Flash Fiction Fun #1: A Writing Exercise

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist!

Today I've decided to share some more of my writing, except this time it's a writing exercise. 

These stories are not polished. They are basically one-paragraph stories. Some are cringey, some have sentences that are downright embarrassing, and some are grammatically incorrect. But that's okay. Writing isn't always perfect, and especially not when it's an exercise or first draft. I have included the songs these writings were based on/written during.

Let's get into the post!

King, Alexandria. Musings of an Arthritic Artist. 2021.

Many months ago, my sister and I had been doing writing exercises before sleeping for the fun of it. We would shuffle a playlist and write flash fiction (6-1000 words) to whatever song came on. We had until the end of the song to finish it. Naturally, the stories ended up very raw and incomplete, but it's a fun exercise. 

I'm just going to showcase my personal favorites. There are 17 flash fiction stories here that I am going to share. There are no edits in these stories except basic punctuation and spelling errors that occurred while speed writing. 

There are no word choice errors, and no I don't think these are all grammatically correct, but they aren't completely intended to be. They're just writing exercises, and mistakes can be made in writing exercises.

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Fireflies by Owl City

Marcus smiled at the wonder of the fireflies in his mind as he laid down to sleep. He never much enjoyed sleeping. He preferred to stay awake.

When he finally drifted off, he remembered having a dream about thousands of fireflies flying around him. He hated the moment when he had to say goodbye, and he wasn't ashamed to admit that he began to get tears in his eyes.

He dreaded reality when he woke up to it. He wished he could enter his dream again, staying among the fireflies forever.

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Thunder by Boys Like Girls

Nick smiled as his girlfriend, Denice sang along to a song on the radio. They were driving through the Florida rain. Lightning flashed in the sky, thunder echoing inside his car. Her voice was a melody. It had been the best summer of his life. They had gone to the beach. It was the summer just before college.

He never realized how much he would miss her. She smiles at him, her eyes hazel. The kind of color that would change colors in the light.

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Year 3000 by Jonas Brothers

The day my father told me he built a time machine, I thought he was crazy. That is, until he took me and my brother, Sam, to the year 3000. According to my dad, my granddaughter was doing fine, though I never intended to have kids. Guess he spoiled my life for me.

3000 was wonderful. There were boy bands galore. I was busy fangirling over the hot lead singers, while my brother just rolled his eyes at me. The most amazing thing was the boy bands performing in underwater cities.

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Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Lose by T.J Powell

The championship football game was on the line. "You've got one shot," Coach Manson said. "Most of you are seniors. It's now or never."

Zach stared at the field, his eyes clear. The goal was in his mind, clearly drawn. He looked at his teammates. "All our hard work has led to this," he said. "If our hearts are fully in this game, we can't lose. We have our shot. We can't blow it. "

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It's My Life by Bon Jovi

I'm not going to live forever. That's why my heart was fully focused on my band competition. My parents didn't want me to go into band. They said I was too awkward. They said band was for nerds. Tonight was my night to prove them wrong. I was going to play my heart out, ignoring the crowd, focusing on the music flowing from my clarinet.

This was my life. Not my mom's. Not my dad's. I was going to make them proud. And if I didn't, so what? I'm going to make myself proud. That's all that matters in my book. All my practice has led to this competition.

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Would You Go With Me by Josh Turner

Today was the day. After eight years of being together, Jack was going to propose to his girlfriend, Lydia. He led her to a field of clover. The summer sun was high in the sky, lighting up the flowers.

Jack got down on one knee. "Would you make me the happiest man in the world? I feel as if my heart can't beat one more minute without you, Lydia." He pulled out a box, opening it, showing Lydia the engagement ring inside. "Would you accompany me to the edge of the sea? Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Lydia cried.

Jack placed the ring on her finger. She stood, holding him tightly, his fingers laced in hers.

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Bad Blood by Taylor Swift

I ripped out the pages about my boyfriend in my diary. How dare he cheat on me? I trusted him. He ruined everything. He promised he would never cheat on me. I feel as if he's laughing at me, which is ridiculous, because he's probably too occupied kissing Joanna.

I feel as if I have a wound in my back from where he stabbed me. I read about our good times in my entries. It saddens me. He's said sorry, but he was lying. I could tell. It was all fake. Maybe he should be an actor. He's definitely dramatic enough. I can't believe he blamed me for his behavior. I'll never forgive him. We're over. Forever.

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What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction

Vanessa Morgan is sitting alone at lunch. Everyone always wants to sit with her, but she is too insecure to let anyone into her circle. She's truly beautiful, though I don't think she sees it. That's what makes her beautiful. I muster up the courage, and walk over to her table. "I'm John."

She stares at her plate. "Vanessa."

I sit across from her. I really want to date her, but I don't know what to say. I decide to go for broke. "You're beautiful," I tell her.

She smiles, still unable to meet my eyes. "Thank you," she says, timidly. I notice she isn't wearing makeup, which makes her even more beautiful. Her hair falls in waves around her. I wish she knew how I see her. Then she would truly see how beautiful she is.

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Blank Space by Taylor Swift

I look over at the new boy. He's definitely had multiple girlfriends, but then again, I have a long list of ex lovers as well. He's so hot, I think. He looks like my next mistake.

I grab my diary. My eyes find the next line. There's a blank space. I write his name. Louis Hardin. I've come to think of love as a game. I wonder if he wants to play.

Am I being reckless? Definitely. Do I care? Definitely not. This can't go over that badly. I've already had multiple ex-boyfriends. Maybe this will be forever. Maybe it will go down in flames and burn down to the ground. I want to know how this ends.  

Everyone I've dated has told me I'm insane. Maybe I am. Or maybe I just like the players in my little game. I want to date the boy that the other girls wish they had. I love the look of jealousy on their faces. Even if he runs, he'll come back. Why? Because I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream.

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Ever the Same by Rob Thomas

Kalil held Izara tightly as she cried in his arms. Pain ebbed through her, burning her wrists, her knees. "I'm sorry I'm a burden," she said. She held Kalil as if he was broken.

He looked at her, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. "You aren't a burden." Of this, he was sure. He knew that if she fell, he would fall with her. And he knew that if he fell, she would fall with him. He knew she would always be there for him. On his brightest days, and his darkest days. The days where his father's cruel words would slip in.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. I'll always be there for you. Forever." Kalil knew that the only thing he could give her in that moment was love.

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Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen

The boy reading at the park was hot. I had never seen him before. He looked at me, his stare holding mine. He wore ripped jeans. He had side swept hair that blew in the wind.

He looked at me. I bit my lip. A lot of the boys at school chased me, but none of them were as attractive as the boy in front of me. I pulled out my notebook, ripping out a piece of paper. I wrote on it then walked over to the boy. "What are you reading?" I asked, sitting on the grass.

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," he said.

"Jules Verne," I said. "He's a good author." I held out my hands. "May I borrow it?"

He handed it to me. "Sure," he said awkwardly.

He was only two pages away from the next chapter. I discreetly bookmarked it then gave it back to him. "Enjoy reading," I said standing. I smiled to myself as I walked away. Hopefully he would see the paper where I wrote my number. Hopefully he would call or text.

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Toxic by Britney Spears

Lauren knew she shouldn't have started dating the vampire in her class. He was dangerous, but she loved the danger. The taste of his lips against hers was like poison, but she couldn't pull away. She was addicted to him. She couldn't live without him. He was toxic, but she didn't care.

He was the kind of boy that should've worn a warning. He was too dangerous for his own good. Every time she was away from him, she craved his presence--his intoxicating love.

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Mr. Brightside by The Killers

When I return home from the homecoming dance, I'm elated. I kissed Cassandra. Now we're dating. I feel as if everything is happening too fast. What if she cheats on me? I lay down to sleep.

In my mind, Cass is at someone's party kissing a hotter guy than me. A senior, definitely. His hands are moving down her waist. I open my eyes. It's all in my mind. She isn't cheating on me. I'm being ridiculous.

I can't shake the feeling that she's going to cheat on me. When I close my eyes again, I see the same exact scene. Instead of looking away, I stare at them. At least she's happy. That's looking on the bright side of things. There's always a bright side.

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Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell

Hannah always felt as if someone was watching her. She felt as if she had no privacy, though she didn't know why. There was no one behind her--she was home alone. She didn't think her house was haunted. Unless it was.

Her door moved of its own accord. A figure in a mask jumped into her room. She ran out her door, straight past the figure. She hadn't noticed her little brother, Max standing in her doorway, laughing. He had come home from school early.

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Only Human by Jonas Brothers

Lori stared at Walter as he danced around the living room. "Join me," he said, holding out his hand. He had been dancing to music for the past half hour.

She shook her head. "I don't feel like dancing. "

He shrugged and continued dancing. He danced over to the window, closing the blinds. "You're so weird," Lori said, laughing.

He stared at her, smiling. "I'm only human," he said. " I just want to have some fun. Join me. "She shrugged, standing. She grabbed his hand, and they danced for another half hour.

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My Baby by Jesse McCartney

Daniel drove with his girlfriend Lorelei riding shotgun. She had been in charge of his radio. She was playing Jesse McCartney songs. "My Baby" came on and she moved to change it.

"No," Daniel said, stopping her. "Leave it. I like this song."

She rolled her eyes. "You just like it so you can embarrass me."

Daniel glanced at her. "I embarrass you because I want to call you my baby? You know I'm constantly falling into your eyes."

She laughed. "Stop." She was blushing, though Daniel barely noticed. He was too busy watching the road. She looked out the window, trying not to show how red her face was.

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Nobody's Fool by Avril Lavigne

She couldn't count how many times Oscar had tried to turn her into something she wasn't. She would never let him bring her down. She was nobody's fool. She had been with guys like him before. She would never change for him. She had a backbone stronger than his. She didn't need him doubting her. She was over being treated as if she was supposed to be someone else. She was sick of it.

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Those are all of my favorite flash fiction exercises. One of my absolute favorites is Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. I'm very curious as to if this way of giving a phone number would work. I really want to attempt this in the future, but I don't know if I'll be able to. In this scenario, it'd require someone to be reading a book.

This writing exercise is very fun and allows for some pretty interesting results.

That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! 

Until next time, 

Lexi K🖌

TV Review: Shadow and Bone Season One (spoiler filled review)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a TV show review. This is the first one of these that I have done on my blog. The TV show I'm reviewing is one that came out back in April.

I'm reviewing Shadow and Bone, the Netflix TV adaptation of the Shadow and Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. If you haven't watched this show and wish to, I'd highly recommend not reading this. It will be full of spoilers.

Let's get into the review!

First, let's talk about the poster they made to promote the show. It's actually quite gorgeous. We have everyone in the main cast here. 

The girl at the top who's the largest person on the poster is Alina Starkov (played by Jessie Mei Li). The man on the right in her hair is General Kirigan/The Darkling (played by Ben Barnes). The guy below Alina, resting on her neck is Malyen Oretsev (played by Archie Renaux). 

The remaining three characters who are smaller than the other three are The Crows. The largest one between The Darkling and Mal is Kaz Brekker (played by Freddy Carter). The girl below him is Inej Ghafa (played by Amita Suman). Finally, the guy with the top hat is Jesper Fahey (played by Kit Young).

At the bottom of the poster we have the antlers of a deer, meant to represent the Shadow and Bone trilogy, and a crow, meant to represent the Six of Crows duology, which the writers merge in this show beautifully. 

Right above the title, we have buildings. The towers in the back are the towers of the Little Palace, one of the main settings, and the shorter building is supposed to be in Ketterdam, another one of the main settings.

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Okay. Can we just talk about the Pekka Rollins scene in Episode 2, We're All Someone's Monster? He literally stole Kaz's cane, threatened to kill him with said cane, and then just tossed the cane on the table. I watched this scene, and I was so furious, but not with the writers for having one of these villains. Because of this, Pekka Rollins is such a good villain. I'd argue that he's worse than book Pekka Rollins.

Also, I really liked the part in Episode 6, The Heart is an Arrow, where Matthias tells Nina that it's not natural for girls to fight to which she responds, "It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall and yet, there you stand." This quote was used in Six of Crows, and when I heard it in the show, I was smiling widely and laughing quietly to myself. 

The interesting thing about this show is that it is a prequel to the events of Six of Crows. However, unlike the book, the show doesn't go into any of the character's backstories, save for Nina and Matthias, which is mentioned in Six of Crows. This show tells the story of how Matthias ended up at Hellgate, a Kerch prison, while the book tells how The Crows break Matthias out of this prison.

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There are a few scenes in this where it seems as if the writers/Freddy Carter forgot which leg was Kaz's disabled leg, which did annoy me a few times. It seems like Kaz's left leg was the one that was broken in the show. In a few scenes in Shadow and Bone, Kaz is holding the cane in his right hand, and even limps occasionally with both legs, alternating which one in each example scene. 

Kaz is introduced with the crow head cane in his right hand and later in the same scene when speaking to Rotty, wherein he walks and limps with the cane in his right hand. 

When the shot changes (though the scene stays the same), he's holding the cane in his left hand, and when he's walking up the stairs in the next shot, he's walking with the cane in his right hand. In the latter instance, it's likely because the stairway railing is situated on the left hand side, but still. 

It's confusing when the shot shifts and Kaz's cane switches hands. I wasn't sure which leg was his bad one, as both were not broken. I originally thought it was his right leg, then I looked closer and thought it was his left leg. 

The official Six of Crows art by Kevin Wada shows Kaz's cane in his left hand, which seems to imply that Kaz's bad leg is his right one (canes are supposed to be held in the hand opposite the leg that's injured/disabled). So why does Kaz's cane in the show keep switching from his left hand to his right hand, and vice versa? It left me very confused and annoyed with the directors.

Official Kaz Brekker art by Kevin Wada

In Episode 5, Show Me Who You Are, Kaz looks to clutch/massage his bad leg. It shows his hand against his right leg, leaving me very confused as to which leg is  his disabled one. A cane is meant to be held in the hand that is on the opposite side of the injured leg, so the cane would be pretty much useless if he uses it in his left hand while his left leg is the injured one. In the scenes where he holds and walks with the cane in his right hand--if it's his right leg that's injured--then that would render the cane useless as well.  

On a separate note, for not being disabled/needing a cane, Freddy Carter does very well at portraying a disabled character. I just wish that the use of the cane was more consistent. 

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Overall, this show is very enjoyable. All the characters felt like their book counterparts, and the acting was very well done. I found it interesting how they merged the two book series. It made the story fresh and new, while still being the same at its core. It was very well done. 

Like the books, my favorite character is Kaz, though Inej is a close second, and Jesper was hilarious in the show. The only thing I got frustrated with was the switching of the cane thing I previously mentioned. 

Shadow and Bone is a pretty faithful adaptation of these series, moreso for Shadow and Bone than Six of Crows, solely because this is a prequel to the events of Six of Crows. It's one of the best book-to-screen adaptations I've ever watched.

I give Shadow and Bone 4.5 out of 5 stars. It'd be 5 stars, but the cane thing did get on my nerves one too many times.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (spoiler filled review)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for Clockwork Angel, the first book in The Infernal Devices. This series is a prequel spin-off of The Mortal Instruments series.

Let's get into the review!

Clockwork Angel is the first book in The Infernal Devices series, which--as I mentioned in the introduction--is a prequel spin-off of The Mortal Instruments. I have been wanting to read this series for a while, but I knew that I had to read City of Bones and City of Ashes first (I'm reading by publication order). While the original three books in The Mortal Instruments series weren't a favorite of mine, I did definitely enjoy Clockwork Angel.

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This story follows Tessa Gray, an American girl, as she tries to locate her missing brother in London. She crosses paths with the Shadowhunters, including Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs, the two mysterious boys she is attracted to.

Clockwork Angel is a mix of Historical/Speculative Fiction and Urban Fantasy, because this story takes place in 1878. The plot has the standard "Down-worlders" (paranormal creatures like vampires, demons, warlocks, werewolves) that The Mortal Instruments has.

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Most people who love this series love Will, and I do, but I don't. I actually like Jem a bit more than Will. He's a bit more level-headed. On a certain level, I relate to him more, but we'll see what happens. I love that Jem needs a cane. 

One complaint I had about The Mortal Instruments (the first three books at least), was that none of the quotes are memorable. There were a couple that were more memorable in this one, most notably one said by Jem.

"Whatever you are physically, male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy--all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. Whatever the color, the shape, the design of the shade that conceals it, the flame inside that lamp remains the same. You are that flame."

This is something Jem tells Tessa. I love this quote, especially the first sentence. I relate to this so much. 

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I find this book to be more enjoyable than City of Bones, the first book in The Mortal Instruments series. I love that there was no incest plot in this book. I've read one incest plot too many. I'd rather not read that again. I hope the rest of the series isn't a letdown. I'm excited to read the last two books in this series. 

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. It was enjoyable, and out of all the Shadowhunter books I've read, I'd consider re-reading this one the most out of the other ones.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! It's shorter than most of my other ones, but I didn't know fully what to say about this book, as much as I liked it.

Until next time, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (spoiler filled review)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for City of Glass, the third book in The Mortal Instruments. 

Because this is a sequel, there will be major spoilers for this book and the previous two. If you haven't read these books and wish to, I wouldn't recommend reading this post.

Let's get into the review!

Clary is still trying to save her mother, which I just realized is a key plot point that I didn't mention on my previous reviews for this series. In my defense, this series has got a lot of stuff going on at the same time to where it's to a certain extent hard to keep up with everything.

 
In this book, we travel with Clary, Simon, and Luke to Alicante (also known as Glass City and City of Glass [hence the title]), the capital and only city of Idris (the Shadowhunter's home country). This is where the Council (the governing body of the Clave) and many Shadowhunter families reside.
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There were a few things in this book that felt unnecessary, but I will discuss those after I talk about the things I did like about this book. I like that it's finally revealed that Clary and Jace aren't siblings. While I already knew this, it was nice to finally read the reveal.

Honestly, there aren't many things I like about this series. It seems very.....generic. The elements included in these stories are pretty unique, but sometimes the writing dragged. A few of the characters felt 2-D, primarily Max and Sebastian/Jonathan. I'll discuss Max in a moment. 

Firstly, Sebastian/Jonathan. He's barely there. It is clear that Sebastian/Jonathan is supposed to be an antagonist, but he doesn't do much except kill Max, attempt to kill Izzy, kill Hodge, and deactivate the wards so Valentine can infiltrate Alicante with his army.

It is revealed near the end of the novel that Sebastian/Jonathan is really Clary's brother, not Jace (thankfully as they've still had romantic feelings this entire time). While Clary's mother believed Jonathan to be dead, Valentine raised the boy. Another thing I haven't mentioned are the experiments Valentine did on his children, Clary and Jonathan, respectively. 

While Jocelyn (Clary and Jonathan's mother) was pregnant with Jonathan, Valentine poisoned the fetus with demon blood, infusing Jonathan with it, hence why Clary's brother is evil. On the other hand, when Jocelyn was pregnant with Clary, Valentine infused her with angel blood.

Okay. Now back to the point. Valentine reveals that Jonathan survived and has been posing as Sebastian Verlac, a Shadowhunter he killed so he could take his identity. As Sebastian, he befriended Clary and the Lightwoods, even kissing Clary once (nope, the incest doesn't end with the fake incest between Clary and Jace).

If Sebastian had been introduced in City of Bones or even City of Ashes, I would've understood it more, but this book crowded a lot of things into it. This was Sebastian's/Jonathan's first appearance in the books, and within a few chapters, Isabelle has cut off his hand, creating an opening so Jace can stab him in the back, successfully breaking his spine and piercing his heart, causing him to fall into the river. 

Almost as quickly as he's introduced, he's killed off in a matter of pages. It felt very rushed to me. 

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Let's talk about the things I thought were unnecessary now. Why kill Max? What was the point? Was it supposed to demonstrate how cruel Sebastian/Jonathan was in the sense that he wouldn't even hesitate to kill children? Otherwise, it doesn't make sense, especially because I didn't fully care. I know that sounds very heartless, but bear with me.

 
For one, it came out of left field while also being incredibly predictable. Chances are that whenever a character promises something to another character, that character who was promised something will die.

 
Supposedly, Max was intended to die since his creation and was even originally meant to be killed off in City of Ashes. I hope this isn't true, but it seems to be. I have a problem with this. I write novels myself (not published yet), and this is problematic. Why?

 
Unless you are a really skilled author, creating a character solely to kill them off just does that character a disservice, especially when you have a child of Max's age (he was nine). When a character is created solely to be killed off it doesn't allow for as much emotional build-up, leaving the characters feeling flat and two-dimensional.

