City of Fallen Angels

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher

Trust is dangerous, and to love is to destroy. Plunge into the fourth installment in the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly)—now with a gorgeous new cover, a map, a new foreword, and exclusive bonus content! City of Fallen Angels is a Shadowhunters novel.

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 Review
Page Count: 424
Genre: YA Fiction, Fantasy 
Series: The Mortal Instruments #4

That ending! Once again, Cassandra Clare destroyed me. 

The Good: 

• Characters. I enjoyed watching the characters' relationships with each other grow. I also enjoyed reading more of Simon's story, which made me like him even more. 
• I really enjoyed reading about the cult in this book. Religions have always fascinated me, and even though this contained a fictional cult, there were religious references in here. It took me back to my English classes!
• The ties to the Infernal Devices series. While you don't have to read the books before this, there are a few references that you probably won't get if you haven't read them. (Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, and Clockwork Princess). 
• There are some excellent plot twists in this book. 

The Not-So-Good:

• The story line did get a little weird for me at times, but overall it was really good. 
• Without giving away spoilers, I'll just say that Jace and Clary's relationship gets very frustrating in this book. I was irritated with Jace through most of this book until I realized why he is behaving in a certain way. 
• The book started a little slow for me. There wasn't much action until after the first 100 pages. 
• The plot fell a little short compared to the epic ending in City of Glass. I realize that I need to look at this as a separate trilogy. I think it will help my expectations. 

Content Warning: Minor violence, cult references, demon worship, minor sensual scenes, blood/gore in places

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A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R.R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin--one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world. 

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin--and his world--forever.

My Review
First, I would just like to say: THAT ENDING! Wow.

Going into this book, I did not realize that this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. It took me a little bit to warm to the story once I realized that because in this book Sarah J. Maas converges the world of High Fae and the story of Beauty and the Beast. However, once I was invested, I could not put this book down. This is an excellent start to the series, and I plan on jumping right into the next one.

The Good:

• I really cared about the characters and their fate. Maas did an excellent job with character development. 
• Tamlin's and Feyre's relationship is beautiful. I enjoyed the fact that it isn't "insta-lovey," but starts slow. 
• Rhysand's character really surprised me in a good way, and I look forward to seeing him in future novels. 
• The writing and description in this book is beautiful. 

The Not So Good: 

• I had a really hard time envisioning the Fae characters as Fae until a certain point toward the last part of the book. I think this is because the Beauty and the Beast aspect threw me at first. 

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The Cruel Prince

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher: 

An instant New York Times bestseller!

By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue.

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

My Review: 

I'm on the fence about this book. At times, I really like it, and then sometimes I think it is just OK. The fairies in this book are incredibly cruel, to the point that it was hard to read at times. The fairies that go to school with Jude enjoy bullying her to the breaking point. Jude grew a lot in this book; her character development was the best by far. I liked that she finally stood up for herself, but I felt like some of her actions went too far. Overall, I think that she is a strong female character who finally found her voice. There were also a lot of plot twists that were well done. I was not expecting the ending!

I gave this book four stars because I am so indecisive about it. I feel like if I really loved it, there wouldn't be a question of how many stars to give. I will continue with the series, but I don't think this book quite lived up to the hype. 

Trigger Warnings: suicide, physical abuse, bullying

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City of Glass

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher:

Love is a mortal sin, and the secrets of the past are deadly. Plunge into the third installment novel in the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly)—now with a gorgeous new cover, a map, a new foreword, and exclusive bonus content! City of Glass is a Shadowhunters novel.

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters—never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City—whatever the cost?

My Review: 

This was a quick read because it was so action packed. Cassandra Clare's plot in this book is definitely a roller coaster, taking readers through the ups and downs of rising and falling action. I think this book really expanded the Shadowhunters universe, and it also explained many of the mysteries and questions that have been woven into the previous two books, City of Bones and City of Ashes. It was fun to see if my predictions were correct or not. 

I think that this is the best book of the series so far. I didn't find it slow in places, and the character development was excellent. Clary grew the least out of all the characters, but we did get a glimpse of her flaws. I think that this makes her more of a relatable character. Jace grows the most, and it was awesome to see this as well as what drives him. 

There is a HUGE plot twist that was so fun. It is hard to go in depth about the novel because the plot is so interwoven with City of Bones and City of Ashes that it might give away some spoilers. Go check this book out!

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City of Ashes

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher: 

Is love worth betraying everything? Plunge into the second adventure in the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly)—now with a gorgeous new cover, a map, a new foreword, and exclusive bonus content! City of Ashes is a Shadowhunters novel.

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what’s normal when you’re a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who’s becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn’t ready to let her go—especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary’s only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil—and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings—and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures readers back into the dark grip of New York City’s Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

My Review: 
Even though this is book two in the Mortal Instruments series, this novel could be read as its own entity. Readers might not get some of the references, but this book fleshes out the novel and the characters a bit more than the last book. I've heard that Cassandra Clare's writing gets even better as her books go on, and I have to agree. I really enjoyed this book, and I have already started City of Glass. City of Ashes allowed readers an even deeper and more extensive look at the Shadowhunters world and the creatures that inhabit it, including fairies, vampires, and werewolves. The book made me laugh and cry throughout. Because this is such a complex world and the plot threads through all the books, it is hard to write a spoiler-free review. 

I normally don't read books in a series one after the other (except for Harry Potter of course!), but this series keeps me so engaged that I HAVE to read the next book before going on to anything else!

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