Wednesday 20 April 2011

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare


Published in April 2011 by Walker Books
Pages - 426
This book was kindly sent to me by the publisher for an honest review.

'Just coffee, please.' 
The waitress raised her penciled eyebrows. 'You don't want to eat?' she asked. Her accent was thick, her attitude disappointed.
Simon Lewis couldn't blame her; she'd probably been hoping for a better tip than the one she was going to get on a single cup of coffee. But it wasn't his fault vampires didn't eat. Sometimes, in restaurants, he ordered food anyway, just to preserve the appearance of normalcy, but late Tuesday night when Veselka was almost empty of other customers, it didn't seem worth the bother. 'Just the coffee.'

This is the fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series, where we find Clary back in New York and life seems to have returned to some kind of normality. Jace is now officially her boyfriend and she is training hard to be a Shadowhunter. Unfortunately, true love never seems to run smoothly and Clary finds Jace beginning to pull away from her. Clary begins to realise that her past actions may have led to the change in Jace and her original choices could lead to the destruction of the one person she loves more than anything else. Jace.

Meanwhile Simon is still coming to terms with his new life as a vampire. Although he tries so hard to hold on to the life he led before his transformation, he realises that everything will begin to change and he must decide how he wants to proceed with his future. Within this book, Simon takes a bigger role, he is struggling with how to live as a vampire and isn't really sure if his previous friends accept his new lifestyle.  He is under threat from the beginning, and you cannot help but feel his pain and loneliness.

I adore the banter that occurs between Jace and Simon.  Their dislike for each other is comical, as they play one off against each other. I must share the following passage with you as an example.

'You can't have two fathers.'
'Sure you can,' Simon said. 'Who says you can't? We can buy you one of those books that they have for little kids. Timmy Has Two Dads. Except I don't think they have one called  Timmy Has Two Dads and One Of Them Is Evil. That part you're just going to have to work through on your own.'
Jace rolled his eyes. 'It's fascinating,' he said .'You know all these words, and they're all English, but when you string them together into sentences, they just don't make any sense.'

They just constantly bicker like children.

I love the way Isabelle  has become so much more human in this book. Before she has always seemed so heartless and cold, yet she begins to show her emotions as her maturity deepens.  I am definitely an Isabelle fan, and I hope that she sorts out her relationship phobias in order to build on the blossoming romance developing within the story. 

The intensity of the relationship between Jace and Clary hit a new level and you are left wanting to know more. I was quite lost in their relationship, as it heated up rather quickly, leaving you blushing slightly. 

Cassandra Clare is just an amazing author. When you pick up one of her books, you find yourself agreeing to ride the ultimate rollercoaster. The ride sets off on such a swift pace and each person's journey will be designed purely for them, allowing no preparation for the journey ahead. When you finish the last page, you step off the ride, looking windswept and bedraggled but smiling gleefully after experiencing the ride of your life.  If you hadn't realised yet, I LOVED THIS BOOK!

This is a must read series. Cassandra Clare's books are unpredictable. You really don't have a clue which way the story will go. The book is fast paced and does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, which secretly leaves you pleased to discover that another book will be written in the series. Yay!

I actually found this book playing out like a film in my head. The way Cassandra Clare writes, actually stops you seeing the words, and leaves you watching the film version. You completely forget you are reading a book.

If you haven't read any of this series, then I suggest you start reading them soon. 

8 comments:

  1. I just ordered the first one in the series after hearing loads about this author and seeing her books pop up everywhere.

    Lovely review, I loved the first extract! This will definitely be one that gets added to my shelves at some point.

    Jules x

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've read the first in the series and loved it!!! I have the others and really want to get to them. Read the others too Viv - you'll love them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I love this series!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have to read a book by her, honestly, you will sure get me to read a translation ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Too bad you didn't like this one, Vivienne. Just kidding! It sounds spectacular!

    ReplyDelete
  6. During the read-a-thon this was one of the fastest claimed prizes. Now I know why! Great review!

    ReplyDelete

Hiya, thanks for stopping by, it is always nice to hear what you have to say, so do leave a comment if you have time.