Hello everyone! I am currently hosting a TMI Read-a-Thon, cure re-reading all the books of the Mortal Instruments series in anticipation of the release of City of Heavenly Fire. You can join in by clicking this link.
Every Friday, try for the next couple weeks, I’ll be posting my favorite quotes from each Mortal Instruments Book!
As this is my first week, of course, these are all my favorite quotes from City of Bones.
Enjoy! And make sure to share yours in the comments!
This week’s Book of the Week, and the next few, will be a bit different. I am currently hosting a TMI Read-a-Thon, re-reading all the books of the Mortal Instruments series in anticipation of the release of City of Heavenly Fire. You can join in by clicking this link.
But instead of just reviewing the book, I will talk about why I love each book so much, what I felt when I read it, my memories from reading the book the first time.
I hope that you can all join in! For now, enjoy!
Welcome to the first official post of the What A Nerd Girl Says Mortal Instruments Read-a-Thon! Yay!
I felt kind of like Kermit the Frog writing that. I hope you felt that when you read it. I want that sort of enthusiasm to permeate off the webpage you’re reading.
For those of you who don’t know, buy information pills I’m re-reading the five books of the Mortal Instruments series (for the millionth time) in order to prepare myself for the sixth and final book, sickness City of Heavenly Fire, which releases on May 27th.
I decided that the Mortal Instruments would be taking over my blog, and I am doing that as best I can. For the next five weeks, I’m all TMI. So I hope you all can sit back, relax and enjoy all things Shadowhunter.
Every Tuesday for the next five weeks, I’ll be counting down my favorite moments in each Mortal Instruments book. As this is the first week of the Read-a-Thon, that means today is my top ten favorite moments of City of Bones.
Jace was glaring at the cat. “I told you to bring me to Alec! Backstabing Judas.”
Church rolled onto his back, purring contentedly.”
Its simple: everything Church does is absolute magic. This is the book where we meet him, where we learn that he’s a smart, silly, and loving cat that you can’t help but love and the moment that you realize that you start to ship Church with Chairman Meow. In all seriousness though, I have a weird addicting to this cat and I love the connection between the Infernal Devices when Church is first rescued, to him being part of the Lightwood family at the New York Institute.
“When she was done, it was as exact as she could make it. Driven by some instinct she didn’t quite understand, she reached for the cup and set it down on top of the paper. Then, very carefully, she began to sketch the runes beside it.”
As soon as I learned what a Shadowhunter was, and that Alec, Jace and Isabelle were Shadowhunters, I wanted to be one. And I wanted Clary to be one. When I learned that Clary was a Shadowhunter, I was squealing with excitement. I was like, she’s going to get Marks and learn to use a stele and a seraph blade and its going to be absolutely awesome. I was so into that, and I knew it was only going to make her journey in the books that much better. When Clary is drawing and discovers her ability to make the image on the page become real, I was dying of happiness. I was blown away when she pulled that coffee cup out of the pages. Not only was she a Shadowhunter, but she was special and how completely cliche that is, I don’t even care because it was beautiful.
“Yeah, well, you clearly also couldn’t be bothered to call me and tell me you were shacking up with some dyed-blond wanna-be goth you probably met at Pandemonium. After I spent the past three days wondering if you were dead.”
“I was not shacking up,” Clary said, glad of the darkness as the blood rushed to her face.
“And my hair is naturally blond,” said Jace. “Just for the record.”
This is such an awesome moment, especially now that I’ve read the rest of the series. The moment when Simon and Jace meet each other officially for the first time is beautiful because they’re both so different and so hostile toward the other, that you can’t help but hope that they become best friends. They continue to have an uneasy friendship as time goes on but the moment they meet is so great. Its kind of when you think, this book series could be all about a love triangle and oh god, these boys are just going to fight the entire series. And that does happen to a point but it all comes down to the fact that they’re so different and they see each other as competition instead of allies and its just too funny to watch. They are both so obviously trying to be cool and awesome in front of Clary at this moment and they both fail at it.
“He looked at her, not saying anything, and she remembered suddenly the wolf in the alley, all black except for that one gray streak down its side, and she remembered the disc hitting it, and she realized it.
