July 1, 2011
Grades 8-11 Originally a trilogy, the Mortal Instruments series now continues, with two more installments planned. Here, many familiar characters make an appearance, including some from Clockwork Angel (2010), and Clary and Jace's relationship is even more fraught with drama: Jace is plagued with horrifying nightmares of killing Clary as the pair investigates the source of demon babies. Simon, a rare Daylighter vampire, struggles to figure out who is trying to kill him. Camille, an ancient vampire, tempts Simon, while an ancient source of evil manipulates them all to an unthinkable end. The cliff-hanger close will leave series fans clamoring for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2012
Now that Valentine is dead, Shadowhunter Clary and company face a new threat: a demonic cult that's killing human infants. Meanwhile, Jace has violent dreams about hurting Clary, and Simon is having trouble adapting to life as a vampire. The reliance on grandiloquent literary devices and overblown romantic anguish distracts from (and inflates) this otherwise absorbing urban fantasy.
(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)