City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

424 pages

"The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And--most importantly of all--Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine's Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary's best friend, Simon, can't help her. His mother just found out that he's a vampire and now he's homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side--along with the power of the curse that's wrecking his life. And they're willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he's dating two beautiful, dangerous girls--neither of whom knows about the other.

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace."
-Dust Jacket

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH. That's about all I can say. Well, maybe not. Peace Like a River  had to wait because this one arrived in the mail. I knew from glancing at reviews online that this one was a mixed bag, with a major cliffhanger at the end. I'm okay with that. Except when you're going to be stuck on that cliff for over a year. And then another year after that. That's annoying.

*SPOILER ALERT*
I liked Simon in this book. He kind of took over the central character role and I enjoyed the drama with Isabelle and Maia, as well as Simon's band. (Their name changes are pretty funny.) I liked the introduction of new character Jordan Kyle and the references to characters from The Infernal Devices, although now I feel the need to read those books as well. What kind of bugged me in the beginning was Jace & Clary's relationship. I would have been content had the series ended with City of Glass. Jace and Clary struggle through all they do and then wind up happy. This book seemed to take them several steps backwards, with Jace agonizing all over again over his past and the push/pull to be with Clary and to stay away to protect her, all while keeping Clary in the dark. (At some point just talk to each other for crying out loud!) I was also sort of bugged by Jocelyn's feelings towards Jace. She and Luke are hardly in this book, but you'd think she'd be more sympathetic towards Jace, having been married to Valentine and knowing what he was capable of. Once you start to understand what's happening to Jace it makes more sense and I liked the idea that Jace, having been brought back from the dead, no longer has the protection that Shadowhunters are given when they are born. That makes him susceptible to all kinds of crazy. Again though, had he been open with Clary--which is what people who are that deeply in love should be--they probably could have solved a lot of their problems much sooner. But, then the story wouldn't have been as hard to put down.

I am glad that Cassandra Clare is continuing this story. Mostly. I felt, up until about halfway through, extending the series was just an excuse to make more money, but now I think that there may be more story to tell. I just hope it's not the same story. Clary and Jace seem to have that epic love that withstands anything and I feel confident that the author won't let the ending disappoint all of us readers who are hoping (again) for a happily ever after and believing in the idea that love conquers all. I think the next book will involve the search for Jace, but I'm not holding my breath that he'll be safe before the end of book 6. I bet Clary's gift will ultimately have something to do with freeing Jace from Sebastian's grip. I'm looking forward to having Sebastian back as the villain but that was predictable. At least during the long wait I'll be able to finish up the other two series I've been reading and finally get to read something new, hopefully not another ongoing series!