In honor of the Clockwork Princess cover being released this week, I'm going to be review Cassandra Clare's most recent book, City of Lost Souls.
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace freed from captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing, so is the boy she hates: her brother Sebastian, who is determined to bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.
The Clave's magic cannot locate either boy, but Jace can't stay away from Clary. When...moreThe demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace freed from captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing, so is the boy she hates: her brother Sebastian, who is determined to bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.
The Clave's magic cannot locate either boy, but Jace can't stay away from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith's magic has wrought - Jace and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other.
Only a few people believe that Jace can still be saved. Together, Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle bargain with the sinister Seelie Queen, contemplate deals with demons, and turn at last to the merciless, weapon-making Iron Sisters, who might be able to forge a weapon that can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. If the Iron Sisters can't help, their only hope is to challenge Heaven and Hell - a risk that could claim their lives.
And they must do it without Clary. For Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing not just her own life, but Jace's soul. She's willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?
Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.
This book was the first one in The Mortal Instrument series that I actually had to wait for, and let me tell you, that wait felt like years rather than the couple of months than it actually was. And that wait was definitely worth it to get this fantastic book.
City of Lost Souls takes place practically immediately after City of Fallen Angels (give or take a couple of weeks) and it shows how emotionally and mentally drawn out Clary is from everything she's been through. In a matter of weeks, she's lost her boyfriend, been put on trial by the Clave, and now knows her evil brother is dead, which can't be incredibly easy to take in all at once.
I've always somewhat sympathisized with Clary in this series, but I could honestly feel all that pain that she was going through, and I always found myself feeling as if I was Clary because Cassie's writing is so good.
Sometimes, it takes me a little bit to get into a story, but with Cassie's books, I never feel that way. Especially with this one. I always needed to go and read to see what was happening with Jace, Simon, Clary, (and my personal favorite) Sebastian/Johnathon.
Speaking of characters, I have to say Cassie knows how to write them. Although I know that I should be right along with Clary and Jace (and the rest of the Clave for that matter) for hating Sebastion, I just don't. I like him. Correction: I LOVE him. He's smart, attractive, and absolutely manipulative, which is something I often find attractive in fictional characters (*cough* Caine from Gone *cough*). He's supposed to be so evil, but from the writing, we also see that human side of him. We see that he can love, that he is capable of friendship.
Also, the Maia and Kyle story line was absolutely one of my favorites out of all of the series. It showed quite a bit of character development for both of the characters, for Kyle forgiving himself enough to fall in love again, and for Maia to forgive Kyle enough to allow herself to love him again.
Overall, City of Lost Souls is most definitely the best book in the series so far. It took on an emotional roller coaster. One moment I was sighing happily with some cute little romantic thing, and the next I was crying because of something to sweet for me to react rationally or something that was absolutely heart breaking.
I have two words for Cassandra Clare: BEAUTIFUL JOB. This book was written beautifully and unlike a lot of other books, made me feel so many things. It put me into the characters positions and made me el what they're feeling.
I don't think I can wait an entire year for City of Heavenly Fire...
