Omnibus Review: The Bane Chronicles (The Bane Chronicles #1-11)

Release Date: November 11, 2014
Authors: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Length: 507 pages
Source: Purchased Book/Library Audio Book

Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices can get to know warlock Magnus Bane like never before in this collection of New York Times bestselling tales, in print for the first time with an exclusive new story and illustrated material.

This collection of eleven short stories illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality, flamboyant style, and sharp wit populate the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.

Originally released one-by-one as e-only short stories by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan, this compilation presents all ten together in print for the first time and includes a never-before-seen eleventh tale, as well as new illustrated material.

    

Reviews:

What Really Happened In Peru

Fans of the Shdowhunter Chronicles may know that Magnus Bane is banned from Peru, but it's never been explained why. In this story, we see various times that Magnus Bane visits Peru, sometimes with friends like Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss, and sometimes he's there by himself. Regardless he always seems to get himself into trouble. Each adventure in Peru was so much fun. Even though the group, or Magnus, would always find trouble, their adventures were a delight to read as we see these characters come back to Peru at different times, sometimes they'd find love, sometimes they'd assist in tomb raiding, Since this is a novella made up of various short stories, it's harder to review, not only because it's hard to review multiple stories in one review, but also because due to their length it's hard to talk about them without spoiling anything. Regardless, I found this story to be the perfect start to this collection. We see more of Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss and I really love their friendship and kinship with Magnus.

Rating:

I mean, there's nothing wrong with this story and only everything right with it. It's fun and exciting with just a touch of seriousness to really round it all out.

The Runaway Queen

In this tale Magnus finds himself helping a rather attractive count try to save the lives of the French royal family during the French Revolution. While this story is enjoyable as we watch Magnus in Paris during the Revolution and see his interactions both in the Mundane World as well as Downworld, there isn't really a lot to connect it with the main series. With the previous story, we got to see more of Catarina Loss and Ragnor Fell and see some of Magnus's misadventures in Peru, a country we know he's banned from in TMI. Here while I enjoyed the story, it didn't really feel necessary.

Rating:

While the story is fun and entertaining, I do wish it felt a bit more grounded with the novels. Overall, I don't regret reading it, I might even read it again someday, but I'm not a huge history buff, and this story seems like it would be enjoyed more by someone who likes to see how history is slightly different in this world, as well as Magnus's role in historical events.

Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale

This story takes place during the negotiations of the Accords between Shadowhunters and Downworlders and not only shows the beginnings of the romance between Camille Belcourt and Magnus Bane, as well as the quick friendship between Edmund Herondale and the warlock. This was such a fascinating story to read, first I loved learning more about Will and Cecily's father Edmund, as well as seeing the beginnings of Edmund's romance with Linette. Edmund is very similar to his children, though has a fairly distinct personality which I greatly enjoyed. Magnus and Edmund's friendship, however brief, was a lot of fun as well. Camille is a character I don't normally like, remembering her more from her time in TMI, but there was a time when Magnus was in love with her and it's pretty easy to see why from this story. As for the negotiations when it came to the Accords, I honestly hated that part, more because of the bigoted Shadowhunters who put forth parts of the Accords that only benefit themselves and not the Downworlders who they're having peace talks with.

Rating:

On the whole, this story is enjoyable, I love Magnus's relationships with important characters and I loved getting to know Edmund even if it was just for a short time. My only complaint is that I didn't care for the Accords stuff, I already know they're going into place and I'm already well aware of how bigoted some, in this case, most, Shadowhunters can be.

