Book Review Friday: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

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Goodreads Blurb:

"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!"

Review:

When I first started this series, I wanted to love it, I really did.  But then, I just couldn’t get into the world and everything was incredibly murky.  City of Heavenly Fire was slightly better in that regard however.  I mean, the descriptions of the ___ world were pretty good and I did feel slightly connected to the story.  So overall, it was a decent end to a series that I didn’t really like.

So Clary.  She was my number one most hated character all throughout the series.  However, in this book, she was slightly better.  She did learn some skills and she had her brilliant moments.  There were still parts where I couldn’t help but facepalm because she just couldn’t see the obvious or made very questionable choices (and not just for her age either).

Magnus is another character of note but for good this time.  He is the redeeming element of this series.  I’ll definitely be reading the book the author dedicated to him in addition to the Infernal Devices series (I’ve heard it’s better than TMI).  Magnus is absolute perfection and that little secret he carries around… wowza.

The ending was certainly explosive.  When it came to the final choice, OMIGOSH.  I just can’t.  I had to put down the book for a minute I was so emotional.  It was definitely worth suffering through the rest of the series just so I could read the last few scenes because MAN were those intense.

So I mean, overall I guess it was pretty good.  It wasn’t a complete waste of time if you’re wondering. If you loved the rest of the series, you'll definitely love this book but if you're like me, well it's a toss-up for sure.

The Final Verdict:

A pretty decent end to a series that left something to be desired.  The ending was worth all the pain of reading the rest of the series though!

3 stars

Quotes:

“Alec looked down at the shattered pieces in disbelief. “You BROKE my PHONE.”
Jace shrugged. “Guys don’t let other guys keep calling other guys. Okay, that came out wrong. Friends don’t let friends keep calling their exes and hanging up. Seriously. You have to stop.”
Alec looked furious. “So you broke my brand new phone? Thanks a lot.”
Jace smiled serenely and lay back on the grass. “You’re welcome.” 

“We shouldn’t,” protested Isabelle. “The Clave has a plan.”
“The Clave has the collective intelligence of a pineapple,” said Jace.
Alec blinked up at them. “Jace is right.”
Isabelle turned on her brother. “What do you know? You weren’t even paying attention.”
“I was,” Alec said, injured. “I said Jace was right.”
“Yeah, but there’s like a 90% chance of me being right most of the time, so that’s not proof you were listening,” said Jace. “That’s just a good guess.” 

“Did Brother Zachariah just steal our cat?” 

“Magnus rolled onto his back and put his feet up on the arm of the sofa. “What do you care if Alec’s miserable?”
“What do I care?” Jace said, so loudly that Chairman Meow rolled off the couch and landed on the floor. “Of course I care about Alec; he’s my best friend, myparabatai. And he’s unhappy. And so are you, by the look of things. Takeout containers everywhere, you haven’t done anything to fix up the place, your cat looks dead —“
“He’s not dead.” 

“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.” 

“Temper us in fire, and we grow stronger. When we suffer, we survive.”