The Blurb On The Back:

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. 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 thrilling and long-awaited final instalment of the bestselling and acclaimed Mortal Instruments.

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The Verdict:

The conclusion to Cassandra Clare’s MORTAL INSTRUMENTS SERIES is a bloated and saggy affair, weighed down by the need to close off every character’s relationship while also setting up Clare’s new series. The main plotline is painfully thin with none of the main characters actually doing anything to try and stop Sebastian, instead choosing to shout at their parents and other adults about how they just don’t understand what is happening. The identity of Sebastian’s allies is painfully obvious and it was irritating how Clare doesn’t have any character ask obvious questions in order to keep it a mystery. I was bored by the many, many relationships in the book, all of which rely on characters not having conversations with each other or being interrupted when they start to have sex. The conclusion itself is pretty underwhelming and over very quickly (in contrast the epilogue goes on for way too long with Clare eschewing a bittersweet conclusion in favour of an artificial happy ever after). My biggest gripe though is that about a quarter of the book deals with introducing characters for the new series and their storyline adds nothing to this story and reduces pace. This is a shame because Sebastian is an interesting villain with an actual psychological rationale to his action and there are some chilling scenes – notably those between Sebastian and Clary. Ultimately, while this ties up the series, I think I’m done with Clare’s world as I’m not a romance fan and she doesn’t seem to have many other strings to her bow.
The Blurb On The Back:

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.


Tessa Gray should be happy – aren’t all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa’s heart, will do anything to save her.


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The Verdict:

The conclusion of Cassandra Clare’s THE INFERNAL DEVICES trilogy is a sprawling fantasy romance told in a 19th century gothic style. The relentless exploration of the central love triangle became tedious and repetitive, compounded by the exploration of the relationships for several side characters. This slows down what little plot there is and I found the climax to be a rushed disappointment that relies heavily on deus ex machina. The tacked on epilogue will please shippers but (for me) emphasised how safe and predictable the book is. Fans will love it but it left me underwhelmed.

Thanks to Walker Books for the free copy of this book.
The Blurb On The Back:

Jace is now a servant of evil, bound for all eternity to Sebastian. Only a small band of Shadowhunters believe he can be saved. To do this they must defy the Clave. And they must act without Clary. For Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul.

Clary is willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

What price is too high to pay, even for love?


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The Verdict:

The fifth in Cassandra Clare’s bestselling Mortal Instruments Series is a ship-heavy curate’s egg, with interesting character development hampered by a leaden first quarter and too many minor plotlines. Ultimately, if you’re a fan of this series and the big ships in them, then it will satisfy you but I’m finding the angsty love difficulties to be wearying and Jace is such a massive Gary-Stu that I’m losing interest (despite some interesting character development with Sebastian and Simon). Ultimately I will finish this trilogy but I doubt I’ll read the forthcoming trilogy set in LA.
The Blurb On The Back:

Love and lies can corrupt even the purest heart …


In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, while her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will – the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers to who she is and what she was born to do? As their search for the truth leads the three friends into peril, Tessa’s heart is increasingly torn, especially when one of their own betrays them …


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The Verdict:

Cassandra Clare’s sequel to CLOCKWORK ANGEL is a disappointing mix of backstory, love triangles and a slow moving mystery. I’m not a love triangle fan and found this one emotionally overwrought, overly reliant on 19th century poetry to underscore it and worked to slow down the overall plot. Clare fans will enjoy the familiar mix of snark and passion but if you’ve read her other books, you’ll be familiar with the themes, the lines and the plot twists.
The Blurb On The Back:

Clary is back in New York and life is good: she’s training to be a Shadowhunter and is finally able to call Jace her boyfriend. But nothing comes without a price. When Jace inexplicably begins to pull away from her, Clary is forced to acknowledge that she herself has set in motion a chain of events that could lead to the loss of everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge.

The stakes are higher than ever ...


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The Verdict:

I wasn’t a particular fan of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS TRILOGY or THE CLOCKWORK ANGEL, but found this a more entertaining read. It’s the start of a new follow-on trilogy that brings in plot strands from the previous books and at times it’s too busy and the emotions sometime border too much on soap opera, but there’s more originality in the plot and I didn’t dislike the central character of Jace as much as I have done previously. As such, I’m interested in seeing where Clare takes it.
The Blurb On The Back:

Magic is dangerous – but love is more dangerous still.


When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray arrives in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gas-lit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters, a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn ever deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by – and torn between – two best friends and quickly realizes that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.


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The Verdict:

Despite some good individual scenes, this prequel to Cassandra Clare’s bestselling MORTAL INSTRUMENTS TRILOGY has far too many similarities, particularly in terms of the characters and plot structure, for it to be a truly satisfying read. Much of it was too overwritten for me and some of the prose is outright purple, while the cliff hanger ending irritates rather than tantalizes. Existing fans will probably like that, but for me this was little more than Mortal Instruments in bustles and it was disappointing that Victorian London is portrayed in such glib, Hollywood-ised terms.
The Blurb On The Back:

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?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final instalment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.


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The Verdict:

There’s more originality to the material in this book than in the first of the trilogy and the conclusion will no doubt delight the fans. However, the glibness to it remains off-putting and it while Clare’s worldbuilding has improved, I’d be more interested in something that combines urban fantasy with an emotional punch.
The Blurb On The Back:

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?


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The Verdict:

Better than City of Bones, I think that Clare is improving as a writer and seems more confident of her material. However the incest storyline lacks emotional punch or credibility and Clare drops anvils as to how it will work out. A decision to leave out a key scene for Simon is a massive mistake in my opinion and robs the book of what should have been it's most shocking and emotionally devestating scene. The writing remains clunky and the prose purple and repetitive at times, but there are some well done scenes and whilst the cliffhanger ending is a cheap device, there is still a sense that Clare knows how she wants to resolve the story arc.
The Blurb On The Back:

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know ...

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wilde ride that they will never want to end.


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The Verdict:

It's not as horrible as some would suggest, but neither is it as great as others would have you believe. The simple truth is that it's a book that needed more time to develop to make the story and characters more cohesive and for Cassandra Clare to try and work out her own style and story. Teenagers will probably buy it for the action and pretty boys, but they'll end up thinking that they've seen it all before.

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