The Midnight Heir

This is the story I was most excited to read. I'm obsessed with the Last Hours series and the first novel isn't even out yet. I'm a huge fan of the novel Great Expectations, or rather I'm a fan of the story as I've only seen adaptations, and I'm very intrigued by the characters in this series. In this story we see Magnus have a chance meeting with a rather drunk James Herondale, Tessa and Will's oldest, which was a rather fun part of the story, but also heartbreaking as James is hurting so much in this story that I want to wrap a blanket around him and give him some hot chocolate telling him everything is going to be alright. The second half of this book is dedicated to showing what Tatiana's been up to since the end of The Infernal Devices. I was never a fan of Tatiana, I felt sympathy that she watched her husband be ripped apart by the monster that used to be her father and that she was driven mad because of it, but her actions and words in Clockwork Princess, as well as this story, have proven to me that I should feel very little sympathy for her. This story seems to be a way to introduce the Last Hours to readers, so if you haven't gotten a taste of that series and love the Infernal Devices recommend giving this story a read. I just realized (this is after finishing the review, but before continuing on with the book) that I kind of forgot to talk about Magnus, and well, I love how he interacts with these characters, the patience he has for James, the observance he has for both Tatiana and Will's situations, and as always how, despite most Shadowhunters' thoughts to the contrary, that he has a moral code and won't become what others expect him to be, though that last one might be more indicative of the entire collection than just this story.

Rating:

This story was everything I wanted it to be and more, though I do have to say that I'm even more obsessed with these characters and the long, long wait for the first Last Hours book, Chain of Gold, feels even farther away, even though we only have to wait like a year, give or take a few months.

The Rise of the Hotel Dumort

This story takes place in Prohibition-era New York as Magnus, who of course runs a speakeasy, is warned of calamity imminent, this not only being a hint at the Great Depression but also something supernatural. Much like with The Runaway Queen, this was an enjoyable story and while there is the Hotel Dumort to tie this is some small way with the main series, there wasn't much about this story that kept me hooked or blew me away in any way. I enjoyed reading about the period in which this story is set and as always I love Magnus and his role in this story, but while I wanted to care about the rest of it, I never fully felt like I could. There are aspects of the story that drew me in, I'm very curious about what that ending means, and when the final showdown went down I'm wondering if there was more meaning to that than there appeared to be, but the rest just felt slightly pointless.

Rating:

As I said in the review, this reminded me a lot of The Runaway Queen, I always love reading about Magnus, but this story just fell short, if you're a history buff you may enjoy that aspect of the story and if for some reason you're really obsessed with the Hotel Dumort than I'm sure you'll like this story as well.

Saving Raphael Santiago

This story follows Magnus when a Mundane woman name Guatelupe Santiago comes to him, begging that he save her son who was abducted by a vampire along with some friends. As fans of the Shadowhunter Chronicles may know, Raphael is a vampire in TMI and this tale is his somber origin story. I really enjoyed learning more about Raphael and his first months as a vampire. His cynicism is oddly charming and I absolutely loved his interactions and his odd friendship with Magnus. This story definitely has a more somber tone to it, but nothing ever gets too sad, and that balance felt very key to this story. We also get to see another one of Magnus's loves, a Mundane who knows about Downworld, and I really love what that relationship, even if it isn't critical to the main plot, it adds a nice touch and detail to Magnus's story.

Rating:

I was never a huge fan of Raphael in the Mortal Instruments, so I'm actually really happy that I got to see another side to him and get to know his character and where he comes from better. And of course, I loved the little details like Magnus's love at the time and well as his personal relationship with Raphael.

The Fall of the Hotel Dumort

Taking place in the 70s, Magnus comes home to New York after being away for a while and learns that something is wrong with the vampires. They're crazed and killing conspicuously and the rest of Downworld is getting restless because if the Shadowhunters find out what's happening, they may not discriminate between vampires and other Downworlders. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of The Rise of the Hotel Dumort, I found myself really hooked on this story. I don't know, there's something very energizing reading about the 70s and I really liked seeing how the Downworld handled cases where an entire subset goes rogue, it really instills the Us v. Them idea between Shadowhunters and Downworld. Then there's Camille and her role to play in this whole story. Magnus's complicated feelings for her really added a nice layer to this tale.

Rating:

I'm surprised at how much I really loved this story. It's exciting and fascinating all at the same time. Seriously I'm a little blown away at how much I ended up liking this story, from Camille's arc to the vibrant, and sometimes desolate, setting.

