Review: City of Fallen Angels | Cassandra Clare

This review is spoiler free.

“But I watch my brothers give their hearts away and I think, don’t you know better? Hearts are breakable. And I think even when you heal, you’re never what you were before.” 

Series: The Mortal Instruments
Published: 2015, by Walker Books, Ltd.
Pages: 439
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Contains: Death, Violence, Anger, Strong Language, Blood/Gore, Torture

‘City of Fallen Angels’ is the fourth instalment of The Mortal Instruments series, following Simon, a daylighter vampire teen who is protected by the Mark of Cain. However, someone bad is trying to get close to him through Clary, for reasons he can’t work out.

The Mortal Instruments is vastly becoming one of my all-time favourite series, having fallen for its addictive nature. This book has been no exception, surprising me with its development.

This instalment went in a direction I didn’t see coming, focusing more on Simon than any other character. In previous novels, Simon was more of a secondary character, falling into the background for me on occasion as his struggles were less of a priority to me. However, in this novel Simon develops into a more primary character, his abilities becoming crucial to the plot. I loved that, finally seeing more to the character than his romantic relationships and seeing him grow in confidence and power. He was a joy to read about, making mistakes but owning and learning from them as the story progressed.
Jace was another character that developed more in this novel, becoming far more than his own insecurities and romantic relationships. We see a different side to Jace in this novel, highlighting the trauma the character had suffered in previous books and how much that is taking a toll on him. He becomes a far more rounded character, becoming more three-dimensional to me, more human. It was incredibly enticing to read about.
However, my favourite character, Alec, developed in a beautiful way with his relationship with Magnus. They faced more struggles together, standing up for what he believed in and revealed a potential vulnerable side to their relationship. It set up what could potentially be an incredibly interesting turn of events in future books.

The novel itself continues in Clare’s signature style, being simplistic but effective in language. The story flows at a steady pace, with enticing cliffhangers at nearly every chapter to keep you entertained and wanting more. The characters themselves are as lovable as always, keeping you desperate to hear more of their lives whilst their dialogue keeps you giggling into the pages of your book.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed this novel. It’s simply a joy to read and I’m eager to continue the series immediately, despite my looming pile of unread books.

5/5