‘You’re a werewolf.'”
Everything about Luke suddenly made so much more sense when we discover that he is a werewolf and he tells the story of his growing up, becoming Valentine’s parabatai, and becoming a werewolf and living his life as a mundane as Jocelyn’s best friend. I was so angry at Luke and the way he treated Clary but he came and saved her life from Hodge (ew) and made me absolutely happy. I love that everyone has their foot in this world somehow. We have the vampires (more on that in City of Ashes) and a warlock in Magnus and a werewolf in Luke. I loved that it just seemed so natural for him to be so and that it fit the history that we had learned from Hodge of the Circle and all that. I love also that it gave Clary the equal opportunity to try and get Jace back from Valentine.
“What welcome?” Magnus asked. “I’d say is was a pleasure to meet you, but it wasn’t. Not that you aren’t all fairly charming, and as for you-” He dropped a glittery wink at Alec, who looked astounded. “Call me?”
I ship Malec so hard and not just because I actually like them together, but because I love all the boundaries that Cassandra Clare pushes in their relationship. Besides the obvious boundary being pushed with Malec being a gay couple, I think its because it pushes both characters. Alec is gay but can’t admit it, and Magnus is in love with Alec, a Shadowhunter, something that he doesn’t really want to do. And I love the moment that they meet. Alec thinks he’s so good at hiding how he feels and that no one in the world knows he’s gay but Magnus notices so fast, and is immediately attracted to him. I love that it completely throws Alec off his game, and that it intrigues him. Its a beautiful moment.
“Turning in astonishment, she saw Jace by the door, his arm still raised, and realized he must have flung the dagger with enough force to knock the black sword out of his father’s hand.”
Finding out that Valentine Morgenstern is both Clary and Jace’s father was a huge thing that I had never seen coming when reading the book for the first time. I think I legitimately felt sick to my stomach. No, no way. There was no way that Clace was a pair of brother and sister. They were meant to be! Clary was going to break down the hard walls of Jace’s personality and make him fall madly in love with her and they were going to live happily ever after…and then suddenly they were brother and sister, and Jace is ready to do whatever his father needs him to do, and I felt like Jace was all lost. The moment that he stops his father, and disobeys him for the first time in his entire life, gave me hope that Jace was exactly the kind of character that I had hoped he was, and that I wasn’t stupid for fictionally falling in love with him.
“He was holding Alec’s bow, she realized, and the quiver was strapped across his back. He drew an arrow from it, fitted it to the string, and lifted the bow expertly, as if he’d done the same thing a hundred times before.”
I think this is the moment that the reader, even myself, realizes that there is so much more to Simon than just being a mundane. I wanted Clary with Jace from the moment she met him (see later), and I was annoyed with Simon for so long. I thought he was holding her back, to be honest, until this moment. When he comes in with the bow and arrow and shoots out the skylight and saves them from the Greater Demon, I think I gained a lot more respect for him. He’s not gifted with the blood of the angel and he isn’t a Shadowhunter, but he’s incredibly smart and incredibly brave and willing, especially when it comes to the loyalty he has to Clary. I think that’s when I vowed to give Simon a better chance than I had before. Now that we’ve reached five, nearly six books, Simon is one of my favorites and I’m happy to remember the moment that he really proved himself to me.
“There must have been something in her voice, because he turned to look at her. Her hand cracked across his face, a slap that rocked him back on his heels. He put a hand to his cheek, more in surprise than pain. “What the hell was that for?”
The other ten percent,” she said, and they rode the rest of the way down to the street in silence.”
Why do I like the moment that Clary slaps Jace? Because she’s not completely in awe of who he is. I feel like there are so many YA novels out there where the girl meets the guy and he’s so special and different that she is literally in awe of him. It doesn’t feel like love or friendship or companionship to me, it feels like worship and that sort of thing does NOT lead to an actual good, healthy relationship. Just my opinion. Seeing the way Clary obviously is attracted to Jace but isn’t willing to let him push her around was always fantastic and why I loved the both of them. Jace is so cocky and he was willing to take Clary’s life in his hands at a hunch that she was a Shadowhunter and not a normal mundane and he was really lucky that he was right. Clary recognizes this and slaps him for basically being an assuming asshole. I totally cheered at that moment, and knew that Clary was the kind of girl that I could really love as a character.
“What’s this?” he demanded, looking from Clary to his companions, as if they might know what she was doing there.
“It’s a girl,” Jace said,recovering his composure. “Surely you’ve seen girls before, Alec. Your sister Isabelle is one.”
Sometimes it takes more than just the first chapter for me to fall in love with a book. I have to give it at least page 50 until I’m like, okay, this book has me hooked, let’s keep this going. With City of Bones, though, that was so different. I was in a rough place when I read the book, so there is that, but I was hooked from the moment that Clary stepped through the closet at Pandemonium and witnessed the showdown between Jace, Isabelle and Alec and the demon. I was massively in love with Jace from the moment they said his name, mostly because I love that name, and have for quite a many years but also because I just knew he was going to be “IT” in the books, if you know what I mean. I knew immediately that I wanted to find out the rest.
“There is a hollow in the pit of his stomach, a nervous edginess. He wants to pull her back to himself, to pour into her everything he is feeling: his admiration, his new-born knowledge, his devotion, his need. “I’ve never been more awake.”
I mean, duh. I think I would have a cold, cold heart if I didn’t absolutely love this scene. I LOVE this scene. Its beautiful in so many ways. I love that Jace takes the time to do something for Clary’s birthday, which is so out of character for him, because he doesn’t DO those kinds of things for people, especially those he has just met. I love that he opens himself up to her in ways that he never really has before, and I just love it all. Its the calm before the storm that is Simon or Valentine or Hodge or the Mortal Cup. Just for that moment, they’re together and they’re experiencing those fragile steps into first love and it makes me so happy every time I read it. The first time that I read Jace’s POV (which is where the quote comes from), I loved it even more. For that one moment, you think everything is going to be okay between them, right before the news that they are brother and sister, or that there’s the complication of Simon, all of that. I think that’s why I love this scene so much. Its what I had been waiting for, and it gave me hope for the rest of the series because I knew how they felt for each other.
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I hope you enjoyed Stop 1 on the What A Nerd Girl Says Read-a-Thon, and that you’ll be with me the rest of the way! You can check out the rest of the “tour” schedule by clicking this link!
And don’t forget to share your own favorite scenes from City of Bones in the comments!
I really did try to come up with a better name for this. Obviously I failed miserably. This is why I don’t name things, viagra buy guys. I let other people do that work for me!
Moving on…
In just over a month, the final installment of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, City of Heavenly Fire, will be hitting bookstores. War will be waged, battles will be fought, tears will definitely be shed.
You can read my City of Heavenly Fire synopsis reaction here.
And in order to celebrate and prepare for this ending, What A Nerd Girl Says is going Shadowhunter.
I’ll be re-reading the Mortal Instruments books until the release, and profiling each one a week until the release. I would encourage you to join in whatever you way you can: on your blog, on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, whatever way you’d like!
I’ll be tweeting, instagraming and tumblring as much as possible and will be using the hashtag: #anerdgirlsaysTMIreadathon, so please join in! I’d love to hear from you as we make our way back through the TMI series and prepare for the heartbreak that is sure to be City of Heavenly Fire.