What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You're Not Technically Dating Anyway)

In this story, Magnus and Alec have just started dating, in secret as Alec isn't out yet. It's Alec's birthday and as he goes about his normal day, taking clients and talking to old friends, he wonders if he should get anything for Alec. In a lot of ways, it feels like many of the past stories were always leading up to this, to the start of Alec and Magnus's romance, and we still have a few stories left. This installment feels the most connected with the main series as it's actually taking place during a series that I've actually read, though I would have read the Last Hours if it was out already XD, and so all of the little flashbacks and reminiscing that Magnus does are made all the more significant as it's seeing another aspect of a familiar story. Then, of course, there is how Magnus sees the main group from TMI, a lot of it's comical but there's also a good chunk where Magnus goes a bit more philosophical and I just ate it all up.

Rating:

This rating didn't surprise me as I do love Magnus and Alec and seeing the beginnings of their romance through Magnus's eyes is incredible, all the little insecurities he has, how he annoys his friends, and put all that in a "typical day" format and I'm sold.

The Last Stand of the New York Institute

So... this story really threw me off kilter. It just seems out of place, as it takes place during the time of the Circle whereas the previous story takes place much later during the time of TMI. It was just trippy to all of a sudden jump back in time, especially since it would have felt better before the previous story, but maybe they just wanted to give readers a palette cleanser between Malec stories. Regardless, in this story, Magnus comes into contact with the Circle during a time when they were slaughtering Downworlders and calling it justice. This story also covers Magnus's thought, though no actual involvement, in the fate of Lucian Greymark and the Uprising, and a little bit after that. It was really interesting reading about the time of the Circle, as it's always talked about in TMI, but I never felt like I fully understood what those times were like, and I really appreciated getting to see how it was, even if it was a bit emotionally draining. There are also a few surprises in here that add a lot of context to the overall story.

Rating:

I know it feels cheap taking off half a star for placement, but it really did interrupt the flow of reading a bit when a story takes place so completely before the previous one. In the end, I still did really enjoy this story and love how it feels like the world is getting filled in so much.

The Course of True Love (and First Dates)

Sooooooo... it turns out that it wasn't The Last Stand of the New Yor Institute that was out of place by the story before that, as this tale takes us on Magnus and Alec's first date. The story starts out with Magnus stressing over said date, even calling his friend Catarina Loss for a back out plan, before showing off the near trainwreck of a date. This is another one of those stories that really bring to light the tense relationship between Shadowhunters and Downworlders during TMI, though it's Magnus and Alec's first date that takes center stage. I really enjoyed how their first date wasn't perfect, that this story showed off a lot of the roadblocks in their relationship, and yet they're both fighters. My only problem with this story is that because it's out of order, it doesn't feel wholly necessary, we already know that their relationship continues, and while it was fun seeing their first date, I feel that the past three stories would have had more impact if they were read in order.

Rating:

Again, I did really enjoy this story, but with me reading it out of order, even though I've already read TMI and I'm aware they didn't stop at one date already, it just threw off the flow of these stories. Still a fun and exciting read for fans of Malec

The Voicemail of Magnus Bane

There isn't a whole lot to say about this one. This bonus "story" takes place after a certain event between Magnus and Alec transpires in City of Lost Souls and is a series of voicemails on Magnus's phone, most of which have to do with that topic. This "story" is hilarious, I mean, it's pretty much all fluff, no actual substance, and doesn't really have an actual storyline, and yet I love it so much, so much so that I may even reread it after, or during I'm not sure yet, my reread of City of Lost Souls. Overall, I had a freaking blast reading these voicemails and Simon's is my favorite.

Rating:

Even though there wasn't much substance to this "story" and the fact that I have to use quotations marks everytime I refer to this as a "story" it's merely a bonus for buying the omnibus and it's hysterical.

Overall Rating:

While I greatly enjoyed this bundle of stories, many of which were impeccable, some of them just didn't resonate with me personally and I really wish they would have been assembled in chronological order, if not for individual release than at least for this omnibus bind up release. Still, this was such a joy to read and more Magnus in the world can only be a good thing. Oh, I also wanted to say though it doesn't affect my rating, I really wish we would have learned more about Magnus's past that was hinted in this collection, like his past with the Silent Brothers and more about his formative years.

Book Review: Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2)

Release Date: May 23, 2017
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Length: 701 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?

A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

    

Review:

Protagonists: Since this story has such a large and diverse cast of characters, in order to keep this section from getting huge, I'm going to pick three characters, those who either have a more significant role in this story than the previous one, or those whose story was more interesting to me. Don't get me wrong, all these characters are fantastic and they grow and evolve at such a wonderful rate and all their stories are very compelling. I think the character that surprised me the most was Drusilla, the Blackthorn that's too old to be a child, but too young to be an adult. While she didn't have as significant a role in this story, as most of the other characters, she has her own little subplot that looks very promising for the final installment and brings up questions I need to be answered ASAP.  Kit Rook, the boy revealed to really be Christopher Herondale at the end of the previous installment really comes into his own as he goes from con man's son trying to survive without his father to Ty's detective sidekick to, well I'm not going to give it away. Kit's character development was really fun to watch. His plotlines with Ty and Livvy were some of the best parts about this book and I can't wait to see where his story goes in future installments and how, and if, he makes it out of this series. Dianna Wrayburn, the Blackthorns' tutor also has some incredibly surprising character revelations in this story as well. I love Dianna, her care for the Blackthorns is fantastic and the secrets that she hides make her all the more compelling and intriguing of a character.

Romance: So, of course, the central romance to this series is the one between Emma and Julian, but of course they're parabatai and love doesn't come without breaking the Law and a curse of madness and destruction. A large portion of this book doesn't have really any development on Emma and Julian's relationship, mostly it's just a silent longing from afar, but as the story continues there are some very significant moments between the two, and while I'm not quite sure where their romance will end, for good or bad, I'm still excited to see how everything there is resolved. An even more complicated romance, if that's even possible, is whatever is going on between Diego, Cristina, Mark, and Kieran. When I first started this story I had no idea where the romance could go, let alone where it would. As this story progressed and the bonds between these characters begin to shift and change, I definitely have an idea or two where things might go, and it fascinates me to no end to see where these characters not only end up personally but romantically as well. The romance in this story is incredibly on point and while at times it can be a tad idyllic, the situations the romantic partners are put into aren't.

World Building: You would think that after ten other books set in this world that there wouldn't be a need for any more world building since there was so much time to build it before. However, what I love about Clare's world is that it's constantly evolving and changing. After the repercussions of the fallout in City of Heavenly Fire, Shadowhunters grow more and more distrustful of Downworlders, the Fae in particular, and so in this series, and this installment we get to see a lot of the world building that concerns the Fae. There is a trip taken into Faerie that leads our heroes on a dangerous quest full of high risk and even higher rewards. Meanwhile, something sinister is rising from within the Clave, a bigoted group called the Cohort seek to restrict the rights of Downworlders even more, not even seeing them as people deserving of rights. On another front, the Unseelie King, a man who craves power and hates Shadowhunters is rising and with his rise, he hopes to see the death of all Shadowhunters and the subjugation of everyone else. This world just keeps growing and evolving and while I'm a bit worried about its future, I'm excited about the journey and adventure.

Predictability: Honestly, I've been sitting here and wondering what in this book I was able to predict. I mean, there were some vague feelings I had that turned out to be true, and some very obvious foreshadowing that I don't think was intended to be subtle. Other than that there wasn't much of anything I was able to predict and this story has a whole lot of twists and turns. There's one twist that completely floored me and made me cry, like really cry, not just tear up, and I won't say if it's a happy, sad, proud, or angry cry but it was a very emotionally draining scene and a very powerful one as well.

Ending: So, full disclosure, the ending of this book was spoiled for me. I won't reveal how, but let's just say that when the final book in this series comes out I might have to have an internet ban until I finish the book. Anyway, so when the final chapter rolled around, I thought I was ready for what I was about to read. However, the final chapter of this story is chock full of intensity, tension, joyful moments, and not so great ones, and when what I knew was inevitably coming finally came, it still impacted my feelings probably just as much as if I'd been reading it for the first time. The finale of this story leaves things hanging in a way that will make me curse the author for making me wait two years to figure out what happens.

Rating:

So, this wasn't much of a surprise. I mean, I went into this book knowing I was going to love it, but I wasn't fully aware of how much until this moment. This book blew me away and while I am very angry to have to wait a while to catch back up with these characters, I'm also obsessed with finally starting The Last Hours series.

Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare (WOW #19)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that everyone’s excited about!

Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare’s Lord of Shadows, the sequel to the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Lady Midnight.

Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?

And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.

Lord of Shadows releases on May 23, 2017 from Margaret K. McElderry Books

Look at that cover! Seriously, it's kind of tripping me out here. I loved Lady Midnight so much, much more than I actually thought I would and I cannot wait to dive back into this fantastic series and see where our heroes will go next and what dangers they may face. On a less vague note, I'm particularly interested in the romantic entanglements that seem to center around Mark Blackthorn, he's fake dating Emma, but he had a thing with Cristina, and while he was trapped in Faerie had some sort of romantic relationship with the dark faerie prince Kieran. Plus, I'm interested to see how the reawakening of Lady Midnight will factor into the overall storyline since it's not mentioned here.

So, what are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Book Review: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1)

Release Date: March 8, 2016
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Length: 720 pages
Source: Purchased Book

The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.

    

Review:

Characters: Like other Shadowhunters books this series has a wide cast of characters that tell this tale. Foremost we have Emma, the girl we first met in City of Heavenly Fire, who will at any cost find out who really murdered her parents during the Dark War. Emma is a very driven character who gives almost no heed to danger or the rules. Then there's Julian, who after the harsh ruling of the Clave exiling his sister and giving up on looking for his brother, has become the primary caregiver of his four younger siblings. He will do anything to protect his family, that protection also extending to his parabatai Emma, even if that means doing something unsavory. Then there's Cristina Rosales, a girl on her travel year from the Mexico City Institute, who quickly befriends Emma and the Blackthorns. Christina is a very wise and loyal person, she also has secrets, such as why she's even at the LA Institute. Finally there's Mark (there are more characters but we'd be here all day if I kept going,) after spending what felt like years in the Wild Hunt he's returned to his family changed. He doesn't quite look older physically, but he acts much more like one of the Fair Folk than a Shadowhunter, Each of these characters I've mentioned, and the ones I haven't, are so multi-layered, and as the story progresses we learn more and more about them. They develop and grow beautifully and I can't wait to see where they go.

Romance: So normally I'm not a fan of forbidden love. It's something that's been done so much it should be taught in How to Write Romance 101. However this forbidden romance intrigued me. Until this book it's never been explained why parabatai cannot fall in love. The only explanation to it being the Shadowhunter mantra, "The Law is Hard but It's the Law." In this book Julian and Emma aren't automatically already in love or at least not that they fully realize. As this book goes on their feelings start to bubble to the surface and, not like I already wasn't, I was rooting for them. I love how their love is described, it's definitely not this pure and innocent thing, there are some rough edges to it, but it's still written so well. As for the other romances in this book, since you know Cassie Clare can't resist lots of romance, that's a bit of a tangled mess. I was surprised to discover that this story has a love triangle of sorts, and I'm not completely sure how I feel about it. I mean, I do enjoy the tensions and drama of the triangle (square?) I'm just not entirely sure I know where I want these characters to end up.

World-Building: WOW! There's a lot of world-building in this book. So first off let me say that I love the change of scenery in this book. While I love the New York crew they were very much cut off from Mundane culture, except off handed references from Clary and Simon, however the entire LA crew has knowledge of Mundane culture and thrives in it. It feels much more present day than TMI did, not that it didn't it's just different, anyway then there getting to know the Blackthorn family and learning what's happened with them since the Dark War and where they stand after the Cold Peace. In fact it isn't just the LA residents of the Shadow World who've changed, the entirety of the Shadow World lies changed after the Cold Peace, Things that six year prior would have been perfectly legal, like a Shadowhuter protecting a Fae, is now illegal unless given permission by the Clave. Things are different and this world is different and there are those who aren't afraid to take advantage of these changes for their own nefarious purposes. And of course as this world gets bigger and expands into new series we see and check in on characters from the past who come to help out and check in on out current group of protagonists.

