Sparkles and Lightning: City of Lost Souls: REVIEW

Saturday, May 26, 2012

City of Lost Souls: REVIEW

Posted by Annabelle Marie Veronica | Edit Post

*FINAL RATING: 1.40 STARS*

CATCHALL
Oh, man, this book was bad.

It was so bad, in fact, that by the time I finished I was breaking out in hysterical laughter. Apparently it was was more hysterical than usual, too, because my boyfriend actually shot me a concerned look and asked me if perhaps I thought a visit to a doctor was in order.

My boyfriend hates doctors.

Look, I hate to say it about this book, but it' true. I didn't hate City of Fallen Angels as much as so many people did, but City of Lost Souls is an entirely different story.

It was awful.

THE HEROINE
CLARY
I wasn't really sure how I felt about Clary in this one. She was a bit too reckless and often jumped into things before thinking the better of it. That was really disappointing, as in the last book it seemed like she matured and I feel like she regressed a little in this one. She didn't really think, and while I can kind of understand that, her constantly placing herself in danger really got old really quickly. I found myself wishing she would think through her actions more throughly for once and stop making so many a sty decisions.

THE LOVE INTEREST
JACE
We don't actually see a whole lot of normal-Jace in this one, which is really a shame, because he probably could have made the book so much better. Unfortunately, he was possessed (nothing you didn't know) throughout most of the book. Even though he's not possessed in the traditional form, he might as well be. He didn't have free will or the chance to act the way he normally would have and became boring and annoying until the end of the book.

THE OTHER SECONDARY CHARACTERS
MAGNUS
Yay for my favorite character! He's amazing as always in this book, and his level of dedication is astonishing. I love him so much and love the way he's confident and knows exactly who he is. He's not afraid to take risks, but he also knows when to step back. He will never be anything but amazing, and if I don't stop this now I will spend the remainder of this review gushing about him, so I'm gonna shut up now.
SIMON
I'm still a bit unsure how to feel about Simon. He's changed drastically from the first book and in some ways is almost unfamiliar. But in other ways, he's still the same fiercely loyal person. I do love him, and I think that we'll see more of him later. I like getting his POV.
ISABELLE
I like Isabelle more in this book than I think I did in any of the other books put together. She shows more vulnerability in this book than she's shown in the past, which was especially nice to see. No one is perfect, and finally we see a bit of her softer side. So that was a plus.
ALEC
What I want to know is what happened to the hot and mature Alec from the first three books. Like, seriously? Why did he turn into such a whiny and immature loser? I can hardly get through two pages without wanting to slap him for being such an idiot. I miss him and want him to come back.
MAIA
I like Maia. I think she's sweet, but I also enjoyed seeing how she matured in this book. She really comes into her own and mature and makes some difficult choices. She really sheds that layer of innocence in this one.
JORDAN
I have always liked Jordan, possibly because i like his name and I am that shallow. ;) But in all honesty, I do like him. I like how he continually tries to make up for his mistakes, instead of ignoring them. Instead of erasing the past, he wants to fix it. That shows great insight and also maturity, which is really admirable and very nice to see.
SEBASTIAN
So, I actually have more interest in Sebastian than, say, Clary at the moment. He actually is rather interesting. I honestly would enjoy hearing more about him and seriously wish we got something more from his POV. I know he's evil, but he's also interesting, and that's more than I can say for Clary at the moment. I would like to see how he ends up. He's a definitely layered character.

THE PLOT
For about 300 pages or so, the plot of this book wasn't great, but it was tolerable. And entertaining, and so therefore fairly good.

Note that this book is longer than 300 pages.

It could have gotten better, I suppose, but it didn't. It's total shame, because I'd had really high hopes for whatever reason.

But as I approached the 400s especially, the hysterical aforementioned laughter began to bubble in my throat. And by the time I was finished, it was a full-on laughing fit because everything was so freaking ridiculous.

At first, it was pretty believable and sane, but it started to approach such ridiculous things that the first half of the book was completely wasted and felt absolutely pointless.

I thought it was so bagful it was actually funny.

