May 12, 2012

City of Lost Souls By: Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 544
Rating: 5/5

The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.

No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?

Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.

And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.
~~~~~


   City of Lost Souls is the fifth book in the beloved Mortal Instrument Series by Cassandra Clare. I have to start off by saying that Cassandra Clare's writing is completely captivating. Whether I'm reading the Mortal Instruments, or Infernal Devices, she always manages to take me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions that leaves me yearning for more. 

   City of Lost Souls (COLS) takes place after the events of City of Fallen Angels- Jace has been "kidnapped" by Sebastian and, to put it simply, the shit has hit the fan! With Jace gone, and the Clave de-prioritizing the search for both him and Sebastian, Clary and the gang decide to take matters into their own hands. 

   One of my absolute favourite things about, not only this series, but the Infernal Devices as well, is that there is a strong female heroine! Clary is literally the most bad-ass of all bad-ass heroines! Through the course of five books I have practically convinced myself that she is in fact my best friend  (pffft...I swear I actually have human friends....*laughs nervously*....) She's reckless, smart and has a super-duper-hot boyfriend, what's not to love?!? But in all seriousness, her character has always surprised me. She didn't let anyone stop her from helping Jace and she used her brain when handling Sebastian. Her continuous friendship with Simon has also been something I loved in the previous books and COLS.

   Of course my favourite part of the entire series is Clary and Jace. Sighh. These two have got to be my favourite Y.A. couple! Jace is the perfect mix of sarcastic, serious, bad ass, vulnerability, and hotness (although don't tell him that because he's got a big enough ego already!! ;)  His character has always made me laugh and swoon, but Jace-and-Clary together make the swooning go into full on overdrive! Although Jace is in a "different state of mind" for the majority of this book, Cassandra Clare did not fail in making my love for this duo increase. By the end of the book I was all giddy! 

   Something I also really liked about COLS is that, by having multiple narrators, we get to experience multiple storylines taking place throughout the book. Obviously the book's main focus is on Jace and Clary but we also get to see other couples blossom, break-up, and sleep together (literally and figuratively). Simon and Isabelle are both characters I've always, always loved. In COLS their relationship actually becomes, I guess deeper than it is in COFA- it was really sweet to read about. We also get to revisit Alec and Magnus! I love that the Mortal Instruments has a gay couple (none of my other books do) but I will warn you guys...something dramatic happens to these two at the end of COLS- you've been warned! In addition, Maia and Jordan's relationship takes and interesting turn that was very  enjoyable to read. All in all....there are no shortage of couple drama in this book!

   If you've read the Infernal Devices, you'll also appreciate the tie-ins Cassandra Clare puts in COLS. There are quite a few scenes where our favourite character(s) make appearances in ways you wouldn't expect. There is also a certain character that I, as well as others, are questioning whether or not he/she is in fact a character from the Infernal Devices. Can you guess who it is? I'm really curious to see how Clare will continue to "thread" the two series together and how she will continue to do so in The Dark Artifices. (I'm really curious to find out about this character's true identity!!)

   The only character that I found got under my skin was Jocelyn. Her argument with Clary (regarding Jace) kind of gave me the "pissed off" feeling a teenager sometimes feels towards her mother. I sometimes feel Jocelyn has that recklessness Clary has...but isn't as logical with it. She makes irrational decisions that I sometimes feel are completely selfish to Clary. Ughhh! ....Then again maybe that's just the teenager in me talking.....

   By the end of the book I was curious about a number of things. For one, I hope Jocelyn and Luke actually get married in City of Heavenly Fire. Two, I am very confused on whether or not I hate Sebastian. Three, what memories did some of the characters lose? And four.....why does Jace hate ducks? :P 

Special Edition Extra...

   When deciding where I was going to buy my copy of City Of Lost Souls I didn't hesitate once I saw Costco was selling COLS with an extra Dirty Sexy Alley Scene from COFA in Jace's POV! I loved reading this scene......Made. Me. Swooooon! A list of the special editions being sold are on Cassandra Clare's website here! Which one did you pick up?!

The Book Trailer....



   Holy crap on a cracker 0_o.........I LOVE this book trailer. I think this is the most high-production book trailer I've ever seen. Everytime I watch it, shivers go through me and I get goosebumps all over the place! It's one of those trailers that is even better AFTER you've read the book! You can read about my initial thoughts on the trailer here!


Favourite Quotes...

-“As far as I’m concerned, this is the worst thing that’s happened since I found out why Magnus was banned from Peru.” 


-“You stole a boat,” she snapped. “What am I doing with you, you boat-stealing lunatic?” 


-“Of course he loves me. I’m his sister.”
“Blood isn’t love,” said Magnus, and his voice was bitter. “Just ask Clary.” 



-She turned and looked at him. "Ducks?" she said again.
A smile tugged the edge of his mouth. "I hate ducks. Don't know why. I just always have.” 



-"You want to go on a date?"
Caught off guard, she stammered. "A wh-what?"
"A date," Jace repeated. "Often 'a boring thing you have to memorize in history class,' but in this case, 'an offering of an evening of blisteringly white-hot romance with yours truly."
"Really?" Clary was not sure what to make of this. "Blisteringly white-hot?"
"It's me," said Jace. "Watching me play Scrabble is enough to make most women swoon. Imagine if I actually put in some effort.”



*I could go on, but I'll stop here! Go to Goodreads to read more!

Overall...

   Overall City of Lost Souls had an intricate plot, a continuous addicting romance, and the humor that always comes along with Cassandra Clare's work! I was telling my mom earlier how hard it was to express my love for not only this book, but the series as a whole in just a few paragraphs and, I can now say, that this was the hardest review to write so far. My love for this series is extremely difficult to put into words! City of Heavenly Fire (which, if you read COLS you'll understand the title)  is only coming out, according to Clare's website, around March 2014!! *heart shatters* But calm down bookworms- the last and final book in the Infernal Devices will be out sometime in March 2013. Yes, we have a long wait ahead of us, but I'm sure it will all be worth it. Also, look out for more news of Cassandra Clare's new shadowhunter series that takes place 5 years after the events of COHF- no, it is not about the characters in TMI but you will get to see them pop up here and there. Read the press release here

   There are also some hot extras from COLS (ahem...Dirty Sexy Club Scene...but Dirtier!!) here! One things for sure, this series is dark, addicting, hot, sexy, and heartbreaking all at the same time. How Cassandra Clare does it, I don't know! If you haven't read COLS yet then put it on the top of your reading lists- a must read! And if your new to the series go pick up the first book, City of Bones, RIGHT NOW and read my #MemoryLaneMonday of the first book rightttttt HERE! Let me know your thoughts on the book in the comments- I'd love to hear from you! Keep Reading!

Your Y.A. Bookworm,
Caitlin <3

8 comments:

  1. Keeps you hooked, never a dull moment. I could not put it down. Your get a little bit more of everyone in this book.

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