24. City Of Ashes

Book #24: City Of Ashes
Author: Cassandra Clare
Published: March 25, 2008
464 Pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

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?


I'm still a little iffy about how I feel about these books. The plot in both City of Bones and City of Ashes kept me reading. I love the world that Clare sucks you into and I love the mix of different species of Downworlders. But there isn't enough dialogue and some of the scenes seem to drag on. The war is looming on the outskirts of this middle book of the trilogy and I do think it's a well done second book. I tend to be a fan of second books, sometimes I like them more than the last one in the series, but I have a feeling I'll enjoy the last one of this series the best. Mostly because I know a spoiler and it'll be very nice when certain characters realize certain things about themselves. 


Clary is still my favourite. She is going through hell but she keeps going. She does not let the fact that her mother is still unconscious stop her from trying to defeat her evil father, Valentine. Other minor characters return in full force like Magnus and Luke, and Isabelle and Alec are still snarky Shadowhunters. Simon's character develops the most, as he goes through the biggest change in the book. I thought him weak in the first book, so I'm glad he proved me wrong (and I wouldn't want to piss him off now) 


I guess I'm just more of a fan of character driven stories than plot driven ones. I would have liked to see more character development between Clary and Jace, especially now that they are related and still in love with each other. I mean, that's just asking for tons of drama. I like intimate scenes between characters, but there was a lack of that throughout the novel. It's all fighting and action scenes, which I know most people love, but either I didn't like the writing or I just wasn't interested in the action. I don't want to sound like I didn't enjoy it, because I did, and I already have the next one to read, so I will definitely be finishing this series and will check out Clare's other series, The Infernal Devices. I guess I just expected more. 


“Something inside Clary cracked and broke, and words came pouring out. 'What do you want me to tell you? The truth? The truth is that I love Simon like I should love you, and I wish he was my brother and you weren't, but I can't do anything about that and neither can you!” 

22. City Of Bones

Book #22: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Published: March 27, 2007
496 Pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . 

I was a little worried going into this book. I had read some reviews and most of them were either really good or really bad. There were a lot of comparisons to other young adult novels out there, a lot of accusations that Clare didn't really have any original ideas, but I for one have been waiting to finally plunge into this series, so I jumped in anyway, regardless of what I'd read. The problem with reading bad reviews is that they stick with me. As I started reading, I couldn't help but see what they had been talking about. There are a lot of similarities to other fantasy novels. I can tell that Clare has read Harry Potter and Twilight, but what I love about her writing is that she took these inspirations and took them in a totally different direction. Let's face it, there are hundreds of books about vampires out right now and magic has become a delectable taboo for most of us, and Clare has added a great addition to the genres.

Clare has brought to life a haunting world seeping up from beneath our feet. Demons, angels, vampires and werewolves all mingle through the streets of New York with citizens being non the wiser to their precence. I'm a sucker for books like this, with fey and the glamour keeping them out of sight. Clare's taken this one step further by giving the Shadowhunters this power as well, in addition to them already having some kick ass abilities. Shadowhunters are part angel and use runes as weapons and magical help. Clary lands into this world like Alice in Wonderland, with no idea how she got there and no way out in sight.

Clary is a very believable protagonist. I would have loved to see this book written in first person from her view point, as most of it is through her eyes anyway. But I'm sure there's a reason why Clare has written it the way she did, and I'm sure I'll discover this after reading the rest of the series. It all seems to fall into place around Clary as she discovers that she may know more about this other world than she once thought. Her friend Simon comes along for the ride, trying to keep her feet planted on the ground as Jace tries to sweep them off of it. Jace, well, what can I say about Jace? Everything about him screams "Gorgeous" and you'd be crazy not to fan girl over him. He's snarky and cocky, but from the moment he speaks to Clary, I knew he'd be a good guy. I mea, who can say no to a bad boy with weapons?

The plot kept me on my toes as Clary tries to find her mother and the missing Mortal Instrument, a cup that can creat more Shadowhunters. Enter the villian: Valentine, assumed to be dead and possibly the most powerful Shadowhunter alive. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of him and hating every minute of it. This was the perfect starter to the series. It introduced the characters, the world and the war brewing beneath the surface, preparing us for what to come. I have no doubt that I'll enjoy the sequels as I'm eager to find out more about this world and all the madness in it.

“Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?'
Jace said, "Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself."