Review: City of Heavenly Fire

Thank you Cassandra Clare for giving us, in my opinion, a perfect final installment to the Mortal Instruments series.  After reading the endings of much loved series such as The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Twilight, I was a bit nervous about being disappointed at the end of TMI as well. Happily, this was not the case and I feel that the author wrapped things up in a way that leaves the reader completely satisfied. 

Synopsis from Amazon:
Darkness has descended on the Shadowhunter world. Chaos and destruction overwhelm the Nephilim as Clary, Jace, Simon, and their friends band together to fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. Nothing in this world can defeat Sebastian—but if they journey to the realm of demons, they just might have a chance…

Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world will change. Who will survive the explosive sixth and final installment of the Mortal Instruments series?

My review:
All of our beloved TMI characters are here, Jace, Clary, Simon, Izzy, Magnus, and Alec, as well as some new faces, such as Julian and Emma, who are introduced to prepare us for the next series of books to come.  If you have read The Infernal Devices, you will also pleasantly surprised to recognize characters from this story and there is a great connection between the two series toward the end of the book.  

There is plenty of emotional turmoil to go around here.  Jace and Clary are a strong couple throughout the story as he struggles to control the heavenly fire. Although this book is a bit darker than others, Jace continues to make us smile with his tongue in cheek comments. I loved the scenes where he and Clary have a stolen moment together.  We also have Magnus, who is tortured by his love for Alec, and Simon and Izzy, who are still finding their way. Even through the dense plot and extreme action scenes, Cassandra Clare finds time to develop each of these relationships and creates for the reader, a deep investment in them, leaving us desperate to read on and find out if hope and love will win out in the end.

The action in the story is almost non-stop and made it very difficult to put the book down. It is chock full of demons, endarkened ones, and even the betrayal of those once trusted. These all added to the level of engagement of the story. I especially loved the descent into Edom. This part was, in my opinion, very well written. The way each character entered, the description of the landscape as they traveled, and the throne room during the final scenes.  Just amazing to read. I could see the events running like a movie through my mind.  The final showdown between the Shadowhunters (Clary especially) and Sabastian was intense, emotional, and satisfying. 

There really was nothing about the story I didn't absolutely love.  If I had to chose something to nitpick about, I would simply giggle and ask this question: Who remembers to pack a condom when traveling to Hell? 

All in all, a great ending to a great series.  Grab it, devour it, love it. I may even read it a second time.  Bittersweet to see it end but I now look forward to The Dark Artifices and the story of Emma and Julian.