Summary:
In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.
Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.
The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?
When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...
Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments! (Via Goodreads.com)
Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.
The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?
When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...
Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments! (Via Goodreads.com)
Pages: 725
Release Date: May 27th, 2014
Review:
It is crazy that The Mortal Instruments series is over. I always knew it would come to a close, but it is so much different in theory than actuality. But, this series has come to a close whether any of us want it to happen or not. The good news though is that Cassandra Clare is going to have at least three more Shadowhunter trilogies for us to enjoy. I have figured that I will be in my early to mid-twenties when all the Shadowhunter trilogies stop. So, there will be no shortage on those! Anyways, I have a spoiler review of the City of Bones movie here: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-mortal-intrument-city-of-bones.html and my spoiler review of City of Lost Souls here: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/01/city-of-lost-souls-by-cassandra-clare.html
This will be a spoiler review so if you have yet to finish The Mortal Instruments series or The Infernal Devices trilogy (a prequel trilogy to The Mortal Instruments series) then I suggest leaving because I will be spoiling crucial information. I would highly recommend reading both The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices trilogy because they are fantastically written and have a great plot (I prefer The Infernal Devices trilogy over The Mortal Instruments series though). I still have yet to decide what I would rate City of Heavenly Fire but it is somewhere in the 4.5 out of 5 stars to the 5 out of 5 stars range.
This will be a spoiler review so if you have yet to finish The Mortal Instruments series or The Infernal Devices trilogy (a prequel trilogy to The Mortal Instruments series) then I suggest leaving because I will be spoiling crucial information. I would highly recommend reading both The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices trilogy because they are fantastically written and have a great plot (I prefer The Infernal Devices trilogy over The Mortal Instruments series though). I still have yet to decide what I would rate City of Heavenly Fire but it is somewhere in the 4.5 out of 5 stars to the 5 out of 5 stars range.
*Spoiler Section*
My predictions for deaths in City of Heavenly Fire were almost spot on. I believed Simon, Jordan, Sebastian, and Raphael would die. Sometimes I hate being right. When Sebastian died I cheered, but it was depressing when Jonathan died because he never got to live or choose how he wanted to live his life. It was also sad for me when Jordan and Raphael died. I believe those two deaths were overlooked by most. Many people disliked Raphael but I was fine with him, I believed he had good intentions but sometimes they came out wrong. Also, many people seemed not to care too much for either Maia or Jordan but I really liked them together and as separate individuals. Jordan should have been able to live longer and to find out that Maia did not want to be with him anymore (which I disagree about, I liked them together as a couple). None of those deaths I cried over though, but when it came to Simon I was bawling my eyes out. Technically he did not 'die' but he got all his memories wiped out of Clary, Izzy, Alec, Jace, and everything/everyone from the Shadowhunter world. It was as if the Simon we knew died because all the memories we shared with him were gone and he no longer remembered any of them. I hated when it was talked about the memories being wiped from his brain and describing each one because it was extremely emotional to hear about all the things he was forgetting. When Clary called him and went to the school to see if he had any recognition of them it was liked tearing off a band-aid because I had accepted he was gone but seeing/hearing him ripped it off and made me cry again and again. I could especially not contain myself when Isabelle read his band poster and discovered that it was named 'The Mortal Instruments'. But, I am ecstatic to know that Magnus helped him get a few of his memories back and he will get them all back once he gets turned into a Shadowhunter. It is a bit odd to think of Simon as a Shadowhunter though. One great thing about him turning into a Shadowhunter is that he and Isabelle can finally be together since there is nothing 'wrong' about two Shadowhunters being together! Supposedly we will get to see Simon's Ascension, which will be awesome. There is a possibility he could not survive it but I believe he will, if not I will be extremely angry and sad.
I loved that we got to meet the main characters of The Dark Artifices trilogy, the next new Shadowhunter trilogy. I feel so horrible for all the children though. In City of Heavenly Fire they had to get through so much, their parents/guardians death and Helen being exiled to Wrangel Island. I am so glad that Emma and Julian have each other to lean on for support and I am glad that by becoming parabatai they have no chance of being separated from one another. The bad thing about becoming parabatai is that they can't love each other in the way of boyfriend/girlfriend because for some reason that is not allowed. That is a problem because later on I know that at least Emma likes Julian (I don't quite know if the feeling is mutual) and I think they would make an amazing couple but it is not allowed (but forbidden romances seem to be more fun).
