Day 54: 12/24

Hey everyone, sorry for such a long absence but winter break has been so busy! Any who, to celebrate these festive times we have 2 presents for you.
Firstly, a awesome picture we found by palnk on deviantart

And secondly a fan-fiction written by our own Red Queen!

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7667542/1/Under_the_Mistletoe

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

Love,

The four Pale Queens 

P.S. We promise to try harder to post more after we get back from break!

Day 51: 12/21

Hey everyone! Long time no see! So sorry we haven't been updating the blog. Winter break just started and we're all still hella busy! Anyways, I just wanted to share with you something that I painted for my art class:

So what do you think? Yeah it's not much, but it's just a snapshot of Tessa. There's still more that has to be done to it, so I'll upload the full thing when it's done. Until next time!

Love always,
The Red Queen

Day 42: 12/12: CP Playlist!

No book has left such a profound impact on me as Clockwork Prince. I've seriously found myself thinking about 24/7 at every minute of every day. In addition, when reading CP, there were some particular songs that I listened to that reminded me of parts of the story. So I would like to share with you some of these songs. I'm not going to tell you what parts, for I will try and keep this as spoiler-free as I can... don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone who hasn't read it! I will have a post in a month or so that explains each of these, but without further ado, here they are!

Rumour Has It/ Someone Like You - Glee cast version

Fix You - Coldplay

For the First Time - The Script

Misery - Maroon 5

Speechless - Lady Gaga

Perfect - P!nk

The One That Got Away - Katy Perry

Good Life - OneRepublic

So what do you all think of these songs? Do you think these remind you of CP? If you have read the book, which songs remind you of which parts? And page numbers only, because we don't want to spoil this for everyone!

Well until next time!

Love always,

The Red Queen

Day Unknown because I'm too Excited!

Hi guys!
It's been a few days since any of us have last posted, and I figured I'd break the spell because i have some news to share that literally has had me excited/distracted/AHHH for hours!

I'm sure many of you know about Mundie Moms. In preparation for CP they were having a countdown with quite a few giveaways, and I entered the giveaway to win a CP audiobook and signed headshots of ED WESTWICK (yes, HIM! aka Mr. Sexy Voice!) and Heather Lind. (They both did the audiobook). That was the grand prize; other prizes included just the audiobook. By some miracle, I won both an audiobook and the headshots! When I got the notification email this morning, I was flipping out- I still am so stoked. I'll make sure to post some pictures once I get the audiobook and pictures in the mail :)

Happy reading!
XXX
The Queen of Hearts

12/8: Day 38: My Spoiler Free Review of "Clockwork Prince"

Wow. That's all I can say. Just wow. Ms. Cassandra Clare, you have truly outdone yourself in another fabulous installment in one of the best series that I have ever read. My heart is still aching upon completing this, and I think I have finally gathered my thoughts to write a review.

Now first, I must start with the setting. I think the main reason why the Infernal Devices series is so appealing is because of the time period – we’re so used to living in our modern times that it’s nice to escape that through this fantasy realm. And Ms. Clare’s writing exemplifies this by making Victorian London come alive through the pages. I literally felt like I was with the characters in every scene and could easily picture everything.

Next, the plot line. If you thought the teasers were overwhelming, wait until the plot. It was so hard to see where Ms. Clare would take us. After one problem would be solved, another would arise. We follow the twisting paths through the book and find answers to the hidden secrets.

And that leads me to Will. I heard that this was Jem’s book, but honestly, I felt it was more of Will. He definitely experiences the greatest character progression – the Will in the beginning is nowhere near the Will in the end. After his secret is revealed, I felt that I should pour my heart and soul into him and help us release this heavy burden. Although Will’s storyline covers a lot of the plot, it is also Jem’s turn to shine. He’s so kind to Tessa and acts as her personal guide through London. However, a darker side to Jem is also revealed, which took me utterly by surprise.

