City of Heavenly Fire

Last updated
City of Heavenly Fire
Cassandra Clare City of Heavenly Fire book cover.jpg
Author Cassandra Clare
Cover artist Cliff Nielsen
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series The Mortal Instruments
Genre Fantasy, adventure
Publisher Margaret K. McElderry
Publication date
May 27, 2014
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages725 (hardback, first edition), 725 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1442416895
Preceded by City of Lost Souls  

City of Heavenly Fire is a young adult fantasy romance novel, the sixth and final installment in The Mortal Instruments series, and chronologically the twelfth installment in The Shadowhunter Chronicles franchise by Cassandra Clare. [1] [2] [3] It was released on May 27, 2014. The book once again follows the adventures of the teenage Shadowhunter, Clary Fray, and her allies in facing her brother Sebastian Morgenstern and his allies of Endarkened Shadowhunters. It also ties in with both The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices series by having their main protagonists, Tessa Gray and Emma Carstairs, appear as supporting characters and connecting the worlds of The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices.

Contents

Plot

Shadowhunters of the Los Angeles Institute meet to discuss the army of Endarkened Shadowhunters when the army, led by Sebastian Morgenstern, ambush the Institute, endarken some shadowhunters, and kidnap Mark Blackthorn, leaving Mark's five half-siblings and Emma Carstairs to escape to Alicante.

Maryse Lightwood announces to the New York Institute that an emergency meeting is due in Alicante to discuss the attack on five Institutes around the world. Clary Fray reluctantly leaves Simon Lewis to be guarded by Maia Roberts and Jordan Kyle for his safety. Simon is kidnapped by Maureen Brown and her vampire aides to be her groom, but Raphael Santiago frees and helps him to come to Alicante. Praetor Lupus, the brotherhood of werewolves, is soon attacked by the Endarkened with Jordan and Praetor Scott among the casualties, resulting in Bat Velasquez and Rufus Hastings battling for the position of pack leader. Rufus is about to deliver the death blow to Bat when Maia Roberts steps in and challenges Rufus. The vacuum of power is finally ended when Maia kills Rufus, becoming the new leader, and also tricks Maureen into drinking holy water so the latter's aide, Lily, can usurp her to become the leader of the vampire clan.

At Alicante, Emma and Julian Blackthorn are interrogated using the Mortal Sword, Clary comforting the former when she breaks into tears. Choosing to accept her Morgenstern heritage, Clary claims Heosphoros, the twin of Sebastian's Phaesphoros, as her sword. The Seelie Queen, now allied with Sebastian, sends Meliorn to ask the Downworlder Representatives (Jocelyn Fray, Luke Garroway, Magnus Bane, and Raphael) to join them; when they refuse, he brings them to Edom, the realm of demons. Jace Herondale is injured during the ensuing conflict and burns Brother Zachariah back into his Shadowhunter persona. An Endarkened soon gives an ultimatum for the Clave to hand over Clary and Jace. Clary, Jace, Simon, and Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, force the Seelie Queen to send them to Edom. Confronting Sebastian, Clary pretends to agree to rule by his side but then stabs him with Heosphoros, reverting him back momentarily to the brother she could've had, Jonathan Morgenstern, who destroys the Infernal Cup before he dies, killing the Endarkened, including Luke's sister, Amatis. To escape Edom, Magnus summons his father, Asmodeus, who offers a way out in exchange for Magnus' immortality and life. Simon offers a lighter option: his immortality and memories of the Shadow World. The Clave punishes the faeries and sends Emma to live with the Blackthorns. Alec and Magnus reconcile and get back together. Meanwhile, Clary scatters Jonathan's ashes in Lake Lyn and mourns for Simon.

Several months later, Jocelyn and Luke hold their wedding, attended by numerous Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike. Simon has remembered bits of the Shadow World as well as his relationship with Isabelle. Attending the wedding is also Tessa Gray and Brother Zachariah (whose identity is not revealed), both of them having formally introduced themselves to Clary.

