To save her mother's
life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the
Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is
against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things
worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been
thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a
vampire who can withstand sunlight.
As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost? Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments. |
“There is no pretending," Jace said with absolute clarity. "I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there is life after that, I'll love you then.”
Out of the first three, this is the most action-heavy installment. It’s a nice wrap-up of the main story with Valentine as the villain and Clary the new shadow hunter, Jace, Alec, and Isabel fighting alongside Simon (who has new twists of his own.)
I really enjoyed some of the further exploration of side characters in this one, they seemed to hold more zest. The magic circle was interesting, although angering at times. I’m not gung-ho with some of Simon’s choices in dating, but he’s still a great guy to have around, especially considering all the changes he’s personally going through. Clary is an enjoyable heroine, although she doesn’t stand out as anything too special. Jace has humorous lines but is a bit too angst filled to be my favorite. Magnus is again brilliant (love the magician) and I couldn’t be happier about him and Alec, especially the giggle-inducing ending.
Valentine is an even more three-dimensional villain this time around as more sides are seen, and there’s a surprise I didn’t see coming with one of the new characters.
There is a heartbreaking scene I never saw coming – why do this? Why? So sad.
The writing is done well but some of the action scenes are too long, especially when told through Jace’s POV. Unlike the other two books, the page size fits the content well because there’s so much going on, but I grew bored with Jace’s POV and angst. The author seems inclined to head hop more as the sequels continue.
Overall I found the resolution and wrap-up excellent for the story. It fully feels complete to me. All things are wrapped up well and the story came to a big bang in order to wrap up in a realistic, creative manner. Well done. It’s an unusual story in that the side characters are more interesting than the two mains, but they all work together overall.
Book Quotes:
“Tell you what.' Alec reached for a second seraph blade. 'We live through this, and I promise I'll introduce you to my whole family.'
Magnus raised his hands, his fingers shining with individual azure flames. They lit his grin with a fiery blue glow. 'It's a deal.”
Book Trailer:
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