Now for the love triangle. This is the BEST love triangle I have ever read. I’ve always seen love triangles in which the girl is the damsel in distress while two men who despise each other fight over her. However, in Clockwork Prince, this is not the case. The two boys, Will and Jem, are so close; they are parabatai, but they are something more than that. Although they may be polar opposites, their brotherly bond runs deeper through their veins and makes them more like one person. One is mentally broken, while the other is physically so. And Tessa has to be one of my favorite heroines. I generally dislike the main character, but Tessa is an exception to that. She’s so strong-willed, despite everything that she has endured upon arriving in London. No wonder the two boys are smitten by her…

I loved all the other characters, new and old. Charlotte and Henry’s relationship is further explored, and they are soon becoming the sweetest couple. Sophie takes us by surprise in many ways. And Jessamine… oh Jessie… she is pretty much the same old, same old, but is also hiding some sort of secret. That’s all I’m going to say about her. The new characters were very entertaining – I couldn’t get enough of Woolsey Scott. His ephemeral appearance was enough to get me laughing out loud. Oh and Magnus! How could I forget him? Magnus in this book is very different from him in Mortal Instruments. He definitely plays a bigger role, and I was glad to see him appear pretty often.

So, for those of you who haven’t read Clockwork Prince, be prepared for a thrill ride. This is such a page turner that it was so hard to put down. Whenever I couldn’t read it, I couldn’t help thinking about it. I’m still in shock by the ending, especially the last paragraph. There were times when I would be tempted to laugh out loud in public, and I had to control myself. There were other times when I would feel a piece of my heart break. This book actually made me cry, and this never happens. I cannot wait until Clockwork Princess. The wait seems too long that I don’t know how I am going to entertain myself! As for those of you who are wondering what team I’m on, I have to say I hate playing teams. After Clockwork Angel, I was split down the middle. However, after reading CP, I really don’t want to admit that I have chosen a side, but I have. And that is Will. After all he goes through, it’s so hard to not love him, and he has now become my most favorite character in both the series. So far, this has got to be the best Cassandra Clare book out. And for that I give it a five stars!!! And glittery ones of that… Magnus would love that ;)


Love always,
The Red Queen

12/6: Day 36 (The day we have all been waiting for!)

HEY EVERYONE!!!! GAHHH Clockwork Prince is so amazing!!! I am already 175 pages into it. Since tonight is the first night the book is out and I don't want to spoil anything, I wont be posting a quote today. The Queens and I all went to Barnes and Noble together to get the book!! So here is a silly picture of us all getting CP!














Well I need to get back to CP!!!
Yours truly,
The Queen of Spades

Day 35: 12/5

And guess who gets the honor of the last post before Clockwork Prince officially comes out? ME!!! :) My fellow Queens have you left with much to think about before it's arrival tomorrow.... and I plan to leave you with a bit more. So, here it is:


Jem seemed to look through her then, as if he were seeing something beyond her, beyond the corridor, beyond the Institute itself. "Whatever you are physically," he said, "male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy--all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside." He smiled then, seeming to come back to himself, slightly embarrassed. "That's what I believe."


One of the things I'm most looking forward to from Clockwork Prince is Jem coming into his own, so my last quote is dedicated to him. Leave any last thoughts. AND GET EXCITED TO READ THE BOOK !!!! :)




Much love,
The White Queen




P.S. So long. Farewell. Adieu to all of you.................


Just kidding. Just because Clockwork Prince is here doesn't mean that we're done posting... Look for more to come..... just not necessarily in the next few days. We'll be too busy reading.......:)

Day 34: 12/4

Hello my lovelies! Sadly, this is my last post before CP comes out. So for this special day, I would love to share with you my most favorite quote from all of Cassie Clare's novels. It's actually not from Clockwork Angel, but rather from City of Glass. Here it is:

Alec glanced toward the mini-forest, the colored lights reflecting in the blue irises of his eyes. Magnus stood in the shadow of a tree, talking to a girl in a white dress with a cloud of pale brown hair. She turned as Magnus looked toward them, and Clary locked eyes with her for a moment across the distance that separated them. There was something familiar about her, though Clary couldn't have said what it was.
Magnus broke away and came toward them, and the girl he'd been talking to slipped into the shadows of the trees and was gone.


