City of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls – Cassandra Clare

Pages: 553

Publisher: Walker

Release Date: 8^th May 2012

Edition: UK trade paperback, review copy

Other Titles by this Author: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince

Jace is now a servant of evil, bound for all eternity to Sebastian. Only a small band of Shadowhunters believe he can be saved. To do this they must defy the Clave. And they must act without Clary. But Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul.

Clary is 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?

This book is going to be impossible to review without spoiling City of Fallen Angels so be warned. I, of course, won’t write about any spoilers from this one.

It’s no secret that The Mortal Instruments series is one of my favourites and each new book is always a highlight of my reading year. City of Lost Souls did definitely not disappoint.

I really don’t know where to start with this review other than screaming via caps lock about how awesome this book is, but that’s quite unhelpful really. You’re probably wondering why on earth it’s taken me so long to read and review this if I loved it so much, the reason: exams. If I had started this any earlier, I wouldn’t have done a shred of revision and starting it the day before my last exam will most definitely explain the disappointing mark I will get in August because it’s just so damn addictive!

From the evil cliffhanger of City of Fallen Angels which leaves a pool of blood and a missing Jace; anything could have happened. For the entire time that Clary and the rest of the gang didn’t know where Jace was, I was panicking. Would he be hurt? Would he know who he is? What has Sebastian done to him? What does Sebastian want with him? It was a tense eighty or ninety pages until I he appeared, I’m telling you know. And even after that, it wasn’t quite right. I just couldn’t quite muster up the feelings that Jace usually elicits from me – it was unnerving and rather wrong.

With the absence of my normal wanting to be hearing from Jace every second of the novel I got to know and love some of the other characters in Clary’s world a little better. There was a heavier focus on Alec and Magnus’ relationship in City of Lost Souls which I really loved. They are in a difficult situation and the way that Cassandra Clare explored the difficulties of Magnus’ immortality and the way that their relationship has been dealt with by the Clave and the rest of the Shadowhunters was really interesting a more than a little worrying. They are quickly becoming one of my favourite literary couples.

Simon and Izzy also got more attention while the spotlight wasn’t shining solely on Jace and Clary. There’s something about those two that’s so right but so wrong at the same time. I think that they’re are the kind of couple you’d see together on the street and think ‘Perfect’ but if you knew them beforehand would make you blink in wonder a few times and then slowly start to nod your head in complete agreement. They work, I don’t know why, but they do. I have to admit that I started to fall for Simon a little bit...

As well as a cast of awesome characters, City of Lost Souls completely delivered on plot. I won’t give anything away, I’ll just say that Cassandra Clare had me on the edge of my seat, gasping aloud in shock or horror far too frequently to be good for my heart and she threw enough curveballs to ensure some serious whiplash.

City of Lost Souls is a novel of epic battle scenes, dangerous plans and stupid ideas and I loved every page of it. Bring on City of Heavenly Fire for what I’m sure will be an epic ending to The Mortal Instruments.

Thank you to Walker for providing me with a copy for review.

Sophie