Review: City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.
But nothing comes without a price.
Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.
The stakes are higher than ever in the #1 New York Times bestselling fourth installment of the Mortal Instruments series.

MY TAKE:
There were some things I liked about this book, but I felt like it wasn't as good as the first three books.

In City of Fallen Angels, Valentine has been defeated and life seems to have gone back to semi-normal for everyone. However, a new evil has come and things are going to be even more complicated than before.

I liked the big picture of this book. I was able to figure out who the main villain was going to be for the next books, although the getting there wasn't straightforward. It was nice to see Simon and what his Mark can do, although there was one time that I thought the Mark's effect was comical. Alec and Magnus' relationship was also a highlight for me. Except for the whole one-is-immortal-one-is-not, their's seems to be the most realistic relationship here. Or the most mature one, anyway.

There were a few new supporting characters introduced here, but none of them were particularly noteworthy to me. I mean, they were okay, but they didn't make me feel any strong emotions. The one I felt strong emotions for were Clary and Jace. I started out liking the two of them, but as the series goes on, I find myself getting more and more annoyed with Clary. Honestly, her impulsiveness and stubbornness end up hurting people and she makes no effort to act more prudently. As for her and Jace's relationship, the dramatics went up a notch higher than in the previous books. I didn't really mind before because it was truly a strange situation. However, in this book, it felt like the degree of emo-ness was exaggerated as to be unbelievable.

Overall, the book felt to me like it was just a prelude and not the real start of the series. I hope things pick up in the next book.

THE GOOD:

1. There were some interesting plot twists.
2. Alec and Magnus are fun to read about.
3. The conclusion can mean very intriguing things in the next books. 

THE BAD:

1. It felt like a prequel than the main part of a series. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

“I can see why you like it here," he said,making a sweeping gesture that encompassed Kyle's collection of movie posters and science fiction books. "There's a thin layer of nerd all over everything." said Jace.
"Thanks. I appreciate that." Simon gave Jace a hard look.” 

READ IT IF:

1. You enjoyed the first three books in the series.
2. You like Alec and Magnus.
3. You're intrigued by what Simon's Mark could mean. 

RATING:


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