Kristin Cashore and Cassandra Clare signings!

On Friday, conveniently my school's Athletics Carnival Day (no school for the non-athletic!), Dymocks hosted two of my favourite authors: Kristin Cashore and Cassandra Clare.

Kristin's appearance was quasi-secret. Only the Dymocks Events email subscribers received news that she was coming. She was lovely, and signed my copies of Graceling and Fire with an awesome message related to the books:

Kristin and I. Very blurry, but in my defence, I didn't take the picture.

Just before her appearance, I ran into Braiden from Livin' Thru Arts and we hung out for Cassie's 'tour wrap party' (in quotations marks because that's what they called it, but it wasn't much of a party.)

Before Cassie arrived, there was trivia. Some questions were really hard (what did the buttons on the bag in Luke's house in City Of Bones when Clary, Jace, and Simon went there say?) to slightly less hard (asking about Jace's cornucopia of names and which he had when). I got three right, and won three lollipops. The girl behind me won, with 7. I should have just caught all of her prizes when they were thrown out.

Then Cassie arrived to squealing fangirls (and the odd fanboy) and read us an excerpt of Clockwork Prince (really great scene!) and answered questions we wrote down as we arrived. Then we formed some semblance of a line (and my that, I mean we swarmed her table) to get our books signed:

Just some of the crowd to the left of me.

She was excited to hear that my favourite character was Eric, and told me she'd based him off someone she knew in real life who liked hearing about what fans say about him.

Also on the way out, we received small swag packs, including a postcard, bookmark, and healing rune necklace!

And then I made my way out of the crowd (but really, I should have crowd-surfed out) and just caught my tram, and then ran to catch my train, and then all-but-ran home because my town at night time isn't exactly 16-year-old-girl-friendly.

So in the comments, tell me have you met either Kristin or Cassie? Or if you've been to a signing before, which has been your favourite?

Review: City Of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

City Of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare


Series: The Mortal Instruments (#4)
Pages: 424
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Published: April 5th, 2011
IBSN: 9781442403543

A mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

The Mortal Instruments is one of my favorite series, and so I was pretty anxiously awaiting the release of City Of Fallen Angels. I went and got it on the day of its release, and read it quickly, devouring the pages, desperate to see how it ended.

Like all of Cassandra Clare's other books, City Of Fallen Angels was a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat read.

My favorite thing about all of previous Mortal Instruments books was also in City Of Fallen Angels: a clever plot. Each character has their side plot, and they all tie together in the end for a huge complication. There's so much tension leading up to the end that I had to read the second half of the book in one sitting.

All of the old characters reappear, developed after the ordeals from City Of Glass. New, but old, characters also make appearances, like some from Clockwork Angel. I loved the parts that referred back to the prequel series.

Simon plays a bigger role in this book, and we get a lot of insight into Simon's anguish over becoming a vampire - with the Mark of Caine, no less. Clary and Jace's relationship is constantly strained. The Lightwoods mourn Max's death, in their own ways. And then all new problems arise.

I was happy to see that the events in the previous books tied into this one. I thought the second cycle of Mortal Instruments books would relate to the first only because of the same characters, and I was glad to be wrong.

I feel like I could rave all day about how much I love the Mortal Instruments and this new addition to the series, but really, if you are one of the few YA readers not already on the bandwagon, you should definitely jump on! I give City Of Fallen Angels a 5 out of 5!

Waiting On Wednesday (3)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Breaking The Spine, in which we highlight an upcoming book release we're eagerly awaiting.

This week I'm waiting on City Of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare - the next installment in The Mortal Instruments series. The cover was revealed today, along with word that all of the second cycle covers will feature two people.

The Mortal Instruments is one of my favorite series ever, and City Of Bones was one of the books that got me into reading in the first place.


City Of Fallen Angels is due for release on the 5th of April, 2011.