City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

 

So, I would like to able to say that I planned to do my first blog entry on this book because I have been waiting for its release for some time; however, it just worked out that way.  Cassandra Clare is not the most talented writer, but I love her stories. You can tell she reads a lot of YA books and knows how certain teens think. 

The first three books in The Mortal Instruments series were wonderful urban fantasy stories. And for one of the few times in following a YA series, I felt the ending was acceptable. And of course, once I felt accepting of her ending, another three books in this same series were announced…So, I was skeptical of what Clare would come up with for these next 3 books.

The book begins right after the last one ended. The war is over. Clary and Jace are dating. Simon is coming to terms both with being a “daylighter,” a vampire who can walk out in the sun, and the new rune Clary gave him that references Cain from the bible. Clary’s mother and Luke are getting married. And Simon is dating two girls at once: Maia and Isabelle. Between all the relationship drama is the serial murdering of certain shadowhunters, a demon-worshipping cult that is drugging pregnant women with demon blood, various organizations who want to recruit Simon, and a whole side-plot involving a very old (Adam and Eve old) demon named Lilith who wants to bring someone back from the dead who she really shouldn’t.  And of course there is stuff happening that pushes Clary and Jace apart, because they can’t ever just be happy together.

At first, I really thought the book focused too much on Simon. Simon is having a hard time with things. I get it.  But, it was entertaining to read his whole love triangle thing. And I grew to really like him in this book, when before I really just sort of tolerated him as quasi-important, but mostly annoying. He seemed so much more real, and I genuinely felt bad for him when his mother rejected him and he moved out. Alec and Magnus were barely in it, and when they were there I felt their part was rather stereotypical, like Clare was trying to come up with stereotypical relationship problems for them so they wouldn’t be too far outside the soap opera drama, but they were really boring and insignificant in this book.

If anything, it’s worth reading this book for the few juicy Jace/Clary love scenes. I also loved reading about Clary training to be a shadowhunter. She came off as a lot stronger because of it.  I am a little tired of reading YA books about two characters who never seem quite able to be together. Can’t all this stuff happen without any romantic tragedy? Haven’t they been through enough already? There are a ton of little things that bothered me (like the bad editing job- too many spelling mistakes! And the fact that Clary’s mom came off as a rather ignorant, weak mom who cared too much about wedding plans), but I did read it all in one sitting, and was sad when it was over.

Was it worth ruining the ending I truly did deem acceptable? I’m not sure yet. Everyone will be able to predict the ending to this one (which is not really a cliffhanger if we can all see it coming). I feel like the route the plot is going is not really worth another two books, but then again, I will be first in line to read the next books. I think it’s because I just love these characters enough to read anything else they are in, despite past endings and possible future romantic tragedy.

I give it an 8/10.