I have to say, but this is the greatest unsolved mystery in both TMI and ID combined. So what do you think? What is so familiar about the girl? And who really is Tessa Gray? So many unanswered questions! I hope we get some clearance in CP! Speaking of which, just two more days! And I'll be back soon to write a review about my thoughts on CP :) Until next time!

Love always,
The Red Queen

Day 33: 12/3

Clockwork Prince in three days guys! I thought I'd keep my post short and simple, so  I figured it'd be fitting to post the last lines of Clockwork Angel. This particular scene really made me wonder what was going to happen in CP....

"Magnus reached behind himself and locked the parlor door. 'Very well,' he said. 'Why don't you tell me what the problem is?'"

XXX
The Queen of Hearts

Day 32: 12/2

Hey everyone!!! So this is my last post before the big day :D I'm so ready to read CP, well of course, if my crazy schedule will allow me to. So for tonight's post I will be sharing one of my favorite scenes with Jem and Tessa at the end. Sorry but this is gonna be long :)

"My parents like yours, are dead. So are Will's, and Jessie's, and even Henry's and Charlotte's. I am not sure there is anyone in the Institute who is not an orphan. Otherwise we would not be here"
Tessa opened her mouth, and then closed it again. "I know," she said. "I am sorry. I was being perfectly selfish not to think-"
He held up a slender hand. "I am not blaming you," he said. "Perhaps you are otherwise alone, but so am I. So is Will. So is Jessamine. And even, to an extent, Charlotte and Henry. Where else could Henry have his laboratory? Where else would Charlotte be allowed to put her brilliant mind to work the way she can here? And though Jessamine pretends to hate everything, and Will would never admit to needing anything, they have both made homes for themselves here. In a way, we are not here just because we have nowhere else; we need nowhere else, because we have the Institute, and those are in it are our family."
"But not my family"
"They could be," said Jem. "When I first came here, I was twelve years old. It most decidedly did not feel like home to me then. I saw only how London was not like Shanghai, and I was homesick. So Will went down to a shop in the East End and bought me this." He drew out the chain that hing around his neck, and Tessa saw that the flash of green she'd noticed before was a green stone pendant in the shape of a closed hand. "I think he liked it because it reminded him of a fist. But it was jade, and he knew jade came from China, so he brought it back to me and I hing it on a chain to wear it. I still wear it."
The mention of Will made Tessa's heart contract. "I suppose it is good to know he can be kind sometimes."
Jem looked at her with keen silver eyes. "When I came in-that look on your face-it wasn't just because of what you read in the Codex, was it? It was about Will. What did he say to you?"
Tessa hesitated. "He made it very clear that he didn't want me here," she said at last. "That my remaining at the Institute is not the happy chance I thought it was. Not in his view."
"And after I just finished telling you why you should consider him family," Jem said, a bit ruefully. "No wonder you looked like I just told you something awful had happened."
"I'm sorry," Tessa whispered.
"Don't be. It's Will who ought to be sorry." Jem's eyes darkened. "We shall throw him out onto the streets," he proclaimed. "I promise you he'll be gone by morning."
Tessa started and sat upright. "Oh-no, you can't mean that-"
He grinned. "Of course I don't. But you felt better fir a moment there, didn't you?"
"It was like a beautiful dream," Tessa said gravely, but she smiled when she said it, which surprised her.
"Will is...difficult," Jem said. "But family is difficult. If I didn't think the Institute was the best place for you, Tessa, I would not say that it was. And one can build one's own family. I know you feel inhuman, and as if you are set apart, away from life and love but..." his voice cracked a little, the first time Tessa had heard him sound unsure. He cleared his throat. "I promise you, the right man won't care."

I love Jem!! And Will, but I am so excited to see what happens!!!
Yours truly,
The Queen of Spades