Thursday, May 12, 2011

Review: City of Fallen Angels

CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS
(The Mortal Instruments #4)
Cassandra Clare
Paranormal Young Adult
424 pages
Simon & Schuster
Available Now

THE STORY
Still recovering from the events surrounding Valentine's demise, Jace and Clary are very much looking forward to exploring their new relationship now that they are finally allowed to feel the way they do. But of course, relationships are never easy, and as Shadowhunters known to have been in Valentine's Circle start showing up dead, Jace begins to put inexplicable distance between them.

Jace and Clary aren't the only ones having relationship difficulties though as Simon finds himself dating two young women simultaneously. He's also dealing with the repercussions of his Mark, and it seems there are a lot of individual parties with a keen interest in him despite his status not being common knowledge.

Jace, Clary, and Simon all quickly get drawn into the mystery of the murdered Shadowhunters, and the more they discover, the more it becomes clear that all of their actions, but Clary's in particular, in the fight against Valentine have created a ripple effect of greater proportion than they could have ever imagined.

MY THOUGHTS
City of Fallen Angels is a book we fans of The Mortal Instruments series tear into with barely restrained glee, practically salivating in anticipation of a three book encore to a series we thought had seen the descent of the final curtain. In the back of our minds lurks a slight trepidation though–a minor worry the late decision to continue the series might result in events and character interactions feeling forced in the wake of our apparent happy ending in City of Glass. Not so surprising however, is the fact that we needn't worry at all. Ms. Clare picks up shortly after the events of book three left off, and we find ourselves once again swept up in a world of creativity and compelling characters who continue to endear themselves to us even when we thought we couldn't possibly love and respect them any more.

Jace, resident bad boy and connoisseur of the sarcastic retort, is a bit darker in this story than he has been previously, and this new intensity ratchets up his appeal even further. It's obvious to us at the beginning of this tale that the indelible emotional stain Valentine's words and actions left on Jace have been kept on the surface thanks to a relationship with Clary that has transformed from a source of torture and pain to one of happiness and pleasure. It doesn't take long, however, before that stain begins to seep into the skin, infecting Jace's incandescence with grim whispers that speak to him of his most intimate vulnerabilities. The light he usually radiates with his infectious charm and sharp wit begins to dim, exposing us to new layers of Jace, and though we do miss that spark we are also grateful for the opportunity to understand him on a far deeper level.

Clary, unsure of how to deal with the fact that her love for Jace is no longer a living nightmare, also struggles with the distance he creates when he withdraws into himself to answer the questioning darkness. Her inability to confront Jace about the changes in his demeanor is a bit frustrating throughout until finally, at the very end, she adamantly refuses to continue being someone through whom he filters his self-recrimination–his every action and verbal exchange with her something he uses as evidence of his unworthiness–and she forces him to acknowledge her feelings, thereby denying him the right to a say in how much she cares for him. Their relationship is so very fragile in this story, the cords that bind them together undeniably strong, but they are also frayed at the edges as a result of past events. We as readers sit in the comfort of our homes helplessly reading as the strands between them both wind together and then unwind again, wishing with every fiber of our being that we could reach through the pages and hold those delicate strings to prevent them from fraying another centimeter.

While the previous three books have been primarily Jace and Clary-centric, it is nice to have Simon's role in this story augmented given the enormity of the Mark of Cain and its bearing on his life. The Simon storyline is fraught with possibility, and his increasing prominence raises so many interesting questions for the future with regard to his immortality versus his friends' mortality. Clary and Jace's story is beautifully interwoven with Simon's, and we are given a rich and exciting tale where the characters all share possession of our hearts, and Ms. Clare has us standing at attention as we wait raptly for her to reveal everything about a world we love so much.

Rating: 5/5

30 comments:

  1. I still haven't read this series so I only skimmed your review. I'm sure it is very good as you always do a great job. I just read the last paragraph to see if there was going to be another book and apparently there is. Are there going to be six?

    Heather
    I am glad to see that her series is staying consistent. And I do have the first 3 books.

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  2. Noooooo! I can't look! Like the utter fail I am, I haven't read the series yet, but your high rating makes me happy and want to kick myself at the same time.

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  3. This is probably the first positive review for this book I've read. I've just read the first part - I did like it but no so much that I read the rest of the series. After reading your review, I am a bit motivated to give the rest of the books a try.

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  4. I'm so glad you liked this book Jenny !!
    I loved it too and I can't wait to read the fifth book !

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  5. I just started this book and have noticed that it is focused more on Simon which is a nice change. I can't wait to see what happens. I'm glad and relieved that you enjoyed it. I stopped reading it for a bit, because I was worried that I would be disappointed, but after reading your review I know that there is nothing to worry about. :) Great review, Jenny!

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  6. I just finished listen to the audio version and was also happy that Simon was featured more prominently in this book. I was pretty sure we see Sebastian back, but had no clue as to how this would occur. Clare's imagination staggers me with how twisty she can manipulate her plot. Enjoyed this one a lot

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  7. Heather - I adore this series! It's one of my very favorites:)

    Missie - I think you would be a fan of Jace, he's fabulous book boyfriend material:)

    Misha - Really? I'm partial to Jace though, so I'm pretty happy as long as he's in the book:)

    Elodie - So excited for the next one after that ending! At least we get another book from her this year:)

    Christina - I liked getting more of Simon, so many things happened to him so it was nice to get to spend more time with him.

    Jan - I was curious to see who our villain would be now that Valentine's gone, and I was pleasantly surprised by how that all turned out:)

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  8. I am just going to skip reading the review since I have decided to read this series. Yeah for the 4.5 rating and I start book 2 next week!