Compared to Will and Jem's relationship, Jace and Alec's relationship seemed non-existent.
It seemed like Jace and Alec did not care that much about one another like Will and Jem always did. But, in City of Heavenly Fire I saw Jace and Alec's relationship become more like an actual parabatai's relationship. They seemed to have understood one another better. I am also excited to see Emma and Julian's parabatai relationship in Lady Midnight.
It seemed like Jace and Alec did not care that much about one another like Will and Jem always did. But, in City of Heavenly Fire I saw Jace and Alec's relationship become more like an actual parabatai's relationship. They seemed to have understood one another better. I am also excited to see Emma and Julian's parabatai relationship in Lady Midnight.
I have never missed William Herondale (my future husband) more than I have in City of Heavenly Fire. It was so obvious how much Tessa and Jem missed him and wished they could all be together. It was so nice to see familiar faces from The Infernal Devices in The Mortal Instruments series, yet it was odd to think of them being over 100 years old and the huge change in society since we first met them. I did like that City of Heavenly Fire did not spoil much from The Infernal Devices. So, for those who have yet to read The Infernal Devices and plan to after reading The Mortal Instruments then they still can. Also, I was laughing so hard when Jem stole Church at Luke and Jocelyn's wedding, he really loved that cat. I am hoping we will see more of Tessa and Jem in The Dark Artifices. I really want Jem to talk to Emma and tell her that she is not the only Carstairs left.
I love how The Infernal Devices trilogy and The Mortal Instruments series tie together. When everyone was talking about how the London Institute somehow managed to be fine after Sebastian's attempted attack, I knew that it was saved by Jessamine. My theory was confirmed correct when Magnus said it was protected by a ghost. It is so cool to see the two series connect, especially since they have a one hundred year time gap.
Now, lets talk about the couples in City of Heavenly Fire. My favorite couple out of all of them is Isabelle and Simon. Yet again, I am not sure if they are considered a couple. But, since Simon will turn into a Shadowhunter I believe the possibility is still there and they somewhat defined their relationship. I am so happy that Magnus and Alec are back together! It is depressing that Magnus will eventually have to part with Alec when he dies, like Tessa and Will, but at least they are making the most of the time they have together. One thing I still wonder is, Magnus wrote down a lot of his life for Alec to read and I am curious if some of those stories are The Bane Chronicles? I feel horrible for Helen and Aline's relationship. Helen was exiled to Wrangel Island and Aline decided to go with her. I hope the best for them and I am sad that they may not be included in The Dark Artifices. It was saddening to me when Jordan died because I really liked him and Maia together. But, when we found out that Maia was going to break up with Jordan the day he died it was depressing because you could tell how much Jordan cared for Maia, it would have broken his heart. I do not mind the possibility of Maia and Bat ending up together, they do not make a bad pair. Lastly, we have Jace and Clary. I do not know why, but I was never in love with their relationship. Most of the time I love the main romance in the story, but not in The Mortal Instrument series. I believe it may have something to do with the start of their relationship when they thought they were brother and sister. I did not believe they were brother and sister but, I think maybe that was a way of fate telling them they were not meant to be.I am glad they got together though, they deserved happiness in the end.
I was squealing when it came to Luke and Jocelyn's wedding. We have all been waiting forever to finally see them getting married. At first I was mad that the actually wedding ceremony was not seen in the book but I was glad we got to be a part of the reception. I felt like my kids were all grown up and leaving the nest. We had to wait a while to see the wedding, but it was worth it.
My favorite part of City of Heavenly Fire was after Raphael gave Simon the drugged blood and Simon and Clary went to the Lightwood's house and Simon was yelling that he loved Isabelle. Simon and Isabelle are not only my favorite couple, but my favorite characters from The Mortal Instruments series.
I was ecstatic when Jace said he will keep the Herondale name because I have had so many fond memories with the Herondales and I do not want to see the name gone from the Shadowhunter world.
Comparing The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices trilogy I still like The Infernal Devices trilogy better. I liked the characters, setting, and love triangle better in The Infernal Devices. The Infernal Devices is my favorite trilogy of all time. In close second place is The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer trilogy.
The cover and inside illustration on the dust jacket are beautiful. The City of Heavenly Fire cover is my favorite cover out of all six books in The Mortal Instruments. It has been quite a while since I have read City of Glass so I am not sure if I like City of Heavenly Fire or City of Glass better. But, those are my two favorite books from The Mortal Instruments series.
Overall, City of Heavenly Fire was a great ending to The Mortal Instruments series and all the characters will be missed. But, I hope we will get to see them in future Shadowhunter books like The Infernal Devices characters. City of Heavenly Fire had a great balance of action, romance, adventure, fantasy/paranormal, comedy, and amazing writing. I am so excited for Lady Midnight, the first Dark Artifices book, coming sometime in 2015.
On a side note, I got to quickly meet Cassandra Clare at Book Con this May (my review and pictures from Book Con: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/06/book-con-2014.html). I am so happy I was able to meet her and get a picture with her. She was so nice and I hope I can meet her again and get her autograph next time!
~Casey
I love how The Infernal Devices trilogy and The Mortal Instruments series tie together. When everyone was talking about how the London Institute somehow managed to be fine after Sebastian's attempted attack, I knew that it was saved by Jessamine. My theory was confirmed correct when Magnus said it was protected by a ghost. It is so cool to see the two series connect, especially since they have a one hundred year time gap.
Now, lets talk about the couples in City of Heavenly Fire. My favorite couple out of all of them is Isabelle and Simon. Yet again, I am not sure if they are considered a couple. But, since Simon will turn into a Shadowhunter I believe the possibility is still there and they somewhat defined their relationship. I am so happy that Magnus and Alec are back together! It is depressing that Magnus will eventually have to part with Alec when he dies, like Tessa and Will, but at least they are making the most of the time they have together. One thing I still wonder is, Magnus wrote down a lot of his life for Alec to read and I am curious if some of those stories are The Bane Chronicles? I feel horrible for Helen and Aline's relationship. Helen was exiled to Wrangel Island and Aline decided to go with her. I hope the best for them and I am sad that they may not be included in The Dark Artifices. It was saddening to me when Jordan died because I really liked him and Maia together. But, when we found out that Maia was going to break up with Jordan the day he died it was depressing because you could tell how much Jordan cared for Maia, it would have broken his heart. I do not mind the possibility of Maia and Bat ending up together, they do not make a bad pair. Lastly, we have Jace and Clary. I do not know why, but I was never in love with their relationship. Most of the time I love the main romance in the story, but not in The Mortal Instrument series. I believe it may have something to do with the start of their relationship when they thought they were brother and sister. I did not believe they were brother and sister but, I think maybe that was a way of fate telling them they were not meant to be.I am glad they got together though, they deserved happiness in the end.
I was squealing when it came to Luke and Jocelyn's wedding. We have all been waiting forever to finally see them getting married. At first I was mad that the actually wedding ceremony was not seen in the book but I was glad we got to be a part of the reception. I felt like my kids were all grown up and leaving the nest. We had to wait a while to see the wedding, but it was worth it.
My favorite part of City of Heavenly Fire was after Raphael gave Simon the drugged blood and Simon and Clary went to the Lightwood's house and Simon was yelling that he loved Isabelle. Simon and Isabelle are not only my favorite couple, but my favorite characters from The Mortal Instruments series.
I was ecstatic when Jace said he will keep the Herondale name because I have had so many fond memories with the Herondales and I do not want to see the name gone from the Shadowhunter world.
Comparing The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices trilogy I still like The Infernal Devices trilogy better. I liked the characters, setting, and love triangle better in The Infernal Devices. The Infernal Devices is my favorite trilogy of all time. In close second place is The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer trilogy.
The cover and inside illustration on the dust jacket are beautiful. The City of Heavenly Fire cover is my favorite cover out of all six books in The Mortal Instruments. It has been quite a while since I have read City of Glass so I am not sure if I like City of Heavenly Fire or City of Glass better. But, those are my two favorite books from The Mortal Instruments series.
Overall, City of Heavenly Fire was a great ending to The Mortal Instruments series and all the characters will be missed. But, I hope we will get to see them in future Shadowhunter books like The Infernal Devices characters. City of Heavenly Fire had a great balance of action, romance, adventure, fantasy/paranormal, comedy, and amazing writing. I am so excited for Lady Midnight, the first Dark Artifices book, coming sometime in 2015.
On a side note, I got to quickly meet Cassandra Clare at Book Con this May (my review and pictures from Book Con: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/06/book-con-2014.html). I am so happy I was able to meet her and get a picture with her. She was so nice and I hope I can meet her again and get her autograph next time!
~Casey
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