City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace freed from captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing, so is the boy she hates: her brother Sebastian, who is determined to bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.

The Clave's magic cannot locate either boy, but Jace can't stay away from Clary. When they meet again and Clary discovers the horror Lilith's magic has wrought--Jace and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. 

Only a few people believe that Jace can still be saved. Together, Alex, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle bargain with the sinister Seelie Queen, contemplate deals with demons, and turn at last to the merciless, weapon-making Iron Sisters, who might be able to forge a wagon that can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. If the Iron Sisters can't help, their only hope is to challenge Heaven and Hell--a risk that could claim their lives.

And they must it 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. She's 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?

I absolutely love Cassandra Clare and everything she writes. So I had been waiting on City of Lost Souls pretty much since reading the final pages of City of Fallen Angels. It proved to be an absolutely fantastic read and Cassandra Clare has really proved once again that she is a master writer.

Jace and Sebastian have disappeared and no one can seem to find a trace of them. And now that Clary has been cleared of having been involved in their disappearance, the Clave is no longer making finding Jace a priority. But that's not stopping Alec, Isabelle, Simon and Magnus from finding a way to get Jace back while Clary is off risking her own life to find Jace and Sebastian. But once both boys are found, separating them could be difficult. Because of Lilith, Jace and Sebastian are bound, what happens to one happens to the other. Unless they can find a weapon that will hurt one but not the other, Jace could be lost for good.

Once again with this review I will be apologizing because I may not be entirely coherent when expressing my feelings for this book. City of Lost Souls was beyond fantastic. The story picked up right where City of Fallen Angels left off and from there the story took off. What I love about Cassandra Clare's stories is that there is always so much going on but it's all happening to different people in different places. The story is told in the third person and has multiple perspectives so it creates a certain sense of suspense. As a reader I could only follow so many characters at once so I would always hope the story lines would merge in time for everything to work out. And like with all books in this series, I was left begging for the next book.

I have so much love for the characters in the Mortal Instruments series. After being with them for five books I feel like I really know them and I will always root for them...at least the good ones. In City of Lost Souls I couldn't help but want Clary to successfully get Jace back and for Jace to become himself again. And with the other characters, I just wanted things to work out for them. The characters Cassandra Clare wrote just feel entirely real and even though I didn't always like certain characters (*cough* Sebastian *cough*), I could still see where they were coming from. All that to say that I've definitely grown attached to these characters and I can't wait to see how everything will turn out for everyone in the final book. 

If you haven't started reading the Mortal Instruments series yet, you are definitely missing out. With City of Lost Souls, Cassandra Clare's series has only gotten even better. If you pick up City of Lost Souls, or any of the books in this series, you won't be disappointed.