Here is the schedule that I’ll be doing for my TMI Read-A-Thon
Tuesday 4/22: Tuesday Top Ten: Favorite City of Bones Moments
Thursday 4/24: Book of the Week: City of Bones
Friday 4/25: City of Bones: Favorite Quotes
Saturday 4/26: Fictional Crush of the Week: Jace Wayland (Re-Post)
Tuesday 4/29: Tuesday Top Ten: Favorite City of Ashes Moments
Thursday 5/1: Book of the Week: City of Ashes
Friday 5/2: City of Ashes: Favorite Quotes
Saturday 5/3: Fictional Crush of the Week: Isabelle Lightwood (Re-Post)
Tuesday 5/6: Tuesday Top Ten: Favorite City of Glass Moments
Thursday 5/8: Book of the Week: City of Glass
Friday 5/9: City of Glass: Favorite Quotes
Saturday 5/10: Fictional Crush of the Week: Alec Lightwood (Re-Post)
Tuesday 5/13: Tuesday Top Ten: Favorite City of Fallen Angels Moments
Thursday 5/15: Book of the Week: City of Fallen Angels
Friday 5/16: City of Fallen Angels: Favorite Quotes
Saturday 5/17: Fictional Crush of the Week: Simon Lewis
Tuesday 5/20: Tuesday Top Ten: Favorite City of Lost Souls Moments
Thursday 5/22: Book of the Week: City of Lost Souls
Friday 5/23: City of Lost Souls: Favorite Quotes
Saturday 5/24: Fictional Crush of the Week: Magnus Bane
Tuesday 5/27: Happy Book Birthday to Cassandra Clare!
Wednesday 5/29: Vlog Reaction to City of Heavenly Fire (Spoilers!)
Thursday 5/30: Book of the Week: City of Heavenly Fire (No Spoilers!)
Friday 5/31: City of Heavenly Fire: Favorite Quotes/Moments
Saturday 6/1: Fictional Crush of the Week: Clary Fray
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I hope that you can all join me! I know that not everyone can read as quickly as me, though, so I made these posts sort of easy so that if you’ve read the books before, you can participate!
Happy Reading everyone, and don’t forget to follow here on the Blog, the Tumblr, the Twitter, the Facebook and the Instagram to be a part of the Read-A-Thon!
Now, here you guys know that I’m not a news site. I don’t post news, because frankly, I have too much going on in my life to keep up with that sort of thing. I wish I did. I try to post as much as I can on the Facebook page but honestly, I just don’t have the patience.
This is a fan experience and fan opinion and all around fangirl site.
But that means I can share the official synopsis of City of Heavenly Fire, and I can share my reaction to it.
And here is the synopsis:
Jeez.
My heart is breaking and I haven’t even read the book yet. Its going to be a Clockwork Princess kind of night when CoHF is released. I’m going to stay up until 3 or 4 am reading it, and walk around the next day with complete blood shot eyes. Sigh.
Let’s break this down:
That KILLS me. I wonder if any Shadowhunters we know are going to become a dark Shadowhunter the way Amatis did in CoLS. And I hate the way it says lovers. It makes me thing that Luke will be turned against Jocelyn, or vice versa or that Alec or Isabelle or Jace or any of them will turn bad and turn against their friends. It makes me wonder who Sebastian is going to get his claws on.
Um, why? What’s going on? He has demon blood so we know that he can knock out the wards, the way he did in City of Glass. Is he just going to march into Idris and take it over?
Sebastian is totally taking over Idris. The Shadowhunters are going to be under his thumb while he just wreaks destruction upon the world. Because the word ‘trapped’ means its more than just them seeking refuge there. Trapped suggests that they can’t leave. Why can’t they leave? AGH!
Um, excuse me? What? WHAT? Who is betraying who? Why is it so crazy? What is going on? Ohmygod I can’t stand this kind of anticipation. Who is going to betray who? Is it going to be absolutely heartbreaking? AGH!
Someone is going to die, someone is going to die, someone is going to die, and my TMI feels can’t handle this because I don’t want Clary or Jace or Isabelle or Alec or Simon to die but one of them is going to die and I’m going to became a tragic mess.
Basically all this as shown me is that I am so incredibly unprepared for the release of City of Heavenly Fire. I honestly have no idea how I am going to handle it but its going to be an emotional night. And I can’t wait for it.
What are your reactions to the official City of Heavenly Fire synopsis? Share in the comments!
So its not secret that tattoos are a big part of my life.
As of a couple weeks ago, information pills I am now up to ten, ampoule nine of which are fandom related.
Now, I know a ton of people that understand. They understand the urge to get a tattoo. They understand that the feel of the needle and that sort of lotion-y inky smell is just brilliant. They understand that there is something amazing about staring down at a permanent piece of artwork on your body that represents something close to you. I feel beautiful with my tattoos.
Now there are also people that don’t, which is why I want to share this post with you all. Myself and a few others have elected to share their tattoos and why they got them. It may not necessarily change your mind on them, and I don’t really expect it to.
But there are reasons that we all get these on our skin. Some people might not understand that. But when I read a book, something about it changes me. It may be a bad thing, but it still does something. But most of the time, a book will change me for good, and there are a select few that really leave lingering attachments.
oh wait, that’s me. No need to get excited ;)
I have 9 fandom tattoos so far, ten total. I sometimes consider my Something Corporate tattoo a fandom tattoo, because music is a fandom, but for the most part, its just a tattoo I keep to myself. I have the Deathly Hallows symbol on my wrist, with “Wit Beyond Measure” underneath and “Man’s Greatest Treasure” on the other wrist. I have the epitaph from James and Lily Potter’s gravestone on my back with page stars, and “Always” on my ankle. I have the Rebel Alliance symbol from Star Wars on the back of neck and the fearless rune from The Mortal Instruments on my shoulder. I have the word “fearless” written in Circular Gallifreyan from Doctor Who on my wrist, the three ravens tattoo that Tris has in Divergent and a molnija mark from Vampire Academy.
What all of them really have in common is the idea of fear, and overcoming and accepting it and conquering those things that seem too big for us. Harry Potter conquers his fears and he accepts death and he ends up winning in the end. He handles the biggest, hardest things that any teenager has to face and he’s so strong and he does it. The Rebel Alliance takes on the entire Galactic Empire, just a small band of believers and its incredible. Fearless in both Shadowhunter runes and Doctor Who Gallifreyan represents my desire to overcome my fears. When Rose gets her molnija marks for defeating Strigoi, she’s conquering fears of Strigoi and she’s becoming brave, and coming into her own as a guardian. Tris gets her ravens when she wants to recognize and remember her past, but move forward into her own future.
I feel like I’m writing a lot but I do have a lot of tattoos. Each tattoo that I’ve gotten represents my desire to be my own person and to not give up and not let my fears keep me from experiencing life or trying to live my dreams. I am scared of so many things, like death or the dark and bugs (EW), but I’m also afraid of failure, not reaching my dreams, not being able to do the amazing things I want to do with my life. I have these to remind myself that there are these amazing characters created that conquer their fears and live their dreams and take down big enemies and get over the highest hills and that I can do that too. I can publish a book and travel the world. I can live in many different places and I can conquer that constant anxiety and fear that is always in the very back of my mind.
The first picture is from the mortal instruments and the infernal devices series by Cassandra Clare. Its the fortitude rune which gives the shadowhunter the power of fortitude. Mental and emotional strength when faced with difficulty, adversity, danger and temptation. I got this tattoo because I struggled with depression and I need to remember to stay strong through anything. It’s a really positive rune which whenever I face difficulties I can look at and remember to stay grounded and that I will always overcome whatever lays in my path.
The second picture is a quote from Alice in Wonderland. I loved this book when I was a kid and have always been obsessed with it. I chose this quote because it’s true. Everyone is mad, everyone is different, we are all a bit weird. I was always different from everyone else and as a result I was bullied a lot. This tattoo reminds me that you are who you are and no body is perfect, everyone is mad in one way or another.
This is my first tattoo. It is Eeyore from A.A. Mine’s Winnie the Pooh books. For my first tattoo I wanted something that I have loved and felt a connection to for a long long time. Eeyore was Always my favourite as a child and even more than that I feel a connection with him as I am definitely an Eeyore type personality.
I got Dumbledore’s quote to Harry about the Mirror of Erised from book 1, encircling the Deathly Hallows symbol from book 7, and ending with the page stars, to symbolize Harry’s journey coming full circle, and because I just love this quote. I got the page stars on my wrist because JKR drew them and I love that only other HP fans know what they are, while anyone else just thinks they’re 3 stars on my wrist.
