This seems to be one series that people either love obsessively or love to hate. I, for one, ADORE these books. Yes, they are full of wonderful angsty, sometimes eye-roll-worthy teenage drama. Yes, TMI does have vampires. No, they do not sparkle; however, there is one warlock that glitters. I picked up the TMI series two years ago just after City of Glass came out. I had just rediscovered the YA paranormal genre after a few years of not reading much of anything and just devoured these books. Ironically enough, my awesome husband (who constantly pokes fun of my escapist literature choices) found City of Bones on his own while looking for a birthday gift for me. I had never heard of it before, but given the cover was filled with Jace's sigh-inducing washboard abs, I figured it would only be fair to give it a shot. I sat down with it and didn't stop reading until I finished the next day. Then I immediately went to the bookstore and bought the next one and then the next one until I had some resolution to it all. I was in love.To be honest, I'd have died perfectly happy if the story had ended there at the celebration in Alicante, so I was both overjoyed and a tad bit apprehensive to hear that Clare was planning a three book addition to one of my favorite trilogies OF ALL TIME....I'm no longer apprehensive.City of Fallen Angels begins two months after the defeat of Valentine. Jace, Clary and the gang are all back in New York and still adjusting to all the changes that have occurred in and since CoG. Clary adopts her birthright as Nephilim and has begun training as a Shadowhunter while also getting ready for Jocelyn and Luke's wedding. Simon is struggling to find a balance between his humanity and his more vampiric reality as well as finding a balance in his new-found and over-scheduled love life. Jace is still coming to terms with his identity, parentage and the man who raised him, and the entire Lightwood family is still grieving the loss of their youngest son/brother Max. Things quickly heat up as Simon is unwillingly dragged into a battle of Downworlder politics, Jocelyn and Clary make a horrifying discovery at the Beth Israel morgue, and Jace's behavior becomes increasingly erratic and distant. There's intrigue, lies, betrayal, new evils, romances old and new, and a twisty, turny ending that might have you alternating between shouting angry things at the printed page and reaching for the tissue box.Since CoG wrapped up so nicely for Jace and Clary and since there can't be a story without conflict, you can expect some stormy (and steamy) seas ahead for our favorite lovebirds. As the story progresses, Jace begins to slowly become distant and disengaged from Clary without her knowing why. After everything they've been through together, she was confident that their love for each other was a firm, eternal thing, but now she begins to wonder if Jace is doubting their relationship. Jace, on the other hand, has what he considers to be valid reasons for keeping his distance from Clary....and of course he never tells her why for fear of actually losing her. It's delicious. It's dramatic. It is, after all, YA people.Simon, oh my. While angsty, emo Jace has always held my heart first (I have a thing for dudes with tortured souls who wear all black), Simon is a close, close second. From his ironic t-shirts to his penchant for truly awful band names to his frequent use of sarcastic pop culture references to his utter devotion and loyalty to those he loves, these things I love about Simon. When we first see Simon in CoFA he's still living at home with his mom, trying as hard as he can to maintain the charade of his humanity. However between being the "Daylighter", the bearer of the Mark of Cain, and the daily struggle of repressing his vampire urges, it quickly reaches a breaking point and changes are coming for our favorite child of the night.We are introduced to several new characters in this book, including one from The Clockwork Angel which was a well done tie-in and a nice touch. And another character is introduced that we have only previously heard about. I'm not going to say a word, only that I'm also in love with him and that I'm hoping he gets more "screen time" in the next two books. Clare does an excellent job developing both her characters and her world and she really brings Shadowhunters, Downworlders, Alicante, the Silent City and even the streets of New York into vibrant technicolor through her descriptions and dialogue. It's such a joy to read and I love, love, love becoming immersed in her universe.Overall this book met and exceeded my expectations and was a fantastic addition to The Mortal Instruments series.
