Book Title: City of Lost Souls
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #5
Series: The Mortal Instruments #5
Date Started: July 26th 2013
Date Completed: July 29th 2013
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, Action
Rating: Five stars
Review:
After City of Fallen Angels, I was actually quite worried about the progress of this series - I felt like it was continuing for the sake of 'pleasing' the fans. But, thankfully, my faith has been restored with City of Lost Souls. I think Clare might have been a little uncertain when she was writing City of Fallen Angels on how she was going to carry on the story, but she's definitely planted her feet on solid ground again now.
(Warning! Synopsis contains spoilers - so skip it if you don't want to know the ending of the previous book (if you already know or don't mind, then read ahead).)
City of Lost Souls is set two weeks into Jace's disappearance in City of Fallen Angels. Clary and the others are beside themselves worrying, and are about to turn to harsher means of locating him when he appears with Sebastian, Clary's brother that possesses demon blood in his veins. It is soon revealed that the two are bound to each other and there may be no way of getting the old Jace back again. But Clary's stubbornness refuses to be beaten, and she decides to join 'Team Evil', whist her friends in 'Team Good' work on a way to save her and Jace. But as Sebastian's plan starts to become clear, it seems that not only Clary and Jace are at risk - but perhaps the whole world.
I've really got into the flow of Clare's writing. I love it and everything just clicks in my head now.
The action is so well presented that I can picture everything that's happening in such a detailed way because of the combination of simple, but powerful description she uses. Her narration about the thoughts and feelings of the characters is done equally well, since they all act realistically and it really helps the reader understand and empathise with what they're going through. The description of the locations etc isn't as detailed and complicated as I typically like, but it's still enough to create a vivid picture in my head that works wonderfully.
I'm accustomed to the sarky attitude of the characters and I can tell what they're feeling and thinking by their body language and speech without the narrator having to tell me. It's the first series I've ever really read where I've grown to know the characters so well that I know what's going on with them and I can predict what they're going to do and how they're going to react to certain things. But, at the same time, Clare's always able to surprise me with something every now and then to stop the story getting too boring.
The story was very good. I think it might be my favourite plot of the series so far - in contest with City of Glass. What made it so good was that fact that there was one clear plot running throughout the whole book, which was what everything revolved around. But there were subplots around that that weren't completely detached, although they weren't completely vital to the main story.
The main idea is that Jace has been bound to Sebastian, and they all need to separate them so they can kill Sebastian and everyone evil will be dead once again.
First we have Clary's story, primarily involving Jace and Sebastian. The great thing about this for once is that the Clace relationship didn't dominate the whole story because Clary's brother was always there (and the fact Jace wasn't Jace, but it's complicated, so we'll just skip that part). This was really well thought-through and everything made sense when each new part was revealed. There was definitely a mystery element, and a constant sense of danger and vulnerability for Clary that was really engaging for the reader, and also just really interesting to pick up on. It build up slowly throughout the book to a climax, as well - which can sometimes be hard. (I also liked the non-love-triangle situation. It's a nice breath of fresh air.)
Secondly, we have 'Team Good' consisting mainly of Simon, Isabelle, Alec and Magnus. There were two smaller stories involving Simon and Isabelle's relationship and then Alec and Magnus', but I'll leave that for you to find out about when you read the book (because honestly it's probably the best part). Their story was to basically help Clary from the sidelines. Obviously, things are never that simple and it was soon a lot more complicated than that. But, even as their story spiralled dramatically from one thing to another, it never felt like it was out of control. There's always a feel in Clare's writing that she knows what she's doing - she doesn't rush to get to certain parts, and she understands each little thing is important.
And then, last but not least, there's the little Maia and Jordan story. I remember thinking when I started a few of their parts that I would get bored of them really easily. I hadn't really connected with their characters as much as I had with the others - probably because they had both been introduced further into the stories. But they actually grew on me a huge amount throughout this book. I can now safely say they're definitely among my favourite characters in the series, and I hope more drama gets to happen to them - but not over-the-top - because I enjoy their stories and narrations a lot.
I've already mentioned how I feel like I know these characters really well now - which I do. I've already read four of these books, and the fifth has just made the connections stronger. I always imagine each person with their voice inside my head, and I can understand a lot easier than when I first started. It's going to be sad when I have to say goodbye to them after City of Heavenly Fire.
