City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, Book 3)

by Cassandra Clare

Paperback, 2010

Status

Available

Call number

F Cla

Call number

F Cla

Barcode

3098

Publication

Margaret K. McElderry Books (2010), Edition: Reprint, 576 pages

Description

Still pursuing a cure for her mother's enchantment, Clary uses all her powers and ingenuity to get into Idris, the forbidden country of the secretive Shadowhunters, and to its capital, the City of Glass, where with the help of a newfound friend, Sebastian, she uncovers important truths about her family's past that will not only help save her mother but all those that she holds most dear.

Original publication date

2009-03-24

User reviews

LibraryThing member nbmars
Note: There are no spoilers in this review.

This is Book Three of "The Mortal Instruments" series, which combines Harry Potter and Star Wars and Scooby Doo and Sookie Stackhouse and Buffy to give us an ongoing saga about a group of Nephilim, werewolves, vampires, fairies, warlocks, etc., and their
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lives, loves, and sometimes, deaths.

In Book Three we get a better sense of heroine Clary’s growing powers, and of the love that the various main characters feel for one another.

Most of the book’s action takes place in Alicante, the secret “City of Glass Towers” that is the capital city of Idris, home to the Nephilim (conveniently located near Germany and France but it’s invisible and you don’t need a passport to get there; you do, however, need a magic portal).

The usual Scooby Gang makes the shift to Alicante, along with the usual stock similes to describe their experiences (“The smell of late roses hung in the chilly air like thin perfume.” “Exhaustion gripped her like a vise.” “The sound of [his] voice went through [him] like an arrow.”)

They proceed to engage in the usual battles with vicious slimy demons. We even have an almost for-real Deus Ex Machina. Since there are more volumes after this one in the series, you can probably figure out that the demons are subdued for the nonce.

Evaluation: Three is enough for me; I can’t go on to four and five. Except for a moving and well-done subplot involving Alec and his coming to terms with his being gay, I’m ready to move on to some better writing.
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LibraryThing member Aeyan
I find myself inclined towards favoring the middle works of trilogies - Empire Strikes Back for example - and Clare's The Mortal Instruments follows that vein. Perhaps it is something in the rush of building upon the introduction the first in a series provides, yet not allowing for the final
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resolution that will come in the third. So when I arrive at the concluding chapter of trilogies, there is always that sense of sorrowful anticipation that the story is almost completed.
Having been fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book, I am left wondering if the salivation of waiting two more months until its March release would have heightened the thrill. Delayed gratification? Impossible I suppose. I am American after all.
Be that as it may, the thrill radiated from this book. I dare not comment but indirectly for fear of spoiling the surprise and delight of discovering this joyous conclusion to a brilliant series, however I will say that City of Glass made me love Jace more, respect Clary for the young woman we see mature, and dearly hope that Clare has many more tales to relate on the horizon. Her villains are complex, her protagonists troubled but not whiny, her story is detailed and surprising, and she relates all of this with skill and joy.
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LibraryThing member coffee.is.yum
I really wanted to like this book, but each installment just seems to get worst. Cassandra Clare didn't meet my expectations, which is disappointing because I found most of her ideas in the book really interesting.

I liked the idea of Jace and Clary's relationship. Granted, I knew the ending of the
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book two books ago. However, when the ending came...it fell flat. When Clare found out some the "predictable tidbit" about her (people who have already read the book, will hopefully know what I mean) then her and Simon began joking about it? I didn't understand that because the entire book was based on this difficult relationship, I thought.

Most of the book was the narrator telling us what to feel. Clary and Jace's relationship pretty much became "I love him so much, but I can't have him. I'm looking at him, and I shouldn't. I'm going to tell him I love him, but tomorrow I'm going to tell him we can't be together." I felt like I was going in circles. I understand the conflicting nature of their relationship, but it seemed really dumbed down. I would like to have seen Clare being nervous in a crowd because she's "near" Jace or something more concrete. Everything seemed just too abstract.

Clare created too many characters and had trouble lancing them. All of them were the same...they talked the same, had the same motivations pretty much, loved the same things, hated the same things. I'm not saying they should contradict each other, but reading about them being together was so dull because they all seem so similar. I know Alec is homosexual, and Isabelle is tough/strong woman, and Simon is dorky, but aside from these labels there's no other characterization in the book.