I never cared about Max. I cared about him in that he was a human being, but he wasn't even in the story much. Any of them, if I'm being completely honest. It also felt as if his death was just glossed over. I understand that all the Shadowhunters are still in the middle of a war, but still. It felt rushed, and I didn't like it. The child deserved better.
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I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. It was better than City of Ashes, but I think it was worse than City of Bones. Of this original trilogy, City of Bones was the best one. I like the days of pre-incest Clace. I hope the second trilogy that Cassandra Clare added after this first one concluded is better than this, though I'm not holding my breath.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Nightblood by Elly Blake (spoiler filled review)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for Nightblood by Elly Blake, the third and final book in the Frostblood Saga. 

Because this is a sequel, there will be spoilers for Frostblood and Fireblood, so if you haven't read those and wish to, I wouldn't recommend reading this post. Since this is the last book in the series, there will also be spoilers for this book in this review.

Let's get into the review!

For a small recap: At the end of the first book, Ruby destroys the Frost throne and the Frost King is killed by the Minax, which was inside the throne. After killing the ruler, the Minax attaches itself to Ruby, who is able to control it, but is still unable to completely block out its possessive tendencies. It isn't explained until Nightblood about why Ruby can host the dark spirit without dying.

In this book it is confirmed that Ruby is a Nightblood, meaning that she is the "True Vessel" of the Minax. This race was created by Eurus, the god of the east wind, and he created Ruby as the first Nightblood. The unique thing about these Nightbloods is that they can host the Minax without dying. The introduction to Nightbloods technically came in Fireblood, but at the beginning of this novel was only a possibility. It hadn't been confirmed yet. 

The plot is very simplistic like the other two, but because this is a sequel to the others, it is more intricate, and there are more stakes. 

I was shocked when Arcus was killed, but ecstatic when he was brought back to life. Normally, I would partially hate this, however in this case, I loved it. Normally, this would cheapen the death for me, but I thought it was done pretty well. I love how there was basically a happily ever after, even though it's a fantasy novel with characters that die. 

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I still really love the characters in this series. Ruby and Arcus are so cute. I love the two of them. All of the characters in this series are fascinating. Some of the side characters are barely there, but they are still interesting, and make the plot more intriguing than it already is. 

Arcus and Ruby will always have a special place in my heart. Their relationship is enjoyable to follow. They aren't perfect. They make mistakes. They argue. But at the end of the day, the two of them grow closer because of it, their bond strengthening.

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This last book took me the longest of the trilogy to read, though it still wasn't too long. I read it within eleven days, which is simultaneously slow and fast for me. 

I really liked the conclusion to this series. It wasn't rushed. I love these characters and this world. Writing these reviews is making me want to re-read the series, but I don't have the time right now. This series didn't disappoint, though it did surprise me. 

I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did, and I'm glad to say that this is the first trilogy I've read where I've rated every book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Usually the first two are fives, but the last one is a 3 or 4 (i.e. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard and The Hunger Games). I've now had another series that has accomplished this (The Kane Chronicles), but the Frostblood Saga accomplished this first.

This was a fun trilogy to read, and it is now one of my favorites. These characters are fantastic, and I like coming across female protagonists I can actually root for and love, as that is rare in most of the books I read. I'd recommend this series to anyone who enjoys YA, Fantasy, and Romance. If you want a kind of enemies-to-lovers romance, I'd highly recommend this series. 

I'm kind of upset that this was the last book, but I was satisfied with the ending. It left me wanting more because I love these characters and the world, but the story felt complete.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

Until next time, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (spoiler filled review; major spoilers for City of Glass)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for City of Ashes, the sequel to City of Bones. I read this last September, right after reading the first book.

Because this is a sequel, there will be major spoilers for this book and the previous one, as well as parts of City of Glass (as counterintuitive as it seems, it will make sense). If you haven't read these books and wish to, I wouldn't recommend reading this post.

Let's get into the review!

I enjoyed City of Bones. I really did. Then City of Ashes came along and it was bad. I thought nothing could beat my dislike/hatred of New Moon, but it turns out that I just hadn't been introduced to City of Ashes at the time. I liked this book about as much as I liked New Moon (meaning largely didn't). 

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I was spoiled for this series by the internet, regarding the plot twist at the end of City of Bones where it is revealed that Jace and Clary are siblings. I will say that had I not been spoiled for the original trilogy, I would've DNF'd it immediately, which is saying something because I rarely ever want to DNF a book. The spoiler was that at the end of City of Glass they find out that they aren't siblings. They do not share blood. 

