Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsClare does it again!
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on September 25, 2016
Clare’s “City of Lost Souls” is book five in Cassandra Clare’s “The Mortal Instruments” series.
This novel picks up right where the last one left off- Clary embarks on a mission to find Jace and break him from the spell put on him by her evil-doing brother Sebastian. Isabelle, Simon, Magnus, Alec, Maia and Justin all play important roles in this quest too, while simultaneously dealing with their tumultuous teenaged relationships.
Werewolves, Shadowhunters, Vampires, warlocks, faeries and other characters of folklore are prominent in all of Clare’s “Instruments” series, and this novel is no different. Although the first novel was primarily the “Clary and Jace” show, her proceeding novels have allowed the reader to develop relationships with the other characters, particularly Simon, which I find has endeared me to her novels even more. Telling the story from several viewpoints gives a reader more than one character to root for (which is good in the Shadowhunter stories- since folks are always dying!).
One final book remains in this series, and then Clare embarks on the risky journey of a “prequel series” (The Infernal Devices). I look forward to seeing how this journey ends and discovering the new series. Popular, widespread YA novels like these tend to get old and sour fast, with repetitive storylines and plots that start out addictive and end with disappointment. I have hope that Clare’s “Instruments” will provide me with a satisfactory ending. After all, I initially disregarded her novels as yet another mainstream fad, and was quickly wrapped up by them, so surprises are always possible.
