Posts Tagged "Mortal Instruments"

So the cover of City of Lost Souls, the next in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, has been revealed today and it’s completely gorgeous.

For a closer look and a chance to read or reread the prologue, head on over to USA Today’s article on City of Lost Souls. I, for one, am in love with this cover. Exactly how I pictured Jace and Clary.

City of Lost Souls is set to hit stores May 8, 2012.

Hey there yaReaders, in the absence of an In My Mailbox post this week (no new books = no IMM) I thought I’d share a few exciting releases…

First is the cover for the companion novel to Anna & the French Kiss, which is Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.

“In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.”

Check out Stephanie’s blog post here, which includes a hint as to how Lola is connected to Anna.

Release date: September 29th 2011 (can’t wait!)

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Next is the sequel to last year’s hugely popular release, Matched which is Crossed by Ally Condie.

“In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky — taken by the Society to his certain death — only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia’s quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander — who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia’s heart — change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever”

Release Date: November 1st 2011

So excited for this one too!

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Lastly, the first of three book trailers in the lead up to the release of Cassandra Clare’s City of Fallen Angels was unveiled this week. The first one is a recap of the series so far, check it out below, I would love to hear your thoughts.

When Hollywood is looking for the next big thing, they often turn to the world of literature for inspiration.

With so many of our favorite YA book titles leaving their prized places on our bookshelves for a stint on the silver screen, it can be hard to keep track of them all.

Here’s the latest news from Hollywood, from the big screen, to your screen.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Release Date: March 23, 2012

Director: Gary Ross
Producer: Nina Jacobsen
Casting Director: Debra Zane
Studio: Lionsgate

Casting and other rumors: If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from keeping an eye on book to movie news is that IMDB.com is full of lies. It’s a bit like wikipedia, anyone with a pro account can edit the information about casting details etc. As of yet none of the characters have been cast yet.

Names such as Hailee Steinfield, Chloe Moretz, Alyson Stoner (ugh please no), Alex Pettyfer (double ugh no) and Elle Fanning have been thrown around but so far all of those are just rumors.

There was also a story going around that the movie would be filmed in North Carolina, which according to Lionsgate is also untrue.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Release Date: 2012

Director: Scott Charles Stewart

Casting and other rumors: The same deal with people sabotaging IMDB applies to The Mortal Instruments movie. As of yet only Lily Collins is an official cast member, who will be playing the lead character Clary Fray.

The most talked about casting rumor is of course Alex Pettyfer as Jace, which as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a fan of the idea (for reasons such as too old, too many franchises already etc). At the moment it’s still a rumor, though he has mentioned that he’s read the books, the script and has spoken with director Scott Charles Stewart. We’ll see.

Other (probably false) rumors include Gaspard Ulliel as Alec and Darren Criss as Magnus.

I Am Number Four

Release Date: 18 February 2011 (out now)

Director: D.J. Caruso (Disturbia)
Producer: Michael Bay (Transformers)

Starring: Alex Pettyfer (I know, I know, I’m mentioning him again, but he’s actually in this one!), Dianna Agron (Glee) and Teresa Palmer

I wasn’t a fan of this book but thought the movie had promise. From the few reviews I’ve read it’s not getting a great response. A few cheesy lines, key information lost in the translation of book to screen and too many explosions (well, come on, Michael Bay is involved, there were bound to be explosions). But, I know some people did enjoy it, I’m hoping to check it out soon for myself and find out.

Bits and pieces -

The adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s sci-fi novel The Host is making slow progress by announcing earlier this month that Susanna White has signed up as the director.

Looks like Selena Gomez has been cast to play Hannah in the adaptation of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher which has been an unpopular choice with fans.

Emma Watson has confirmed she will be starring in The Perks of Being a Wallflower which will start filming in the summer

The movie rights to Veronica Roth’s Divergent have been picked up by billionaires Meg Ellisson. It’s not clear yet which studio will be working on the project buy Summit and Columbia Pictures are possibilities

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and directed by Baz Luhrman (Moulin Rouge, Romeo and Juliet) is set to be filmed in Sydney, Australia and in 3D, which not everyone is thrilled about. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy and Tobey Maguire as the narrator.

Cassandra Clare is the author of the popular Mortal Instruments series. The third and final novel in the series, City of Glass, is due out on the 24th of March, which, is today for most people. Cassandra answered some questions for us about her beloved characters – we hope you enjoy!

Did you always know that the MI series was going to be a trilogy?

Yes. I sold it as a trilogy, three books.

If so, have you had the entire story plotted out from the beginning, or have you been creating as you’ve been writing?

I always had the story plotted out from the beginning. I sold the series as a trilogy, which means I had to submit a detailed outline to the publisher of each book in the series. Your publisher wants to know not just that you know how to start a story but also that you know how to end one, and that nothing too crazy happens. So I had the story plotted out, because it was required. I also always knew it would be a trilogy. It is structured on the hero’s journey to the Underworld — the theme of the first book is descent, thus each epigraph makes reference to descent (“The Descent Beckons”, etc.). The theme of the second is hell or the underworld, and all the epigraphs make reference to hell or the underworld (“the Gates of Hell”). The third book’s theme is ascent or heaven, and all the epigraphs make reference to ascent or heaven (“The Road to Heaven”.).

