City of Fallen Angels - Book Review

Title ~ City of Fallen Angels
Series ~ The Mortal Instruments #4
Author ~ Cassandra Clare
Release Date ~ April 5, 2011
Age Group ~ Young Adult
Publisher ~ Margaret K. McElderry
Source ~ a Real Bookstore

GOODREADS SUMMARY

City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever.

Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

REVIEW

For me, The Mortal Instruments series is marvelous. I love the intense characters, the New York City setting, the intricate plot, and the paranormal aspects. Ah, but my favorite part is Cassandra Clare’s writing. It is just phenomenal.

City of Glass ended with Valentine’s death and what I thought was the end of the series. City of Fallen Angels is the first of three more books – and this time Shadowhunters are being targeted and killed. It’s a mystery that needs solving and Clary’s the one to solve it.  I am sort of looking at this as a series within a series.  First three books and then second three books. 

Jace is an emotional wreck. His brother and “father” are dead and he’s having nightmares about killing Clary. No wonder he’s on edge. Jace’s witty sarcasm still peeks through at times, but he is much more serious now. I miss the old Jace. Sigh.

Clary is juggling her feelings for Jace and her struggle to solve the mystery. She is falling hard for Jace. I liked reading about Clary’s shadowhunter training. She is honing her skills and she even takes down a demon.

I really enjoyed hearing mention of characters from The Clockwork Angel, especially Will and Mangus. I like how the two series fit together in different time periods. Again, it is Cassandra Clare’s writing that stands out. I would recommend reading both series to fully appreciate them.

RATING

4 Liked

COVER COMMENTS

The Mortal Instruments covers are all so beautiful. This time, both Clary and Jace are featured. I love how the colors set off Clary’s hair and dress. Brilliant!