City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments)

Exactly as expected!

I feel like City of Fallen Angels is going to be another polarizing book, like Mockingjay. I've read several negative reviews on Goodreads, which has made me feel conflicted about my own opinion of City of Fallen Angels. I usually don't read any other reviews of a book until I've written my own review, so that may be part of the problem.

My initial feelings after finishing City of Fallen Angels were that the book was great, except for the cliffhanger ending. I was fully prepared for a cliffhanger ending and a transition-y feeling book because this is the first book in the second half of the series. I knew that the new story line would start and that Clare would probably leave us hanging as to Jace and Clary's relationship. So, I wasn't too upset at how the book ended because I was ready for it.

However, the more I thought about the actual content of the book, the more I realized that City of Fallen Angels has fallen short of the other books in the series. There was a lot of teen relationship angst, especially with Clary and Jace. It got to the point where the plot took a back seat to Jace's martyr complex. There were some great plot points that Clare could have built an excellent book on, but instead the focus was on relationship drama between all of the characters. That got old for me!

What has always stood out for me in The Mortal Instruments series is the world-building and imagery, and City of Fallen Angels was no exception. Clare sets the scenes so that you get lost in the Shadowhunter world. I love feeling swept away like that.

All in all, I'd say that City of Fallen Angels is a good read, but not on the same level as the first three books in the series. I'm definitely still excited about the series as a whole but I'm hungry for a better plot and less angst in book five.

Very bad

Awesome books. I loved the movie so decided to read the books to compare and I am not a reader type but Miss Clare has me hooked.

I am 33 years old and I admit, I tend to drift towards the 'what the teens are reading' section in Barnes and Noble. I do love this series. Great writing. Great characters and an interesting plot. Quick and easy, entertaining reads.

I was slightly surprised with City of Fallen Angels. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Everything had been resolved by the end of City of Glass. I truly had no clue what to expect. I hoped we would get to see Clary and Jace together as a couple (finally) but, beyond that, I didn't have the slightest thought as to what Cassandra Clare had in store. In short, I went in blindly trusting her to pull a magnificent story out of her magic hat when it seemed like there couldn't be one.

We find the story starting a few weeks after the events of City of Glass. Clary and Jace are relatively happy and everything seems to be calm. But then Jace starts avoiding Clary, even going so far as to spend time with Simon instead of her. Clary is desperate to figure out what she's done wrong--if anything--to cause his behavior. Meanwhile, Simon is dealing with being a vampire and all the problems that come with that.

If you've read my reviews for the previous three novels, then by now you know how much I truly hated Simon for the first two books. City of Fallen Angels had a lot of Simon in it. Half the book was in his POV. That was a little taxing for me. It wasn't because his POV wasn't interesting, but I really wanted to just read about Clary and Jace--if anything, that was one thing I did expect. The way I saw it, it was Simon getting in the way again. Fortunately, I was able to get over my extreme aversion to Simon.

The actual plot was interesting and really propelled the characters into complete hell. Simon had his own little side story which was interesting once I immersed myself in it. Jace's behavior was slightly annoying but I felt the reasoning behind it was perfectly logical and suitable to the story. Our beloved characters have to face horrors they'd never even thought of before. By the end of the book, I was freaking out and clambering for more.

All in all, I really enjoyed City of Fallen Angels but, in all honesty, it's probably my least favorite in the series--and that's saying something since City of Ashes was just so hard for me.

You can find more of my reviews at Chasm of Books ([...]

The first half of the book was so boring that I had to force myself to read it. I know it had a point and that the information needed to be there, but dang, haha. Once you get to around the half way mark, though, it begins to get more interesting, little by little until the end. The end certainly made up for the beginning!

City of Fallen Angels keeps feeding you and drawing you further into the story of the star crossed lovers Jace and Clary . while letting you see into the relationships of Magnus and Simon. I love Simon and I think he should be explored more indepth.
I want to know more about brother Jacob. I don't think this is a book for those whom are against same sex relationships even those that are handled as well as this. this work puts me in mind of one of the forgotten relms books,

This review was originally written on my blog http://codeforconfession.wordpress.com
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I had wondered who would become the main antagonist of this story now that Valentine and Sebastian were dead. Someone who wanted to raise the father and son duo and try to split up Clary and Jace. This is one plot that I can't stand, only because it drives apart my favorite pairing, but it is a good one nonetheless.

Throughout the first part of the book Jace begins to have terrible nightmares where he and Clary are in `compromising' positions and he stabs her in the back! Thus leading him to pull away from Clary, just after they find out they can finally be together, and becomes a sort of friend-protector to Simon (due to someone trying to kill him). I know. Strange, right? Though I really enjoyed reading about them spending time together.

Simon has Clary's best interests at heart and tries to knock some sense into Jace but it's a no go. Eventually Clary corners him and forces him to tell her the truth so that he can get help, but it all goes downhill from there.

