City of Lost Souls is the fifth novel in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.
Description
The demon, Lilith, has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing, but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father, Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.
No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away – not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has brought – Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?
Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved – and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Seelie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this Earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell – a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.
And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace's soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?
Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.
Plot
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The Prologue begins with Simon coming home to find that the encanto he performed on his mother had worn off. She’d covered the house with Jewish symbols, convinced that a murderer killed her son, putting a monster in his place. He receives a distress call from a distraught Clary - Jace and Sebastian had both disappeared.
It was reported that Jace and Sebastian had disappeared within mere minutes, leaving behind a large amount of fresh blood. The Clave turned to the Mortal Sword, forcing Clary to tell them anything she knew. After two weeks of repetitive testimony, Clary finds herself clear of wrongdoing. Unfortunately, the Clave de-prioritises the search for Jace and Sebastian, in favour to solving the issue with the smashed warding over Wrangel Island.
Clary remembers the Queen's bell Kaelie gave her. She’d decided on the spot that she would never use it - because the Seelie Queen gives nothing for free. Desperate to find Jace, Clary nevertheless convinces Isabelle and Alec to meet with the Seelie Queen, taking Simon with them. The Queen requests the return of the Faerie rings, giving her word that if they are returned, her ‘help would be invaluable.’ She gives a haunting small speech, saying ‘For as if often the happenstance with that which is precious and lost, when you find him again, he may well not be quite as you left him.’
The next morning, Clary goes to the Institute’s library to retrieve the rings for the Queen. She is shocked by the presence of Jace - with Sebastian. Clary reflects that watching the duo ‘was like watching Jace with Alec, someone he was so comfortable with, he could touch them without thinking about it.’ - it petrifies Clary because the Jace she knows and loves would stop at nothing to kill Sebastian.
Meanwhile, Alec and Magnus has a fight because Alec believes himself ‘just another lover’ to Magnus. Magnus’ immortality had bothered Alec since he found out Magnus has had many lovers in his past, and it didn’t help what the Seelie queen said to him the day before - ‘how swift mortal loveliness does fade… what will your warlock lover say then of your beauty?’
When they left, she portaled to the meeting place and told everyone what she saw. Everyone was pretty alarmed about that fact, but after Jace's and Sebastian's appearing in Luke's house, and near death of Luke in the process, Clary took extreme steps: she voluntarily follows Jace and Sebastian to their safehouse alone, risking her life.
Meanwhile, Magnus, Jocelyn, Alec, Isabelle, Maia, Jordan and Simon are trying to figure out a way to cut the connection between Jace and Sebastian, which binds them in such way that if you kill one, you kill the other as well. Jocelyn and Isabelle go to the Iron Sisters, experts in weapons. There, they learn that only a weapon from Heaven or Hell can sever that connection. Simon raises the angel Raziel, who, rather grudgingly, gives him Glorius, sword of the archangel Michael, but demands stripping the Mark of Cain from him. By allowing that, Simon is left without any supernatural protection.
Throughout the storyline there is a reoccurring theme that foreshadows what is next for the Shadowhunters. Raphael Santiago is one of the first to tell Simon Lewis that “There is a great darkness coming. It will sweep the Earth with fire and shadow.” There will be no more Shadowhunters, and “even the angels will be destroyed”. Then there is Magnus Bane telling Simon Lewis about his dream of a “City all of blood, with towers made of bone, and blood running in the streets”. Magnus Bane also says that “the darkness is coming. A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without order and where the light is as darkness ”. Clary Fray also has dreams that foretell what is to come. In one dream there Simon is crying, and she also sees human bones and canals filled with blood.” Sebastian (Jonathan Morgenstern) only reiterates what is to be expected when he tells Clary “this world will be consumed by hellfire” and at the end in the battle, there is Jeremy Pontmercy who tells Jocelyn Fray “Blood will run in the streets of every city. The world will burn, "that the dark Shadowhunters will rise from the ashes as the "Phoenix Triumphant". The question remains of who is going to be the real Phoenix.
Chapters
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Prologue
Part Two: Certain Dark Thing
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Part Three: All Is Changed
Epilogue |
Characters
Shadowhunters
- Clary Fray - a new Shadowhunter whose training is cut short when her boyfriend and trainer, Jace, is abducted by her brother. In an effort to save him, Clary makes a hasty choice with unknowable consequences.
- Jace Lightwood - one of the most skilled Shadowhunters of his generation and the boyfriend of Clary, Jace's resurrection made him a target of Lilith and Sebastian's plans.
- Sebastian Morgenstern - also known as Jonathan, Sebastian is the rather evil brother of Clary, and the son of Valentine and Jocelyn. Recently brought back to life, Sebastian binds himself to Jace and puts his plans into action.
