Spells Trouble by P.C. Cast

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book. After the prologue -which I loved!- I was hooked. It quickly went downhill. There was really just a modge podge of 'magick' and mythology with no real direction, so it comes off as bland and reaching just to progress the story. Then there is the rather gratuitous sex scene that comes off as cringe-worthy for a YA book. It read like a how-to, which I do not appreciate. Had this been an adult/erotica book, it totally would have made sense. In this context/age group, hard pass.

Okay, we get is. Mercy and Hunter are different. It was plenty obvious, but it felt like parts were written just to, once again, remind the reader how different they were. And their CONSTANT use of the word 'witchy' was so redundant that I rolled my eyes every time they used it. 

Bast had the potential to be so awesome, you know, as a goddess, but she was kept as 'Xena,' which annoyed me to no end. Like, hey, this is supposed to be a goddess, like the kind you worship, and you keep referring to her as a character from a bad 90s show. 

Kirk was horrible and a total douche, which really made him the most real character in the book. I loved to hate him because, as much as his jerk-ness was over done, he served as a cautionary tale for girls.

Disappointed.

City of Ashes

 

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

                 

This entire book I just felt... filler. Sure, there were important parts. For example, Clary can create her own Runes. Yay, Clary for finally being useful. There were some decent action scenes, especially towards the end. There was the back and forth of Jace's allegiance. But for the most part, the second book in the series was lacking compared to the first.

                                                                  

       

Clary has finally developed a sense of usefulness. Yes, she was completely new to the Shadowhunter life in the first book, but it was a lot of, "Save me! Help me." However, here we find her coming into her own talents and that is so nice. There is also so much more conflict in her mind, mostly regarding her love life, but nonetheless. 

Simon was pining for most the book as per usually. However, at least this wasn't an instalove situation. Still, I was glad when he broke up with her at the end. His new vampire-ness is fun. He can keep up with everyone else now, even if he is on the "wrong side" of the Shadowhunter/Downworlder coin. Perhaps as the series progresses, those lines will blur further. I think he and Mya will progress well and she will be good for him.

The Inquisitor was, well, evil. Not literally of course, and in a story about demons, that distinction must be made. But she really had no mercy on Jace, which is fine. Whatever. But don't use the Clave as your excuse like it makes your revenge something noble. Sad as it was, I gleaned some satisfaction from Valentine's not caring about Jace being killed. 

My Dark Vanessa

Vanessa is the protagonist and victim of Strane. While I truly felt bad for what happened to her, an act that she should never have gone through, just as no one should, I couldn't bring myself to like her. It wasn't that she thought he was innocent and loved her. She was conditioned to believe that by a very experienced manipulator. She can't be blamed for that. However, I can't think of any other reason to like her. As she stated herself, this experience with him became her life. She wrapped herself up in it. Again, not her fault. But it didn't allow for anything else.

Jacob Strane is the disgusting, rapist pedophile who violated Vanessa. He was very smooth in his grooming of her. Making her think that he was doing her some sort of favor in taking the risk of being with her because he just couldn't help falling in love with her. He's disgusting. The man actually got a vasectomy so that he wouldn't have to worry about his teenage victims getting pregnant. Yet maintains that he never planned on victimizing her, and the poor girl believed him.

Pretty much every other adult in the book totally let Vanessa down. Teachers, parents, counselors. They all just accepted that she lied. Not much of an investigation or anything. Even her peers, at least the ones who knew her, knew better. Her own mother even said that she just didn't want the trouble and thought that the issue would go away when she changed schools. Useless.

Okay. Horrible. Just horrible. Please understand that my issue is NOT the subject matter. Of course, pedophilia and rape are terrible and unforgivable. But I knew that going into the book. I expected it. What I did not expect was that the second half of the story was be agonizingly, painfully tedious. Because that's what it was. After (view spoiler) offs himself, it should have ended. I get that the story is supposed to show the aftermath of this particular kind of rape, but it dragged. Over and over Vanessa rattles on about how he didn't do anything wrong and the other girls are lying. She pounds it into the reader for about 150 pages. We get it. I mean, she's wrong, but we get that's what she thinks. At least 100 pages could have been cut. At least.

The first half the book moved along well enough. There is build up to the "relationship," the grooming, etc. There are current blurbs describing how Vanessa is coping now. But then the second half happened, and honestly, WHAT WAS THE POINT. It was just more of the same. Him treating her horribly when she was too old for him. Her denying the claims of the other girls and still wanting him. Over and over and over.

But I'm not going to make it all bad. I will say that I think that girls (or boys) who this has happened to may be able to relate and come forward