City of Lost Souls has been my favorite Mortal Instruments book so far. At Book 5, I finally understand the fandom, and I am looking forward to City of Heavenly Fire, Book 6.
City of Lost Souls picks up only a few weeks after the end of City of Fallen Angels. Jace is still missing, as is Sebastian, and Clary finds out the Lilith has tied Jace and Sebastian together. She's tied them together so tightly, in fact, that everything that Jace feels, Sebastian also feels, and vice versa. This means that killing Sebastian would also kill Jace, so Clary, Isabelle, Alec, Magnus, etc. all realize that they must find Jace, they must find a way to sever the tie to Sebastian, and they must tread carefully as they go. The Council, however, sees things a bit differently. To them, Sebastian is such a great danger that they are willing to sacrifice Jace's life in order to destroy Sebastian. Thus begins a very exciting race between the Shadowhunters of the New York Institute and the Council.
Cassandra Clare did an excellent job with character growth in City of Fallen Angels, and in City of Lost Souls we get to see a lot of characters' relationships grow. I love that! This is Book 5 in the Mortal Instruments series, so by now the reader really knows the characters: their mannerisms, their goals, their feelings. We know (and love!) Jace's dry sense of humor and Clary's impetuousness and Isabelle's fierce (almost to a fault) loyalty to her friends and family and Alec's sensitivity and Simon's peacekeeping talents. I don't want to give spoilers, but there are some romantic relationships forged in this volume, and I found myself cheering for them all the way. That being said, while this book is found in the YA section of bookstore and libraries, the reader may want to be aware that there are a few brief non-graphic "behind bedroom doors" moments.
I thought that City of Lost Souls has been one of the most action-packed titles in the Mortal Instruments series. It's non-stop! One of my few beefs with City of Fallen Angels was the multiple angsty lets-talk-about-feelings scenes; you find almost none of that here. Yes, the characters still have feelings, but they squeeze those in between all the action, and they're mostly "action" moments too: quick, passionate, intimate moments where there is definitely more "showing" than "telling." And last but not least, let's talk about the ending. It is definitely skillful writing to have a book end like this one. The main plot of this individual title was resolved while still leaving enough questions to carry the overarching plot of the series into the sixth and final book. I am definitely left wanting more, and can't wait to start in on City of Heavenly Fire!
**A Note on Narration: I listened to City of Lost Souls on CD, and the narration was fantastic. I truly think that the narration on this book actually improved my experience over reading a print version. Molly Quinn narrates City of Lost Souls solo. She is the same female narrator from City of Fallen Angels. I really loved her part on that title, while not really digging the male narrator, so I was very excited to see her name on the CD case. She has a nice, even tone and cadence that is never boring, but also never requires me to fiddle with the volume controls chapter to chapter.
City of Lost Souls picks up only a few weeks after the end of City of Fallen Angels. Jace is still missing, as is Sebastian, and Clary finds out the Lilith has tied Jace and Sebastian together. She's tied them together so tightly, in fact, that everything that Jace feels, Sebastian also feels, and vice versa. This means that killing Sebastian would also kill Jace, so Clary, Isabelle, Alec, Magnus, etc. all realize that they must find Jace, they must find a way to sever the tie to Sebastian, and they must tread carefully as they go. The Council, however, sees things a bit differently. To them, Sebastian is such a great danger that they are willing to sacrifice Jace's life in order to destroy Sebastian. Thus begins a very exciting race between the Shadowhunters of the New York Institute and the Council.
Cassandra Clare did an excellent job with character growth in City of Fallen Angels, and in City of Lost Souls we get to see a lot of characters' relationships grow. I love that! This is Book 5 in the Mortal Instruments series, so by now the reader really knows the characters: their mannerisms, their goals, their feelings. We know (and love!) Jace's dry sense of humor and Clary's impetuousness and Isabelle's fierce (almost to a fault) loyalty to her friends and family and Alec's sensitivity and Simon's peacekeeping talents. I don't want to give spoilers, but there are some romantic relationships forged in this volume, and I found myself cheering for them all the way. That being said, while this book is found in the YA section of bookstore and libraries, the reader may want to be aware that there are a few brief non-graphic "behind bedroom doors" moments.
I thought that City of Lost Souls has been one of the most action-packed titles in the Mortal Instruments series. It's non-stop! One of my few beefs with City of Fallen Angels was the multiple angsty lets-talk-about-feelings scenes; you find almost none of that here. Yes, the characters still have feelings, but they squeeze those in between all the action, and they're mostly "action" moments too: quick, passionate, intimate moments where there is definitely more "showing" than "telling." And last but not least, let's talk about the ending. It is definitely skillful writing to have a book end like this one. The main plot of this individual title was resolved while still leaving enough questions to carry the overarching plot of the series into the sixth and final book. I am definitely left wanting more, and can't wait to start in on City of Heavenly Fire!
**A Note on Narration: I listened to City of Lost Souls on CD, and the narration was fantastic. I truly think that the narration on this book actually improved my experience over reading a print version. Molly Quinn narrates City of Lost Souls solo. She is the same female narrator from City of Fallen Angels. I really loved her part on that title, while not really digging the male narrator, so I was very excited to see her name on the CD case. She has a nice, even tone and cadence that is never boring, but also never requires me to fiddle with the volume controls chapter to chapter.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_FUJU3q9xY&w=560&h=315]
