Author Appreciation Week - Day 2

Author Appreciation Week is the brain child of debut author Heidi Kling.

If you would like to participate simply, write a blog post each day of next week about the authors you appreciate and why! The best part, there are no rules. Be as creative as you want. Looking for more information? Check out Heidi’s blog.

My goal for Author Appreciation Week is to highlight authors whose books I love reading and who have impacted how I choose which I’ll read next. Some days, there will be multiple authors spotlighted, other days only one. There is no particular order, because all these authors write excellent books.

Today’s author is Cassandra Clare.

I found The Mortal Instruments while I was working on a final project for a children’s literature class. I was trying to answer the question asked by countless children, “I love Harry Potter, what should I read next?” I’m pretty sure that I read about Cassandra Clare and her books on a blog (right now, I’m wishing that I had written down the blog name or URL somewhere), a glowing review of City of Ashes caught my eye, if I remember correctly. The next day I picked up City of Bones and just fell into the story. It stayed with me for days after I was done with it. City of Ashes more than lived up to my expectations and I wanted more, more of the alternate version of NYC, more of the characters and more action. I was in luck because City of Glass had just come out the week before. I read it wanting to know how everything turned out but also dreading the end. Since then, I have read them again and they get even better with each read through. And yes, all three books ended up being part of my final project. 

So, I would like to thank Cassie for these wonderful books. Thank you for creating an alternate version of New York City where werewolves, vampires, faeries, warlocks and Shadowhunters coexist with ‘normal” New Yorkers. Thank you for writing a story of self-discovery, for writing about characters who find strength they didn’t know they had, and acknowledging that strength isn’t all about brute force, but can be intellectual and emotional as well. Thank you for writing a story about love; not just romantic love, but familial love and the love between friends. Thank you for giving us characters who aren’t always what they seem, but are usually more than you could ever guess. And thank you for introducing me to a group of awesome authors. Because of the blurbs on City of Bones and City of Ashes, I went on to read books by Holly Black and Libba Bray, who are both amazingly talented authors as well.

Looking for more information on The Mortal Instruments?  Check out:

Cassandra's Blog,

The Mortal Instruments website

Mundi Moms

You can also learn about Cassandra's next series, The Infernal Devices, a prequel to The Mortal Instruments, at http://www.theinfernaldevices.com/