Review: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes 

Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments, Book Two
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 464 pages
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Source: Mid-Columbia Libraries
 

Synopsis: 
 
Clary wants one thing, for life to go back to normal. But a Shadowhunter’s definition of normal is slaying demons and co-existing with vampires, warlocks, werewolves, and faeries. She misses spending time with her best friend, Simon and doing things that normal teenagers do. But there’s no way that this new world is ready to let her go, especially the handsome Jace, fellow Shadowhunter. Jace and the rest of her new friends are her only chance to help her mother who is trapped in a magic induced coma.

As if that’s not enough to worry about, someone is murdering Downworlder children in New York City. Everyone’s number one suspect is Valentine, Clary’s father, but if it is him, what is he trying to accomplish? Then, the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen bringing the Inquisitor to New York to investigate. She immediately accuses Jace and refuses to believe anything different. But is Jace secretly helping Valentine? How can Clary have any hope of defeating her father if she can’t even trust Jace?

My Review: 
 
This book was crazy. Once again, Cassandra Clare brings us a non-stop, action filled book that will leave you on the edge of your seat screaming and crying. I literally yelled many times throughout this book because I was freaking out so much. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book so fast. I couldn’t make the words enter my brain fast enough throughout most of the story. It was intense. There are so many twists to this book and so many different characters, but somehow Clare has tied it all together perfectly. I was never confused, and I always knew who each of the characters was without a problem.

Throughout the book, the main focus is figuring out Valentine’s plan and stopping him before he starts a war. Clary has just found out that Valentine is her father, but hates him with a vehement passion for all of his evil past crimes. He has killed countless innocent people and he kidnapped her mother who is now lying helplessly in a magic-induced coma. We learn about a special talent that Clary has in this book that sets her apart from all other Shadowhunters. She begins to learn more about this crazy world she never knew existed and starts to become who she was born to be. She still has a long way to go and she is severely behind the curve, but she is learning quickly and has a determination unlike any other. She is not fearless which I liked. It shows that she is still very much human, but she faces a lot of her fears head on in this book.

Jace is such a complicated character. He puts up walls all around him so that no one can hurt him, but in this book we see those walls come crashing down as the people he loves put that love to the test. He acts like he is not hurt or broken throughout the book, but you can tell that he just wants to belong somewhere. His relationship with Clary is complicated and messy. He is driven by a fierce desire to protect his family and struggles over his relationship with his father. Since he was ten years old, he has thought his father was dead, but he wasn’t. He had been lied to all these years. He knows that his father is an evil man, but also feels in his heart that he is still his father. He tries to hate him, but can a child truly hate a parent that they grew up with, that raised them and taught them everything they know? We see him battle within himself throughout the book against the love he feels for his father and his heart knowing that what his father is planning is irrevocably wrong.

Simon, Clary’s best friend goes through some changes in this book. He is clearly in love with Clary and wants to take their relationship to the next level. Unfortunately, Clary has put him in the dreaded friend zone. Poor Simon. Nevertheless, he sticks by her and never stops trying no matter what kind of trouble she gets him into.

There are so many other great characters in this book. If I talked about them all, this review would probably be ten pages long and none of you would have the patience to read it so I’m just going to briefly mention them. Luke, a werewolf, who has been the father figure in Clary’s life, is your typical over-protective Dad, but I absolutely love him. Magnus Bane is the high warlock of Brooklyn and seems to have a special place in his heart for this particular group of Shadowhunters as he is always there to help them. Alec and Isabelle are Jace’s adoptive brother and sister and fellow Shadowhunters. Maia is a young werewolf that is introduced in this book. She is a sweet girl who instantly makes a connection with Simon.

And of course, last, but not least, is Valentine, the evil Shadowhunter who wants to destroy the Clave (basically the governing body of the Shadowhunters) and change the Shadowhunting world forever. He is truly evil, yet also very persuasive. Several times in his book when he is arguing his point, I wanted to believe him. Be careful, he will lure you in with his deceptive charm.

Overall, I loved this book! Even more than the first one in the series! I can’t wait to read the third book, City of Glass, to find out where the Shadowhunters will go next. After reading this book, I am doubly excited for the movie coming out August 23, 2013. Happy reading all! 

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