1/11/2014

The Mortal Instruments Series (Books IV & V) by Cassandra Clare

Book IV: City of Fallen Angels
Now that the Mortal War is over, Clary returns to her life in New York and all the new possibilities before her. Her mother and Luke are engaged. She is training to be a Shadowhunter and use her new found power. The accords have brought peace to the Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Most importantly, she is free to be with her one true love, Jace.

Her moment of peace seems fleeting as once again strange things begin to happen around her. The bodies of Shadowhunters are turning up in Downwolder territories, threatening the fragile peace between races. Simon is facing his own challenges when his mother discovers that he is a vampire and his love life becomes a little complicated. Worst of all, Jace begins to pull away from her without explanation.

As Clary searches for answers for all mysterious happenings, she discovers that she is the one who set these terrible events in motion. Choices have consequences, and Clary finds herself facing the ultimate consequence of her choice - the loss of those most dear to her.

I love Cassandra Clare's writing. The worlds that she creates are so entrancing, but what I love the most are her characters. The relationships she creates between her characters makes them so special, so endearing, that you become lost in their stories. When I pick up one of Cassandra's books, I get so lost in them that hours can go by in the blink of an eye. I have to admit, I had a hard time getting into this book at first. Not because there is anything wrong with the book, in fact, it is just as well written as all the others, but because I knew that Clary and Jace's happy ending was fleeting and I was reluctant to watch it fall apart. Of course, I wasn't expecting what happened at all. Cassandra has an amazing ability to fool her readers, but in a good way. Just when I think I know where the story is going, it veers off in a direction I never saw coming. It makes for fantastic storytelling and only makes it easier to get lost in her words. Of course, it won't be a Cassandra Clare novel without a torturous cliffhanger, and while this one isn't torturous, it certainly is ominous.

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Book V: City of Lost Souls
When Jace goes missing, Clary must ask herself what she is willing to do to find him. The Clave's mission is to track down Sebastian and destroy him, but destroying him would mean destroying Jace. Jace and Sebastian are now linked by Lilith's magic. What happens to one, happens to the other.

Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle search for a way to kill Sebastian without harming Jace, seeking answers from anyone - evil and good alike. Meanwhile, Clary follows Jace and Sebastian into an unknown dimension, hoping to protect Jace while discovering Sebastian's plan. Clary quickly realizes that the Jace in front of her, while appearing to be the one she loves, is not entirely himself. She will have to walk a fine line as she tries to get Sebastian to trust her enough to reveal his plans.

What she will discover is that Sebastian plans to burn the world to the ground. A war is coming. He is raising an army of dark Shadowhunters. The fate of Jace's soul is not the only thing on the line. The fate of the Shadowhunters, the fate of the whole world, hangs in the balance...

WOW! That's all I can say after finishing this book. What an ending! Bittersweet. That is how I would describe it. While there are pockets of happiness, there are far more loose ends and uncertainty. I cannot wait for the last book in this series. If we are to judge what is to come by this book, then we are all in store for an epic, apocalyptic ending to this series. I have no doubt that Cassandra will be able to deliver an ending to this series that will meet every one of (and probably exceed) my expectations.

She is amazing and I am in awe of her talent. I know I have said it before, but her ability to create these worlds and characters is just amazing. I love them all. I get so lost in their stories. The journey (emotional and otherwise) that Cassandra's writing takes me on is the perfect escape from reality. As a reader, this is what I ask of an author. To create a world where I can get lost, that transports me to another time and place. It is true that a reader lives a thousand lives within the pages of books, and this is the perfect description of what it is like to experience a Cassandra Clare novel.


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Coming in May, 2014:


Book VI: City of Heavenly Fire

ΕRCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID.

I am coming.

Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance? Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world changed in the sixth and last installment of the Mortal Instruments series!

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