Sunday, June 10, 2012

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Summary:
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?

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series. (from GoodReads)


Review:
So when I first heard that Cassandra Clare was adding more books to The Mortal Instruments series, I was both excited and afraid. I wanted to revisit the characters but City of Glass ended so beautifully that I was afraid that it would be ruined with more books. However, I think my fears were unfounded because I'm really enjoying the continuation of this story.

It's probably bad, but I didn't really remember much of City of Fallen Angels. Luckily, there is some recap in the beginning of City of Lost Souls, so I was able to figure out what was going on pretty quickly. That being said, I like the direction these books are going. Sebastian was a loose end before but now we're tying that up, which is great. Even though he's evil, Sebastian is such a interesting character. I think you could write an essay analyzing him, there's that much there.

I also loved seeing more of the secondary characters, such as Alec, Magnus, Isabelle, Jordan and Maia. They really shined in this installment and it was nice to see their point-of-views. The only thing that confused me was how involved Jordan and Maia are in the Shadowhunter world. Maybe this was addressed in the last book and I don't remember, but suddenly they are part of the gang and in the thick of things. I didn't mind at all, I was just a little confused.

The only thing I don't like about these last three books is that Clary and Jace are always having problems! I feel so bad for them and their relationship; they have been through so much. Most of the problems aren't even their fault, it just comes with being a Shadowhunter. I really hope the series ends happily for them! They deserve it.

Overall, I liked City of Lost Souls better than City of Fallen Angels, but it still wasn't as good as the first three. I can't believe there's only one book left though! There's so much to be wrapped up. I can't wait to see how it ends!

Rating: 8 out of 10.
FTC: personal copy

2012/Margaret K. McElderry/534 pages.

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