Characters

Reception

City of Heavenly Fire generally received mixed to positive reviews. Common Sense Media called the book 'an exciting send-off' giving the book a rating of 4/5, stating that "This YA fantasy is too long—but amid far too much of the characters' internal dialogue and remembrances of the good and bad times of the past five books, it's got a satisfying end for fans." [4] [5]

Booklist gave a positive review stating “sure to leave the faithful hooked yet again.” [5] Entertainment Weekly gave a positive review that “few things in life more satisfying than a long-awaited happy ending, which is exactly what Clare delivers.” [5]

Kirkus gave the book a mixed review, stating that "the myriad magical, societal and romantic story threads of two series and nine books conclude without living up to the series’ purple promise," [6] with the School Library Journal also stating that “fans of the series will likely be satisfied with the conclusion.” [7]

The Guardian called the book 'a perfect ending' stating that, “I don’t know what else to say other than the book is a perfect ending to the series… one of those books that you hold in your heart long after finishing.” [5]

Goodreads users voted the book Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction of 2014 in the Goodreads Choice Awards. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassandra Clare</span> American author (born 1973)

Judith Lewis, better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, is an American author of young adult fiction, best known for her bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

<i>City of Bones</i> (Clare novel) 2007 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones is the first urban fantasy book in author Cassandra Clare's New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments. The novel, first published in 2007, is set in modern-day New York City and has been released in several languages, including Bulgarian, Hebrew, Polish and Japanese. It is the first book in the first trilogy of The Mortal Instruments which includes the books City of Ashes and City of Glass.

<i>The Infernal Devices</i> Novel trilogy by Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices is a trilogy by author Cassandra Clare, centring on a race called the Shadowhunters introduced in her The Mortal Instruments series. The trilogy is a prequel series to TheMortal Instruments series. Cassandra Clare has stated that the two series are able to be read in any order, but it is best to read them in publication order.

<i>City of Ashes</i> 2008 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes is the second installment in The Mortal Instruments series, an urban fantasy series set in New York written by Cassandra Clare. The novel was one of YALSA's top ten teen books for 2009.

<i>City of Glass</i> (Clare novel) 2009 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass is the third book in the urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. In 2009, Walker Books published the third book of the series worldwide. It is a journey that explores Simon's and Clary's experience in the Shadowhunter city, and Clary works on saving her mother, as they travel from the New York institute to Alicante, Idris.

<i>The Mortal Instruments</i> Series of fantasy novels by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments is a series of six young adult fantasy novels written by American author Cassandra Clare, the last of which was published on May 27, 2014. The Mortal Instruments is chronologically the third series of a planned six in The Shadowhunter Chronicles but was the first one published. It follows Clary Fray, who interacts with a group of Nephilim known as Shadowhunters while also discovering her own heritage and her family history. The Shadowhunters protect the world of mundane/human people, who are also called mundanes or "mundies", from dark forces beyond their world. The book series falls under the young adult genre, specifically that of the paranormal romance/urban fantasy and supernatural genres.

<i>City of Fallen Angels</i> 2011 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. The series was meant to end with City of Glass; it was announced in March 2010 that a fourth book would be added, with Cassandra Clare later saying that she views this as a "second trilogy" in the series. The book was released on April 5, 2011.

<i>City of Lost Souls</i> (novel) 2012 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls is the fifth book in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. City of Lost Souls was released on May 8, 2012, and was followed by the sixth and final book in the series, City of Heavenly Fire in 2014.

The Dark Artifices is a trilogy written by Cassandra Clare. The series is chronologically the fourth series in The Shadowhunter Chronicles and a sequel to The Mortal Instruments. It is set in Los Angeles. The series consists of three books: Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows and Queen of Air and Darkness, in that particular order. Centered around the protagonist, Emma Carstairs, the series follows her journey as a Shadowhunter at the Los Angeles Institute, and her life with her best-friend and parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, and his family. The series is about a sacred bond of "parabatai", two bonded Shadowhunters, and it is more valuable than any bond in this world. This bond makes the two more powerful and strong, but there is only one drawback - it is forbidden to fall in love with your parabatai. It so happens that Emma and Julian, two parabatai, have fallen in love. The Dark Artifices is a trilogy about their struggle against their enemies and how the two protagonists deal with their forbidden love and the resulting consequences. The series is told from the point-of-view of the various different characters in the story.

<i>The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones</i> 2013 urban fantasy film

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a 2013 urban fantasy film based on the first book of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. It was directed by Harald Zwart, with a script written by Jessica Postigo. The film stars Lily Collins as Clary Fray, a teenager from New York City who meets a group of Nephilim known as the Shadowhunters while also discovering her own heritage and her family history. The cast also includes Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, Lena Headey, Kevin Durand, Aidan Turner, Jemima West, Godfrey Gao, CCH Pounder, Jared Harris, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes was set to be a 2014 action film based on the second book of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.

<i>Clockwork Princess</i> 2013 novel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess is a 2013 fantasy novel written by young adult author, Cassandra Clare. It is the third and final installment of The Infernal Devices trilogy, following the first book, Clockwork Angel, and the second book, Clockwork Prince. It is written in the third person through the perspective of the main protagonist, Tessa Gray, who resides in the Shadowhunter's London Institute. This final installment follows Tessa and her friends as they face off against the series main antagonist, The Magister, who plans to completely obliterate the Shadowhunter race.

The Shadowhunter Chronicles is a media franchise based on the writings of American young adult fiction writer Cassandra Clare, which currently encompasses six series of novels, three short-story collections, five graphic novels, one film, a television series, and other media.

<i>The Shadowhunters Codex</i>

The Shadowhunter's Codex is a companion book to Cassandra Clare's The Shadowhunter Chronicles. The book was authored by both Clare and her husband, Joshua Lewis, and was released on October 29, 2013. The Shadowhunter's Codex is written in the form of an illustrated handbook: a facsimile of the one given to Clary Fray, the protagonist of The Mortal Instruments series.

<i>Shadowhunters</i> 2016 American supernatural drama television series

Shadowhunters, also known as Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, is an American supernatural drama television series developed by Ed Decter, based on the novel series The Mortal Instruments written by Cassandra Clare. It premiered in North America on Freeform on January 12, 2016. Primarily filmed in Toronto, Canada, the series follows Clary Fray, who finds out on her eighteenth birthday that she comes from a long line of Shadowhunters, human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons, and has to deal with the struggle of forbidden love.

<i>Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy</i>

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy or simply called Shadowhunter Academy is a series of connected novellas featuring the character of Simon Lewis from Cassandra Clare's best-selling The Mortal Instruments series. It consists of ten novellas written by Cassandra Clare in collaboration with other authors that were published online on a monthly basis. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy was released in print on November 15, 2016.

<i>Lady Midnight</i> 2016 novel by Cassandra Clare

Lady Midnight is a young adult urban fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare. It is the first book in The Dark Artifices, which is chronologically fourth in The Shadowhunter Chronicles. The book follows the events that occur in the Los Angeles area in 2012, focusing on the residents of the Los Angeles Institute. The title was based upon Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe and all of the chapter titles are lines from the poem.

<i>Lord of Shadows</i> 2017 novel by Cassandra Clare

Lord of Shadows is a young adult urban fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare. It is the second book in The Dark Artifices, which is chronologically the fourth series in The Shadowhunter Chronicles. The book is set in the Los Angeles area in 2012. The titles from each chapter are derived from the poem Dreamland by Edgar Allan Poe.

<i>Queen of Air and Darkness</i> (Clare novel) 2018 novel by Cassandra Clare

Queen of Air and Darkness is the third and final book in The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare, which is the fourth chronological series in The Shadowhunter Chronicles. This series follows the characters of the LA Institute in 2012 and features characters from all of the previous series. The chapter titles all come from the poem The City in the Sea by Edgar Allan Poe.

References

  1. Bond, Gwenda (Jul 2012). "City of Lost Souls (review)". Locus Online . Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  2. Truitt, Brian. "Cover reveal of Cassandra Clare's 'City of Lost Souls'". USA Today. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  3. "See the trailer for 'City of Lost Souls' by Cassandra Clare -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  4. "City of Heavenly Fire: The Mortal Instruments, Book 6 - Book Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Praise: City of Heavenly Fire". Shadowhunters. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  6. CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE by Cassandra Clare | Kirkus Reviews.
  7. Cassandra, CLARE. "City of Heavenly Fire". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  8. "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction!". Goodreads. Retrieved 13 March 2023.