“Waiting
On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that
spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. Basically books that are not yet out that we
are dying to get our hands on. This
week’s pick is:
Los Angeles.
It's been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when
Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs
lost her parents. After the blood and
violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to discovering
exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.
Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the
Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian
Blackthorn. A series of murders in the
city catch her attention—they seem to have the same characteristics as the
deaths of her parents. Could the
murderer be the same person? And her
attention isn't the only one caught:
someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the
Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma
will investigate the killings, they'll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch:
they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it's open war between faeries and
Nephilim.
The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race
against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the
involvement of those closest to them. At
the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she's
absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of
present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she
investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of
the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.
Why I’m Waiting:
I
have just adored all things Shadowhunter thus far and getting to meet Emma in
City of Heavenly Fire just made me want to know more about her all the
more. I am so excited to continue in the
world!
I
saw this movie last Friday (opening weekend) with a great group of ladies. I was so beyond excited for this, hours of
time lost to youtube watching clips, trailers, interviews, anything to get my
fill while trying to read the books for the first time. I was on overload. Then this week orders, work, vehicle complications,
finishing book 5 (had finished the first 4 before movie). In all the madness I never got to put my
thoughts down about this movie to share with my readers.
My thoughts
about this movie: Simply put…IT WAS
AMAZING AND I LOVED IT!!!
The
book was fresh in my mind having just finished 1-4 in the 2 weeks before the
movie and was excited to see how they would work it. How much they would change. Most important…Jace & Clary. Some of my group had some reservations about
the people cast for the main roles, as they were not what they
expected/pictured. I, on the other hand,
say the trailer prior to reading the books so as I was reading I had their
faces plugged in. I will say when we
left the theatre they had all come around and felt the actors they were leery
of had wont them over for the roll.
I
personally really liked Lilly Collins as Clary, she is able to work the balance
of strong and vulnerable that is vital.
Clary is a brave character who rushes forward into things she doesn't
understand, sometimes this could be seen as stupid, but she is rushing forward
to save or protect those she cares for.
She is also weak in the sense that her whole world has turned upside
down and she has moments of breaking down and trying to process it. Jamie Campbell Bower was what I pictured as
Jace because I saw him before reading but I as I read I can't think of a single
person who could play this character.
Jace is cocky, witty, confident, and lets face it hot (and he knows it),
but when it comes to Clary you see a bit of vulnerability there as well. Plus he is tall and lean and he has beautiful
eyes and a soothing voice. I would be
here all day and this would be a very long post if I went through every
character so I will only add one more for pure fun. Magnus.
He wasn't a huge role in this first one, but he was great with those eyes
and glitter, and clothes, or lack there of, were great. I giggled when he first came in. His brief time you got to see the fun crazy
party host and the deeper compassion.
As
with any movie based on a book there are some changes. As much as us book nerds wish they would just
make a 4 hour movie and put it just like the book, Hollywood doesn't seem to be
in agreement. Not everyone would sit
through that, sadly. Thy change things
in some parts and speed the time line along (again time is an issue to
consider), but a lot of the stuff they changed was more so that they brought
things from other books into this movie.
Things we don't learn until book 2 or 3 was in movie 1. Again I think this was to spare time and give
more action. Trust me there is lots of
action and cool fight scenes. One in
particular is The Hotel scene. It does
change with the reason for being there, all of them show up, and for me a sad
point, there was no conversation with Raphael.
We get no insight into the Vampires and they are not just Downworlders
living with the Accords but they are more pure evil. I hope we see more on them later. Another thing that changed was the back
story. There is no mention of the
Uprising or the Accords so I am curious how they are going to work it out as
the other movies go. It was close in a
sense that they can still make it work.
The
romance is a big part of the series but like in the books there is more going
on and sometimes even when you want to have the romantic conversation to
explain things you can't because well there is the whole save the world from
demons thing to contend with. They live
a life of fighting and early death but as Shadowhunters they know to squeeze in
their time when they can. Jace even
takes her to celebrate her birthday, something no one else does. The banter between them is beautiful and the
spark is there. The greenhouse is
beautiful and so romantic (also warning I have the Heart by Heart song stuck in
my head since seeing this movie). There
is also the connection between Clary and Simon, her best friend for as long as
she can remember. Always there for her
and knows her so well, it is clear to everyone but her that he has feelings for
her beyond friendship (which fyi I get because there is an event I plan to
write and post about in my own life in which I realize how blind we can be
about people in our lives).
So
I mentioned the greenhouse was beautiful but that doesn't do it any
justice. The whole Institute is amazing,
from the door locks (not going to lie I would sit there and lock and unlock my
door just to play with it), to the simple yet ornate rooms, to my favorite the
library. The Library was just like I
pictures it, multiple levels around the walls but high ceilings and spiral
metal stairs (I totally did these, not for practicality but because they look
awesome), to the designs on the floor.
The Hotel was also super creepy in the grand turned to ruin kind of way.
That
is about it without giving too much away.
I loved this movie and am saddened to see it is only at #3 this
week. I am happy that they have already
scheduled to start filming number 2, and I plan to see this one at least one
more time before December when it's expected to arrive on DVD. In the mean time I have my books and the soundtrack
to hold me over. I highly recommend this
movie.
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