Clary had started to get on my nerves during the last book, and definitely at the beginning of this book. I felt like she was always being described as this really courageous, reckless girl - when in fact the impression I got off her was that she was frankly a little bit stupid and rebellious. This actually really made me sad because I'd loved Clary so much to start with, and I felt like we were losing who she was as the series continued. Luckily, about halfway through City of Lost Souls, we got the old Clary back. She turned feisty and headstrong again, and no one really talked about her like she was so hero - they talked about her like she was a human being (or shadowhunter - whatever) that had made a difference, which is what she is.
Just like with Clary, I felt we lost the real Jace in the middle of City of Glass (maybe a little later) - even before he was possessed. I honestly fell in love with Jace Wayland. Jace Lightwood I really liked. When he turned into Jace Morgensten and Jace Herondale, I felt he'd just resulted in a pile of fancy names. But, once again, he seemed to come back from the dead in this book. Apart from when he was being bound (obviously) I felt like we really had the old Jace back and I just hope he stays like that for the last book.
Sebastian is a really good villain because you actually want to care about him. It's not that you're forced to care about him because of his past, you actually honestly do care about what's happened to him and you want him to not be a villain because he'd be a really good 'good guy'. But he's a brilliant baddie too: foreboding, threatening, angry, powerful. I like Sebastian a lot.
Simon isn't as awesome as he used to be, I don't think. I'm not quite sure why - and I still love him to death - but he doesn't grab my attention as being by far the best character any more. Having said that, I did find his little bits about his sister some of the most interesting of the whole book, and I think he's a actual realistic hero - something you don't come across all that much.
I really love Isabelle. I can't remember, but I don't think I liked her that much to start with. But, as I've grown to know her, she's really grown on me and I think she's one of the most believable people in the series and I just really hope everything works out for her in the end, because she's actually an incredibly good person.
I have changed my favourite character to Alec. I'm not even entirely sure why, but Alec Lightwood is just my favourite character now. He's still arrogant, and can be really annoying sometimes but I just really love him. It might be because I feel like I can relate to him, because his actions and feelings and behaviour is by far the more realistic to me, or maybe it's just because I think his character is just so interesting and dynamic. I think he's actually a really good person as well, and he does make mistakes, but that's just what adds to his credibility. My heart actually broke for him at the end, and I don't think anyone (except maybe Izzy) fully appreciates how everything affects him - he's not weak or sensitive by a long way, but everything that happens does dent his armour, and for good reason. I just think he's the most interesting, realistic and caring character - which is what attracts me as a reader.
Oh I love Magnus so much, as well. He's fabulous and not a lot more is needed to describe him. He's great with Alec and he's another interesting character that always catches my attention. I like the way he's very different from the rest of them, yet still seems to be comfortable with them whilst keeping his individuality.
I love Maia and Jordan to bits - they've grown on me so much and I just love them and I think their sub-plot is the most exciting and interesting and I love them. Enough said.
It's such a shame that Jocelyn still annoys me. Perhaps it's the rebellious teenager in me disagreeing with her protectiveness - but Izzy's right, it goes too far too often for me to understand her actions. That and she just kind of annoys me in general. But I do admit, her and Luke work really well together.
Which brings me onto the point: where the hell was Luke for the majority of the book? I understand he was indisposed but Luke's one of my favourite characters. The whole story pales when he's not in it for that long. The other reason I love Luke's character is that he shows the adult and serious side of the story without the irritation I get when Jocelyn presents it. I feel like the generally The Mortal Instruments is a fairly dark series - but Luke usually brings the politics and reasonings for why everything is the way it is into the story - which always adds that extra realism and detail that I really enjoy learning about. But he couldn't do that in this book - because he was featured in very little of it. This disappointed me.
The pace never really stops. That's the great thing about Clare's books. You never want to put them down because there's always something happening. But there's still enough differentiation that you can tell what the big climaxes are, and you get even more enthralled and excited for those parts.
Oh, and I hope Cassandra Clare's happy because the only couple in this book I vaguely care about (except for Maia and Jordan of course) in this series broke my heart. I've never been actually sad about a couple ceasing to be a couple because usually I think it's just drama waiting to happen. But I am actually affected by this - especially why.
(I realise this has been a very long review - sorry about that.)
I would recommend this book to anyone who's read the rest of the series - it's a leap up from the last book in my opinion. But if you like fantasy, romance, mystery, supernatural, action etc, then you definitely need to read the series. Please start at the beginning to avoid confusion and spoilers - but it's a must-read as one of the best Young Adult series' I've ever read.
