Scan barcode
A review by akookieforyou
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
2.75
I have to say, this was kind of disappointing. Not terrible by any means, but compared to just how good the first three were, this just doesn't compare. And it almost recieved a 2.75 star rating instead.
A big part of that is because of the shift in focus. While it's true that the previous installments occasionally had chapters from the other characters' perspectives, this one did it ten fold. There was so much Simon, and while I liked him, and his personality, a lot in the early ones, here he was mostly insufferable. Two timing girls, starving himself, being shocked that a starving vampire will attack an innocent girl, feeling so "othered" and almost unwanted by his group of friends etc. It just became exhausting to read.
I'm also just not invested enough in the affairs of the side cast, so getting long sequences focused on them is not engaging. I enjoy hearing about how they're doing, and how their relationships are going, but not so consistently and from their perspectives.
Another major contributor was the slow as molasses pace. It felt like nothing of note happened in the first half. In fact, I was shocked to realize I was even halfway through the book, because it still felt like it was reintroducing everything, and getting us caught up!
The saving grace was definitely Clary. While everyone else was getting on my nerves, Jace with his isolating behavior, Isabelle with her callousness (though it was nice to finally see her and Clary bond a bit more), and the aforementioned Simon, Clary really brought me a sense of happiness and you-go-girl spirit. She's trying to improve her Shadowhunter abilities, killing it with the runes, properly sassing all of the bratty behavior of the other characters, and all the while wearing some cute fits (the hot pink Betsy Johnson dress? Iconic). I would love to see her actually become somewhat proficient in fighting though, because sometimes she still ends up needing to be saved, but I blame that on the writing, not the character.
I also really love Luke and Jocelyn's moments. They're an enjoyable couple, who are quite sweet.
A big part of that is because of the shift in focus. While it's true that the previous installments occasionally had chapters from the other characters' perspectives, this one did it ten fold. There was so much Simon, and while I liked him, and his personality, a lot in the early ones, here he was mostly insufferable. Two timing girls, starving himself, being shocked that a starving vampire will attack an innocent girl, feeling so "othered" and almost unwanted by his group of friends etc. It just became exhausting to read.
I'm also just not invested enough in the affairs of the side cast, so getting long sequences focused on them is not engaging. I enjoy hearing about how they're doing, and how their relationships are going, but not so consistently and from their perspectives.
Another major contributor was the slow as molasses pace. It felt like nothing of note happened in the first half. In fact, I was shocked to realize I was even halfway through the book, because it still felt like it was reintroducing everything, and getting us caught up!
The saving grace was definitely Clary. While everyone else was getting on my nerves, Jace with his isolating behavior, Isabelle with her callousness (though it was nice to finally see her and Clary bond a bit more), and the aforementioned Simon, Clary really brought me a sense of happiness and you-go-girl spirit. She's trying to improve her Shadowhunter abilities, killing it with the runes, properly sassing all of the bratty behavior of the other characters, and all the while wearing some cute fits (the hot pink Betsy Johnson dress? Iconic). I would love to see her actually become somewhat proficient in fighting though, because sometimes she still ends up needing to be saved, but I blame that on the writing, not the character.
I also really love Luke and Jocelyn's moments. They're an enjoyable couple, who are quite sweet.