So, I really didn't overall care for the plot too much. It was honestly a waste and I thought it was mostly unnecessary. i wish it had held more interest for me, but it didn't.

THE ROMANCE
There is some Clary-Jace romance in this book, but not very much, because he's all under-the-influence and all, so he's not himself. There were, however, what were definitely some sweet and swoon-worthy moments. Clary is almost pathetic but I actually excuse that. What I did enjoy in this book was seeing the development of the secondary romances, like Isabelle and Simon and Maia and Jordan. They were very sweet and also very different, but they were both beautiful in their own ways. What I did not like in this book was Alec and Magnus. Since Alec has become annoying and immature, Magnus should just go find someone more deserving to be with anyway.

THE WRITING
One thing I cannot deny is that Cassandra's writing is absolutely beautiful. It always has been, and most likely always will be. It's lush, gorgeous, and descriptive. The imagery it evokes is pristine and flawless and her talent is worthy of envy. The main problem I had was that since the first book, she's adopted more and more flip-flopping POVs. At first I really liked this, but now it's getting tiring and old and difficult to keep track of.

THE ENDING
Honestly, I'm not gonna lie: I found this pretty ridiculous too. It was laughably bad and felt like desperate attempt for another book when it could have really been easily ended. It was dumb in my opinion and I really didn't like it or find it to be a good ending at all. I was extremely disappointed as endings can make of break a book. This book is broken.

WRAPUP
This book did not impress me at all. I will be reading City of Heavenly Fire, if only because I do feel that I need to know how everything ends and how she'll manage to make it into an entirely new book. And of course I'll be reading Clockwork Princess, as I've been enjoyed The Infernal Devices much more than The Mortal Instruments. I'm currently undecided about reading Lady Midnight and The Dark Artifices series, but we'll see. it's looking like a no-go unless COHF is better than I expect (among other things, because I do not have high expectations).

FINE.

Labels:1 red rose,books,cassandra clare,city of fallen angels,city of lost souls,fantasy,paranormal,reviews,romance,the mortal instruments

15 comments:

Megan @ Books and TeacupsMay 26, 2012 at 1:08 AM
Very interesting review! I've yet to read this one but I've read the other 4. I definitely enjoy the Infernal Devices series more - I felt the last book in this series started to go downhill. It could've all been wrapped up in book 3, really. But hey. Like you, I think I will finish the series - I just need to see where it ends up!
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Tahlia NewlandMay 26, 2012 at 8:41 PM
Thanks for the review. I wish Cassandra had stopped at the end of City of Glass. The series was great up till then.
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Bridget HowardMay 28, 2012 at 7:57 AM
This is really dissapointing to hear I loved the first 3 books in the series, and I enjoyed city of fallen angels not as much as the first 3 but I still liked it. I actually already bought this book but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I have to agree that I like the inferenal devices much better than the mortal instruments too. Well hopefully book 6 is better.
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kristianaJune 4, 2012 at 3:15 AM
wow! your review is shocked me! i read few reviews of CoLS, but all the reviews i've read was give it high rated star.
i haven't read this book, yet, i must found it my self to know it :)
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Martina KolevaJune 8, 2012 at 2:27 PM
Oh, that was a rather shocking review! Well I kind of saw it coming because the story got kind of old by CoFA by I didn't expect this. I will definitely read it because the series has to be down right awful for me to just leave it but it wont be with the same enthusiasm as with the fist 3 books... No offence to Cassandra Clare, her writing is amazing but something just isn't the same with the story...
I do hope I like this one better that you did but unfortunately the book is not high up on my to-read list.
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LisJune 19, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Well, I have to admit I love Cassie and City of Lost Souls is one of my favorites books ever! but I had the chance to buy the e-copy of this one, and Oh my clouds! I am not sure if I want to buy the hardback like I was planning. I missed the accion and the heart-breaking romance. I missed the pain in my heart after the ending, cuz I finished feeling "nothing".
Maybe it wasn't as bad for me as it was for you. But this not the best book of this series.
Nice review!
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AnonymousAugust 20, 2012 at 4:58 AM
I have definitely got to agree with you. The series was quite spectacularly written as trilogy, well thought out plot, cheesy yet sensible characters etc. The second trilogy lost its touch whether it was humour, cheesy romance, storyline, plot etc. I believe Cassandra was intending to gain extra fame and money by creating a second although seeing no sense to it at all.

