Synopsis from Amazon.com:
Shadowhunters and demons square off for the final showdown in the spellbinding, seductive conclusion to the #1 “New York Times” bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Darkness has descended on the Shadowhunter world. Chaos and destruction overwhelm the Nephilim as Clary, Jace, Simon, and their friends band together to fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. Nothing in this world can defeat Sebastian–but if they journey to the realm of demons, they just might have a chance… Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world will change. Who will survive the explosive sixth and final installment of the Mortal Instruments series?
If you’ve been following by blog for at least the last month then you know that I have fallen deeply in love with The Mortal Instruments series. I have now read every book in the series and have made most of the main characters either a Man Crush Monday or Woman Crush Wednesday. Needless to say I was obsessed. And, sadly, now it’s all over and I’m at a loss as to what to do with myself.
Thankfully, there’s more books to read! The Infernal Devices! The Bane Chronicles! The Dark Artifices (which hasn’t come out yet but I will get my hands on it as soon as it does or as an ARC if I can)! I can’t wait to get my hands on these.
Until then I’ll be taking a break from the Shadowhunters world to read other things to cater to those of you that don’t actually read books by Cassandra Clare (although you really, really should!). If you haven’t read the first five books in the series please stop here unless you want to get spoiled. It’s review time!
City of Heavenly Fire was everything I needed it to be and more. There were some parts I could do without and definitely some sections I skimmed but overall I absolutely loved it. The story began with Emma, a young Shadowhunter in L.A. who will be the main character in the spin off series that comes out next year. I loved Emma and her friend, Julian, and their whole story and I’m excited to get to know them better.
The focus of this novel, however, was Jace, Clary, Alec, Isabelle, Simon, and Magnus. So much happened in this book and I was enthralled by it all. By beginning the novel with new characters I was thrown off a little bit but liked how Clare didn’t just jump into the drama right away. She eased us into it, showing us just how bad things were for the Shadowhunters and what Sebastian was doing.
Sebastian is probably my favorite character to hate. He’s so diabolical but also a cunning, evil genius. He’s smart, which is what made him successful. Thankfully, Clary and Jace are smarter. I loved seeing Jace and Clary work together in this book. Of course, with every war there were many losses in the novel as well, some of which I wasn’t expecting at all, but there was also victory and romance and enough happy moments to keep me satisfied.
Clare’s ability to bounce from character to character, setting to setting, in her novels is what makes them so great. I never got bored because as soon as we spent time with one or two characters we were then moving along to the next. The third person narrative really works here and I loved reading this book. I found myself so sucked into the story there was definitely a day I almost missed my stop on the train because I was so into the story.
The ending of the book didn’t satisfy me and honestly that’s probably because of two things. One, I hadn’t wanted the series to end but also, for Clare the story’s not really done. Sure the spin off will focus on Emma but it’s still a continuation of this story and I’m sure we’ll be seeing Clary and her crew again.
Even so, I wanted something more final about the ending. I won’t spoil it but I will say I was a little disappointed with the ending for Simon. I need more closure than that but apparently there’s a bunch of short stories about him so I guess I’ll have to read those to know more. Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to read them. More Shadowhunters!
Overall, I really did love this book. I still wanted more from it although I’m not sure what exactly. I don’t think this is my favorite book in the series, I think City of Lost Souls was better, but I still really loved it.
Borrow or Buy: Buy! You need a complete set. I wish I had one.
Favorite Line:
“There are a hundred trillion cells in the human body, and every single one of the cells of my body loves you. We shed cells, and grow new ones, and my new cells love you more than the old ones, which is why I love you more every day than I did the day before. It’s science. And when I die and they burn my body and I become ashes that mix with the air, and part of the ground and the trees and the stars, everyone who breathes that air or sees the flowers that grow out of the ground or looks up at the stars will remember you and love you, because I love you that much.”
Stars:
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Zakiya N. Jamal 