[REVIEW] City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Published:  April 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: The Mortal Instruments #4

The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most important of all—Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother just found out he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse wrecking his life. And they’re willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other.

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels (From Goodreads)

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book in the mortal instruments series. 

My first reaction when i finished this book was "OH (insert word for shock or surprise or something you probably wouldn't say in a regular conversation)." After that i realized i had to wait practically a year for the next book.

In this book, Jace becomes possessed by a demon, and not just any demon but the mother of all demons, Lilith, who wants to ressurect his brother, Sebastian (or Jonathan). Simon is approached by Camille, the past vampire leader of the Manhatten clan and Simon also truly realizes what the Mark of Cain does to those that mean harm to him. Maia meets his ex-boyfriend and certain events are cleared up. Clary and Jace meanwhile, attempt to deal with this possession. Well more like for the first half of the book, Jace avoids Clary and no one really knows why, not until Jace tells Clary about his haunting dream does she suggest someone influencing him. Jocelyn and Luke are busy preparing their wedding. And lastly, former Circle members are being killed as well as babies that seem to be experiments in hopes of creating another demon-angel blooded child similar to Sebastian/Jonathan. Well that's basically the jist of what happens in the book. 

In this book, I feel Cassandra Clare had less descriptions of the settings. It was mainly the characters themselves who were explained with much depth, mainly their clothes, emotions, and actions. 

Cassandra Clare never stops surprising her readers and she also makes every fact fit together so nicely. You could be reading about something and then 100 pages later, it's revealed what the fact means and then a sudden epiphony moment where you start to realize that that really makes sense and that Cassandra Clare is a genius in weaving all these foreshadows and hidden facts as well as balancing all the relationship drama that always happens in the Mortal instruments series.

Maybe that's just my feeling but i really enjoy reading this series and if you haven't read this book or the series, go and read it now. it's an excellent summer read and pretty soon you'll be waiting impatiently for the fifth book to come out like me!

4/5
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)

[REVIEW] City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Published: March 2009
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: The Mortal Instruments #3

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that enter-ing the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments. (From Goodreads)

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?
Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.City of Glass is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series.

In this book, Clary finds herself on a long journey to the City of Glass itself, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters, to find a cure for her mother. Jace is being an overprotective, brother-like figure and attempts to reject his feelings for Clary. Simon ends up being imprisoned because the Shadowhunters are curious as to how he can walk during the day if he is a vampire.

A new character is also introduced, Sebastian, a supposed distant relative to a friend of the Lightwoods. I say supposed because Sebastian turns out to be a very evil person with a history to match it.

So basically this book was probably the ending of the series before Cassandra Clare decided to do three more. Like every series ending book, there's a HUGE battle at the end of it. Valentine is almost done completing his quest for the three Mortal instruments and the climax is very shocking. The battle itself against the demons and the downworlders plus shadowhunters isn't that prominent.

It's actually the battle between Sebastian and Jace that is much more intense and answers alot of unanswered questions. When Valentine completes his quest and summons the angel, the results of it are also very shocking. this entire book was probably filled with surprise after another.

Jace and Clary can also truly love one another after this because of some interesting facts that are revealed in this book. Some characters also die and secret relationships are annouced.

Honestly, this book would have been perfectly fine if it was the final book. I think Cassandra Clare wrote the ending so well that she could have just left it or write a sequel. It was an open yet still a form of an ending. The setting is always very detailed and every word just jumps out at you.

When I read a book in this series, I really feel like i can see what is happening, the words are that detailed. Definitely read this book if you haven't and read the series if you haven't either!

5/5!
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)

[REVIEW] City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Published: March 2008
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: The Mortal Instruments #2

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation. (From Goodreads)

City of Ashes is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series. If you want to read the review on the first book, City of Bones, i've written one for that too. 

In City of Ashes, the "Valentine" plot, as I like to call it, becomes more prominent as well as Clary's relationships and Simon himself. To sum up what happens in City of Ashes, basically, Clary and Jace are having issues about Jace being her brother and Valentine's son, Valentine starts killing more people (no shocker there), Simon finally gets the guts to tell Clary about his love then he ends up having to dig himself out of a grave, a female wolf named Maia gets introduced, a huge battle happens and more secrets are revealed. 

I feel Cassandra Clare does that quite often. Simon is a major part of the book and he undergoes much, shall we say pain, throughout the book. Many of the major events revolve around him and I'm glad to see that, Simon needed some limelight. 

Alot of questions and answers surface and many foreshadows are apparent. Cassandra Clare seems to do that often too. Put subtle hints. 

The second book is sort of the middle book. It has many explanations on character's history that comes in to play later on in the series. Although the major focus of the book was on relationships, this book was also different from any other "middle" book that i've read. The words about a chracter's relationships were so deep that i really felt like i could feel the tension or happiness going on between chracters. it felt real although it wasn't. That's pretty amazing in my opinon. Many middle books that i have read are often very dull and although new characters appear, they don't make a big enough impact for me to fully engross myself in the book. I've often hated that "middle" book but City of Ashes is quite different. I read this book so quickly and it wasn't because i wanted to get it over with, it was because i loved every single page that i was reading. 

The book was truly engrossing for me and that's what i love about the Mortal Instruments. Every book of the series, no matter my doubts, can always make me just forget about everything and enjoy a great book. City of Ashes was wonderfully written and I'm sure you'll enjoy this book and the Mortal Instruments series if you haven't already begun reading it or have read it.

5/5!
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)

[REVIEW] City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Published: March 2007
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: The Mortal Instruments #1

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . 

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end. (From Goodreads)

I don't know why it took me this long to start this series. I also have no idea why i thought this was about fairies...but anyway, the City of Bones is the first book in the Mortal Instruments series. 

The Mortal Instruments series follows Clary Fray who finds out about the world of shadowhunters and "Downworld" creatures (werewolves, vampires etc.) In the City of Bones, Clary is introduced to the shadowhunters when she accidentally sees them doing their job at a night club she frequents. 

From there, the story takes off at a quick pace but i like quick paced stories and this one was quick but still had all the details so you didn't get lost. There, Clary meets Jace Wayland and the Lightwoods and they tell her more about their world and what they do. 

The whole plot of the series is revealed and the main villian is also introduced, that being Valentine, who is actually Clary's father. This is one of the reason's why i love this series, it's Cassandra Clare's sudden plot twists that leave be so eager to pick up the next book which is why i'm very glad the series is now extended to SIX volumes as oppose to three. 

Anyway, as most stories follow, Clary has a childhood friend, Simon, who is (no surprise) in love with her and then of course, Clary also loves someone else and a really sudden plot twist completely ruins their relationship. I'm usually the one who can easily predict what will happen in a story but when i came upon this revealement, i was so shocked i had to read it a couple more times, that's how amazing Cassandra Clare is. 

The settings in this story are explained with much clarity and the author often goes in to the details of the surroundings. The plot is typical but the use of angels in this book is one i have never read about, which is always good considering the many angel books that have been published. The shadowhunters are the nephilim, which are usually described as the beings that are half human and half angel. 

This book mixes in the bible stories of the angels and mixes it with fiction to combine them in to something completely new and exciting to read about. 

Each character is also developed differently and the author takes care in giving them each a different personality that is very apparent in the book. 

I can't wait to read the next one and I definitely recommand this series to you if you haven't already read it.





5/5!
(originally posted in the TPL Word Out program)