The Mortal Instrument Series is a six book series; “City of Bones,” “City of Ashes,” “City of Glass,” “City of Fallen Angels” and “City of Lost Souls.” “City of Heavenly Fire” is due out May, 2014. 

Reviewed by Christine Y. Porter, photographer and Sr. program manager in Northern VA. 

Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instrument Series: Same Ingredients, Better Cooking Techniques.

Cassandra Clare has not reinvented the recipe for enthralling fans of ‘tween novels.  Cassandra Clare has merely assembled it into a more appealing presentation.

‘Tween novels can be equated into a cake recipe: flour, eggs, water and oil have been replaced by a brooding, handsome, and misunderstood male, an underestimated female who comes into her own and who is adored by all,  a love triangle, a bad guy contriving to ruin the world, and the usual entourage of quirky yet charismatic characters.   It’s not a new recipe by any means; Jane Austin cornered the market on this recipe a long time ago.  So why do we keep coming back for more of the same?  Because cake is delicious my friends and if it’s butter frosting…even better!  That is exactly what Cassandra Clare gives you with the Mortal Instruments series…better frosting!

The first book in the series, City of Bones, sets the scene for the next five books to follow.  Yes, I said five more books and a sixth one in the making.  However, these are not long books, and you can easily devour one over a rainy weekend.

The heroin Clary Fray, is not immediately likable, and is a cliché in every way imaginable.  Jace Wayland, our hero, is indecently good looking, sarcastic, precious and bitter for one so young and also incredibly cliché.  We instantly love him.  Both Jace and Clary run impulsively into danger, make irrational decisions that fly in the face of all logic, and of course look fabulous while getting the snot kicked out of them by demons; but who doesn’t look amazing and smell great after gutting a demon?  I don’t want to be a spoiler here, but where there are demons there MUST BE ANGELS!  And fairies. And werewolves. And of course…vampires, duh! I know what you are thinking.  “Please tell me this isn’t the “frosting” you spoke of earlier!?”  No, this is another part of the modern day cake recipe that replaced butter with cooking oil. Mmmm, moister cake.

The frosting is in the way that Cassandra Clare actually manages to put together a compelling history and back-story to her angels and demons.  Clare manages to weave a storyline that is enhanced with family histories that hint of their own intrigue and mysteries.  Be warned though, she’s merely setting you up for her prequel series, “The Infernal Devices.”  For a dash of garnish she adds biblical references and quotes from Dante’s “Inferno.”

Most importantly she manages to contrive a plot that keeps you intrigued.  I’ll admit, it does become a tad predictable at certain points, but she does manage to hook you once or twice along the way.  The frosting is created in the way she builds the sexual and romantic tension between Bella and Edward…ur, I mean Clary and Jace, without making you cringe from a saccharin sweet Twilight-y after taste.  The frosting is in the fact that Cassandra Clare is a descriptive writer who understands her characters and what motivates them and makes them relatable to readers.  Clare manages to get you to care if there will be a happy ending.  She manages to pique your interest enough to read the next book.

City of Bones, was recently made into a movie and released in the U.K.  Naturally, I found a review by U.K.  movie critic who disdained the movie from start to finish; mostly for all the same reasons I list above as being a part of the cake recipe.  I for one though will be one of the first in line to watch it come August.  I love to eat frosting straight from the container.

MY NAME IS MINA
By David Almond. Delacorte Press. 300 pages $15.99

Reviewed by Lori McAnnally
LORI MCANNALLY, a writer and lover of books, resides in Roanoke.

David Almond’s latest novel is the prequel to his award-winning “Skellig,” published over 10 years ago. “Skellig” centers on Michael, a boy struggling with worry as his family deals with a seriously ill newborn.

Michael’s new neighbor, Mina, becomes his close friend and confidante. As the title suggests, “My Name is Mina” is written from Mina’s point of view and is presented as her journal. In this way, this book is more of a character study than a true prequel to the earlier novel. It stands on its own.

Mina’s journal isn’t your standard, fill-in-the-blank diary, either. The pages are filled with poems, stories, writing exercises (with an invitation to the reader to do the same), and even a blank page or two. Through her observations of nature (often made while perched in a tree) and stream-of-consciousness style of writing, Mina reveals herself — her vulnerabilities, her longing to understand and fit into her world and her grief.

In “Skellig,” the reader learns that Mina’s father died when she was just a baby. In “My Name is Mina,” her father’s death is more recent, though she doesn’t say exactly when the death occurred.

She writes about problems at school, which include being alienated by schoolmates and frustrated by her teacher. Her mother decided to educate Mina at home, encouraging her daughter’s free spirit and philosophical nature, away from teachers who ridiculed and stifled her.

This book is written in a completely different style from “Skellig.” Once I forced myself to stop comparing the two novels, however, I began to enjoy it. I really like the writing prompts that are interspersed throughout the story.

Almond presents a novel that will encourage children to think about the natural world around them and may even get them to start writing about it.