaaaaaay too ridiculously overpowered with it!! I mean, a vampire who can walk in daylight AND who can't be killed?! WTF. I really had to roll my eyes when Izzy was like, "You aren't cursed anymore, Simon. You aren't cursed anymore." In WHAT WAY was the Mark of Cain a CURSE??? It was the best thing ever!!! There were NO NEGATIVE EFFECTS from it. Had it been placed on anyone but Simon, they would have taken over the world by now.
- WTF was up with Izzy saying that Simon should wield the sword? That was the stupidest thing ever, given that he has NO combat skills training!!!! And ended up giving the sword to Clary anyway!!!
- Alec. Ugh. I dislike him as much now as I ever did. Maybe more, because at least before, he made things interesting by being in love with Jace. Now he's just an immature, insecure asshole. He deserved to be broken up with by Magnus -- he never deserved someone that awesome. I mean, the idea that he would CONTEMPLATE taking Magnus's immortality away for his own petty, insecure purposes was just beyond the pale. I'm glad Magnus didn't stand for it, because I feel like he puts up with a LOT of Alec's immature whininess. Sadly, this only means though that book 6 is going to have to cover the angst between the two of them, and I really couldn't care less.
- Though there is one relationship I care about even less than theirs... that of Jordan and Maia. I pretty much skimmed over anything to do with them. One of the weaknesses of the book was that there were far too many POVs, especially of things that had no real place in the action (which is pretty much J/M). Simon/Isabelle was the most tolerable of the side pairings, though if it hadn't existed I wouldn't have cried any tears over it.
- Partly why these side pairings existed, imho, was to introduce sex into the series without having it be between Jace and Clary. When Jordan and Maia started boinking after Alec and Magnus were already boinking, I KNEW Jace and Clary weren't going to get any. Sigh. Even though several of their scenes were sooooooooooo hot. One in particular, where they're sooooooo close to it (when Jace is briefly himself again), it kind of doesn't make sense that they don't. Clary herself thinks that if this is the last time she ever sees real!Jace, that it'll be something she wants to keep with her forever, and yet when Jace is like, I don't want to because I'm jealous of the other me, she capitulates without using her (very good) argument. I mean, his reasoning isn't all that strong. There's no guarantee that the other him won't somehow get her to sleep with him, in which case wouldn't it be better if their real selves got to experience their first time, together? What, even though it's not really him, he's confident this other him won't coerce her in some way? And given the events at the end of book 5, it seems there won't be any J/C nookie for most of book 6 either. If then. I mean, is CC holding back because of their ages, or because she thinks it'll ruin their relationship? Right now I'm of the opinion that artificially preventing it from happening over and over is getting tiresome, and she's losing more than she's gaining. I also have a problem with how little Clary seems to care. Every time Jace is like, "We can't do it" she's like, "OK!" Girls want it just as much as guys! And if you had a boyfriend like Jace, well...
- I didn't mind... too much... that Cassie borrowed from BtVS when she has Clary stab Jace in the heart. However, my beef with that is the same one I had on the show ... did she have to stab him right through the heart???? She couldn't have just cut his arm a little? I mean, nothing Raziel said indicated that she (or anyone) would have to drive the friggin sword through his heart, that I recall. I mean, the sword could HARM Jace and Sebastian separately, which meant that it wasn't like she was killing Sebastian by doing it! And in theory, the sword would have still burned their connection had she stabbed Jace in the leg -- without risking that he might actually DIE from the stab wound. So that was pretty lame. I mean, just like on BtVS, I understand that it wouldn't have the same visual effect as stabbing him through the heart (seriously though, how many times does one person have to go through that? Poor Jace), but then LEARN FROM THE FORMER'S MISTAKE and make it part of the requirement or something!
- Maureen. So don't give a crap. And also find it hard to believe that a newbie vampire could take out Camille. -.- Maybe I've been watching too much VD, but I do think it makes sense that the older you are, the more powerful you should be. There ought to be a reward for surviving that long. Plus it's obvious she's there to give Simon some angst, and just like Alec/Magnus breaking up, I just don't give a shit.
- Why does Jace care so much about the Morgenstern ring? Doesn't he hate Valentine? And he isn't even a Morgenstern anyway. Yet he keeps giving Clary the ring to wear like it means something to him.
- Is Jace going to angst about having killed a human being (the Iron Sister), or is it OK because he wasn't really himself and also she was willing to use her skills for people outside of the Clave?
- This is at least the second instance of Clary "creating" a rune without knowing what real use she could make of it, which then ends up helping her in an unexpected way. I don't believe in coincidences (and in this case, it feels especially lazy if that's what it is), so does that mean she's somehow prophetic, too?
- Now that Sebastian has been made so hot, I fear even more Jamie Campbell Bower's casting as Jace. There's a very high probability that in the movie, I will actually be rooting for Sebastian instead of the guy I'm supposed to be rooting for. >< >< ><
- A few of my favorite scenes from the book: 1) When Jace is going to turn himself and the second Mortal Cup in and Clary shouts for Sebastian and he appears; 2) The first time Clary wakes up, early on in the book, to find Jace there; 3) Sebastian saving Clary from the "bodyguard" demons; 4) Jace in the training room when Sebastian and Clary return from Paris; 5) Jace and Clary in his room after he is injured by the Iron Sister and knows exactly who he is.
Last night I went to a PCC Cooks class... except it was less a cooking class than it was that they served us dinner. It's the first time I've ever done anything through PCC Cooks (which K. loves), so I didn't realize the distinction, I guess. It was good, but not worth the $50 I paid, even with the recipes they gave us. :/ I mean, the theme was "Madame Butterfly," the cuisine was Japanese, and it was REALLY simple. Nothing I couldn't have looked up how to make elsewhere, and with it being so simple, there wasn't a ton of technique to learn either. We started with a lovely dashi soup, followed by seared ahi tuna and shrimp tempura, followed by teppan-style filet mignon (TWO CUBES, so it's not like the portions were all that generous), followed by cherry sorbet and an almond pirouette. Each course was also accompanied by a wine pairing, a teeny amount that was just right for me. When I realized there would be wine I took a Zantac, which helped me not turn into a total lobster. (There's a tip for those of you who tend to get the "Asian flush"!) In a way it was a good thing that there wasn't a lot of hands-on stuff involved, because I wasn't really feeling up to it. I've been dragging a lot lately. :/
Awesome news... Community's been renewed for 13 episodes. I'm trying not to be bummed that it's only 13 eps, but imho they'll only order more eps if ratings improve, and there's no reason to suspect that they will. Sigh. Everyone should be watching this fantastic show!
If all goes well, tomorrow there will be Boiling Point with
adelagia, Tilth brunch on Sunday, and hopefully The Avengers w/ K. sometime during the weekend. Wheeeeeeee!
