I've finally caught up on all of the Cassandra Clare books currently in print, having just finished City of Fallen Angels. It is the 4th book in her Mortal Instruments series.
When we left off at the end of book 3, City of Glass, Valentine was dead. His army of demons was defeated and the world of the Nephilim was safe again. And to make things even better, it finally came out that Jace and Clary are not brother and sister.
All should be right for Clary and her friends...but as they say, "There's a storm a-brewing."
Despite being able to finally call Clary his girlfriend, Jace starts pushing her away. Simon's mom throws him out of house when she guesses he's a vampire, forcing Simon to make an unlikely friend that sets Maia on edge. Alex and Magnus are forced to deal with the growing pains of their blossoming relationship and Clary bites off more than she can chew when she looks into a cult that's knee-deep in demonic activity.
I have to admit that this book was easier to put down than the previous installments. I'm not sure if that's due to more self-restraint on my part, or the chance that it's just not as interesting as books 1-3.
Simon's story is front and center this time which is both good and bad. On the good side, making Simon a major part of this book allowed Cassandra Clare to expand the world she has created. She brings in more points of view, more details, etc. All things that add depth to the reading experience. And since I'm the kind of person that likes books to feel well-rounded, I really enjoyed seeing the story evolve beyond just the Jace and Clary plot line.
On the bad side, I've never been that attached to Simon. He reminds me a lot of a couple guys I ran around in with in high school which makes him relatable and endearing, but in the end he just doesn't really get my blood pumping. In fairness though, perhaps my lack of interest is simply due to the fact that Simon's story has never been in the lime-light until now.
All that being said, I like how the story has continued on past the end of Valentine and his war. Cassandra Clare has been intentional in her use of fore-shadowing and I'm excited to see how it continues to play out. I have a feeling dark times are coming for our shadowhunters friends and I for one will be waiting not-so-patiently for book 5, City of Lost Souls, to come out on May 8th.
I'm already on the waiting list at my local library. Are you?
All should be right for Clary and her friends...but as they say, "There's a storm a-brewing."
Despite being able to finally call Clary his girlfriend, Jace starts pushing her away. Simon's mom throws him out of house when she guesses he's a vampire, forcing Simon to make an unlikely friend that sets Maia on edge. Alex and Magnus are forced to deal with the growing pains of their blossoming relationship and Clary bites off more than she can chew when she looks into a cult that's knee-deep in demonic activity.
I have to admit that this book was easier to put down than the previous installments. I'm not sure if that's due to more self-restraint on my part, or the chance that it's just not as interesting as books 1-3.
Simon's story is front and center this time which is both good and bad. On the good side, making Simon a major part of this book allowed Cassandra Clare to expand the world she has created. She brings in more points of view, more details, etc. All things that add depth to the reading experience. And since I'm the kind of person that likes books to feel well-rounded, I really enjoyed seeing the story evolve beyond just the Jace and Clary plot line.
On the bad side, I've never been that attached to Simon. He reminds me a lot of a couple guys I ran around in with in high school which makes him relatable and endearing, but in the end he just doesn't really get my blood pumping. In fairness though, perhaps my lack of interest is simply due to the fact that Simon's story has never been in the lime-light until now.
All that being said, I like how the story has continued on past the end of Valentine and his war. Cassandra Clare has been intentional in her use of fore-shadowing and I'm excited to see how it continues to play out. I have a feeling dark times are coming for our shadowhunters friends and I for one will be waiting not-so-patiently for book 5, City of Lost Souls, to come out on May 8th.
I'm already on the waiting list at my local library. Are you?
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