Cassandra Clare gives fans answers to ‘City of Fallen Angels’ questions

Like most fans, after reading "City of Fallen Angels," the fourth installment of the New York Times bestselling series "The Mortal Instruments," you were left with more questions than answers. Would Cassandra Clare have it any other way? But Clare is giving fans answers to some of their lingering questions. She shared a message for her fans before getting into the spoilery details:

"First off, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who came by to leave a comment about City of Fallen Angels, or ask a question, or who came to a signing, or who just read a copy of the book! Thanks to you guys, City of Fallen Angels was #1 on the New York Times series bestseller list (which is a tough list to get onto, since it counts the sales of every book in a series), #1 on the Wall Street Journal Fiction Bestseller List, #2 on the USA Today bestseller list, which counts every book for sale in the entire country. So that's all awesome, and thank you all so much!"

The release of "City of Lost Souls seems all too far away. If you haven't read "City of Fallen Angels," this is your time to stop reading. CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Obviously the most important question on our minds is what exactly happened with Jace and Sebastian at the end?

Here’s what Cassie had to say:

“What Lilith did was very ancient blood magic. She wanted Simon’s blood, to transmit his Daylighter powers to Sebastian, but Jace’s blood did in a pinch — there was a “second part to the ritual” that went unmentioned until Jace was alone on the roof. Simon having bitten Sebastian brought him back enough for Jace’s blood to revive him entirely; if they hadn’t been inside Lilith’s circle of magic, it wouldn’t have worked, though. The rune on Jace’s chest healed (gradually) because it wasn’t one of the Gray Book runes, and it was under Lilith’s control — when she died, it become under Sebastian’s control. And now, so is Jace. It’s okay if you don’t know exactly what’s going on with Jace and Sebastian at the end of the book — you’re not supposed to. They do remain two separate people in separate bodies but Jace is, shall we say, not quite what he once was. Although anyone complaining he was mopey will certainly get their wish that he not be mopey any more. Be careful what you ask for…”

I, for one, really enjoyed the title, “City of Fallen Angels,” coming full-circle.

“It’s metaphorical. The tagline for the book was “Who will be tempted by darkness?” and the book is about temptation and falling prey to darker impulses. Simon falls when he bites Maureen; Alec when he frees Camille; Clary when she raises the dead; and Jace, of course, most spectacularly of all. We all fall from grace, is the message.”

Some other questions asked include:

• Why the cliffhanger?
• Why are you hurting Jace?
• Where were Church and Chairman Meow?
• Is Tessa going to make an appearance in “City of Lost Souls?”
• Is there going to be more Magnus and Alec?
• What exactly happened between Magnus and Will back in “The Infernal Devices?”
• Who is JG?
• What does the title “City of Fallen Angels” signify?

Find out these answers and more over at Cassandra Clare’s LiveJournal.

Oh, and I leave you with one last thing:

“Well, he sure didn’t do it willingly. The full effect of what being bound to Sebastian means for both Jace and Sebastian will be explored in City of Lost Souls. But yes, killing Sebastian will kill Jace — and vice versa.”