Summer Reading List: “City of Lost Souls”

I know it’s been a while, but we’ve finally made it to the last published book in the Mortal Instruments series. We can finally find out what happened after the cliffhanger we were left with at the end of “City of Fallen Angels.”

 

The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace freed from captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing, so is the boy she hates: Her brother Sebastian, who is determined to bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.
The Clave’s magic cannot locate either boy, but Jace can’t stay away from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s magic has wrought — Jace and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other.

Only a few people believe that Jace can still be saved. Together, Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle bargain with the sinister Seelie Queen, contemplate deals with demons, and turn at last to the mercilees, weapon-making Iron Sisters, who might be able to forge a weapon that can sever the bound between Sebastian and Jace. If the Iron Sisters can help, their only hope is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim their lives.

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

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threathens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

I never really thought there would be happily-ever-after for Clary and Jace (well, not just yet anyway; there is still one more book in the series),but I didn’t think Jace would be taken from Clary so soon. First, Clary lost him in death, and now she’s lost him after he’s been brought back. Heck, what’s worse:  Losing someone in death, or losing someone in life?

The one thing about the Mortal Instruements that I keep forgetting is the fact that Clary, Jace, Alec, and Isabelle are all teenagers. I keep thinking that they’re adults. Well,  Alec is 18, so he’s technically an adult, but I still think of him as a teenager (18 is still considered a teenager – – eighTEEN). It’s just they they have so much more responsibilty than most teenagers, and they have to more to worry about as well. In addition to having to worry about regular teenage problems, they have to worry about Downworlder, Demons and other Shadowhunters.

At the same time, if the characters were adults,  I don’t think the Mortal Instruments would be as well-understood as it is now. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be understood if Clary, Jace and the rest of them were adults, but typically teenagers (at least in today’s world) seem to have the most dramatic lives. Teenagers tend to have the most problems. And they’re also the ones who have to come to terms with who they are, whether they like it or not.

For instance, Alec has to come to terms with his sexuality. Isabelle has to come to love and trust other people in her life, especially the men in her life. And Clary has to accept her not-so-normal life.  Although adults could go through some of these same transformations, it makes more sense for the characters to be teenagers on the verge of adulthood.

Well, anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed the Mortal Instruments as much as I have, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading “The City of Lost Souls” as much as I did when I read it.

Happy reading!

MOVIE UPDATE: Kevin Zegers has been cast to portray Alec Lightwood, and Lena Headey has been cast to portray Jocelyn Fray. Jamie Bower Campbell and Lily Collins are still set to portray Jace Wayland and Clary Frary, respectively. Robert Sheehan will portray Simon Lewis. And Aidan Turner is set to portray Luke Garroway. For more casting news, you can check imdb.com, and then search for “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.”

“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” is set to be released in August 2013. I can’t wait to see it in the theaters. It should be as good as “Twilight,” only better. And if the first movie is successful, there will be more movies than “Twilight” as well.

Summer Reading List: “City of Fallen Angels”

I hope y’all enjoyed Brad Meltzer’s “The Book of Lies.” It sure was an intense plot twisting mystery.

I did know half way through the book that it had to be Roosevelt. The killer is usually someone who you least expect, and it’s usually someone who’s closest to the main character. In this case, it was Roosevelt.

And a ponytail? I’m sorry, I’ve only seen a few guys who can pull of the ponytail. And the guys who can’t usually end up looking like a woman. But that’s just my opinion.

It’s time to get back to the Mortal Mnstruments. The next book in the series is “City of Fallen Angels.”

The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to user her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And — most important of all — Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle, provoking tension between downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother just found out that he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side — along with the power of the curse that’s wrecking his life. And they’re willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls — neither of whom knows about the other.

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare:  She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayl. Revenge. The stakes are higher than every in “City of Fallen Angels.”

What makes “City of Fallen Angels” different from the first three books is the point of view. We still see the world through Clary’s eyes, but we also get to see the world through Simon’s eyes. And, as I said before, I find Simon to be a pretty interesting character.

What’s going to be interesting is going to be how he’s going to maintain his relationships with Isabelle and Maia, especially if they don’t know about each other.  These are definitely two women you don’t want to piss off, so I just wonder how, or if, Simon will get away with tricking both Isabelle and Maia.

He might end up back in  the ground.  Only this time, it would be more permanent.

Enjoy your week of reading.  “City of Fallen Angels” should be a fun read, especially if you found the first three books in the Mortal Instruments to be fun.

Summer Reading List: “City of Glass”

I hope you enjoyed the second installment in the mortal instrument series, “City of Ashes.”

Now it’s time for the “City of Glass.”   This book was orginially intended to be final book in the mortal instruments, but it was later announced that there would be three more books in the series, “City of Fallen Angels,” “City of Lost Souls,” and “City of Heavenly Fire,” which we’ll get to later.

Although “City of Glass” isn’t the final book, the events from the first two books are wrapped up.

To save her mother’s life, Clary travels to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters — never mind that by doing so she is breaking the Law, which could mean death.  Even worse, Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by Shadowhunters who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.  Luckily, Clary find an ally in the mysterious Sebastian, who holds a strange attraction for her.  As Valentine musters a demon army, can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their ancient hatred and work together?  And can Clary harness her newfound powers to help save them all — whatever the cost?

My second favorite character after Alec Lightwood is Simon Lewis.  He’s the character who is the most relatable.  Sure, he might be a vampire who can withstand sunlight, but in the first book he was a typical teenager boy who was in love with his best friend, but was too scared to tell her of his feelings.  He is then thrown into a world that he doesn’t quite understand, but he never turns away from the world of Shadowhunters, Downworlders, or most importantly, Clary Fray.

And althought Simon might not have the best opinion of Jace Wayland right now, I think Simon will come around and end up becoming good friends with Jace, whether they like it or not.

As I stated in my post before, when I first started reading the mortal instrument series, I thought it was going to be another “Twilight” just with more creatures than vampires and werewolves.  After reading “City of Bones,” I thought there was going to be a love triangle between Clary, Jace, and Simon.  But then, I found out that Jace was her brother, so it couldn’t be like “Twilight.”

Even if Jace wasn’t Clary’s brother, I don’t think the mortal instruments could be anything like the “Twilight” saga.  For one, there’s an actual storyline.  It’s more than just “I like you.  No, I like you.  No, I like you, but I like him more.”

The mortal instruments is about overcoming what seems like the impossible in your life, and, though, none of us can directly relate to misfourtunes in Clary’s life, we can understand the curveballs that life can throw at you.

Such as an unexpected death of a loved one, being laid off from a job that you thought you would have until retirement, or the discovery of a potentially fatal illness.  And though, these may be extreme cases, what can be learned from the mortal instrument is that through love, family, perseverance and a little bit of faith, you can get past any curveball that life throws your way.

I didn’t meant to get philosophical on you, but it just came out that way.  I tend to type exactly what I’m thinking, and believing, at the time.

I hope you enjoy your reading!