It seems like poor Jace and Clary can't catch a break!

Sure it makes the story interesting but I can't stand all the angst. Ugh! I just want them to be together already and have them face all this drama and a united front, not always be driven apart. But such is life and I am not the author of them. I did greatly enjoy this book though and I can tell that I'm going to read this series over and over again for many years to come.

Good thing I have the e-book versions now I can read them on my Nook. The only downside to buying the bundle is instead of the books downloading individually they come as one massive 1500 page book. Yuck! I read this book in less than 12 hours.

plot: B-

I've always been pretty interested in Sebastian (Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern), as I kind of feel bad for him growing up in an unloved childhood (I always think that the bad guys who grew up in a poor environment just needed some love to have turned out differently), so the plot involving him in this book was super fascinating. As I wrote above, I just didn't like the wedge driven in between Clary and Jace. I think it could have been done better, however as I'm reading on I'm finding out that it is central to the future books. Bah!

character: B

We're not introduced to too many new characters other than the main antagonist and another minor character who ends up playing a role in Simon's life. Gotta say, the new bad `guy' is pretty wicked. I don't see any redemption for them whatsoever and I hope she's not used in future books. Cause she's that bad!

readability: A

Like with City of Glass I was able to read through this one with a good deal of understanding of the lingo. I read through it kinda quick to find out what the heck was going on with Jace so this is one I'll definitely have to re-read at a later date (which will be all of them). I did have to put the book down a few times to live life and I was able to find a few stopping points, which is nice.

romance: B-

Just when you thought Jace and Clary could be together things get all weird between them. He avoids her, so she avoids him, blah blah blah. The only real romance (which gets ice dumped on it quickly) is between Maia/Simon/Isabelle. I know, right? Simon and two girls? And not just any two girls, but hot badass ones? Go him! Even if it ends fast it was still interesting to see him juggle these two, and I definitely ship Simon/Isabelle. That girl needs a steady relationship! Sure she's independent, which is great, and she can take care of herself, also good, but it's nice to see her growing attached to someone and falling in love even though she's in denial.

length: A

This book is longer than the others and still reads just as fast. I love all of the plot twists and the extra pages provide the reader with a sense that it is as short as the others with the pace of the book. It didn't feel rushed or too dull but steady until the peak at the end.

Favorite Scene:
Jace comes home to find Clary in his room who then confronts him on his distancing and avoiding. Go Clary! They share a tender moment where Jace is vulnerable and scared and Clary does a great job of comforting him as well as being a supportive girlfriend. There was a scene towards the end where Jace suggests something to Clary, who agrees, and it turns out to not be what we think! I wish that it was but maybe that'll happen in a future book. (I don't want to give it away but once you read you'll understand!)

Favorite Quote:
"You're just worried they'll hire a male instructor and he'll be hotter than you."
Jace's eyebrows went up. "Hotter than me?"
"It could happen," Clary said, "You know, theoretically."
"Theoretically the planet could suddenly crack in half, leaving me on one side and you on the other, forever and tragically parted, but I'm not worried about that either. Some things," Jace said, with his customary crooked smile, "are just too unlikely to dwell upon."

Still a good read for those who love this world 3.5 stars.

"You're the first Shadowhunter I've ever met."
"That's too bad," said Jace, "since all the others you
meet from now on will be a terrible letdown."

Jace's confidence is still as staggering as ever. We are thrust back into the life of the conclave a few months after the Mortal War. Clary is finally getting a the Shadowhunter training she needs. Alex and Magnus are off traveling the world together and Simon is trying to figure out how to tell Isabel and Mia he is dating them both at the same time. Life is going along well until the bodies of shadowhunters start being dumped around the city.

Some of the things that made this not as great as some of the other books is that all of our favorite characters seem to be having some relationship issues. Jace is having nightmares about Clary and is trying to avoid her until he figures them out. Upside to that is the bromance between him and Simon. Although we miss the banter and magic that he has with Clary there still are comical moments with Simon. Alec is trying to come to terms that Magnus is immortal and has had quite a scandalous past well Camille Belcourt shows up. Isabel is so strong and fragile all at the same time but she gets to have some great one liners and seems to always walk in on Clary and Jace at the least appropriate time. We even get a few new characters that will probably be important down the line.

There is a little more focus on the relationships in this book than in the previous action filled adventures. But, it did really pick up at the end when the true villain is revealed. That is the part of the story I enjoyed the most it was a good build up to the reveal.

Just a few other side notes. I read all of TID before reading this and I was so happy when people and objects from the past showed up in the story. They were peppered throughout and I was like oh....there is Camille comparing the way Alec looks to Will, and oh oh oh Brother Zachariah I remember that guy.

This is still a good read for those of us who love the Shadowhunter world (raises hand) but not my favorite in the series thus far. The ending set up nicely for the next book though and left us with quite the cliff hanger.