Which character in the MI world came first for you?

Clary. I think one’s viewpoint character often comes first.

Who is your fave MI character and why?

I don’t have one. It’s like picking favorite children. Even the characters I don’t like, like the Inquisitor, I like, because they’re fun to write or useful to the story, or interesting in some way. The most fun to write is probably Magnus, and the one most like me is Simon.

I’ve tried to work it out a few times but failed miserably, just how long is the time period over which the MI series is set?

You’re not supposed to be able to figure it out, really, as the gap between books is usually just noted as “a few days” or ‘some time.” The first book takes about a week, the second another week, the third, about two weeks.

You deal with some challenging issues that I’d like to discuss in relation to the MI world…

Alec & Magnus are gay – the Clave’s position on homosexuality sends some pretty negative messages to potential queer readers, was that a conscious or unconscious decision you made while writing?

I am certainly saddened by the idea that “the Clave’s position on homosexuality” might send a negative message to queer readers. Including positive gay characters like Alec and Magnus is about inclusivity and representation — the world we live in isn’t a heteronormative one, so I wouldn’t want to represent it as such. Of course, that also means dealing with issues like bigotry and homophobia — things I wish didn’t exist in the world, but which, in fact, do.

It is worth noting, though, that the bigoted members of the Clave are bad guys, and are presented as such. Merely articulating a position, or representing that a belief exists, in fiction does not mean that you support it. I believe my readers — straight and gay — are smart enough to understand that when the villain is the one expressing a viewpoint (in this case, a homophobic one), that probably means that the message of the book is that that viewpoint is bad. And, you know, “homophobia=bad” is a message I’m willing to stand behind.

Magnus and Alec seem pretty different – what was it about Alec that Magnus was drawn to?

Exactly the fact that Alec is not like him. Alec is sweet and completely sincere, whereas Magnus is sarcastic and guarded. (This is also why Magnus would never be interested in, say, Jace, who is much more like him.)

Is the Clave supposed to be a metaphor for our own contemporary institutions that govern the free world, or am I over thinking this too much?

It’s not a metaphor. Perhaps it could be described as an extrapolation — I mean, the Clave is based on my research into secret organizations rather than research into government. If anything, I based it a bit on research I did into secretive offsprings of, say, the Catholic Church — I mean, there’s an Inquisitor, and Conclaves, all those are church terms. I should hasten to add that the Clave is not meant to be the Catholic Church, not even the Catholic Church of hundreds of years ago. I just feel that things in fantasy worlds are often made more realistic when you use real-world structures as models, and in this case, religious organizations were models.

Clary and Jace are allegedly brother and sister – their desire for each other continues feverishly through all three books. Have you had any negative feedback about presenting a relationship that borders on incest?

No. I mean, I am sure someone out there has fussed about it, but not in any way that has ever reached my ears or my publisher’s (not that they would care, mind you.) It’s such a common trope, and as far as the first two books goes, nothing physical happens between Clary and Jace that does not happen between, say, Luke and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back, a movie that has been enjoyed by five year olds the world over. The difference is that Clary and Jace have real romantic feelings for each other and there’s a lot of longing in their relationship. However, no one ever fusses about longing. They fuss about sex and language.

I’d like to talk about GLASS now…(so obviously spoilers follow, guys)

When Alec is introducing Magnus to his parents at the end of Glass, we don’t really learn the outcome of that meeting. Are Alec’s parents accepting of their Alec’s revelation and how do they feel about him dating Magnus?

I absolutely feel that they are. We see the Lightwood parents meeting Magnus and shaking his hand, which is a sign of respect, and Maryse hugging Alec. I know we don’t get a lot of time to dwell on these characters, because as fond as I am of them, they’re still secondary characters in the book, but I hoped that would be enough to indicate that the family’s accepting of Magnus and Alec. And obviously Jace and Izzy are.

When Sebastian kissed Clary, he knew he was her brother. Clary was grossed out by the situation but we never really found out how Sebastian felt about that. It looked as if he actually enjoyed it. Did he?

Sebastian is not someone who gets enjoyment out of the things normal people get enjoyment out of. He enjoyed it, but precisely because he knew he was screwing with Clary by doing it and his emotions about her are a complicated mixture of fascination — she’s his sister — and hatred, and for him, hate and sex and desire and rage are all bound up. I’m sure he liked it better because she was his sister.

Is Simon going to end up with Maia or Isabelle?

See, the honest answer to that is that I have no idea. I don’t know what happens to the characters after the book is over, because that’s all “the unwritten future.” If some day I sat down and plotted out a sequel, or a sequel series, then I would start taming my vague ideas into a more concrete story, and then I would know — but now I don’t. I will say that if I ever wind up doing sequels to the MI series, they will probably focus on Simon, so presumably his love life will get a workout then!