That was the spoiler. Didn't make this book any less problematic or awkward. 

I absolutely hated the forbidden romance aspect that was included in the first half of this trilogy. Of all the possibilities for forbidden romance Mrs. Clare could've chosen, I think incest was the worst possible idea, especially considering the insta-love aspect. There is no way that two teenagers could 'fall in love' in the span of 1-2 weeks then find out they're siblings and then want to still pursue a romantic relationship within the next month. 

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Cassandra Clare has gotten asked about the incest in her books since she first began her professional writing career. Readers will ask why she used it. In 2014, she wrote a blog post on her Tumblr where she kind of dove into this. She begins this post with a reader asking about the use of incest, and why it pops up frequently in The Mortal Instruments. 

The blog post in of itself is fairly long, and some of the points, topics, and themes mentioned aren't fully relevant. The main thing to take away from this is this quote from the post itself.

Incest is fictional/literary shorthand for concepts that often can't be conveyed another way because in writing about it, you carry forward the weight of the literally thousands of years of writing on this topic in folklore, myth, and fiction. So, why incest in TMI? Well, in the case of the Jace and Clary plotline, though they aren't actually related, it falls into the framework of didn't-know-they-were-related Turin/Nienor type stories. These are stories of inadvertent sin. They are stories about perfectly good people who are doing something they think is good--falling in love--which then, because of a revelation they are powerless to control or predict, find out they have done something terrible instead.

The Turin/Nienor thing is referring to the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, an unintentional incestuous relationship Clare mentioned as an example.

Now, this statement is true in City of Bones in the sense that Jace meets Clary and the two then begin to have feelings for each other, and even kiss midway through the first book. It isn't until the very last chapter (not including the epilogue) where they are told that they are brother and sister. 

HOWEVER, in my opinion, this statement is a moot point once City of Ashes comes into the picture. If the argument is that Jace and Clary's 'incestuous' relationship is one of unconscious sin, then this point only applies to City of Bones. Why is that?

Because after this, the two of them realize they have done something horrible, but then in the same novel, they continue to have feelings for each other, and even kiss twice, one time completely willingly. Now, feelings themselves are largely uncontrollable, however acting upon their feelings is a choice. Throughout the novel, Jace and Clary do this back and forth tug of war about their feelings for each other. Jace wonders whether he's a bad person because of how he feels for his little sister, which, in my opinion, is valid and worth discussing. 

However, it doesn't seem like Jace ever matures about this and decides, "No, this isn't what I want. I can't desire my baby sister. I don't want to be evil." Instead, he just complains all the way through the novel about how much he wants to kiss his sister and be with her and love her in ways he shouldn't. I think Clary handled this situation better than Jace, however she isn't off the hook either, as she desires his kiss, leading to one of their two kisses in the novel.

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For another, pretty much all the characters are angsty teenagers. 

As an example this is a quote from our main love interest.

"I don't want to be a man," said Jace. "I want to be an angst-ridden teenager who can't confront his own inner demons and takes it out verbally on other people instead."

I'm confused. Is that supposed to be attractive and humorous? It just sounds really immature, dramatic, and off-putting. I like looking at the quotes for books I've read on Goodreads. To be honest, I can probably find more quotes I like from the Twilight Saga than I can for City of Ashes. The quotes are not memorable to me. I can't think of a single quote I liked from these books.  

I'm just going to straight-up say it: I'm not a fan of Clace (ship name for Clary and Jace).

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This series is also accused of being a rip-off/plagiarized version of Harry Potter. I can definitely see the similarities. Even if Cassandra Clare didn't intentionally do this, it's still hard to not see the similarities when you read about two werewolves in a restaurant debating who would win in a fight between Dumbledore and the warlock Magnus Bane.

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Overall, this book wasn't good. I liked a few of these characters, but none of these characters could redeem the horrible romance plot between Jace and Clary in this book. Even though I was spoiled for this series regarding the fact that Clary and Jace aren't actually siblings, it still felt disgusting and caused me to cringe many times.

I gave it 2 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I would've rated it a 1, but there were a few parts I enjoyed. They just weren't able to salvage my enjoyment of the novel.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Further information: 

Cassandra Clare's Tumblr Post (opens in new window)