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After City of Fallen Angels, I was actually quite worried about the progress of this series - I felt like it was continuing for the sake of 'pleasing' the fans. But, thankfully, my faith has been restored with City of Lost Souls. I think Clare might have been a little uncertain when she was writing City of Fallen Angels on how she was going to carry on the story, but she's definitely planted her feet on solid ground again now.
(Warning! Synopsis contains spoilers - so skip it if you don't want to know the ending of the previous book (if you already know or don't mind, then read ahead).)
City of Lost Souls is set two weeks into Jace's disappearance in City of Fallen Angels. Clary and the others are beside themselves worrying, and are about to turn to harsher means of locating him when he appears with Sebastian, Clary's brother that possesses demon blood in his veins. It is soon revealed that the two are bound to each other and there may be no way of getting the old Jace back again. But Clary's stubbornness refuses to be beaten, and she decides to join 'Team Evil', whist her friends in 'Team Good' work on a way to save her and Jace. But as Sebastian's plan starts to become clear, it seems that not only Clary and Jace are at risk - but perhaps the whole world.
I've really got into the flow of Clare's writing. I love it and everything just clicks in my head now.
The action is so well presented that I can picture everything that's happening in such a detailed way because of the combination of simple, but powerful description she uses. Her narration about the thoughts and feelings of the characters is done equally well, since they all act realistically and it really helps the reader understand and empathise with what they're going through. The description of the locations etc isn't as detailed and complicated as I typically like, but it's still enough to create a vivid picture in my head that works wonderfully.
I'm accustomed to the sarky attitude of the characters and I can tell what they're feeling and thinking by their body language and speech without the narrator having to tell me. It's the first series I've ever really read where I've grown to know the characters so well that I know what's going on with them and I can predict what they're going to do and how they're going to react to certain things. But, at the same time, Clare's always able to surprise me with something every now and then to stop the story getting too boring.
The story was very good. I think it might be my favourite plot of the series so far - in contest with City of Glass. What made it so good was that fact that there was one clear plot running throughout the whole book, which was what everything revolved around. But there were subplots around that that weren't completely detached, although they weren't completely vital to the main story.
The main idea is that Jace has been bound to Sebastian, and they all need to separate them so they can kill Sebastian and everyone evil will be dead once again.
First we have Clary's story, primarily involving Jace and Sebastian. The great thing about this for once is that the Clace relationship didn't dominate the whole story because Clary's brother was always there (and the fact Jace wasn't Jace, but it's complicated, so we'll just skip that part). This was really well thought-through and everything made sense when each new part was revealed. There was definitely a mystery element, and a constant sense of danger and vulnerability for Clary that was really engaging for the reader, and also just really interesting to pick up on. It build up slowly throughout the book to a climax, as well - which can sometimes be hard. (I also liked the non-love-triangle situation. It's a nice breath of fresh air.)
Secondly, we have 'Team Good' consisting mainly of Simon, Isabelle, Alec and Magnus. There were two smaller stories involving Simon and Isabelle's relationship and then Alec and Magnus', but I'll leave that for you to find out about when you read the book (because honestly it's probably the best part). Their story was to basically help Clary from the sidelines. Obviously, things are never that simple and it was soon a lot more complicated than that. But, even as their story spiralled dramatically from one thing to another, it never felt like it was out of control. There's always a feel in Clare's writing that she knows what she's doing - she doesn't rush to get to certain parts, and she understands each little thing is important.
And then, last but not least, there's the little Maia and Jordan story. I remember thinking when I started a few of their parts that I would get bored of them really easily. I hadn't really connected with their characters as much as I had with the others - probably because they had both been introduced further into the stories. But they actually grew on me a huge amount throughout this book. I can now safely say they're definitely among my favourite characters in the series, and I hope more drama gets to happen to them - but not over-the-top - because I enjoy their stories and narrations a lot.
I've already mentioned how I feel like I know these characters really well now - which I do. I've already read four of these books, and the fifth has just made the connections stronger. I always imagine each person with their voice inside my head, and I can understand a lot easier than when I first started. It's going to be sad when I have to say goodbye to them after City of Heavenly Fire.