You’re working on a prequel trilogy – The Infernal Devices. Are any of the characters in the MI series going to be in the ID books?

Magnus is in it. Other of the more immortally inclined characters are in it — the head of the New York vampire clan, who Raphael is always talking about and who we never see, is in it.

Can you share any other info about these novels?

The main characters are all related to Clary and Jace and the Lightwoods via bloodlines. I think part of the fun of reading them, for MI fans, is going to be figuring out how everyone is related to who. There are Herondales, Waylands, Lightwoods, and some new families.

And lastly, we’ve been trying to cast the MI characters on our forum. In an ideal world, if the books were ever made into a movie (is that likely to happen?) who would you want playing your characters?
The list, with photos! http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/faqs/imaginary-casting

Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide to fight with the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders – or against them. Meanwhile, Jace and Clary have their own decisions to make: should they pursue the love they know is forbidden?

As City of Glass opens Clary, Jace and the other Shadowhunters are on their way to Idris. Valentine is up to no good again and the very foundation of the Shadowhunting community is at risk. He’s waging a war and he’s asking all Shadowhunters, old and young, to pick a side: fight with him, or feel his all mighty wrath. But the Shadowhunters know that they can’t face Valentine alone – there aren’t enough of them and they would surely loose. Then someone has a genius idea: maybe the Downworlders will fight alongside the Nephilim. Their army would unquestionably increase in size, and with a bigger army, the Clave has a better chance of defeating Valentine. But will the Nephilim and the Downworlders be able to put aside their differences to fight for their lives?

Meanwhile, Clary and Jace are struggling with more than the evil actions of their father. Jace decides that being in love with Clary is just too hard, and he sets about finding himself a distraction. Aline doesn’t know about Jace and Clary’s history and when she makes a play for Jace, he doesn’t exactly stop her. Clary has tried distracting herself before with Simon, and that didn’t work. But seeing Jace with Aline hurts – a lot – and maybe its time for Clary to try the whole distraction thing again…

Enter Sebastian. He’s sexy, smart, charming, and seems totally interested in Clary. The question on everyone’s lips, however, should be, interested in what? Clary decides that she’d like to at least try and figure that out. Sebastian is a multi-layered character that provides a whole lot of entertainment for fans. Reading Sebastian is like riding an emotional rollercoaster. I sighed and cooed with delight, laughed at him, cheered for him, screamed at him and seethed as my blood curdled furiously at one point, too.

But Jace and Clary realise that watching each other cavorting with other people is just too hard. It hurts way too much…

“And I’m supposed to sit by while you date boys, fall in love with someone else, get married…?” His voice tightened. “And meanwhile, I’ll die a little bit more everyday, watching.”

Society says that Jace and Clary can’t be together, right? Maybe, just maybe, Jace and Clary don’t care what society says anymore. Jace and Clary, however, aren’t the only ones having romantic issues. Magnus and Alec seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, too.

“I’m tired of you only wanting me around when you need something. I’m tired of watching you be in love with someone else – someone, incidentally, who will never love you back. Not the way I do.”

Magnus has been avoiding Alec – big time. As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and being away from Magnus forces Alec to deal with some of his inner demons. Can he let his feelings for Jace go and save his relationship with Magnus? And what about his parents… Alec has worked so hard to hide his sexuality from his parents and the Clave. Does he have the courage to open up to them and be true to himself? Its time for Alec to decide what kind of life he wants to lead. Will he chose a lonely life buried in the confines of the closet, or will he sacrifice everything he’s ever known for love?

There’s a whole lot more going on, too. Simon gets himself locked up, Izzy falls for someone very unexpected, Clary turns out to be a whole lot more talented than anyone expected she ever would, old friends return, and one of our beloved Shadowhunters will leave us forever…

But I’m sure you all want to know about Valentine, right? Is he really Jace and Clary’s dad? And for the love of the angel, are they going to take him down already? Everybody loves a good fight, and a good fight you shall get. Who will make it out alive, and whose lives will be shattered for all of eternity? I have the answers but I don’t feel like sharing right now… I suppose you’ll just have to grab yourself a copy of the book and find out for yourself.

There’s a whole lot of action, a little smooching, and one huge bombshell surprise after the other. I recommend coffee – lots of it – snacks, and a super comfy reading spot because this is one of those books that you wont be able to put down. Not for anything.

Cassandra Clare is a force to be reckoned with. Her use of imagery to create a real and vivid picture of her world is commendable. There was not one scene in the entire novel that didn’t appear in front of me like I was watching a film. Not only can she unpack an awesome story, but she writes beautifully, too. This is one of those rare, high-quality young adult reads that you don’t come by too often. The literary world should be thankful Miss Clare decided to grace us with her amazing talent.

A perfect ending to a perfect trilogy. If it were possible to award it a six star rating, I would.

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Stay tuned – we’ve got an interview with Cassandra Clare coming your way tomorrow.