Review: City of Heavenly Fire

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

QUOTES FROM MY UNOFFICIAL CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE PLAYLIST:

"Strangelove, strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove, that's how my love goes
Strangelove, will you give it to me?
Will you take the pain?"
- Depeche Mode

"Tonight I feel my heart begin to fail me
And my head begin to fall
Like two ships crossing their paths
I see you like a new dawn

My perfect stranger, don't sail away
It was meant to be
We met this way
We met this way..."
- Civil Twilight

"'Cause you use your heart as a weapon
And it hurts like heaven..."
- Coldplay

"My body is a cage
That keeps me from dancin' with the one I love
But my mind holds the key..."
- Arcade Fire

"If I could turn the page
In time that I'd rearrange
Just a day or two
Close your, close your, close your eyes

But I couldn't find a way
So I'll settle for one day
To believe in you
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies..."
- Fleetwood Mac, "Little Lies"

"And it feels like I'm just too close to love you
There's nothing I can really say
I can't lie no more, I can't hide no more
Gotta be true to myself
And it feels like I am just too close to love you
So I'll be on my way..."
- Alex Clare

"Do you know what's worth fightin' for?
When it's not worth dyin' for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocatin'?"
- Green Day, "21 Guns"

"Your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
Do you know, for you I'd bleed myself dry
For you I'd bleed myself dry..."
- Coldplay, "Yellow"

"When we lift the covers from our feelings
We expose our insecure spots
Trust is just as rare as devotion
Forgive us our sinful hearts..."
- Rush, "Emotion Detector"

"Follow me, you can follow me
And I will not desert you now
When your fire's died out
No one's there, they have left you for dead

Follow me, you can follow me
I will keep you safe
Follow me, you can follow me
I will protect you..."
- Muse

"It was a cup of good intentions
A tablespoon of one big mess
A dash of overreaction
And I assume you know the rest..."
- Barenaked Ladies, "One Little Slip"

"In the garden I was playin' the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart
You, you were actin' like it was the end of the world..."
- U2

REVIEW:

Cassie Clare goes all-out for the final entry in the Mortal Instruments series. Of course, it's not the end of the Shadowhunter-verse, not by a long shot. We're only halfway along the ride, people!

But I have to wonder...just how is Cassie gonna up the stakes in future installments? She literally took the cast to Hell and back again in this one. (Speaking of which - does Cassie watch Sleepy Hollow? I have to wonder based on Chapter 14.) And the things she put them all through...those were some seriously intense feels she subjected us to.

My favorite things about this one, though, were A) the return of Tessa Gray (and while I wish she could have had a bigger role, CoHF was already long and jam-packed and epic enough anyway without her, much like TASM 2, so I'll forgive that lost potential), and B) the introduction of the two MC's for The Dark Artifices, Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn.

*pants, takes a breath*

Well. This was an amazing ride. Wish I could have caught it sooner (the rest of the world had about three years' head start on me.) Ave atque vale!

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