In general the character lost their charisma and traits entirely, and I felt they were all transformed negatively. I've never really liked Clary, her heroine and slightly narcissist nature, it slightly agitated me, and CoLS to took this dislike further. Clary seemed almost unrealistic and naive, which didn't seem to fit her personality. Clary turns into a egotistic hero, which made her sombre, depressing and unlikable!

I have to I hate romance books, but the cheesy romance in MI sorta got me into it, almost like I was in a trance. Although I believe in the second trilogy sadly Cassandra lost it, making it seem overboard and senseless. It wasn't humouress and likeable, rather depressing annoying and really flustered.

I didn't particularly like the plot in CoLS, although on a positive note I amend the cliff hangers left on both books. Although this City of Heavenly Fire seems rather predictable and very much like its predecessor (last book of first trilogy.) If Cassandra some how, although indefinably, ties the series it might be a slight winner.

The second trilogy, was pretty useless and wasn't needed. There was a line in anotehr website where a reviewer posted that the second trilogy was like an eighth book to Harry Potter Series.

To finish this review I have to say that I still do see Cassandra's potential and I enjoy her writing style and themes, although I encourage her to write series with planning and organisation, and quit dragging series. This leads me to say that J K Rowling is a classic writer and has set youth fiction standards so high, it is literally impossible to reach. I am a enormous Harry Potter and I cherish J K Rowling's writing the most.

Cheers - Hope you like my review!
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AnonymousAugust 20, 2012 at 5:00 AM
By the way I completely agree with the person who reviewed this book!
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LisaaAugust 31, 2012 at 8:21 AM
I completely agree, and it sucks that authors don't know when they should end a series. Cassandra Clare took the smallest most insignificant "Unanswered Questions" at the end of COG and made THREE more books!?! Ugh... I totally agree with you on this one. Thanks for the awesome review as always :D
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purpleshadowhunterSeptember 8, 2012 at 10:24 PM
Oh my goodness,I totally disagree with you! I loved this book and think it was better that CoFA. I did feel bad about getting pulled into Sebastian's web,I really started to like him.I think that is the first evil character I liked but by the end he was back to his sinister self and I didn't like him them.I felt foolish for thinking he was being real with Clary.Yes Clar was rash is her decisions but I can't blame her,she find a way to save Jace and bring him back to his old self before the Clave got to him because the would have killed Sebastian,in turn killing Jace and chalking it up to collateral damage.I think Simon grew alot in this book and think he is coming to terms of being a vampire.He was great giving up his mark that keeps him from dying to get what could save Jace.That was a great act of friendship and nobility.I was shocked about the ending concerning Magnus and Alec..really did it have to be that way?Not that I agree with the whole "relationship" between them but I was getting use to them.
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Tammy MiddletonSeptember 9, 2012 at 12:12 AM
This pains me, I love this series. I have the book sitting on my shelf and I've thought of reading it a couple times but, several bad reviews are putting me off. Not to mention the things I've seen mentioned concerning Alec and Magnus.. if they break up I will break something!
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Rosa de MedianocheOctober 6, 2012 at 12:25 AM
Hello! I looooooooooooooooooooooooooooove and beyong this book! Hehe.

Kisses.
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SandraNovember 12, 2012 at 5:56 PM
Ah shame you didn't like it. I heard mostly negative things about this book, which I've been wanting to get for a friend but now I think I might pass just in case! Thanks for the helpful review!
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AlyDecember 3, 2012 at 10:40 AM
I am so scared to read it... And I so love the cover!

Thanks for the review.
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Diana_DimovskaDecember 16, 2012 at 12:49 PM
I read this book last week. I liked it. Maybe it wasn't the best of the series, but it was good. I agree with your statements about the characters, it would've been really nice to see more "normal" Jace in the book. And I too, am totally disappointed form Alec's behavior. But, let's hope the next book will get more positive critics. :)
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