Icons(ARC) by Margaret Stohl

  "Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.

She's different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.

Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths. 

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts -- in order to save the future."

Icons by Margaret Stohl

Book 1 of the Icons series

448 pages

To be released on May 7th, 2013.

As you may have already known, Icons has already been through a couple of cover changes(this amazing cover I used is the cover for the ARCs) and is not officially released yet. Lucky for me, I happened to be able to get this copy!

Let me warn you now, Icons starts off slow and slugs its way throughout the whole book. Normally, I would have pitched it, but the whole concept of Margaret's world she's created was way too good to pass up. That's not to say that it isn't good--it's good.

The Day is the one thing that changed everything. The Day was when the House of Lords, and 13 of the Icons they brought with them, came to Earth. Everything changed from that point on. Life on Earth changed for the worst.

Going into the book, I wondered: What are these Icons? Trust me, it wasn't very clear until after everything happened. That was one of the things that killed the book.

Dol is a very straightforward character that you can't help but to like, but you can't help but to hate either. She's constantly unclear of herself and is sort of a depressing character. I mean, I would too if I had the power to know of everyone's emotions and what they're thinking.. Oh, I forgot to mention that she can't exactly NOT know everyone's emotions and thoughts. There, sadly, is no off switch for it. A blessing and a curse, most would say. Not Dol, she absolutely dreads all of it. Because the world is full of sadness and loss of hope because of the Lords. Hell yes that sucks.

Ro is Dol's best friend. They've been together at the Mission for years. Are they something more? Yes, absolutely. He would do anything to save her from anyone meaning her harm. And he certainly is capable of doing so. Ro has this power that is fueled by rage, rage, and more rage. When Ro's angry, someone's got to pay.

When Ro and Dol are captured, and I literally mean captured, by a team of Sympas, a group of trained human soldiers that basically do the dirty work for the Ambassador and the Lords, or traitors to the human race, let's just say that things are exploding.

As with many in the YA fiction, a charming enemy appears when they're on the road to freedom and escape from the Embassy. Who is this charming guy? It's no one other than the Ambassador's son, Lucas. Lucas is like the guy of every girl's dream.. Handsome with tons of charisma... Let's just say this mysterious boy is enough to keep a girl's heart beating...

The real enemy, the Lords, are pretty much a huge mystery to me even after finishing this book. Why? They are mentioned throughout the entire book, but we don't even know what they can really do. All we know is that they've got Icons stationed in every continent...

Do I love this book? No.

Would I read this book again? Maybe.

Would it be worth reading? Yes.

It isn't her best book(I loved Beautiful Creatures way more than this), but it is worth a shot. No matter how slow it was, it will be worth it in the end. I give it a 4 stars for her amazing ideas, the plot, and these wonderful characters she's created. And I will be waiting for the next book in the series...

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Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare GIVEAWAY

"Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy?
Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her."

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
Book 3 of The Infernal Devices
568 pages

Tessa Gray had agreed to marry Jem Carstairs, a Shadowhunter that is slowly dying because of his reluctant addiction to yin fen. What's worst is that Tessa is also in love with another, Jem's parabatai--Will Herondale.

As you know, this is the last book in The Infernal Devices series. This is most likely the last time we will ever read about our beloved London Shadowhunters. But, Cassandra has stated that she is working on a series, initialed TLH, about the next generation from our Shadowhunters.

Like all of Cassandra's other books, there is pain, suffering, hopelessness, death, and happiness all at once. Most of her fans have already become accustomed to this, but Clockwork Princess is the most dreaded one yet. This is, in fact, the first series of hers that has officially ended.

Tessa Gray is a strong lead character that many of us have seen ourselves in. Why? Of course it's because of her fondness for books. She quotes, reads, lives and breathes in the words of books. She changes, rapidly, from the somewhat terrified New Yorker to a girl that can definitely hold her own. There's an usual thing about her though... She has the power to Change into another person by just holding onto an object of theirs. "With great power comes great responsibility," said basically every wise character in fiction. Tessa is wanted by Mortmain because her power can destroy the Shadowhunters she's come to know and love.

Mortmain is a mundane that was raised by a warlock couple. They had raised him as their own and he had come to love them as his parents... Until one day, his parents are killed without reason. Resentful of Shadowhunters and seeking revenge, he constructs an army of clockwork creatures to kill all of the Shadowhunters. He has planned everything through and through.. All he needs to complete his plan is Tessa, but the Shadowhunters she's befriended are not willing to go down without a fight.

Will Herondale is witty, humorous, beautiful, and deadly to his enemies. He, like Tessa, lives and breathes the words from the pages of his favorite books. He is like a rose with dozens of thorns to stop you from going near him. Will was cursed so that all he loved and all that loved him would die. As we know from Clockwork Prince, he, with the help of warlock Magnus Bane, discovered that his curse was nothing but a lie from a devious demon. In love and desperate to make things right, he confessed his love to Tessa. It was all to no avail for Jem had proposed to her just moments before and Tessa had told him that she did not return his feelings for her at all. In Clockwork Princess, he is sad but at the same time happy. If he would not get the love of his life, he would do everything to ensure that Jem and Tessa would stay together. He knows that Jem is dying and he will do whatever he can to stop it. When Jem is close to dying and Tessa is still in danger.. Who will he stay with--his love or his parabatai?

Jem Carstairs is dying. He's known for all his life that he would die and leave his parabatai behind. He is determined to live as long as he can with Tessa, even if that time is quickly ticking. Jem is calm and careful unlike his blue-eyed parabatai. He and Will are near inseparable. As Mortmain is getting closer to taking Tessa away from them all, how can he possibly try to save her life when his is draining away?

There will be twists, turns, and every road block imaginable for the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. The Consul is growing ever doubtful if Mortmain is really coming to take Tessa and destroy all of their race. Jem is dying and there is nothing they can do. When it comes time for the final battle, who will side with them?

There will be tears and you will want to throw the book a couple of times or scream out in your sadness, but it will all be worth it. Cassandra ties up all of the loose ends of the series(also managing to answer some questions we had about The Mortal Instruments) and make it all work in a way that is uniquely its own.

Not so surprisingly, the ending is exactly as I wished it to be. As many fans said, the ending is bittersweet. As bittersweet as it is, you will absolutely love it.

Using Cassandra's own words:
Ave Atque Vale Infernal Devices


As I promised, you can enter a contest to win a copy of Clockwork Princess!!


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