Overall: YYYYY
Action: aaaaa
Comedy: aaaa4Drama: aaaaa
Romance: aaaaaSuspense/Mystery: aaaaa
Tragedy/Tear-Worthy: aa4
***VAGUE SPOILERS! But, I don't think, anything too horrible >.> ...But Cassie says SPOILERS so it must be true :P ***
Summary: The story opens with Simon mulling over a cup of coffee about his Vampire Mojo [yes, it does exist]; in the past several weeks since City of Glass ended, he finds himself dating two girls, Isabelle Lightwood [sexy Shadowhunter] and Maia Roberts [nerdy werewolf]. Isabelle meets him at the diner, but their date is cut short when Simon is approached by two blood slaves to a powerful vampire of Manhattan. [Hint: Simon's love-life is pretty much its own blood-sucking demon.]
Camille, a beautiful vampire introduced in TMI's prequel Clockwork Angel, has returned to the city to reclaim her clan that Raphael had coerced from her. She offers Simon a deal to partner with her to remove Raphael - with Simon's Mark of Cain [which comes into action], few vampires would want to go against them. She gives him five days to decide - which happens to be the most drama-filled days of his life [but he's getting used to trouble following him and his friends... kind of]. Not only is Camille after him, but another mysterious power keeps trying to kill him [more than his undead life-style already required].
Meanwhile, Clary has been training to be a Shadowhunter. More than once Jace unintentionally distracts her and [what fans have craved more of from the past three books] several scenes are dedicated Clary and Jace finding it hard to keep their hands off each other [or finding a private room to do so]. With constantly shifting points-of-views, it is learned that Shadowhunters are being killed in Downworlder territories, someone is playing with babies and Demon-blood again, and teenage hormones are becoming trickier. With each of The Mortal Instrument's familiar characters, the past doesn't seem to want to stay in the past, not even for the immortals.
I can't give a jolting final sentence to end this summary, purely because there is no one way to sum up the story. There are so many twists and un-expectations [I was shocked to tears in the last few pages] that you simply have no other choice than to read this book and flail your arms wildly at the end.
"The love that moves the sun and all the other stars.
The kind of love that can burn down the world
or raise it up in glory."
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Opinion: I have never been so thrown off by an author's answers to questions as greatly as I have with this book. For those of you who follow Cassie Clare on Twitter, you know that she answers fans' questions almost daily - and she answers them truthfully. That's the worst part. Like I mentioned on my own Twitter, she's like a faerie - she doesn't lie to her fans, but she secretly and gleefully enjoys the subtle misconceptions we so willingly fall into. She gave us straight answers, but giggles like a devilish child while doing so. Touche, Miss Clare. Touche.
Was that not enough of an opinion for you? Fine. Here you go:
This book is even more fabulous than Magnus in a sari. With glitter [always with glitter]. Perhaps in South Carolina.
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For School? (Hey, I'm a teacher, I think about this stuff!) Pretty sure I would make my students read this purely so I can have another hundred people to talk to about it.
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For a spoilery review, go over to Mundie Source