Clary had started to get on my nerves during the last book, and definitely at the beginning of this book. I felt like she was always being described as this really courageous, reckless girl - when in fact the impression I got off her was that she was frankly a little bit stupid and rebellious. This actually really made me sad because I'd loved Clary so much to start with, and I felt like we were losing who she was as the series continued. Luckily, about halfway through City of Lost Souls, we got the old Clary back. She turned feisty and headstrong again, and no one really talked about her like she was so hero - they talked about her like she was a human being (or shadowhunter - whatever) that had made a difference, which is what she is.
Just like with Clary, I felt we lost the real Jace in the middle of City of Glass (maybe a little later) - even before he was possessed. I honestly fell in love with Jace Wayland. Jace Lightwood I really liked. When he turned into Jace Morgensten and Jace Herondale, I felt he'd just resulted in a pile of fancy names. But, once again, he seemed to come back from the dead in this book. Apart from when he was being bound (obviously) I felt like we really had the old Jace back and I just hope he stays like that for the last book.
Sebastian is a really good villain because you actually want to care about him. It's not that you're forced to care about him because of his past, you actually honestly do care about what's happened to him and you want him to not be a villain because he'd be a really good 'good guy'. But he's a brilliant baddie too: foreboding, threatening, angry, powerful. I like Sebastian a lot.
Simon isn't as awesome as he used to be, I don't think. I'm not quite sure why - and I still love him to death - but he doesn't grab my attention as being by far the best character any more. Having said that, I did find his little bits about his sister some of the most interesting of the whole book, and I think he's a actual realistic hero - something you don't come across all that much.
I really love Isabelle. I can't remember, but I don't think I liked her that much to start with. But, as I've grown to know her, she's really grown on me and I think she's one of the most believable people in the series and I just really hope everything works out for her in the end, because she's actually an incredibly good person.
I have changed my favourite character to Alec. I'm not even entirely sure why, but Alec Lightwood is just my favourite character now. He's still arrogant, and can be really annoying sometimes but I just really love him. It might be because I feel like I can relate to him, because his actions and feelings and behaviour is by far the more realistic to me, or maybe it's just because I think his character is just so interesting and dynamic. I think he's actually a really good person as well, and he does make mistakes, but that's just what adds to his credibility. My heart actually broke for him at the end, and I don't think anyone (except maybe Izzy) fully appreciates how everything affects him - he's not weak or sensitive by a long way, but everything that happens does dent his armour, and for good reason. I just think he's the most interesting, realistic and caring character - which is what attracts me as a reader.
Oh I love Magnus so much, as well. He's fabulous and not a lot more is needed to describe him. He's great with Alec and he's another interesting character that always catches my attention. I like the way he's very different from the rest of them, yet still seems to be comfortable with them whilst keeping his individuality.
I love Maia and Jordan to bits - they've grown on me so much and I just love them and I think their sub-plot is the most exciting and interesting and I love them. Enough said.
It's such a shame that Jocelyn still annoys me. Perhaps it's the rebellious teenager in me disagreeing with her protectiveness - but Izzy's right, it goes too far too often for me to understand her actions. That and she just kind of annoys me in general. But I do admit, her and Luke work really well together.
Which brings me onto the point: where the hell was Luke for the majority of the book? I understand he was indisposed but Luke's one of my favourite characters. The whole story pales when he's not in it for that long. The other reason I love Luke's character is that he shows the adult and serious side of the story without the irritation I get when Jocelyn presents it. I feel like the generally The Mortal Instruments is a fairly dark series - but Luke usually brings the politics and reasonings for why everything is the way it is into the story - which always adds that extra realism and detail that I really enjoy learning about. But he couldn't do that in this book - because he was featured in very little of it. This disappointed me.
The pace never really stops. That's the great thing about Clare's books. You never want to put them down because there's always something happening. But there's still enough differentiation that you can tell what the big climaxes are, and you get even more enthralled and excited for those parts.
Oh, and I hope Cassandra Clare's happy because the only couple in this book I vaguely care about (except for Maia and Jordan of course) in this series broke my heart. I've never been actually sad about a couple ceasing to be a couple because usually I think it's just drama waiting to happen. But I am actually affected by this - especially why.
(I realise this has been a very long review - sorry about that.)
I would recommend this book to anyone who's read the rest of the series - it's a leap up from the last book in my opinion. But if you like fantasy, romance, mystery, supernatural, action etc, then you definitely need to read the series. Please start at the beginning to avoid confusion and spoilers - but it's a must-read as one of the best Young Adult series' I've ever read.
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