I hated Simon. HATED HIM. I don't understand why he's here, and it's annoying for him to love Clary, but he knows Clary loves Jace, and everyone is okay with just sitting around waiting for things to iron out. Where's the conflict?! Simon is perfectly fine with everything, and now Jace is too, in fact, I could see them all going out for a cup of coffee cause they're just such great buddies! Then, in the third book, I couldn't take it anymore.
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LibraryThing member notemily
City of Glass is the third book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy, the first two of which are City of Bones and City of Ashes. They're written by Cassandra Clare, who, as you may or may not know, was a very popular (and somewhat controversial) Harry Potter fanfiction author back in the Golden
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Fanfiction Age between the releases of books 4 and 5. This makes her pretty easy to make fun of, for example by pointing out that Jace in the Mortal Instruments books is basically Leather Pants Draco from her Draco Trilogy, and I won't argue with you there. (Shadowhunters even wear leather pants as part of their demon-killing gear. Trufax.)

But Clare was a popular fic author for a reason. In my mind, she's proven her storytelling chops with the Mortal Instruments trilogy. I liked the third installment a lot, and I bet I'll be going back and rereading all three books someday. They're funny, they keep you interested, and I liked the world she built. It's basically Buffy the Vampire Slayer if there were a bunch of Slayers and they had their own city, but with the "Ooh, mysterious stuff happened in the previous generation and it's relevant now!" aspect of, say, Harry Potter. Also (spoilers! sort of), everyone has a different father than they thought. The characters basically play a constant game of Musical Parents.

Endings of trilogies (or other series) are tricky. Sometimes the writer has thrown so many balls in the air in the first two books that they don't quite all get caught in the third. This isn't the case with City of Glass, which wraps up all the major plot points in a satisfyingly juicy way, while leaving a couple of things tantalizingly open-ended, so the ending doesn't seem too neat.

This series isn't for everybody. If you get really annoyed by angsty teenagers making snarky quips that mostly involve taking things literally, you'll probably want to throw these books across the room. And I definitely grew tired of lines like "There was a breathless undercurrent in [character:]'s voice, if someone who never breathed could be said to be breathless" (p. 370). ESPECIALLY AFTER THE SEVENTH TIME. JUST FIND SOME OTHER WAY TO SHOW THE CHARACTER'S EMOTIONS! WE ALREADY KNOW [HE OR SHE:] IS A VAMPIRE!!

Ahem.

Obviously, lines like that weren't enough to deter me from finishing the book. The trilogy may not be winning the Printz award anytime soon, but I don't really care. It's fun and funny and addictive, and it has werewolves and magic runes and a sarcastic gay warlock, and everyone has a weird name that looks cool on paper but I have no idea how to pronounce in real life ("Aline"? "Amatis"?), so it's basically everything I expect from a good escapist YA fantasy.
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LibraryThing member nm1990
I came across this series while looking for e-books online. While I didn’t find the e-book, I did find a sample of the audiobook for the first in the series, City of Bones, which I downloaded. I didn’t get around to actually listening to it until I had my wisdom teeth removed a few weeks ago,
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and I needed something to do to help me relax and take my mind off of my sore mouth before bed. The series had been on my reading list for awhile, but was always checked out and on reserve at the library.

Now I know why.

The series consists of the following three books: City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass.

The main character of the series is Clary Fray, a teenage girl who lives with her single mom in New York. Her life seems average, until the night when she comes across three Shadowhunters (demon hunters), in a local night club. What’s more is, Clary is the only one who can see them. Soon after her strange encounter, Clary’s mother disappears, and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. As Clary and her best friend, Simon, search for answers, Clary begins to realize that things are not always what they seem, and she is thrust into a world of demons, Downworlders (vampires, warlocks, faeries, and werewolves), and Shadowhunters.

This series was extremely well-written, and will satisfy teens looking for another fantasy romance as well as those readers who are looking for something a bit deeper. The characters are well-developed and the reader is easily able to identify with them, as well as with the situations they are placed in. The books deal with prevalent teen issues such as love, heartbreak, family, and friendship as well as more advanced topics such as redemption, temptation, and even the argument of nature vs.nurture. With an overabundance of teen fantasy novels being published since the onset of the Twilight saga, the Mortal Instruments series offers something that stands out above the rest.
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LibraryThing member Jenson_AKA_DL
In this purportedly last volume of the Mortal Instruments trilogy we find Clary still in the thick of things while desperately trying to find a cure for her mother. To do this she must travel to the City of Glass and find the wizard, Ragnor Fell despite Jace's determination she not make the
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journey.

