Monday, July 21, 2014

Review: City of Heavenly Fire

Title:  City of Heavenly Fire
Series:  The Mortal Instruments #6
Author:  Cassandra Clare (Website | Twitter)
Age Group:  Young Adult
Publication Date:  May 27, 2014 by Margaret K. McElderry
Source:  Bought
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!
 Find City of Heavenly Fire online
Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Goodreads

*Mild Spoilers for the previous Mortal Instrument books and The Infernal Devices*

My Review:  By the Angel, this review is hard to write.  I honestly don't even know how to start.  This series has been a part of my life for so long that I can't believe it's over.  I procrastinated so hard with this book.  It was sitting on my shelf staring at me for a good month before I gathered up the courage to start it.  I thought I could just live in denial and never leave these characters and this story but I was too curious - I needed to know what happened.  

Just like in all previous Cassandra Clare books, the character continued to hold my heart.  I love this cast so hard.  Jace, Clary, Simon, Izzy, Magnus, even Alec.  I couldn't get enough of them.  They have all grown so much since the first book - especially Jace.  His maturity in this installment was a pleasant surprise.  I'm so used to having him hold in his emotions until they disastrously explode all over everything.  Having him actually be up front and honest about things was a refreshing change.  Clary was also amazing.  It was so awesome seeing her kick butt in this book!  Her maturity this time around was such a relief and very believable.  We even got introduced to the main characters in Cassie's next series, The Dark Artifices.  I already love them!  

The action was, unsurprisingly, kick ass.  Cassie Clare has a way of making it feel like you're right there with the characters as you're reading, especially in the fight scenes.  I get really stressed out during those fights!  I was constantly on edge, waiting for something terrible to happen and ruin everything.  Because, really, when does that not happen for this group of characters?  Every scene was high-stakes and thrilling. 

I loved how well this book tied in with The Infernal Devices.  Every single time the characters were mentioned from TID, I cried.  Not even lying, just the mention of Will and Tessa and Jem was like a punch in the stomach.  Just thinking about it now, I'm tearing up.  THIS IS WHAT YOU DO TO ME, CASSIE CLARE.  THIS IS WHAT YOU DO.  

City of Heavenly Fire was honestly not at all what expected but I loved it all the same.  Some of it was bittersweet but for the most part, I was left feeling satisfied and with a smile and waterfalls of tears on my face.  The conclusion to The Mortal Instruments series will not disappoint.  It is the perfect ending to a beautiful series and I'm anxious to get my hands on the next Cassandra Clare novel.  


“We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.” 


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4 comments:

  1. I'm glad you loved this book as much as I did! The action was pretty kick-ass. I LOVED all the TID references and the fact that J&T were there. *sigh* Did your copy have the comic in the back? Cassie claimed there were two weddings in CoHF, one was in the book, the other was in the comic. I'm sure you can guess whose wedding it was :) Lovely review!

    Rachel @A Perfection Called Books

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    1. Comic in the back?! It had the picture on the back of the dust cover but I didn't see a comic! I MUST FIND IT! *one google search later* OH MY GOSH. The tears have returned. These characters make me so emotional I can't!

      Thank you for telling me about the comic! So glad I didn't miss it!

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  2. AHHHHH!
    I'm so sorry but I cannot read this review because I have yet to even glance at the book, much less actually START it. Eesh. I was a wreck after reading Clockwork Princess and I'm not sure I can handle the END yet. I can't believe it's over either. I've been reading these books since middle school. I fell for ID a bit more than TMI but still. Love them both and while I want to know how everything ends, I REALLY DON'T. Right now anyways. I'll get to it soonish(:
    Glad you liked it though! It's so encouraging! Are you awaiting her next series? Apparently it takes place in LA, which I find pretty cool :D

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    1. You can read it after you read the book if you want!! Clockwork Princess gave me all the feels! I like TID slightly better than TMI, too. Will forever has my heart <3 I think CoHF is worth the pain, though! It's so good! And YES! I'm so excited for The Dark Artifices! We got a little sneak peek of it in this novel!

      Thanks for stopping by!

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