Predictability: So the central mystery of this book is the seemingly random serial killings that have strange ties to Emma's parents deaths. There are other mysteries such as many of the central characters' pasts, but for the most part it's looking into the deaths so that the Blackthorns can get their brother back permanently. I have to say even with the rather spoilery things I knew before starting this book (the internet is an evil place) I still had my doubt about who did it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Cassie Clare is a wiz at foreshadowing. She never makes anything too obvious, but leaves just enough so that when it's revealed, even if it seems to come out of the blue, there's enough that makes it all make sense.

Ending: So the ending to this book is kind of weird. In a way there are like two endings. The first ending where what I think is the final climax goes down. Every thing is full on tension and action, with a few crazy twists thrown in, followed by a seemingly reasonable cool down period where things are explained, and this installment is seemingly put to rest. But then no, there's another climactic moment not too long after, where more action and fighting goes down, more characters show up, and more twists are lobbed around and revealed. Followed then by the real, final cool down period where this book comes to a close, but not before a short epilogue with a confusing but nonetheless chocking cliffhanger.

Rating:

Gah! This book was amazing, I loved the characters, loved the world-building and the secrets that were revealed, even the ones I was in no way expecting, and finally I loved the Annabel Lee inspiration this book has.

Book Review: City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6)

Release Date: May 27, 2014
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Length: 725 pages
Source: Purchased Book

In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends 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 out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

    

Review:

Characters: So I've said it many times before and I'll say it again. I love these characters. I recently reread City of Lost Souls and while I was reading that I felt like I was sort of over the Mortal Instruments characters, not that they aren't fascinating, but because that book didn't exactly do them justice, especially not coming back after nearly three years, however this book, this book was everything. Not only do we see the core five characters grow and develop in surprising and wonderful ways, but we also see and meet characters from other series in the Shadowhunters world, including the newly released, though at the time upcoming, Dark Artifices series.

Romance: Once again I loved how evenly the romance is spread out. In the first three books of this series the romance was very concentrated on Jace and Clary, and trust me there are many romantic Jace and Clary scenes in this book, but the romance is also spread around quite a lot. My personal favorite was Izzy and Simon, I don't know what it was about this romance, there was a great many things, but I just love the way they unexpectedly fit together. There is also some Magnus and Alec romance, though not quite as much as one might hope, but it's there. Honestly, all of the romances in this series are written well and extremely compelling.

World-Building: There is a LOT of world-building in this book. Honestly with this being the last in a six book series I wasn't expecting all that much world-building, but this is much more than the last book of a series. It also serves as a lead in to The Dark Artifices and almost and extended epilogue to The Infernal Devices. You would think with so much going on and so many characters in play that the world would get too complicated and the story would get lost by the wayside, but no everything tied together so well, fit just right, that I never truly felt like I was taken out of the story.

Predictability: So truth time? I sort of got spoiled on this book, a lot. However even though I knew about a lot of the things that were going to happen, there was still a thing or two that caught me off guard. In fact the foreshadowing to this book, much of which I picked up on due to spoilage, is still very well crafted. I mean, granted I don't know for certain how I would have reacted and what I would have caught on to, but I'm sure there would have been quite a lot that would have shocked the hell out of me. In fact even when I knew what was going to happen, even when I knew the outcome, some things still deeply affected me, which I can only attribute to how well this book was written.

Ending: This book ended sooner than I had expected. I mean I knew how it ended, I just didn't know quite when it did. The final climax, or at least the final battle, comes a couple chapters away from the end. I really liked the way it was handled, everything sort of fit very well, and everything just made a lot of sense. The cooldown period, which comes in the form of the last official chapters deals a lot with the clean up and regime changes as this series comes to a close and another one begins. Then there's the epilogue. Honestly, I don't know what I want to say about this. It's a good epilogue for one thing and there's quite a lot to it. I'm not going to say that it ties up all loose ends, because it doesn't, but I think it leaves everything in a good place. There's still much left to explore in this world.

Rating:

So I've seen a lot of people say that this is their favorite book in this series, but with how subpar the last two were, it was hard for me to believe, however after reading this book there's no contest. Between the amazing character and romantic developments to the introduction and lead in to the new series and callbacks to The Infernal Devices, this book was Glorious.