Hey there, fellow book nerds! Are you ready to dive into the thrilling world of City of Lost Souls by the one and only Cassandra Clare? This fifth installment of The Mortal Instruments series is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions, and trust us, you won’t want to miss a single twist and turn!

In City of Lost Souls, we find our beloved Shadowhunters—Clary, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Simon (not a Shadowhunter but a vampire that is essentially one of the group)—embroiled in yet another perilous journey. The story picks up where the previous book left off, with Jace under the malevolent influence of Sebastian, Clary’s diabolical brother.

What price is too high to pay, even for love? Well, Clary is about to find out. When she and Jace are finally reunited, she’s horrified to discover that Lilith’s demonic magic has bound Jace to her evil brother, Sebastian, making the love of her life a pawn in Sebastian’s evil game.

As Jace becomes more and more entangled in Sebastian’s sinister plans, Clary and the gang race against the clock to save him from the darkness threatening to consume him. But, of course, things can never be simple for our Shadowhunters. Cue the emergence of more plot twists with the goal to wipe out the Shadowhunters for good.

To make things worse,  the Clave is hell-bent on destroying Sebastian, but there’s a catch—there’s no way to harm him without destroying Jace in the process. Talk about a heart-wrenching dilemma! 

Clary feels the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders as she grapples with the impossible choice laid out before her. On one hand, there’s the safety of the entire Shadowhunter world at stake, threatened by Sebastian’s malevolent intentions. On the other hand, there’s the love of her life, Jace, bound to Sebastian by dark magic and teetering on the edge of oblivion.

As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle pull out all the stops to save Jace, Clary finds herself playing a dangerous game of her own. The stakes are high, and 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 to the darkness that threatens to consume them all?

With heart-stopping action, swoon-worthy romance, and more plot twists than you can shake a stele at, City of Lost Souls is a wild ride from start to finish. 

Does City of Lost Souls get our stamp of approval?

Engaging Plot: Does the book have a compelling storyline that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end? Just like the book prior in the series, we couldn’t stop reading once we started. The series is getting closer to an end, and there is still so much to be discovered. 

Well-Developed Characters: Are the characters multidimensional, with realistic motivations, flaws, and growth throughout the story? If you don’t think about how old the characters are, it’s easy to be swayed by how strong they are. With emotional depth beyond that of most people we know, the characters that Cassandra Clare created strike a different chord. 

Strong Writing: Is the prose well-crafted, with vivid descriptions, realistic dialogue, and a consistent narrative voice? The writing just keeps getting better as we get sucked into the story more. It’s a good thing the last two books of the series are long. We aren’t ready for it to end!

Emotional Impact: Does the book evoke a range of emotions in readers, from laughter and joy to sadness and empathy? The emotions are rich and multi-faceted. Sometimes it feels as though we might explode if we don’t keep reading because we need to know more to get our own emotions under control (which sometimes takes reading over 50 pages). Other times, however, we had to take short breaks to cry it out. 

Originality: Does the book bring something fresh and unique to its genre or subject matter, avoiding clichés and predictable plot twists? This book, and subsequently this series, is set up to be extremely unique. There isn’t much else out there quite like this. Cassandra Clare did a great job executing her vision. 

Pacing: Is the pacing of the story appropriate, with a good balance of action, exposition, and character development? We can’t think of a single flaw regarding the pacing – we were hooked the entire time.

World-Building: Does the book create a richly imagined world that feels immersive and believable? If we could move to the world this took place in, we would. Well, that is if the world continues to exist. 

Theme and Message: Does the book explore meaningful themes and deliver a message that resonates with readers? The same themes and messages are present, but they keep becoming increasingly complex. Who ever would have thought how complicated teenagers could be? Teenagers and family drama… Who would have ever thought it could lead to all this?

Resolution: Does the book provide a satisfying resolution to its central conflicts and story arcs? 

It’s a good thing the sixth and final book is already released. We would have gone crazy waiting otherwise. 

Overall Enjoyment: Most importantly, did we enjoy the book? Absolutely. We will be reading it again, and bet it’s one you’ll read several times too. 

Have you read City of Lost Souls yet? 

If you’ve read City of Lost Souls, what did you think of it? If you haven’t read it yet, are you going to?