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City of Lost Souls The Mortal Instruments Cassandra Clare Books

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City of Lost Souls The Mortal Instruments Cassandra Clare Books

City of Lost Souls is the fifth book in the Mortal Instruments series. There wasn't as much action in this book as we normally get making its pacing seem a little slow, but the character development I feel that we receive in this book makes it worthwhile. The ending also packs a punch that the rest of the book generally does not. As this is the fifth book in a series, anything beyond this point could be considered spoilers if you have not read the rest of the series.

After the events of City of Fallen Angels, we find our heroes in disarray because they find that both Jace and Sebastian are missing. They find out that Jace and Sebastian have been linked by the dark ceremony, which means that Jace is no longer himself. He feels that anything that Sebastian does it right and assists him, despite the fact that it would go against his true nature.

I really enjoyed seeing Jace and Sebastian's interactions, because it showed a more human side of Sebastian. There were times when there was no one else around besides Jace, who was linked to him and had no free will of his own, and Sebastian seemed almost normal. He even had rare moments with Clary, which made you question just how much the demon blood affected him.

You know he is evil and that he has the ability to fake human emotions, but it was those actions that make you wonder, what if? Could the bond with Jace be affecting him, even to a small degree, in the same way that it affecting Jace? Giving him some dimension and the slightest influence of good? I loved how Clare made you question everything that you believed about Sebastian, just as Clary did in the book.

The character development also extended to our other favourite characters, which was nice to see since it's such a large cast. We see Izzy being both strong and determined, and fragile, insecure and hurt. She has a broad range of emotions and her world does not revolve around a boy, which was so refreshing to see. Simon is struggling with his change and who he thinks he is now, still the old Simon or is he cursed now?

Despite the fact that they're not the focus, Magnus and Alec's relationship is wonderfully developed in this book. They struggle with both magical and mundane things coming between them but love one another to always persevere. Alec is still very insecure, so he worries about everything that Magnus does tell him about his past and the fact that one of them is immortal and the other not. Their love and their heartbreak is very real, which was such a redeeming characterization in this book.

Although Clary/Jace is my favourite pairing overall, I definitely love the Magnus/Alec evolution throughout this book and those that come after it. They are a very close second and probably a better portrayal of a relationship in the end. In this book, I worry about the portrayal of Clary and Jace's relationship at times because it's not always healthy. Obviously, people make mistakes, so it is realistic but it can border on obsessive and controlling at times. I understand that Jace is Clary's first love, but he is not the only person in the world and sometimes she is worryingly single-minded.

The plot culminates and plans are laid for the fantastic conclusion to this series. Although the book does not end with a cliffhanger, you are still left wondering exactly what Sebastian's plans are and how our heroes are going to stop him. Or if they are going to be able to stop him. Despite the fact that this is not the most well-written of her three series, I adore it nonetheless and constantly recommend it to people.


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City of Lost Souls The Mortal Instruments Cassandra Clare Books Reviews

In the first four books, I thought Cassandra Clare had developed some wonderful younger characters...(of course Jace) as well as a bevy of other memorable teen boys. (The girls are a weaker group). And is the case in most YA books, the adults are utterly disposable...(which is a shame because technically teens are trying to enter their world...but hey....the fact that they are disposable gives adult readers a world to truely escape to.) But most disappointing in the first four books were the weak villains. I found the villains contrite, predictable and just plain ...well....black. I get it...teen minds.... black and white worlds... yadda yadda yadda.....

But in this book, I found (spoiler alert) the development of the villain (Sebastian) more complex, and far more interesting. I actually found the lure of his and Jace's world, with the addition of Clary, dangerously exciting and kind of intoxicating. Why should I villain be one dimensional? Why wouldn't he freely consort in a land of gray and thereby make Clary's and Jace's view of the world ...well....better rounded? Of course, the promise of this particular ( and most adult) fantasy of mine was eventually dashed by the proverbial battle of black and white, but nonetheless it presented itself as a possibility for a good chunk of the book, and for this reason I give this a 4 star review.

My happily ever after would involve some strange, somewhat dark world, where twenty something versions of Jace, Sebastian and Clary would be vaguely "bad" and cause a good deal of mischief for others, (but mostly themselves)...with a lot of messiness and moral ambiguity....but crap...thats the plot of Breaking Bad....

and I will go back to my adult pleasures.
I have been reading The Mortal Instruments series for about a year now, and although the first two books of the series left something to be desired, I persevered. I am happy to say that I was greatly rewarded because Cassandra Clare's books just keep getting better and better. As the plot thickens, I have become deeply invested in her characters and their fates.

Here are the four reasons why I gave The Mortal Instruments City of Lost Souls 4 out of 5 stars

★ COVER ART
I don't usually give stars for a book's cover, because the outside of a book does not necessarily allude to what exists on the inside. A plain cover may hold the most intricately written, thought-provoking story. And, an elegantly designed cover may contain a dull, one-dimensional story.

We've all heard this stated a lot simpler Never judge a book by its cover.

Well, I am throwing that idea out of the window today because this is a book cover that I would frame and put on my wall; it's just so damn beautiful.

All of the covers in Clare's Mortal Instruments series are remarkably stunning, but this cover is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite. There is just something about Clary and Jace's loving embrace, and not to mention the models who are the perfect embodiment of those two characters.

