City of Heavenly Fire Review: Needs A Lot Of Patience To See The Series To Its End
Whatever little doubt I had of having ‘commitment phobia’ has now vanished because I finally managed to complete The Mortal Instruments series. It was not easy to stick by a series that gave me mixed feelings. I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I so badly wanted to like it but I could not. When I saw the size of City of Heavenly Fire I thought all my issues will be resolved in this final book. I thought like City of Glass (the original finale before Clare decided to extend the series) this book too will be epic with all loose ends tied and everyone meeting their happy endings. So, despite not being a lover of thick books I still stuck it out only to be epically disappointed. I will still give a pat on my back for being so patient and reading all six books so devotedly despite being disappointed again and again and again.
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker Books
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 instalment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!
(Synopsis as on Goodreads.com)
I LIKE City of Heavenly Fire Because,
…I still like Clare’s writing. Even though this entire series has been a rather flop show for me, I still found myself interested in it because I genuinely enjoy Clare’s writing. Her world building and imagery is commendable. If you follow my Bookstagram stories, you will know that I have already purchased Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices series. Not rented, but PURCHASED. And this is after I completed The Mortal Instruments series. This clearly means that I like Clare’s writing and wish to explore more of it. Moreover, the Infernal Devices is highly praised by fans so I think what I was looking for in The Mortal Instruments may be found in the Infernal Devices. I don’t know yet, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed, hoping to not regret my buy.
As far as this book is concerned, I loved Clare’s witty one-liners and amusing scenarios. Her romance writing and suspense build-up made this book readable. Her story may have faltered but her writing helps you sail through it.
I Do NOT Like City of Heavenly Fire Because,
…it’s draggy. 733 pages is a big commitment for someone like me. So, if I am willing to read a book that thick it means I am looking for some substance in it. I went into this book seeking closure but sadly I didn’t get what I wanted. I felt that the story was dragged unnecessarily by adding unimportant characters and unjustifiably complicating the plot. The main villain dies 100 pages before the final word and whatever happens after his death makes no sense whatsoever. I do not want to sound mean but for me, the last hundred pages were sheer torture. I hate skimming through pages as I feel its cheating, but I actually SKIPPED a major portion of the last hundred pages only because I felt it was added just to fill more pages. Had Clare stopped at the death scene of Sebastian/Jonathan I wouldn’t have felt this annoyed but she went on to fill more sides of the book with what looked like forced content that killed every hope of a closure.
…certain story arcs were illogical. Clare is said to be highly inspired by the Harry Potter series and author J.K. Rowling. If that was the case then why didn’t she takes some real cues from it? In Harry Potter it is clearly mentioned that no kind of magic can ever bring back the dead. Which is a very practical point made by Rowling and I love her for that. But in Clare’s world, the dead can be resurrected and that too by a demon. Really? Since when did demons get that kind of power? It happened in City of Glass and though it bothered me, I chose to ignore it. But it happens again in the City of Heavenly Fire and this time it was unacceptable. I do not want to give any kind of spoiler so I will not delve deeper but this whole ‘bringing back the dead’ plot twist is just lame.
…I did not like any of the characters. And this is not just for the City of Heavenly Fire but for the entire Mortal Instruments series. Initially, I was rooting for Jace and Clary but with every book, their love story started to test my patience and after a point, I lost all interest in them. I liked neither Clary nor Jace. As the main characters, they did not invoke any real feelings in me. The only character I liked was Simon who seemed more real than any of the other characters. But the way Simon was dealt with in this particular book, I lost all love that I had for him. I was totally invested in his love story with Isabelle. I so badly wanted to see more of them but there was NOTHING more to their story. No progress in any way. Ugh! This series basically has no memorable characters for me.
Favourite Quotes in City of Heavenly Fire
“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.”
“You’re pining,” said Jace.
Alec shrugged. “Look who’s talking. ‘oh I love her. Oh, she’s my sister. Oh why, why, why—”
“Straight people,” Alec declared. “Why can’t they control themselves?”
“So what’s their plan, hitting Sebastian over the head with Jace until he passes out?”
“When our hearts break, they break into shards that cannot be easily fit back together.”
Final View: If you have reached here after reading the first five books in the series then do not skip this one. See the story to its end. Just do not go in with a lot of expectations.
You can check out Amazon.in for a discount on this book.
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