Review: City of Lost Souls ~ Reading in Paradise

WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

Goodreads: 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.

Review:

Okay, no book frustrated me more than this one in my entire life (so far). I wanted to scream at half of the characters in this book, I laughed at the funny parts, and I wanted to cry my eyes out at the end. Come on, who does that two of the most loved characters! WHY! And then the big BOOM, BAM, Holy-crap-why-does-2014-have-to-be-so-far-way part at the end, I swear I was swearing up and down in my head (since everyone else was sleeping) and asking why Sebastian had to be such a jerk.

Okay, first off, the plot. Jace has been kidnapped by Sebastian and Sebastian is controlling him through the evil bond they have that Lilith put on them. What Sebastian wants, believes, and wants Jace to do, Jace does the same. Can't kill Sebastian without killing Jace. And that sucks, especially when all everyone wants to do is separate Jace from Sebastian. And it also doesn't help that they're traveling the world in some transporting apartment that no one can track but for a few seconds. Yeah, and that's just small detail. Sebastian's plan to take over the world is diabolical and genius at the same time.

So, the Council decided to lessen the search for Jace and Sebastian because some wardings over Wrangel Island broke. This makes Clary mad, and she decides to call upon the Seelie Queen for help (which was stupid and smart). In this book, the Queen is a bitch. No, really, she was. She gave answers only for a price, and then she turns around on the Shadowhunters and sides with Sebastian, all to save her and her peoples' skin. What a bitch. But, the thing she wanted was two rings. These rings let the owners talk to each other mentally. Clary, instead giving them to the Queen, decides to use them to connect to Simon while she goes with Jace and Sebastian and try to find out what they plan to do. It's stupid yet smart. Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. Well, I would do it, but Clary should have at least told her mother, who freaked out about it.

Turns out Jace is Jace and not in this book. Because of his connection to Sebastian, he acts just like him. And the big dark evil rune on his chest where Lilith put her mark is healed, and that's how Sebastian has a control over him. I mean, Jace was still his fun loving self, but in Clary's case, and mine, I saw how different he was from the first four books. It even says so in the book. Jace we know is more a guy that does what he wants, doesn't listen to people, and forms plans all on his own. The Jace in this book is submissive, doesn't come up with the plans, and has to ask if it's okay to do something before he does it. I made me sick and sad. Poor Clary.

Okay, the main thing I really want to say is about Sebastian. Yeah, evil Sebastian. Well, let me say first that at some points in the book he didn't seem so evil. Yeah, crazy right? "Did she hit her head?" No, I didn't. It was mostly when he was just with Clary. He actually seem to open to her about their family. And try to connect to her in his sick yet somewhat understandable way, like this water reflection thing, where he tried to get her to see that they were the 'same'. But putting that aside, he did seem kind towards her. He told her about their dad and his family, how he grew up, where their last name came from, what Valentine did to both him and Jace. Sebastian was whipped when he was younger. And I actually felt a little sympathy for him. Why whip on boy and not the other? I want to say it was because of the demon blood in Sebastian and Valentine expected him to be perfect. (Jerk.) Also, Sebastian asked Clary if she could ever forgive him (pg. 355) a few times. That he's changed. The 'plan' he told her was that he wanted to summon a lot of demons to one place, and use a second Mortal Cup he had created (and destoryed the maker) to destroy them all. And Clary somewhat believed that Jace's blood changed him a bit---NOT! But Sebastian did have a point, he and Clary are alike in some ways. She did kill Valentine without a regret. She hated him, just like Sebastian does. But beneath that kind exterior towards her, was a lonely boy with an obsession with his sister. Huh? you say. Let me elaborate. Towards the end of the book, Sebastian revealed that he not only wanted his sister at his side when they take over the world, but at his side means sister and lover. He loved her. She was the only family of his that was left (since he doesn't include Jocelyn). He went so far to try to rape her. He said that just because they had the same parents doesn't make the related. They were experiments. Human laws doesn't apply to them. So, he went for her. And in his mind, and I believe this too, he actually did love her. The demon blood made him somewhat incapable of loving anyone, even his father, but somehow, because Clary was the only one that didn't leave him or abuse him, he used her to fill in the hole. I felt sorry and angry at him at the same time. But his jealousy toward Jace and Clary was genuine. Sucks for him.

Wow, that was a long paragraph. Moving on!

Romance. Always a key in Cass's novels. Jace and Clary. Jace isn't Jace. Clary is upset, but Jace still loves Clary and there are a few steamy scenes in the book between them. In this book, Jace was a bit more focused on sleeping with her than in any other book. If you read "The Dirty Club Scene" unedited, then you would know what I mean. Link is right here. I was kinda disappointed, but yet not, since at one point, Jace was Jace again, but Clary had to disrespect his wishes and not let him go. She's an idiot. But they had a happy ending.

