Book Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Book: City of Heavenly Fire (Book #6 in the Mortal Instrument Series)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Rating: 5/5 stars- never have I felt so nostalgic

Synopsis:

ΕRCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID. 

I am coming.

Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance?

Review:

First of all: sorry about the giant long hiatus guys! Pre-finals craze has finally rolled around, and with it goes my sanity and sleep. 

But that most certainly did not stop me from picking up the final Mortal Instruments book and devouring that beautiful 700+ page book in a day.

You might be wondering why I'm not doing a series review on this since it's the last book, but truthfully, if I tried, I wouldn't know where to start and I'd be writing forever. I figure just focusing on this one was enough.

Warning: This review will have a non-spoiler review, and then a spoiler section where I talk a little more of the things in the books. So read the non-spoiler review, read the book and come back and let's discuss!

The Non-Spoilery Speedy Version:

Guys, although throughout the years I feel like I've lost some of the passion I've started out with City of Bones for this series, there is no denying the sense of déjà vu and nostalgia. This book brought me back to the days when I was majorly a Mortal Instruments fan. Granted I still really love the series, but let's say my horizons have expanded. 

We return to the world with the characters we know and love and new ones to love in the future- along with visiting new places and old places. There is tension, plot twists, and just about a heart attack around every FREAKING chapter. Cassandra Clare is a bully.

And then there are the actual heart attacks.

I'm not kidding guys I yelled way too many times when reading this and I was like locked in denial.

(I looked exactly like Honey in that gif too. many. times.)

I guess I didn't really know what I was expecting going into this book- was I expecting a happy ending? ehhhhh kinda? Was I expecting pain? YES. Was I expecting the twist at the end? FUCK NO.
(I would love to apologize for my language but seriously)

If you're a Mortal Instruments fan, you will not be disappointed with this final installment in the series. It hits you in all the right places, it brings the best of the series to the table, and personally I think it was the most well written of the series- my favourite will always be The Infernal Devices, but I feel like that in the process of writing that series, it helped her improve The Mortal Instruments. City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire are easily the best in the series, with good writing and solid plot with plenty of twists, it's a series I'm sad to see end- but I'm excited to see what the next series will carry on from there.

The Spoilery Fangirl Version:

CLICK AWAY CLICK AWAY
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OK guys let's get one thing here straight- THE MILLION REFERENCES TO THE INFERNAL DEVICES? SLAYYED.

I loved how we saw Jem and Tessa at the end, and I love how we saw Jem come back to life and he was hot and he was BAD. ASS. and I diiiiiied. And when they were like "WAIT I SWEAR I SAW JEM TAKE CHURCH." I nearly PEED myself laughing.

And how you see Jem reference to his past and to those who've read The Infernal Devices is just like "ahhhh" and how Tessa pops up here and there ohmygosh. And I yelled when I connected the dots between "Gray" and "Fray". HOW DID CASSANDRA DO THIS. DID SHE PLAN THIS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.



And then little Emma and Julian! AHHHHH. I'm so excited for The Dark Artifices, because if Emma is like how she is in this book, we're going to have some serious badass fun. :P I loved how much she resembles Jace's past in a sense, yet she has her own problems and difficulties. She has this strength and stubbornness and even at a young age, she shows incredible bravery and is completely out there. Julian and her... #toocute

I like how the book kind of mentions about their possible future problems and I just. oh. hit me right there.

What I loved most about this book was how every character seemed to interact with each other- this was really strong in terms of character and it was always what I thought was the weakest in the Mortal Instruments series. Aside from Jace, the other characters were fun but seemed to have minimal depth at points. But we seem to sense to bond with everyone, and it's beautiful on top of all the amazing plot twists.

The character deaths... Jordan :( I predicted it and everything but I just wished... ohhhhhh. Raphael too! I guessed that there was a chance, but I didn't think he was going to go off in such an honourable way. It showed integrity and strength and I salute thee!

I felt no problem with Maureen and Meilorn needless to say. I WISHED THE QUEEN DIED BUT UGGH. (cause I'm telling you, the Seelie Court is coming back to bite the Shadowhunters in the butt in The Dark Artifices)

I'M SO HAPPY MAGNUS LIVED OMG I COULD CRY. I was so so SO SCARED. I was TERRIFIED. I had maybe fifty heart attacks and girl, let me tell you. DON'T YOU MESS WITH MY GLITTER QUEEN.

BUT THEN SIMON. WHEN I FINALLY THOUGHT THE WORSE WAS OVER. OH. HA HA HA NOOOPE.

I screamed and I cried and I was like NOOOOOO IT CAN'T BE WAIT WAIT THERE'S ONE HUNDRED MORE PAGES THIS WILL BE FIXED.



It broke my heart LIKE CRAZY. But it kind of worked out in the end, with the Shadowhunter thing I guess... but I can't see him as that anymore! He'll always be that cute nerdy vampire to me. :)

My only real issue was... surprisingly the romance in this novel? I no longer enjoy this series for the romance- I'm all about the demons and the fights and the character bonds, and I loved the part where Alec was like "MY EYES. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU STRAIGHT PEOPLE.", because that was what I was kind of thinking- see the sex scene was useless in my opinion, and I was kinda of hoping it wouldn't come? It seems like such a cliche to me, and I'm the kind of girl who likes a tease more than anything? oh god I think I'm saying things I'll regret putting on the Internet. Universities don't hate me.

I liked Isabelle and Simon's progression in the series (and the DTR joke omg) and #Malec is like my favourite ship in this whole series, but I like Clary and Jace more on the emotionally bonded side rather than the physically attracted side.

Guys, it was CRAZZZY RIDE, with laughs and moments of gasping, moments of heart attacks and just. oh. no words guys. This is going to be really sad to say goodbye, but I look forward to The Dark Artifices!