#CoFA Chapter 16

[ladyhindsight]

The climax of the story begins, though the writing has failed to give that effect. Maureen has lead Simon to a luxurious building because villains, aside from having cultured voices, like to do their dark magic in lofty settings.

CcLEaRrLyY. 

→ It was designed to look like...

I so hate these filler words that mean nothing. These read as observations and information perceived by Simon without words like seemingly, apparently, or as if. If the information is observable by the character, i.e. Simon does not have eyes in the back of his head or anything, these words are useless and annoying, though, I admit, a stylistic choice as well.

I will punch something.

→ They passed through an area where the construction crew had dumped their junk; there were broken tools lying around...

Simon and Maureen enter this magnificent building though an ornate lobby. In the lobby, there is a massive unlit chandelier that I swear to god is observed by each character that arrives in that building. 

Cut to Isabelle and co. noticing Simon is gone and trying to find him.

How courteous of Isabelle. The writing in this book is so insistent on hyping up Jordan’s appearance that it has spread everywhere. Every major character except for Jace think he is handsome and hot and bruh.

Alec joins the search party for Simon.

Not to be pedantic but on the previous page before they begin the search:

“He told me he was going to be right back. That was forty minutes ago. I figured he was going to the bathroom.”

😉

→ The party you were not invited to anyway. Be sure to send Luke and Jocelyn your regards.

→ From previous context on how Isabelle has behaved rather protectively over Maia, it’s rather evident from Isabelle’s behavior and doesn’t need such elaboration.

Isabelle thinks the tracksuit gang might have gotten Simon, so she, Maia, Jordan, and Alec decide to go and search Jordan and Simon’s apartment for clues on Simon’s whereabouts. And we cut back to Simon and Maureen who have arrived at a roof garden.

I will punch two things.

Did you know Simon is a vampire? Not that you could figure out how vampires experience the feeling of thread or come up with a metaphor or something other than what is often used for humans.

Simon is then faced with Lilith who takes a forever to introduce herself.

It is the cultured villain voice that returns. Shazam.

Does The Last Hours feature a Daylighter? Otherwise this seems like a waste.

The story goes for Biblical stories but refuses to touch upon the fact that a God apparently exists??

Lilith then explains the plot of the book to Simon.

→ Scrap this. It does not change anything in tonality.

This is the most ancient of demons, the very first of their kind, and what you do is write her doing these humanlike gestures. Lilith should be otherworldly, more supernatural than the supernatural things in existence, eons old and eons of experience, and not written like humans just shrugging.

→ Useless sentence.

→ Seaweed is a word that is at least three times used to describe Sebastian’s floating hair. It is specific and weird enough to be used so many times. This is the first.

Cut back to the Investigation Team in Alphabet City.

→ Isabelle leaned around the doorway. Maia was standing on one side of the kitchen counter...

→ I will gouge Jordan’s eyes out.

Jordan and Maia talk about their past.

This would be all fine and dandy if it, and I say it once again, was about giving Maia closure. But no, it’s about her and Jordan getting back together.

Investigation Gang finds out the band promoter card Lilit gave Simon with an address on it, and leave to investigate it. And back to Simon.

→ ...didn’t appear to be alive; he wasn’t breathing. But he wasn’t exactly dead, either. If he were dead, he’d look like he was in a lot worse shape than he did; it had been two months.

Are we prefacing Tessa?

Also, this is a bit late realization, but why didn’t the demon blood affect Jocelyn in any way but the angel blood she received gave her powers?

It’s great how even Lilith, the mother of demons, knows what Jace currently identifies as.

Lilith has been blabbering on how she was there all along and saved Sebastian to raise him from the dead, so I don’t get why she even bothers to interject herself with these useless questions, when she is going to tell it anyway.

→ It has not been revealed thus far in the series but how is the cup filled and what exactly is in it when the Ascendants drink from it?

Two go-to Clare things 1. describe eyes and their color with current emotion. 2. describe villains voice and tone

→ It’s also strange that, Simon being such a special vampire, no one ever bothered to research the topic to figure out the extent to his powers.

It is never explained why Simon needs to bite Sebastian or drink his blood. Why can’t he just give his straight to Sebastian?

→ “A world without Sebastian in it is a better world...” Simon’s deliberation is obvious if the name itself was emphasized, so you wouldn’t need to tell that he emphasizes it. 

Lilith then lays down the Old Laws of how resurrection work. Because one life was returned to the Light, one life must be returned to the Dark.

Repetitive.

Simon attempts to leave, but Lilith brings out her leverage. Jace appears, holding Clary hostage. Dun dun duuun.

But at least Simon, even during great duress, has the attention span to notice that the knife is, indeed, bone-handled. Because that should be the focus as well.