Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Review: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

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City of Ashes

Author: Cassandra Clare

Series: The Mortal Instruments Book #2

Summary

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

Review

This series continues to deliver. After getting over the initial uncomfortableness that comes from Jace and Clary being told that they are brother and sister by their father, the dark Shadowhunter Valentine. This claim is one of the biggest forces in the novel driving, shaping, and changing the way Jace and Clary behave with each other, the ways others see them (including Simon and Isabelle), and the way they think about each other. It is a definite shift in the relationship from the first one.

In this book, we get a broader look at the world of the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders. Alec and Isabelle are featured more as their parents and younger brother return to New York, both suspicious of Jace after learning of his heritage. Magnus Bane is also featured more in this story, which I enjoy. Him and his lovely cat (who is my favorite character in the series thus far) have a better role in this novel as he begrudgingly supports the young Shadowhunters.

The reader also gets to see more of Jace and Clary's individual abilities as Shadowhunters, and their respective talents.

More mayhem, madness, and some general strange occurrences follow. Clare just takes you further into their world and makes you cling tighter to the characters you love as they go through some harrowing adventures.

Another great read.

Rating

4 and a half stars

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