City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Lost Souls

Author: Cassandra Clare

Pages: 534

Release: May 8^th, 2012

Synopsis:

(from Goodreads)The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees. No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own? Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?

My Thoughts:

I have been a fan of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instrument series for a few years now and I think it’s a safe bet to say that it is my favorite book series. However, the last book, City of Fallen Angels, kind of fell flat for me and I was starting to worry that maybe this series had lost focus. I am happy to say that City of Lost Souls brought me back to why I love the Shadowhunter world and left me itching for more!

I think that one of my initial fears going into this book was that with Jace missing, a lot of the witty banter that makes these books so fun would be gone, but Jace is in most of the book and his personality does not suffer. Also, I found myself falling more in love with the relationships in this book. Simon and Isabelle, Jordan and Maia, Alec and Magnus, even Clary and Jace, all showed so much development throughout this book and I was appreciative to see how it unfolded.

As always, Cassandra Clare does an excellent job at having multiple storylines going on at once. Her ability to never make her books become boring or have a lull in action is something that I love. City of Lost Souls is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat for it’s entirety. Trust me, my fingernails are all bitten off and I held my breath so much, I feel like I just ran a marathon! This is one you do not want to miss.

In Short:

Rating: 5/5

Purchase or Check Out?: Purchase

Would I read it again?: Yes!

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Title: Unearthly

Author: Cynthia Hand

Pages: 435

Release: January 4^th, 2011

Synopsis:

(from Goodreads)In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy. Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

My Thoughts:

Unearthly was a book that I had never seen in stores but noticed it was only .99 in the Nook store. I had heard things about the series and I am a sucker for a fallen angel story, so it was a done deal. Unearthly is an exciting, fast-paced book that keeps you turning pages the whole way through.

While I really enjoyed the novel, the beginning lacked originality. It was in many ways, cut from the same cloth as Twilight. There is a girl, Clara, who is forced to move from a warm, populated area to a cold, small town. There is a love triangle with the daring, hot boy and the good-natured, friendly one and there is even a scene where Clara and her friends go out of town to shop for Prom dresses. It was a little too déjà vu for me at that point. But, luckily it becomes more it’s own by the middle to the end.

While it was a very familiar storyline at times, I loved the angels that Cynthia Hand created and I found myself eager for more information throughout the book. I also absolutely adored the fact that Clara is the hero in this book. She’s the powerful girl who’s doing the rescuing, and I am all about girl power in YA books!

I really enjoyed reading Unearthly and think it is a great book, worth reading. I enjoyed the characters, the mystery, and am looking forward to reading more from this series.

In Short:

Rating: 4/5

Purchase or Check Out?: Purchase

Would I read it again?: Yes!