- Alec Lightwood - the eldest Lightwood and Jace's parabatai, Alec is in a relationship with the warlock Magnus Bane.
- Isabelle Lightwood - Alec's beautiful younger sister, Isabelle is a strong and fierce Shadowhunter, who finds herself falling for Clary's best friend, Simon.
- Jocelyn Fray - Clary's mother and Luke's fiancé. Their wedding postponed indefinitely, Jocelyn is racked by the guilt of her son's actions and concern for her daughter who has gone off with her boyfriend and brother.
- Maryse Lightwood - the mother of the Lightwood children and head of the New York Institute.
- Brother Zachariah - a Silent Brother who, for some reason, is unlike his other Brothers.
- Amatis Herondale - Luke's sister who becomes involved in Sebastian's dangerous plans.
- Iron Sisters - the forgers of the Nephilim's weapons whose aid 'Team Good' might just need to help a friend.
Downworlders
- Simon Lewis - Clary's best friend who, after being Turned into a vampire, is now not only a very rare Daylighter but now also bears the curse of the Mark of Cain.
- Magnus Bane - the High Warlock of Brooklyn who constantly helps the Conclave for Alec.
- Luke Garroway - Luke is the werewolf fiancé of Jocelyn, and is as close as Clary has ever gotten to a father.
- Maia Roberts - a member of Luke's New York werewolf pack.
- Jordan Kyle - a werewolf and member of the Praetor Lupus who, after Turning Maia years before, went to New York to be with her.
- Camille Belcourt - the true leader of the New York vampire clan and a former lover of Magnus Bane.
- Maureen Brown - a former admirer of Simon who was Turned into a vampire by Camille to spite Simon.
- Seelie Queen - the ever cunning queen of the Seelie Court faeries.
Mundanes
- Elaine Lewis - Simon's mother who has shunned Simon upon finding out that he is a vampire.
- Rebecca Lewis - Simon's sister who comes home from college in concern for Simon.
Others
- Raziel - the patron Angel of the Nephilim.
- Azazel - a Greater Demon credited as the Forger of Weapons who 'Team Good' will cautiously summon for help.
Gallery
Covers
Trailers
Special Content
- In the United States:
- Barnes and Noble: Stephen Herondale's letter to Jace written before he died.
- Walmart: Contains the story "A Dark Transformation", about how Jonathan Morgenstern took the identity of Sebastian Verlac.
- Costco: Contains the story "The Act of Falling", also known as Dirty Sexy Alley Scene, from City of Fallen Angels in Jace's perspective.
- Target: Contains the story "A Question of Power", in which Alec and Camille talk about Magnus and his father.
- In Canada
- Indigo/Chapters: Contains Stephen Herondale's letter to Jace, written before he died.
- Costco: Contains the story "The Act of Falling", also known as Dirty Sexy Alley Scene, from City of Fallen Angels in Jace's perspective.
- In Australia and United Kingdom:
- Walker Books UK: Contains the short story “A Dark Transformation,” about how Jonathan Morgenstern took over the identity of Sebastian Verlac.
- Dymocks Booksellers: Contains the short story “A Dark Transformation,” about how Jonathan Morgenstern took over the identity of Sebastian Verlac.
- Collins Booksellers: Contains the short story “A Question of Power,” in which Alec and Camille talk about Magnus and his father.
- Leading Edge Booksellers (Independents): Contains the short story “The Act of Falling,” also known as the Dirty Sexy Alley Scene from Jace's perspective.
- Booktopia: Contains Stephen Herondale's letter to Jace, written before he died.
Trivia
- The original (now hardbound) cover features Jace Lightwood and Clary Fray, with Paris as the background. The repackaged (paperback) cover features Alec Lightwood with his bow and arrow drawn and a "Courage in Combat" rune behind him.
- The models for Clary (Halle Arbaugh) and Jace (Judson Birza) on the book cover both reprised their roles for the book trailers of City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire. Judson is also the model for the repackaged US cover of City of Bones,[1] and Halle for the original covers of City of Fallen Angels and City of Heavenly Fire. In the trailer,Valentine and Sebastian Morgenstern were played by Johnathan Vane and Chris Schellenger, respectively.
- The book is told from several points of views, namely: Clary, Jace, Simon, Sebastian, Alec, Isabelle, Luke, Jocelyn, Maryse, Magnus, Maia, and Jordan's.
- In this book, Jace finds a copy of A Tale of Two Cities with a faded inscription signed by "William Herondale"; this is the same book Will gave Tessa Gray in Clockwork Princess, though Will was said to have signed it with just "Will Herondale".
References
- ↑ City of Bones brand new look, Cassandra Clare on Tumblr.