City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

This is the fifth book of The Mortal Instruments series.  I was very disappointed when I found out Clare was continueing this series instead of just ending it at book three.  I am one that believes most series should never go past three books.  You tend to forget the previous books and lose interest by the time the last book comes out, but you must read it since you read the others.  Well, the fourth book left me believing this, however, this book made me glad she continued with the series.  I found it very enjoyable to read especially since it was not incredibly sappy and "all about Jace with his shirt off" as Blake would say.

Sabastian still has a link with Jace and therefore has control over him.  The two of them disappear in the fourth book and so everyone is out looking for him.  Clary, Alec, Magnus, Isabelle, and Simon go out on their own to find Jace and save him from Sabastian.  Unfortunately, they find out the bond between them affects the other.  When one gets hurt the other does.  So, they can't kill Sabastian without killing Jace.  Clary goes off with Jace and Sabastian while Simon and the others try to find a weapon that will kill Sabastian, but not Jace.

I liked that during the book I began to second guess the true intent of Sabastian and wonder if he really is not that bad of a guy and really cares about Jace and especially Clary.  I liked that Clare was able to do this.  I also enjoyed, although sad, that Alec struggles with trying to keep Magnus close to him to the point that Magnus leaves.  They have a cute relationship and you hate to see them separate.  It will be interesting to see what happens to Alec in the next book since it leaves you hanging as to whether or not he will get killed by Maureen, the vampire that Simon formed.

I will admit that reading this book so close to The Infernal Devices gets me a little confused with trying to keep the stories straight.  I also do not know how much I enjoy reading about Will in The Mortal Instruments.  Clare mentions him a couple times and talks a lot about Parabatoi.  It makes me wonder if she gets stuck on an idea for one book and ends up incorporating it into the other.  I felt like I was reading the same book twice because of the similarities.  Yes, they are both about Shadowhunters so there will be similarities, but maybe she should have waited to come out with The Infernal Devices until all of The Mortal Instruments were out.

I think this is a fun series to read, especially girls who are not very interested in reading.  My husband was talking in his English class about how he tried to read the first book, but could not get past reading about Jace with his shirt off all the time.  Well, shortly after that discussion a young lady in his class, who had never enjoyed reading before, came up to him and said she loved the book and was getting the rest of the series.  Her parents even came to Blake and could not believe she was actually reading.  So, I guess what I am trying to say, if you are not much of a reader, one book may not work for you but I guarantee there is something out there you would enjoy so keep picking up books until you find a genre you enjoy.