Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on September 2, 2016 | 1 Comment


Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra ClareCity of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #6
Published by Margaret K. McElderry (5.27.2014)
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover, 725 pages
Source: I own it


3 Stars

In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

My thoughts

Okay, so I’d enjoy anything Mortal Instruments just because I love the world. But sadly, I’ve fallen out of love with this series. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it while reading – but ever since City of Glass, the books have failed to leave a lasting impression on me. It’s kind of like beating a dead horse at this point. I strongly believe that Cassie should have left this a trilogy, the way it was originally meant to be.

Like I said, I love the world. And I still enjoyed it while I was reading, but it was kind of just…fluff. It’s not that it’s a light and cheery book or anything, but it’s the kind of book I like while the book is open and completely forget about when it’s closed.

Remember when I said I’d fallen out of love with the series? I’ve also fallen out of love with the characters. I don’t really care about Jace and Clary anymore, and I used to LOVE them. I feel meh about Sebastion, too, and I was drawn to him in the last couple of books. I’m not sure if the series has lost its magic, or if my opinion of it has changed. (It’s also been a REALLY long time since I read the last book, I’m sure that doesn’t help.)

The lack of emotion was the serious issue for me here. View Spoiler » Like I said, I liked the story. But I didn’t really care about the outcome or what happened to the characters. Plus, nothing felt dire. They were in a dire situation. But I didn’t feel it at all.

My second complain was the length. This book was SO. LONG. I mean, it went fairly fast, but I still think that a lot of the filler could have been cut back to shorten it to a more manageable size. Oh and another thing, there are spoilers for TID in this book. I have not read TID and some major things were ruined for me. So beware!

Man, this review sounds pretty bad! I promise I didn’t not like it, it just kinda sounds that way. Looking back I don’t have anything exciting to say about it because I’m already starting to forget the story. I still like Cassie’s writing, and I maintained decent interest throughout the story. Would I recommend it? Maybe not this book in particular, but I would still recommend trying the series if you like paranormal!

Favorite quotes

“Heroes aren’t always the ones who win,” she said. “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.”

“There are a hundred trillion cells in the human body,” she said. “And every single one of the cells in my body loves you. We shed cells, and grow new ones, and my new cells love you more than the old ones, which is why I love you more every day than I did the day before. It’s science. And when I die and they burn my body and I become ashes that mix with the air, and part of the ground and trees and the stars, everyone who breathes that air or sees the flowers that grow out of the ground or looks up at the stars will remember you and love you, because I love you that much.”

Overall Assessment

Plot: 3/5
Premise: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
World Building: 4/5
Pace: 3.5/5
Feels: 1/5
Cover: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3/5

The Mortal Instruments Series

city of bones city of ashes city of glass
 

city of fallen city of lost city of heavenly fire

Overall series rating:

3 half heartbeats
 

Jessi (Geo)

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One response to “Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

  1. danielle hammelef

    It’s too bad that the author and publisher didn’t know when to stop because sometimes, less is more. From your review, it sounds like the first 3 books are memorable and worth reading for the world-building and characters. Thanks for the heads up!

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