City of Fallen Angels ★★★

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4) - Cassandra Clare ★★★ 424 pgs

Clary, Jace, Simon, and the gang are all back. Valentine has been defeated and life should be getting back to normal, but people keep chasing down Simon, Jace keeps having weird dreams, and the Fae keep popping up around Clary. Things seem to be coming from all different directions. Someone is killing Shadowhunters who use to be members of the Circle and leaving them lying around in different Downworlder territories in an attempt to cause strife and distrust in the Clave. Vampire politics are coming to a head, and Simon has found himself brought into the middle of it. Plus, a dead baby has been found, which brings forth even more concerns.

I really enjoyed the first three books in the series, but this one was really difficult for me to get into. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed it more if I had re-read the previous books, or read these all in a row for the first time. The first three felt very much like a complete trilogy and I'm not sure if the series should have just picked up where it left off. It was hard to get back into the story, when I already felt like the story was over. I give it 2.5 stars myself, but I know it deserves at least 3.

That being said, it was interesting and I know a lot of you out there will really enjoy it. This book still has quote worth lines, Jace is still snarky (although he's incredibly insecure), and Simon continues to be lovable. Simon is finally starting to try and find out where he fits in and Clary has grown and become more confident in herself. There's also the introduction of some new characters that could prove to be entertaining in the next volumes to come.