Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Review: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls
(The Mortal Instruments #5)
by Cassandra Clare

Publication Date: May 8th, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Shuster
Pages: 536
ISBN: 9781442416864

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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.. (Goodreads)
After the major cliffhanger ending in City of Fallen Angels, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on City of Lost Souls. I know I am not alone when I say that it has been quite a wait. I’m thrilled to have finally read the book.

**If you have not read this series yet, this review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk!

The things I enjoyed most about this book were getting to see all of my favorite characters again. They are all there; Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, Alec, Magnus, etc. I loved getting to meet them all again.  Simon is rapidly becoming one of my most favorite male characters ever. The more I read about him, the more I fall in love with him. I really enjoy the relationship between Simon and Isabelle, and I’m so glad that Cassandra Clare decided to pair them together.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book is that there never seemed to be a dull moment. There was always ‘something’ going on, with lots of action and suspense. The plot and pacing were very well done.  I must also say that the villain in the book, Sebastian, has got to be one of the worst villains ever! Wow, he was definitely pure evil.

Unfortunately, I had one small issue with the book, and that was with Jace. Much like the last book, he was just not the same person that I had grown to love in the first three books. Of course, this is no fault of his own, but I found myself missing the old Jace. While it was interesting seeing a different side of him, he was just not his lovely, tortured self in this book. Bring back the old Jace already!

Overall, this is still one of my most favorite series, ever!  While I did have a small issue with the book, and that is just my own personal opinion, I did still enjoy the book. I’m really looking forward to reading City of Heavenly Fire now!

Happy Reading!




6 comments:

  1. I LOVE Simon! Especially in this one! As I was reading I kept hoping for the real Jace to come back! LOL COHF is so far away. Really really far... *sniff sniff* Great review! :)

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  2. Glad you overall enjoyed it Christy :) !! This is one of my favourite series too and I can't wait to start CoLS !! I'm planning to re-read he first four books in the series before though .. :)

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  3. This breaks my heart! I definitely missed Jace in COFA as well and it's a shame to hear he's not back yet :( I really hope I enjoy the book - thanks for the review!

    Lisa | Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

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  4. Uh oh, missing the old Jace doesn't sound too promising. o: Gosh, I need to find the time to read this one already! I'm so scared to read it though. A friend finished it last week and after hearing her comments I am terrified of the ending. o:

    Great review!

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  5. Jace was one of my fave characters from the other books...not sure how I'll react to the different side of him! Definitely need to pick this one up.

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  6. I haven't read any book in this series but if the last book is due on 2014 then I have plenty of time to start reading book 1. And I wouldn't have to wait a long time to read the next book. ;)

    Marlene Detierro (SEO Indianapolis)

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