City of Heavenly Fire
by Cassandra Clare
Read: January 20-22, 2015
Published: May 27, 2014
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Series: The Mortal Instruments
Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world will change. Who will survive the explosive sixth and final installment of the Mortal Instruments series? (Amazon.com)
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Why did you read this book?
I read this book because I would not be happy with myself until I finally read the book. I have a very hard time leaving a series unfinished, which I almost did with this series. You see, I loved the first three in the series. City of Glass ended beautifully and I would have been happy if that had been the end of it. But then, Clare announced that the trilogy would become a series! I was ecstatic that I could read more about the Shadowhunter world and Clary and Jace. I was ecstatic...until I read the fourth book (City of something or the other). I did not like it and I was sorry I ever wished for more. I told myself I would not read another one of the Mortal Instrument books. But, of course, I couldn't just leave it unfinished. I had to know if Clary and Jace ever ended up together or if they just weren't meant to be. I had to know what happened to Sebastian. I had to know if Clare ever had it in her to kill off a main character and leave them dead. And so I read it, all 725 pages of it. 725 pages.
What didn't you like about this book?
There were four major things I did not like about this book. Only four, but these four took up the majority of the 725 pages I spent the last three days reading. Well, make that five. Five things. First, it was made clear on several occasions that Sebastian was Jonathan Morgenstern and Jonathan Morgenstern was Sebastian. Yes, I believe the reader understood in the fourth book that this was the case. We do not still need to be reminded in the final book. Second, the point of few. I don't mind it switching between Jace, Clary, Isabelle, Alec, and Simon (which, at five different points of view, is too many for most readers). However, this book took the POV switching to a whole to level. Not only did we get chapters on the original five, but we also had them from Luke, Jocelyn, Jia Penhallow, Magnus, Maia, Raphael, and Emma. (I'm sure there was another one somewhere, but you get the idea). I'll be honest, I skipped most of the stuff on Jia Penhallow and Emma. Which brings me to my next point. The addition of Emma, Julian, Mark, Helen, Ty, Tavvy, and Dru were unnecessary. Their story is another book on it's own. I don't feel like they belonged in this book, especially not to be given as much page space as they did. There were too many characters to keep track of. Fourth, there were too many relationships to keep track of as well. Every character in this book had a significant other that was in danger that they needed to save that they couldn't lose or their happiness would be forever ruined in a pit of despair. It got a bit exhausting. Especially when the only relationship I really cared about was Clary and Jace. And lastly, (!!SPOILER!!), none of the main characters died. Sure, several of them came so 'close' to death, but it was obvious that none of them were going to die. Everyone got to be with their significant other and live happily ever after. To be honest, at the end of 6 books, I think one of them should have died. I was incapable of feeling...feelings really, for these characters because there was no real danger to begin with.
What did you like about this book?
Now don't be discouraged by my long paragraph of dislike. There were several things did I like about this book. For one, I like the world that Clare has created with the Shadowhunters and Werewolves and Warlocks (and Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!) It is a world that I could get lost in. I also enjoyed having one book in the series that didn't mess with Clary and Jace's relationship. Sure, they were 'in danger' for most of the book, but they were secure in the knowledge of their love for each other, which is a breath of fresh air from the turmoil of the previous five books. I liked the idea of this book, the basic plot of it, or rather, the plot that followed the main five characters. The travel between dimensions was very interesting. I wish I could have meant more time in that plot, rather than that of Emma and the Blackthorn kids. (!!ANOTHER SPOILER!!) I think, one of my favorite parts, was Sebastian's redemption as Jonathan Morgenstern. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hated him and I'm glad he died. But I loved that the heavenly fire took the evil out of him and he was able to see clearly what he did and that he was sorry. And I'm happy that Clare killed him. I half expected him to live so that him, Clary, Jocelyn, and Luke could form one big, happy family. But she didn't, and I applaud her for that.
Three Unexpected Things: The Bone Crown, Shakespeare, parallel universe
Would you recommend this book to a friend?
Only if they have read the series and are debating whether or not to finish it. This book is worth finishing. It may not wholly negate the damage of the fourth book, but it did a pretty good job. However, if said friend has only read the first three, I might recommend stopping there. It really depends on how much you care about what happens next. Or if you'd rather pretend that the last three books didn't happen, that would be perfectly fine as well.
Bottom Line:
I did, despite my complaints, enjoy this book. I will probably read it again in the future, but I don't think I will be adding it to my personal collection. I'd like to save room on my shelf for other books that I absolutely know I will read over and over again. However, I will check this out from the library again.
"Heroes aren't always the ones who win...they're the ones who lose, sometimes. But they keep fighting, they keep coming back. They don't give up. That's what makes them heroes." -City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
