Point of View

Cassandra Clare tells her novel “City of Heavenly Fire” in the third-person limited-omniscient narrative mode. The third-person narrator acts as a common thread that links together numerous characters and various subplots that ultimately intertwine into a single overarching plot that focuses on Clary’s efforts to defeat Sebastian and destroy his army of evil. The third-person narrator allows the reader to jump between characters, situations, and subplots easily, since the style of the narration does not change. Subplots between Maia’s efforts to united Downworlders to Clary’s journeys in Edom are easily transitioned between. The limited-omniscient aspect of the narration adds a level of suspense and drama to the novel, as the reader, narrator, and characters only learn about events in real-time. This includes events ranging from the attacks on the Institutes to when Sebastian wishes to begin his final assault on Alicante.

Language and Meaning