Page count: 540
Publisher: Walker Books
Release date: May 8th, 2012
Book: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Who I Would Recommend it To: Everyone who has read and loved the previous Mortal Instruments books!
Synopsis from goodreads:
The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.
No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?
Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.
And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?
Review:
I went into read ingthis book with mixed feelings. I adored the first the books, pretty much read them all in a week, but the fourth book just wasn't as good. Was this as good as the first three? No. But only by a little bit. I still enjoyed it immensely.
The thing I liked about these last two books--City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls--is that they're darker. Creepier. This series kind of reminds me of the Harry Potter films and books--they started off almost childish and light, and then gradually became darker and more serious as it went along. The first three books in the series seem tame in that department compared to this.
This book definitely has its faults though, as all books do. There were way to many make out scenes and so much sexual frustration in this book. I mean I'm all for teen angst and romance and some of the couples were adorable - Simon and Izzy, anyone? - but after a while, it just became too much. At a couple points, it just switched from couple to couple and their makeout scenes. Seriously, what is up with these characters? You don't have to play a game of tonsil hockey every time you see each other, people!
Besides that, I loved the characters, as I always do in Clare's novels. Her characters always have layers and faults and insecurities, which I love. And her characters always have the best witty banter. The whole gang is back in this book--Simon, Clary, Jace, Alec, Magnus, etc. Someone who was not present in the last book is back from the dead now, too--the wonderfully creepy Sebastian. Oh, wow. What a strange character he is. One minute you find yourself sympathetic towards him and the next minute you're like "Ew, that's totally strange and disgusting. Please leave." It's not his fault he had a psychopath for a dad who put demon blood in him.
There wasn't much of a plot like in the first three. There was a lot more talking and drama between the characters, but it still kept my interest. The last half or so of the book is when the action started to happen. Like ever other Mortal Instruments book, it is a roller coaster ride of emotions. Sort of like this:
First you're like:
But then:
And then:
But overall it's just like this:
So, in short, this book was fantastic but not so amazing that I feel like I could talk about it nonstop if you asked me to. The writing style is great as always, the characters are fantastic, ithas many twist and turns and leaves you seriously emotionally attached to the characters.
And I'm definitely eagerly anticipating the last installment of the series!
~A slighly shorter and more fangirl-y review on this book can be found here.
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