    @Jan-I am listening to them on Audio too!

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  9. Great review Jenny! I just couldn't get into this book as much as I could on the last one. For some reason I felt like something was missing. Like it was the same thing all over again.

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  10. eeeccckkk...I must read this ASAP. I loved the first three books. Im not sure why Im waiting to read this, its like Shiver I adored that book but I have not even made a dent in the TBR pile to pick up Linger...:(

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  11. I'm not reading the review...I still have to read this one! It seems if I don't read the next book right when it comes out I never do, lol! :)

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  12. Felicia - Can't wait to see what you think of the rest of the series! Yay for you reading YA books!

    Savy - It was a bit slower at the beginning, but I just love these characters so much that I have trouble finding fault with them:)

    Tina - I'm like that sometimes. I fall in love with a series and then get distracted and don't end up finishing them for a while:)

    Jacinda - I do that too, that's why I was at the store the day this one came out:)

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  13. Yay, I'm so glad that you enjoyed this book, Jenny! I completely agree that this book is definitely very dark. While I liked my books to have a happy ending, I can definitely understand how the events that happen in "City of Glass" can have a lasting effect on the characters. Can't wait for the next book in this series!

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  14. I found Jace's darkness a bit frustrating, but I still enjoyed CoFA. The story was just so addicting! Plus, I loved that Simon got his chance to shine. Fab review! :)

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  15. I can't read your review!!! I just got City of Ashes in the mail and I don't want to read any spoilers on accident! Did your copy have the letter from Jace in it? I've been obsessively checking every copy I see just in case but I never find it!

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  16. Gotta get around to reading the three previous books first. I know there are a lot of Jace fans out there though :)

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  17. Okay...I didn't really read this, because I just finished the first book (an hour ago or so). I read it a few years ago, but didn't remember it all that well, even though I loved it at the time. Now I have the first three books as well as Clockwork Angel and I'm going to read them in a row. Just started on the 2nd book. Loved the first one.

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  18. Rummanah - I'm dying for the next one already, I was not ready to read the last page at all, I kept hoping more would appear:)

    Lauren - It did bother for me for awhile, especially when Clary just let it go, but I was glad she called him on it at the end:)

    Ashley - I want to see this letter! Anything dealing with Jace is something I need to read:)

    Zahida - I adore Jace. He's so snarky and hilarious!

    Alison - Can't wait to see what you think of the rest of the series, I just adore these characters.

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  19. I really wanna read a book by her one day. I will so give in and read a translation...even if it's not in my lang

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  20. You're right, we are review twins today! :D I really, really wished I could have like it as much as the first 3 books, but it did just feel off to me. I know what you mean about potentially getting bored with Jace and Clary if they were happy, but that's why I kind of wish she'd just developed a plot that didn't really have them as main characters - just have them be support, or something?

    I looooved Simon though. His sarcastic remarks are some of the best moments in the whole book. And all the scenes between a very huffy Alec and confused Magnus were adorable! All in all, there were tons of things I loved about this one, but it just didn't have the same spark as 1 - 3.

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  21. I love this series. Looking forward to reading more. Thanks again for the great recommendation. You never steer me wrong.

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  22. I have the first 2 books on my tbr and can't wait to get to this point. Ah you made me want this so much yesterday but couldn't tell you! :P Ah great review. So glad it wasn't lost to the blogosphere!

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  23. I'm a bad fan...I haven't read any of the other books, but the first. *hangs head in shame* lol. Awesome review as always :)

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  24. Okie dokie, so this is my most favourite book series ever and the first time I read this book I really, really, really liked it, thought that it was the best book ever and all of that jazz. However, when I read it again I realized that it wasn't as good as I had originally thought. The whole Clary/ Jace not being able to be together is just so gosh darn frustrating (we just went through three books that centered around that same problem- shakes fist at Cassie Clare!). *Takes a breath/ rant over* ;)

    But yes, I am really glad to see that you liked this book Jenny! And you review is so eloquent as per usual!

    Have a great weekend!

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  25. I've been seeing a lot of mixed reviews of this one... thanks for a great one!

    xoxo

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  26. Jenny- I haven't read this series yet, I do have it, of course. So, I just skimmed your review. I am sure it was great. I just really read the last paragraph because I want to know how many books are going to be in this series. Looks like from your review there will be another. I might wait for all of them to come out. Is that cheating? Even if I don't read the reviews? And it looks like she's staying consistently good.

    Heather

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  27. Many of the reviews about this book have made me very nervous, but your review eases my mind. It sounds like a rough ride (but great story) and I'll be ok with the ending.

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  28. This sounds like a fascinating read! I've been living without chocolate for awhile and every day I think would I give up my coffee for chocolate? And I'm not sure I could. Maybe for a day... And a butterfinger sounds soooo good! divorce papers

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  29. So today I found your blog! I was so happy because I look at your list of reviews and there were so many. So I clicked on this review first, read it and knew this was a blog I needed to follow!
    Your review is great! I couldn't agree with you more, I love this series and actually loved the fact that this book opened up Simon's character (agreed that this opens up new possibilities too). Thank you so much for writing a great review!

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  30. I must admit that this was the first book in the series I read, so I was VERY confused. I did enjoy it though, and the world is impressively intricate, you have to wonder how the author keeps it all straight in her head (or not so straight, in the case of Magnus and Alec). I did go on to read the fifth.

    Oh yes, Jace was definitely dark. I must go back to the start of the series if there were times he was lighter..

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