Ever since Isabelle learned of her father's betrayal on her mother, she's been wary of boys. This isn't helpful when she discovers she really, really likes Simon, who she believes doesn't like her back. As a girl that kinda flings guys around, Simon really doesn't think she likes him. He's expressed it, but to him, she hasn't. Isabelle changes that by really showing she does care for him even when he doesn't realize it. There happy ending...next book.

Now Magnus and Alec. Camille is back, and she offers a key to Alec being with Magnus forever, or until he dies. She says he can take Magnus's immortality, his magic, away, for a price of course. Alec, being smart for once in this book, says no, but over the course of his meetings with her, never tells Magnus. And he also peeved off that Magnus never tells him about his past. I have yet to read The Infernal Devices, but what I've read from Extras and some scenes in this book, I wouldn't want to either. And because Alec didn't trust Magnus to tell him what was going on, Magnus did the unthinkable. HE DUMPED HIM!!!!!! This was me when I read it.

Seriously, I was crying! I love Malec. It was so sad. And you know what, even though it wasn't in the book, Magnus knew he was starting to lose Alec. Link's right here to know how I do. Made me cry harder. And I don't cry that easily. DAMN IT, WHY MAGNUS!! I hope they get a happy ending in C.o.H.F.

Ending. Well, Camille got killed by Maureen, who, for a new vampire, is shocking. So in her mind, she's the most powerful vampire in Manhattan. Sebastian's coming for them all and planning on killing everyone except for Clary (i'm guessing), who he will torture and probably rape and find some twisted way to bind her to him (marriage maybe). Jace has Heavenly fire in his body; his bones are connected by it and he can kinda shock people, so he and Clary have to be extra safe: no sex, just kissing. Oh, and somehow, Sebastian summoned an angel and ripped off its wings and killed it.

What a ending.

Future: City of Heavenly Fire, sometime in 2014. WHICH SUCKS!!!!!

Quotes: Most are about Alec, Simon, Isabelle, and Magnus. The ones with Clary and Jace are already somewhere in the web on other blogs that it's no use putting them. Well, I might put one. We'll see.

Alec, Simon, Isabelle dialogue.

"'Isabelle?' said Alec, his eyebrows raised. 'You slept in Isabelle's room?'

"Isabelle waved a hand. 'No need to worry, big brother. Nothing happened. Of course,' she added as Alec's shoulders relaxed. 'I was totally passed-out drunk, so he could really have done whatever he wanted and I wouldn't have woken up.'

"'Oh, please,' said Simon. 'All I did was tell you the entire plot of Star Wars.'

"'I don't think I remember that,' said Isabelle, taking a cookie from the plate on the table.

"'Oh, yeah? Who was Luke Skywalker's best childhood friend?'

"'Biggs Darklighter,' Isabelle said immediately, and then hit the table with the flat of her hand. 'That is so cheating!' Still, she grinned at him around her cookie.

"'Ah,' said Magnus. 'Nerd love. It's a beautiful thing, while also being an object of mockery and hilaity for those of us who are more sophisticated.'" pg.208-9

Convo between Magnus, Greater Demon Azazel, and Alec

"'Oh, I don't know,' Magnus said. 'I've always been fairly bold where decorating is concerned, and having you here does add that little extra touch of something to the room.'

"'Magnus,' Alec said, clearly not thrilled at the idea of an immortal demon taking up residence in his boyfriend's loft.

"'Jealous, little Shadowhunter?' Azazel grinned at Alec. 'Your warlock is not my type, and besides, I would hardly want to anger his---'" pg. 235-6

More Magnus, Alec, Simon, and Isabelle

"'My mother seems to have accepted it,' Alec said. 'But my father---no, not really. Once he asked me what I thought had turned me gay.' (Their dad is a jerk.)

"Simon felt Isabelle tense next to him. 'Turned you gay?' She sounded incredulous. 'Alec, you didn't tell me that.'

"'I hope you told him you were bitten by a gay spider,' said Simon.

"Magnus snorted; Isabelle looked confused. 'I've read Magnus's stash of comics,' said Alec, 'so I actually know what you're talking about.' A small smile played around his mouth. 'So would that give me the proportional gayness of a spider?'

"'Only if it was a really gay spider,' said Magnus, and he yelled as Alec punched him in the arm. 'Ow, okay, never mind.'" pg 389-90.

Clary and Jace!

"She moved to stand in front of him. 'All right,' she said. 'Take off your shirt.

"Jace rasied his eyebrows.

"'I'm not going ot attack you,' she said impatiently. 'I can take the sight of your naked chest without swooning.'

"'Are you sure?' he asked, obediently sliding the shirt off his shoulders. 'Because viewing my naked chest has caused many women to seriously injure themselves stampeding to get to me.'" pg 402.

Wow, lot of quotes. But worth it. :D

Once again, Cassandra Clare delivers a heart stopping, hair ripping, screaming at the top of your lungs novel. I loved it, and I can't wait for the next one, even though I have to wait two years.

Rating: