Fever Crumb's adventures are over. I cannot help but feel sad about this, especially since this last book ended on such a bittersweet note. I'm wantinFever Crumb's adventures are over. I cannot help but feel sad about this, especially since this last book ended on such a bittersweet note. I'm wanting to write a full review but I'm gonna need to think on it for a bit. Three stars. ...more
This book gets four stars because of it's entertainment factor and originality. Oh, and because of the fact that I quite liked it.
Until picking up FeThis book gets four stars because of it's entertainment factor and originality. Oh, and because of the fact that I quite liked it.
Until picking up Fever Crumb I'd never read a book by Philip Reeve. In fact, until I came across Fever Crumb I'd never even heard of him. So it goes without saying I was entirely unaware he had a bevy of published works, Fever Crumb being a prequel to his popular Hungry City series. Because Fever Crumb a prequel, I never felt lost while reading it. Philip Reeve did a great job world-building for me, a person who was completely in the dark about the Hungry City universe.
Review to be continued at a later time (when my kids aren't driving me insane)...
**More like 2.9 stars, so I went ahead and rounded it up.**
If you've been following my reviews you know that I love underdogs. I'm not entirely sure w**More like 2.9 stars, so I went ahead and rounded it up.**
If you've been following my reviews you know that I love underdogs. I'm not entirely sure why I love underdogs. I just do. Perhaps it's my belief that underdogs typically have the potential to be top dog if they just try a little harder, put a little more effort into whatever they're trying to accomplish.
So I stand on the sidelines cheering like a maniac for the underdog, despite the odds, despite their performance in the past. Thinking maybe if they have more support, more people that believe in them, they'll finally do it. (BTW, were I into baseball, I'd totally be a Red Sox fan).
What does my love of underdogs have to do with Clockwork Angel? Its author, Cassandra Clare, is an underdog. At least I consider Ms Clare to be underdog material.
I honestly believe Ms Clare has so much untapped potential, and (possibly) the writing talent to wield said potential correctly. If we just give her more time, more opportunities, she'll finally prove herself. I just know she will.
Unfortunately she failed to prove much with Clockwork Angel.
Look, this story isn't horrible. If anything her writing has improved, and I liked this story more than I liked the first three books in her Mortal Instruments series. Cassandra Clare gives us all the paranormal elements from her MI series and then some. To mix things up we get some steampunk elements as well. Clockwork Angel has action, adventure, mystery. A little graphic violence, which I didn't mind (because apparently I'm dead inside). Sexual tension, or at least what passes for sexual tension in early-twentieth century England, aaaaaand the makings for a (possibly) good love-triangle. Plus Magnus Bane is in this book, which is cool.
But there are a few cringe-worthy moments. A few ginormous cringe-worthy moments. Times in which I was thinking "Oh. Oh! Oh noooo! What was that!? Why? WHY!? You were doing so well!"
There was one time in which I was super-duper embarrassed for Ms Clare and/or her editor because a main character says the most ridiculously cheesy thing at an incredibly somber moment. And no, it's not meant to be ironic. It's supposed to be some beautiful moment between comrades. It's so bad I'd say it's up there with Edward Cullen's "Goodbye Jacob, my brother...my son" line. (BTW, *cringe* *dry-heave* *cringe*)
Although, as I mentioned earlier, this book isn't horrible. To be honest, I feel the majority of it is 'good(ish)' and 'better than what I expected'. There were even times in which I was (inwardly) cheering for Ms Clare. I was all "YEAH! I knew you could do it! You go girl!" (yeah, I know. No one says "You go girl!" anymore. Except me, when I'm thinking). (Shut-up).
Here's the deal though: because Cassandra Clare failed to 'bring it' this time around, I'm not necessarily going to recommend this book. I'm not saying you shouldn't read Clockwork Angel, I'm saying do so at your own risk. Don't expect this book to be super awesome. You've been warned.
P.S. I will be reading the next book in this series. And probably the one after that. Yeah, I know--this series has "(possible) massive trainwreck" written all over it. But who doesn't love a literary trainwreck? I know I do. (I'm dead inside, remember?) Horrible books are incredibly fun to review. ...more
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