City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5) in Q&A with Cassandra Clare

Sep 21, 2010 Abby rated it liked it

This book was so frustrating to me. I usually like Cassandra Clare but the last two Mortal Instrument books have been pretty annoying. First of all, I felt that the story arch was told in completion with the first three books. There may have been a few loose ends but now I feel that a lot of her ideas are being repeated in this new trilogy arch. I am so tired of Jace being possessed! I am so tired of the teenage angst! I felt that all the characters were just petulant teenagers. This was going o ...more

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May 16, 2012 Julie rated it really liked it

We start right into the story after City of Fallen Angels left off and Jace went missing from the rooftop and Sebastian/ Jonathan the-demon-blood-dead-guy was now missing with Jace. Everybody is looking for Jace. Alec senses he is still alive but something is not right. After two weeks of missing the Clave changes their focus and stops looking for Jace. Clary and her friends go see the faire Queen to see if she can help them find Jace. She agrees to help them if they bring her two Shadowhunter We start right into the story after City of Fallen Angels left off and Jace went missing from the rooftop and Sebastian/ Jonathan the-demon-blood-dead-guy was now missing with Jace. Everybody is looking for Jace. Alec senses he is still alive but something is not right. After two weeks of missing the Clave changes their focus and stops looking for Jace. Clary and her friends go see the faire Queen to see if she can help them find Jace. She agrees to help them if they bring her two Shadowhunter rings that allow those who obtain the rings to speak telepathically. At the institute, Clary was about to steal the rings when Jace and Sebastian show up to retrieve some books on dark magic. Clary hides and is shocked to see Jace going along with Sebastian like they are best friends.
Jace shows up in Clary鈥檚 bedroom and tells her that Sebastian has a good plan and she needs to go with him. He also tells her that he is linked to Sebastian and they can鈥檛 kill one without killing the other. Clary decided to join Jace, this way she can find out what they are planning. If she wears the ring and Simon wears the other ring they can speak to each other. She has to play along with Sebastian and pretend she is starting to trust him as a brother. After getting drugged at a night club her ring goes missing and she has no way to warn the others about Sebastian鈥檚 plan to let free the worst demons on the world.
I thought this was the final book of The Mortal Instruments but since it left a lot undone I鈥檓 hoping it鈥檚 not. I liked the different story-lines that were going on throughout the book. Jordan and Mia who are werewolves are helping the shadowhunters find Jace. Jordan hopes he can rekindle his relationship with Mia and that she will be able to forgive him for turning her into a werewolf. Magnus and Alec are having relationship problems as Magnus is immortal and Alec is not. Alec runs into an old lover of Magnus鈥檚 and is trying to find a way to become immortal or make Magnus mortal. Isabelle can鈥檛 stop thinking about Simon, Clary鈥檚 vampire BFF, and Isabelle is struggling with finding a way to let him know she鈥檚 interested. Clary has to find a way to save Jace before the shadowhunters kill him because he鈥檚 connected to Sebastian and his evil plan. There is a lot happening all at once and 鈥淭eam Good鈥� as Clary calls her group of friends has to stop 鈥淭eam Bad鈥� before it鈥檚 too late.

It was an exciting and nail-biting read. If you like vampires, werewolves, demons, angels, fairies, warlocks, (did i forget anybody?) and whole secret society saving the world from the unknown, then you'll like this series. Cassandra Clare has a great imagination and makes her characters go through all kinds of hard times. Good news! They are turning the first book City of Bones into a movie.

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Apr 09, 2011 Stacey rated it it was amazing

let me just start off saying, i wish i had the talent that cassandra clare has. i cannot even imagine being able to sit and dream up of these stories that she has!! and i grew up writing a lot, sure, it hasn't happened since i got married and had children, but this kind of talent is sick (and i mean that in a very good way)
without giving any spoilers away, each of these books get better and better. now i do not know if that is because this is my favorite author, or that i love escaping into the ...more

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