Doctor Who actually saved my life. I have anxiety and depression, and was in an abusive relationship. I felt I wasn’t important and didn’t care if anything happened. The past couple years have been super hard. Then I started to watch Doctor Who, and I realized I was important. This reminds me of love and hope. I love all the strong characters and how they cry openly and are just so amazing. I actually am planning to add on to it in the future.
I’m not sure I really have a “why” but here it goes. The Avengers got me into comics, and I have no issues admitting that. But THE Avenger that actually made me purchase a book? Hawkeye. As soon as I heard about the book I knew I had to get my hands on it. I looked into local comic book stores and found a little piece of Heaven that was welcoming to everyone. Then before you know it, I had a pull box filled with various comics. None of this would have happened without the Avenger that runs around with a group of super heroes but enjoys a slice of pizza with his dog on his off days.
I think, my fandom tattoos are best described by a quote in a book I recently read (Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine): “She’s fearless with her tattoos, stamping her body with whatever is truthful for her at the time. There’s something honest about that – about devoting yourself to whatever is honest for you in the moment, even though you know life will change and you’ll change with it.”
I have two Harry Potter tattoos, both on my arms. My first is a black outline of a Golden Snitch with the Deathly Hallows symbol inside of it. To me, the snitch represents so much besides Quidditch. I’ve always been fascinated with flight, it is also winning the end of the “game”, it holds secrets, and stays true to the first person that catches it. Harry’s Snitch even held a Deathly Hallows item inside. Therefore the Deathly Hallows symbol is inside to represent this as well as the death so many are afraid of and run from. But when you possess the Deathly Hallows, you are the master of death and in a way, I now possess them.
The writing on my other arm is actually JK Rowling’s hand writing from a letter she wrote to me after I met her. I handed her a letter I wrote about my life, and how much her stories and she means to me and so many others in the world. The writing says “Keep fighting! You’re inspirational. With Love and Admiration, Jo”. I chose the royal purple color to match the signature color in her handwritten letter and because it represents the original Potter franchise and magic in general. Having her autograph as Jo, not her usual ‘JK Rowling’ was so much more personal to me. Her letter was longer but I chose these particular pieces from it to inspire me to never give up in my life, that anything is possible, and always remember my own role model finds me inspirational to her.
These are my two Harry Potter tattoos. I’ve got the Deathly Hallows because that book is my favourite and I wanted something to symbolise that. It’s on my right foot. On my left forearm, I have “I open at the close”. This is from the first snitch that Harry ever caught, and is also from the last book. I love this quote because I feel like it symbolises Harry, and the kind of person he is.
I’ve loved Harry Potter for a very long time now and always wanted a Harry Potter tattoo. A few people told me I would regret my decision to get these tattoos, but I won’t. I’ll always love Harry Potter, and even if for some reason, I stop loving the books, they’re a huge part of my life and I’d never change that.
I have two science fiction tattoos. Left is the TARDIS from Doctor Who an the right is the Starfleet insignia from Star Trek. I got them because I love the concept of space exploration and sci-fi things make me happy, whether they are incredibly mind blowing or incredibly cheesy. I love it all.
My tattoo means the world to me. It is from “The Mortal Instruments” series. The quote is from the City of Bones book and movie, which is quoted by Hodge Starkweather. The reason I chose this quote is because I have a wide imagination and all the stories are true in my eyes. I believe in pretty much everything I read in fiction. The reason I chose the Angelic rune (also from TMI) is because it was my favourite rune and I kept unconsciously drawing it on anything i could, pretty much like Clary! Also, I like to think everyone has a little bit of angelic power inside of them.
The first one is the fearless rune from TMI. I got it because sometimes you feel like you need something that hides your fears away, and I needed it. I needed to stand up and by myself. And so I did. The second one is Tris’ ravens, from Divergent. I admire her, because I relate to her. I would give my life if it means the people I love will be okay. And, sometimes, for them and for yourself to be happy, you need to make some sacrifices. I’ve done some, and it’s nice to have this tattoo with it’s double meaning.
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I hope you enjoyed seeing all these awesome people’s tattoos! I’ve done posts like these before and I hope to continue to post about them, because its a passion of mine.
If you have a tattoo of the nerd variety, don’t forget to share them! We want to see them!
