City of Lost Souls (novel)

City of Lost Souls

Company type	Novel
Industry	Publishing
Founded	May 8, 2012 (2012-05-08)
Founder	Cassandra Clare
Products	Fantasy novel

City of Lost Souls represents the fifth installment in The Mortal Instruments saga authored by Cassandra Clare. Published on May 8, 2012, it precedes the concluding sixth volume, City of Heavenly Fire, released in 2014.

Plot

Upon returning home, Simon discovers a protective barrier made of religious symbols barring his entrance due to his vampire nature. His mother accuses him of having killed the "true" Simon, intensifying her rejection of him. Clary reveals that Jace has disappeared and cannot be located. The group seeks assistance from the Seelie Queen, agreeing to secure two Faerie rings that enable telepathic communication. While searching through a Shadowhunter library for these rings, Clary observes Jace engaging in a friendly conversation with Sebastian—who is actually "Jonathan Morgenstern," the half-demon son of Valentine—leaving her bewildered.

That evening, Jace invites Clary to accompany him; Sebastian later appears but is spotted by Jocelyn, who promptly alerts others. After stabbing Luke, Sebastian and Jace depart with a promise to return for Clary. She opts to follow them covertly as a spy, using the Faerie rings to maintain secret contact with Simon. Clary comes to understand that Sebastian is possessing Jace, exhibiting behavior more characteristic of himself than Jace’s true personality. Meanwhile, Jordan Kyle and Maia Roberts develop a closer relationship, as do Simon and Isabelle. Tensions arise between Magnus and Alec when Alec contemplates removing Magnus's immortality so they can age together.

For a brief period, Jace regains control and discloses Sebastian’s scheme to use Lilith’s blood along with the second Mortal Cup to forge an army of dark Shadowhunters, planning to sacrifice himself rather than continue under possession. His control diminishes due to damage inflicted on the rune that binds him. To rescue him, Clary contacts Sebastian to repair the rune, which restores Sebastian’s dominance over Jace. Simon and the others summon Raziel, who bestows upon Simon the Heaven-forged sword Glorious at the expense of Simon losing his Mark of Cain.

Clary investigates Sebastian’s quarters and discovers her Faerie ring; she warns Simon about Sebastian’s intentions before destroying the ring upon being caught. Following a failed attack by Sebastian on Clary, she escapes and meets Simon at the Seventh Sacred Site where she receives Raziel’s sword intended for hunting Sebastian. Unable to confront Sebastian directly, Clary stabs Jace with the Angel blade, believing his heart holds more good than evil. Jace bursts into "Heavenly fire," leading others to presume he has perished.

After most of his dark Shadowhunter followers are eliminated, Sebastian flees. Jace survives and is transported to the Institute for recovery. The Angel blade has imbued him with flames that ignite anything he touches when adrenaline surges. Maryse receives a bag containing angel wings accompanied by a note stating "I am coming." Magnus ends his relationship with Alec following Camille’s proposal to strip his immortality—a plan Alec had considered but ultimately rejected. Alec attempts to kill Camille but finds that Maureen has already slain her in order to claim leadership of her vampire clan according to vampire law.

Reception

The critical response was varied. Kirkus Reviews criticized City of Lost Souls for emphasizing Clary’s fashion choices over character depth but acknowledged it would satisfy readers seeking familiar gothic and glittery motifs. The Manila Bulletin provided a more favorable assessment, deeming it an improvement compared to City of Fallen Angels while noting that much of the storyline rehashes earlier series elements with supernatural roles reversed. The Horn Book Guide characterized the novel as a sequence of events rather than a unified narrative, emphasizing its appeal lies in continuing the exploits of well-known characters.