★ PLOT
In City of Lost Souls, Jace has been bound to his evil adoptive brother Sebastian. Clary, Isabelle, Alec, Simon and Magnus must figure out how to unbind Jace from Sebastian, among other things. I really liked the plot of Book Five. It allowed readers to venture outside of New York with the characters, and to see a different side of Sebastian--a side that really loves Clary (or at least what he considers love).

Action, humor, romance, adventure City of Lost Souls has it all.

★ CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
I like reading about Jace and Clary, but I have to admit that their relationship is beginning to fall on the back burner for me as new, more dynamic characters emerge. Magnus & Alec, Isabelle & Simon, Maia & Jordan, and even Sebastian (who has no pairing) are getting more spotlight. And, this is Clare's greatest move. We are seeing how love is changing these people. Even Sebastian. He seems to be lonely and in need of companionship or love, and it makes you sympathize with him throughout this book. In my opinion, Clary and Jace haven't really reached the peaks of their development arcs yet. However, we do see Clary display some of her new fighting skills in this book.

★ BREAKS BOUNDARIES
Cassandra Clare is not afraid to journey across untread waters with her stories.

I love the way she writes about sexuality. When you are reading her stories, you're not thinking "Oh, yeah, Alec and Magnus are gay. Helen and Aline are gay." When you read Clare's works, you simply see these characters as people who are in love. Her writing is very poetic and lyrical, and it really speaks to emotions, emotions that help you to forget about gender, race, and stereotypes. In this way, Clare's writing literally breaks boundaries for me, because in the world she creates there are no boundaries, just love.

Clare also touches on another topic that you don't often see in YA books--incest. This theme recurs in her stories. We see it first in City of Ashes in the case of Jace & Clary being in love even after finding out that they are brother and sister. And then it returns in City of Glass, when Clary meets Sebastian. But, things get really uncomfortable with City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire.

The subject of incest is disagreeable, but I admit that it is well written and it fits into Clare's overall story. She is trying to evoke specific emotions from her readers when she writes on this topic--disgust, confusion, empathy--and she succeeds in doing so.

☆ LENGTH
The Mortal Instruments books are generally pretty long. But, sometimes they can be too long as is the case with City of Lost Souls.

The length of this book gives way to repetition; I felt that some of the same things were being said over and over, some of the same points were being re-re-emphasized. I also thought that the length created a lack of action and plot projection.

So, all in all, this book just seemed unnecessarily drawn out.

***

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed City of Lost Souls. It's definitely not my favorite of the series, but I would not say it's my least favorite either. I highly recommend this series to everyone. Before this series, I thought I hated fantasy but, as it turns out, I was wrong. You guys should give it a try and see how you like it!

Clare has created a very complex world of Shadowhunters, vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc. Rarely do we see an author handle so much subject matter effectively--Cassandra Clare does so with grace.
City of Lost Souls is the fifth book in the Mortal Instruments series. There wasn't as much action in this book as we normally get making its pacing seem a little slow, but the character development I feel that we receive in this book makes it worthwhile. The ending also packs a punch that the rest of the book generally does not. As this is the fifth book in a series, anything beyond this point could be considered spoilers if you have not read the rest of the series.

After the events of City of Fallen Angels, we find our heroes in disarray because they find that both Jace and Sebastian are missing. They find out that Jace and Sebastian have been linked by the dark ceremony, which means that Jace is no longer himself. He feels that anything that Sebastian does it right and assists him, despite the fact that it would go against his true nature.

I really enjoyed seeing Jace and Sebastian's interactions, because it showed a more human side of Sebastian. There were times when there was no one else around besides Jace, who was linked to him and had no free will of his own, and Sebastian seemed almost normal. He even had rare moments with Clary, which made you question just how much the demon blood affected him.

You know he is evil and that he has the ability to fake human emotions, but it was those actions that make you wonder, what if? Could the bond with Jace be affecting him, even to a small degree, in the same way that it affecting Jace? Giving him some dimension and the slightest influence of good? I loved how Clare made you question everything that you believed about Sebastian, just as Clary did in the book.

The character development also extended to our other favourite characters, which was nice to see since it's such a large cast. We see Izzy being both strong and determined, and fragile, insecure and hurt. She has a broad range of emotions and her world does not revolve around a boy, which was so refreshing to see. Simon is struggling with his change and who he thinks he is now, still the old Simon or is he cursed now?

Despite the fact that they're not the focus, Magnus and Alec's relationship is wonderfully developed in this book. They struggle with both magical and mundane things coming between them but love one another to always persevere. Alec is still very insecure, so he worries about everything that Magnus does tell him about his past and the fact that one of them is immortal and the other not. Their love and their heartbreak is very real, which was such a redeeming characterization in this book.

Although Clary/Jace is my favourite pairing overall, I definitely love the Magnus/Alec evolution throughout this book and those that come after it. They are a very close second and probably a better portrayal of a relationship in the end. In this book, I worry about the portrayal of Clary and Jace's relationship at times because it's not always healthy. Obviously, people make mistakes, so it is realistic but it can border on obsessive and controlling at times. I understand that Jace is Clary's first love, but he is not the only person in the world and sometimes she is worryingly single-minded.

The plot culminates and plans are laid for the fantastic conclusion to this series. Although the book does not end with a cliffhanger, you are still left wondering exactly what Sebastian's plans are and how our heroes are going to stop him. Or if they are going to be able to stop him. Despite the fact that this is not the most well-written of her three series, I adore it nonetheless and constantly recommend it to people.