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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Shadowhunter combat; Sebastian's violence; deaths
Language
Some
Moderate language
Sexual Content
Some
Moderate; the Jace/Clary romance; adult content within YA limits
Substance Use
Barely any
Mild; demon magic and its seductive effects
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Strong; the horror of watching someone you love controlled by something else; what love looks like as an act of strategy; the cost of staying close to the possessed
What this book is about
The fifth Mortal Instruments novel follows Clary's desperate attempt to stay close to Jace while he is bound to Sebastian, who is using him to build a new Shadowhunter army. Clare's series is at its most emotionally operatic here: the bond between Jace and Sebastian forces Clary and the reader to watch someone they love act against everything he is.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Romantic partner under supernatural control
Reader Verification
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