What with the race to save Jace from the new Big Bad, wonderful secondary characters get short shrift. Clary's long-lost brother Sebastian, raised to be an evil overlord by their father (and Jace's foster father), has kidnapped Jace. While the many young (or young-appearing) protagonists want Jace back, only Clary swoons in constant self-absorption; her relationship angst, resolved two books ago, can't carry volume five the way it did earlier installments. The heroic, metaphysical and, yes, romantic travails of Simon, the daylight-walking, Jewish vampire with the Mark of Cain, would have made a more solid core for a second trilogy then Clary's continuing willingness to put her boyfriend ahead of the survival of the entire planet. The narrative zips from one young protagonist to another, as they argue with the werewolf council, summon angels and demons, fight the "million little paper cuts" of homophobia, and always, always negotiate sexual tension thick enough to cut with an iratze. Only the Clary perspective drags, focusing on her wardrobe instead of her character development, while the faux-incestuous vibes of earlier volumes give way to the real thing. The action once again climaxes in a tense, lush battle sequence just waiting for digital cinematic treatment. Clever prose is sprinkled lightly with Buffy-esque quips ("all the deadly sins....Greed, envy, gluttony, irony, pedantry, lust, and spanking"). Fans of the familiar will find this an unchallenging goth-and-glitter pleasure. (Fantasy. 13-16)

Anderson, M.T. The Chamber in the Sky . Vol. 4. 282p. (The Norumbegan Quartet). Scholastic . 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-33493-8 . Gr 6-9 BARNETT, Mac . Danger Goes Berserk . Bk. 4. illus. by Matthew Myers. 240p. (Brixton Brothers Series). S &; S. Oct. 2012. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3977-1 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3979-5 . LC 2011048401. Gr 46 BENZ, Derek &; John S. Lewis . The Paragon Prison . Bk. 3. 368p. (Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles). Little, Brown . 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-04525-4 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20238-1 . LC 2011035295. Gr 47 Birney, Betty G. Mysteries According to Humphrey . Bk. 8. 144p. (Humphrey Adventures Series). Putnam . July 2012. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25414-7 . LC 2011020075. Gr 24 BUCKLEY, Michael . The Council of Mirrors . illus. by Peter Ferguson. Bk. 9. 334p. (The Sisters Grimm Series). Abrams / Amulet . 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0186-3 . Gr 47 D'LACEY, Chris . The Fire Ascending . Bk. 7. 560p. (Last Dragon Chronicles). Scholastic / Orchard . 2012. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-545-40216-3 . LC 2012003120. Gr 58 FRIEDMAN, Laurie . Mallory McDonald, Super Snoop . Bk. 18. illus. by Jennifer Kalis. 152p. (Mallory Series). Darby Creek, dist. by Lerner. Sept. 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-6073-5 . LC 2011044332. Gr 3-5 GUTMAN, Dan . Ted &; Me . 208p. (A Baseball Card Adventure Series). HarperCollins / Harper . 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-123487-3 ; ebook $8.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210210-2 . LC 2011019359. Gr 47 HADDIX, Margaret Peterson . Caught . Bk. 5. 344p. (The Missing Series). S &; S . Aug. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8982-0 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-2288-9 . LC 2011018654. Gr 58 HARRISON, Michelle . 13 Secrets . Bk. 3. 422p. (13 Treasures Series). Little, Brown . 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-18563-9 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20205-3 . Gr. 58 LASKY, Kathryn . Spirit Wolf . Bk. 5. 228p. (Wolves of the Beyond Series). Scholastic . 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-27961-1 . LC 2012001594. Gr 47 McElligott, Matthew &; Larry Tuxbury . Benjamin Franklinstein Meets Thomas Deadison . illus by Matthew McElligott. 144p. Putnam . Aug. 2012. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25481-9 . LC 2012001615. Gr 4–6 Moss, Marissa . Daphne's Diary of Daily Disasters: The Fake Friend! illus. by author. 96p. S &; S . July 2012. Tr $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4014-2 ; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4015-9 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4016-6 . Gr 4–6 Myers, Walter Dean . A Star Is Born . Bk. 3. 160p. (The Cruisers Series). Scholastic . Aug. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-439-91628-8 . Gr. 5–8 NEFF, Henry H. The Maelstrom . illus. by author. Bk. 4. 468p. (The Tapestry Series). Random . Oct. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85707-2 ; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95707-9 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89329-2 . Gr 5–8 PEIRCE, Lincoln . Big Nate Fun Blaster: Cheezy Doodles, Crazy Comix, and Loads of Laughs! illus. by author. 224p. (Big Nate Series). HarperCollins / Harper . July 2012. Tr $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209045-4 ; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219962-1 . Gr 3–6 RUSSELL, Rachel Ren&3;e . Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess . Bk. 4. illus. by author. 348p. (Dork Diaries Series). S &; S / Aladdin . 2012. Tr $13.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1192-0 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1193-7 . Gr 5–8 SCOTT, Michael . The Enchantress . Bk. 5. 528p. (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series). Delacorte . 2012. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73535-3 ; PLB $21.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90518-3 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98590-4 . Gr 6–9 Shan, Darren . Brothers to the Death . 260p. (Cirque du Freak Series: The Saga of Larten Crepsley). Little, Brown . 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-07873-3 . Gr 5–9 VERNON, Ursula . When Fairies Go Bad . Bk. 7. 202p. (Dragonbreath Series). Dial . Sept. 2012. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3678-8 . LC 2011048053. Gr 2–4 High School CAINE, Rachel . Black Dawn . Bk. 12. 370p. (The Morganville Vampires Series). NAL . 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-451-23671-5 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-1-101-58534-4 . LC 2011052660. Gr 9 Up CLARE, Cassandra . City of Lost Souls . Bk. 5. 534p. (The Mortal Instruments Series). S &; S / Margaret K. McElderry Bks. 2012. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1686-4 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1688-8 . LC 2011042547. Gr 9 Up HOUCK, Colleen . Tiger's Destiny . Bk. 4. 406p. (Tiger's Curse Series). Sterling / Splinter . Sept. 2012. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-4027-9843-6 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4027-9844-3 . Gr 7 Up KADE, Stacey . Body &; Soul . Bk. 3. 320p. (A Ghost and the Goth Novel). Hyperion / Disney . 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-142313466-4 . LC 2011030592. Gr 8 Up KATE, Lauren . Rapture . Bk. 4. 448p. (A Fallen Novel). Delacorte . 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73918-4 ; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90775-0 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89719-1 . Gr 8 Up KIZER, Amber . Speed of Light . Bk. 3. 528p. (A Meridian Novel). Delacorte . Nov. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74114-9 ; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98987-2 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98428-0 . Gr 9 Up LAKE, Nick .

Clary joins Team Evil to be near her beloved Jace, who has been bound in body, will, and soul to Clary's demonic brother Sebastian. If her friends can't divide them, can Clary sacrifice Jace to save the world? More a series of incidents than a full-fledged story, the book's main pleasure is in following the continuing adventures of these familiar characters.