City of Heavenly Fire

Gr 9 Up—In the final installment of the "Mortal Instruments" series, the Shadowhunters face the ultimate threat of annihilation at the hands of Sebastian Morgenstern and his army of Endarkened warriors. Institutes around the world have been attacked, and the remaining Nephilim have been called to Idris for safety and to determine a course of action. When Clary's mother and surrogate father are kidnapped along with two other Downworlder representatives of the Council, Clary, Jace, and their friends travel to the demon realm of Edom to rescue them and face off in a final climactic showdown with Sebastian. Veronica Mars's Jason Dohring and Game of Thrones's Sophie Turner split the narrative load of this lengthy title. Perspective shifts constantly, and with so many characters and concurrent story lines alternating, the book often drags, despite being action-heavy. Both narrators effectively differentiate between the myriad characters, though Turner's performance is smoother and more engaging. However, listeners may be jarred because of inexplicable inconsistencies in which performer narrates which character's perspective. Regardless, fans of the series will likely be satisfied with the conclusion as well as the clear setup for the next series.—Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL