Bending the Spine: Review: City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare

Description

City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever.

Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

(Goodreads)

Product Details

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; First Edition edition (April 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442403543
ISBN-13: 978-1442403543

Author Website: http://cassandraclare.com/cms/home

Reading by Cassandra Clare:

Review

I could not wait for this book to come out. I actually bought my husband City of Bones, the 1st book in the Mortal Instruments series, for Christmas and ended up reading it, LOVED it. I flew through City of Ashes and City of Glass, which completed the trilogy and then found out she was going to write THREE MORE BOOKS about the Shadowhunters!!!! So as I waited for City of Angels I read the prequel to the Mortal Instruments series, Clockwork Angel, which is the 1st book in the Infernal Devices series. All that leads up to...a really good book.

The Mortal War is over, Clary's mom is planning her wedding to Luke, about time. Simon's love life is getting complicated because he's dating Maia and Isabelle and they don't know about each other! Two females that I would not want on my bad side. Alec is off in Europe with Magnus. Clary and Jace are being complicated and angsty.

Jace and Clary's relationship was my least favorite part of this book. I'm tired of Jace feeling guilty and complex and all of the never ending reason's they shouldn't be together.

I thought Simon's character was really fleshed out, as he dealt with being a Daylighter/Vampire and the struggles and power that goes with it. I wondered how long he would be able to pretend that he was normal, especially living at home with his mother and sister, so I thought sharing the apartment with Jordan was a great idea.

I loved the exchange between Magnus and Camille about the characters in Clockwork Angel and the continued depth of Alec and Magnus's relationship as Alec realized that he would eventually die and Mangus would continue without him.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am interested to see what the Seelie Queen's Bell is all about and how Camille is going to be involved in the rest of the series. Sebastien's adoptive mother is going to be a problem, not sure how they are going to solve that.

Check out the TMI Postcards from Magnus and Alec on Cassandra's Goodreads page, so funny. I also thought Jace's letter to Clary from the City of Glass was a nice touch.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first three or Clockwork Angel. So I am going to give it three moons, if Clary and Jace's relationship had gone in a different direction it would have been a better book. The saving grace of this series is the great supporting characters that are more interesting than Jace and Clary at this point.

****************************SPOILER ALERT*****************************

So...Jordan, Simon's band's new lead singer is.... Maia's ex-boyfriend that Turned her and he has good reasons for not contacting her. So glad the Maia/Isabelle/Simon love triangle did not last long.

I am so happy that Isabelle finally figured out that she really cares for Simon and it's not just being rebellious against her parents.

Lilith seems like a more formidable foe than Valentine was, not sure how you get rid of the mother of demons and her new wannabe son, Sebastien/Jonathan.

Jace is possessed by Lilith, really. This had better be a super awesome happy ending. REALLY.

Happy Reading,
Kelly