Of the three books I felt this one dragged a little at the beginning but the main thing that bugged me the most is that early on the reader is bound to pick up on the twist in the story (it was very obvious) and for me the waiting around for the characters to catch up was a little frustrating. However, I will say that overall I really enjoyed the book. We saw a lot of the loose ends tied up and many of the budding relationships come to pass. I particularly liked Simon's evolution and growing acceptance of his vampire nature. There is a lot of angst and tragedy in the story and I feel that this trilogy definitely falls under the elusive category of young adult dark urban fantasy. I am wondering though, if this is the last we will see of these characters. The author did seem to leave enough open ended matters that could potentially spawn either a fourth book or a branch off series with an alternative lead, but that is all speculation on my part.
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LibraryThing member The_Book_Queen
From book one, I've been hooked. Completely and totally hooked. Really, from page one, I was hooked-- I'm not even joking. Cassandra Clare's fantasy world captivated me from the very beginning, and that hold hasn't lessened in the two books since. Like I've said before-- it has everything in it:
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romance, action, suspense, wit, et cetera. And the characters vary too-- from werewolves to faeries, vampires to humans, demons to angels. With a cast list like that, how can you not find something in the book that interests you? Uh huh, that's what I thought!

Clare has a way of constantly twisting the story plot, keeping the readers on their toes, without confusing us. Not always an easy thing to do, but Clare does it wonderfully! Just when you think that you know where the story is going, which side a particular character is on, Clare throws you a curve ball that sets you back (almost) to square one. Its one of the reasons why the books are so engaging--- the reader has to think about it, and try to keep up, unless of course they'd rather just enjoy the ride until the end when everything is resolved. I prefer trying to figure things out as the book goes, but with Clare's novels, it is sometimes a bit of a challenge. All the more reasons to enjoy it!

**SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS**
Of course, the one thing I knew from book one, no matter how many curve balls she threw our way, was that Jace and Clary are not siblings. There, I said it. If it comes as a surprise to any readers out there, then I'm sorry for 'spoiling' that, but I think most readers have known all along, and strongly believed it in our hearts, that the two of them could never be siblings-- they belong together, they connect in a way couldn't be because of 'shared' blood. Plus, there were too many little clues and twists along the way that always made me realize that Jace wasn't really Johnathan. But I'm not going to go into too many details about this, one, because it's long and complicated if you haven't read all the books yet, and second, because I don't want to spoil anything else! Just trust me, and after you read COG, you too will probably think back to all the little things from the previous books that helped to point it out.

Besides the amazing story, I loved City of Glass because of the wit and sarcasm that I have come to expect and adore in the series, especially from Jace. It's so much a part of not only the characters, but the story, and it makes what would otherwise be a very dark and rich book (in a good way!) into one that has it's moments of lightness. I laughed at more than a few quotes in the book, in all of the books, actually, and some of them are where you least expect it. As much as I love a good strong fantasy book, heavy in plot and development, I want to have a few laughs along the way, too, and City of Glass delivers on both accounts.

Clary is a very strong character, and I enjoyed following her story through the series. Sometimes I find the heroine in books to be weak or annoying, but Clary was perfect-- as were most of the other interesting characters we are introduced to. From the flamboyant Magnus Bane (a gay warlock that falls for Alec) to the timid-turned-strong Simon, I enjoyed learning more about them all. They all added their own thing to the books, like layers on a cake-- without the one beneath it, the next one wouldn't be possible. I would love to hear more about them, especially some of the minor characters.... Its one of the reasons why it is so hard to see a good series end!

But what an end it was! I wasn't at all disappointed, and I doubt that you will be either. It was everything I expected, not only the action scenes, but seeing Jace and Clary finally fall for each other. Jace, for all his tough, bad-ass shell, proves again and again that he has a tender side in City of Glass. No wonder I love him so much! Seriously, why can't more men/boys in the real world have personalities and characteristics like those of the heroes from our favorite books?!

5/5 STARS! A dazzling ending to a brilliant series, City of Glass is everything the fans could possibly want, and more. The only disappointment will be at the end-- when the story is over, and there's no more to look forward to. (However, Clare does have a new series, a sort of prequel to this one, with different Shadowhunters from the 1800's or so, planned. Sadly, the first one won't be out until next year at the earliest.) A perfect example of fantasy and romance, humor and action, City of Glass (and the other two books) belong on any die-hard fantasy/romance fan's shelf, no matter the age. I would highly recommend Clare's work-- possibly even above Twilight---which is a very high compliment to give, if you know me and my love of Meyer's books... :D
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LibraryThing member Triduana
This series is such good fun! I finished this one and immediately started the next.
LibraryThing member CreativeJunkie
OK...so, my overall review on the series so far:

I really enjoyed the characters she made, loved each of their individual voices and how different/unique they each were. I also enjoyed the sprinkle of humor throughout the books (I giggled out loud more than once) that sort of seemed to balance the
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heaviness of the theme of the books in general.

The world(s) she created were interesting and easy to picture - I was able to see everything as if I was watching a movie.

I will say that I was disappointed with a few points in this series:

1. The incredibly drawn out plot point of Jace/Clary as siblings. I thought it was unnecessary angst and something that could have been resolved quickly. Plus, it squicked me out.

2. How many brothers does this chick have to kiss?

3. The fact that none of these books could stand alone. When I read a series, I like to see a clear story arc within each book and resolutions of conflicts within those. As it stands, these three books read like one massively large book, and we still don't have resolution for some plot points.

Overall, I enjoyed the series and will be reading the continuation, but there were several points that frustrated me tremendously as a reader. I'm hoping we don't have an extension of some of those in the additional books.
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LibraryThing member soliloquies
The final book in the trilogy (before she made it a six parter) and for me this is the strongest book. Everything is at stake and you really begin to see Clary's special abilities coming the fore. Well worth reading as Clare has developed as a writer over the first three books.
LibraryThing member ARQuay
Cassandra Clare’s City of Glass is the third installment of her series The Mortal Instruments. Readers continue to follow the adventures of Clary, her on-and-off-again love Jace and their Shadowhunter and Downworlder friends, but this is the first time readers experience Alicante--aka the titular
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city--the vaguely European Shadowhunter capitol.
Jace, at this point in the series, is mostly insufferable and at times, emotionally abusive to Clary. Clare insists of convincing us that he is bound to be the perfect, heroic romantic for her supposedly heroic protagonist. Meanwhile Simon, her best friend that has now become increasingly good-looking thanks to immortality is vastly more appealing and doesn’t obsessively manipulate Clary’s feelings, but unfortunately Clare won’t allow those two to be together because of true love or something similarly eye-rolling. Without giving too much away, adults recommending this series can now relax that Clare has figured out a way to work around the Flowers in the Attic elements of the story. (And readers can relax, too. Phew.)
Clary, on the other hand, is supposed to be an incredibly powerful Shadowhunter, but readers have yet to see her do much other than hem and haw over feelings. Hopefully, Ms. Clare has a better view of teenagers than the selfish and myopic one she puts on the page. The weightiest decision for Clary is immediately tied to her love life and not to the lives of the thousands of shadowhunters and downworlders she’s meant to protect. With any luck, Clare will amp up the action in the coming installments and let Clary finally live up to her badass potential.
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LibraryThing member benuathanasia
Plotwise this story was an improvement over the last two installments, however the heavily implied incest bothered me quite a bit. It was obvious that Clary and Jace weren’t related as a romantic relationship between siblings likely would not be permissible in a mainstream YA novel, so the whole
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thing just felt cheap. And if Jace’s lineage changes one more time, I may have to kill him simply to do away with the nuisance and the headache. Imagine if Lucas had the iconic “No, I am your father” scene in Empire Strikes Back, on to start off Return of the Jedi with no he’s not – half an hour later, yes he is – half an hour later, he is but… It’s just stupid and ridiculous.
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LibraryThing member bell7
At the end of City of Ashes, a woman named Madeleine suddenly informs Clary that she knows how to get her mother to wake up - and it involves finding the warlock named Ragnor Fell. Now, Clary is ready to journey to Alicante, knowing that Fell will be there as all the Shadowhunters will be meeting
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to discuss Valentine's threat now that he has two of the Mortal Instruments. She is planning on going with the Lightwoods, but Jace - concerned for her safety - doesn't want her to come.

In the first two books, I especially enjoyed getting to know Jace, Clary and Simon (unfortunately, the secondary characters were not developed much) and the breakneck pacing of the stories. This book didn't hold up for me as much, primarily because a twist was telegraphed fairly early on and I'd figured it out much earlier than the characters themselves. I enjoyed the series, however, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to those who want a fast-paced fantasy.
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LibraryThing member dasuzuki
For me this book was a satisfying end to a wonderful series. I really do not think the Mortal Instruments series has gotten as much buzz as it deserves and I highly recommend the entire series. This books wraps up most of the story lines nicely and you get some action and some romance. We see the
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outcome of the tension between Jace and Clary as well as Alec and Magnus. I will say though that Clary was really getting on my nerves though. Stop reading here if you do not want any spoilers!

I think when Jace was trying to get her to go back to New York and was telling her that she was too impulsive and did not think of the consequences of her actions that he wasn’t being just mean. He was totally right. I mean come on. Making the portal to go to Idris wasn’t because she needed to go there to save her mother. It was because she was throwing a temper tantrum about being left behind. Forget the fact that it was possible Jace could have tried to get the potion to save her mother, or that it was against the law for her to go there along or that it could get the others in trouble. Then to make it worse, once she got there she throws another temper tantrum when Luke’s sister tells her she shouldn’t go look for Jace and does it anyway. I really do think Clary was just really lucky things worked out for her.

Wow, that turned into a rant but really this book was awesome and I am glad Clary and Jace and Alec and Magnus end up together.
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LibraryThing member mzonderm
I continue to be impressed with Clare's ability to combine material from other stories into something quite different. She's still borrowing heavily from the Buffy and Star Wars canon, but Clare has brought her trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. The background behind Jace and Clary's supposed
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siblinghood is revealed, and some explanation is given for the startling abilities Clary exhibits in previous books. Although some of the explanations and resolutions are fairly predictable, the process of getting to them is enjoyable.
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LibraryThing member QueenAlyss
City of Glass the final novel in The Mortal Instruments trilogy. In continues the tale of City of Bones and City of Ashes. The emotional struggle between Jace and Clary continues, and often distracts these two main characters from their initiatives. Clary, who is trying to save her mother, is swept
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in the current of the new impending war from Valentine, her father, and a possible new love interest that goes awry, Sebastian. Jace's life goal is to defeat Valentine, but is he strong enough to kill his father?

If the family history wasn't confusing and twisted enough, you will be surprised by the details that occur before Jace and Clary's recognition. You learn how the two got their extra powers! The conflict between the Downworlders and the Clave will also finally be addressed, thanks to Clary, Simon, and Luke.

I personally loved this novel because it is just very interesting to learn about these intricacies and how maybe things aren't always what they seem. This novel, although similar to the two previous novels, addresses the multiple relationships between people on a more human and emotional basis. The previous two were more to set up the characters and plot. I really think that the series was written for the final book because everything finally comes out and the human aspect of the novel is smooth.
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LibraryThing member JRlibrary
This is book three of the Mortal Instruments trilogy, and Clare does a fantastic job of tying everything up into a satisfying conclusion.
Clary travels, against Jace's wishes, to the City of Glass, looking for a cure for her mother. Once there, a showdown unfolds between Valentine and the
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Shadowhunters. I don't want to spoil the book, but I can honestly say I enjoyed this as much as the Twilight series and maybe even a little more since I loved that Clary was a strong, female character, not helpless and dependent like Bella was in some parts of the Twilight series. When Clary saw that something needed to be done, she did it, and I enjoyed that.
Highly recommended, but you HAVE to read book one and two first. This is NOT the kind of series where you can start by reading book three! That would be disastrous, and you'd wind up enjoying nothing. I envy all those readers who haven't started the series yet. You lucky dogs!
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LibraryThing member stephxsu
In this long-awaited finale to the bestselling paranormal series, newly minted Shadowhunter Clary Fray needs to journey to the City of Glass—Alicante, the capital city of Shadowhunter country, Idris—in order to find the book that will wake her mother from her deep slumber. But trouble begins
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before she even enters Idris. Demons are attacking everywhere, even in Alicante, which they supposedly cannot penetrate to. Shadowhunters are dying, and Valentine—Clary and Jace’s evil father—has given the Shadowhunters an ultimatum: join him in his quest to “purify” the world of all Downworlders, or be killed.

Armed with only their Shadowhunter instincts and fighting skills, Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, and Alec band together with new friends in order to try to stop Valentine. While Jace and Clary continue to struggle with their forbidden feelings for one another, it soon becomes clear that there may be a spy for Valentine in their midst. Ultimately, surprising secrets are revealed, friends are betrayed, bargains are struck, and enormous sacrifices must be made if the Shadowhunters want a chance to defeat Valentine, once and for all.

Cassandra Clare delivers a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy that has both Twilight and Harry Potter fans alike on their feet and drooling. In CITY OF GLASS, pressing questions from the first two books are answered and loose ends are tied up, albeit a bit too neatly for my taste. (But more on that later.)

The Mortal Instruments trilogy has really relied more on appealing characters and their development rather than an outstanding plot or story idea. The characters are ones you simply WANT the narration to revolve around: they are quirky and smart-mouthed, yet vulnerable and, inexplicably, human. Clary, short and hot-tempered, is the kind of female protagonist we’d all like to be if we were in an action-fantasy novel—she is resourceful, fun, emotionally turbulent, and unknowingly appealing. Jace is the bad-boy hero of our dreams, whose sardonic comments balance his tough-guy mask to hide his boyish insecurities.

That being said, the story uses a plot that is sometimes slow, oftentimes predictable, and occasionally a bit ludicrous. More than once I felt like some elements were watered-down ones of Harry Potter—most notably being the villain with unfortunate blood ties to the protagonists. The ending in particular was so sudden, so ideal, that I have trouble wrapping my mind around its plausibility.

Overall, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS is an enjoyable, action-packed, and sizzling paranormal trilogy. Fans of Twilight will adore the love triangles and unrequited/forbidden love angle, while Harry Potter acolytes may find a powerful competitor with their favorite series.
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LibraryThing member Rae_Sedin
The amazing third novel in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, City of Glass, was the perfect conclusion to the enchanting tale! I was so excited for this book to come out that I dragged my dad to the bookstore the day it came out as soon as the store opened even though we were on
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vacation. Despite all of the excitement I built behind City of Glass’s release I was not disappointed, I was entirely satisfied in my lust for more of Clare’s enthralling world of demons, Shadowhunters, Downworlders, and forbidden love. I tried to pace myself reading this book and it still seemed to go by too fast. This book is amazing and I would definitely recommend it!
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LibraryThing member alwright1
Clary's story in City of Glass carries on from City of Ashes with the main characters trying to save Clary's mom, while stopping Valentine, and uniting all downworlders and Shadowhunters.

I never was crazy about the love story in these books, but I was obviously enthralled nonetheless, because I
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read this thick volume in a day. While some might say that things ended a little too perfectly, I always enjoy a happy ending, so it didn't bother me much. In the end, the series was worthwhile. Very entertaining.
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LibraryThing member kperry
March 2009The third and final installment in the Mortal Instruments trilogy definitely lives up to the reputation of the first two – CITY OF BONES and CITY OF ASHES. CITY OF GLASS picks up a short time after CITY OF ASHES ends. Clary has a mission. Madeleine, her mother’s friend, is possibly
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the only person who knows how to wake her mother from a coma. Clary will have to travel to Alicante in Idris to get what she needs.Alicante is the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters. It is known as the City of Glass because of the beautifully tall glass towers that guard the city from harm. The only way to get to Idris is through a portal and Magnus, the warlock, has arranged one. Clary is planning to go through the portal with Jace and the Lightwoods. The only problem is, Jace doesn’t want Clary to go so he lies to her about when he and the Lightwoods are leaving. He thinks it is too dangerous for Clary. After being left behind, Clary eventually finds her way to Alicante. She uses her ability to create runes and makes a portal for herself. Being new to the Shadowhunter world, Clary doesn’t know that using a portal and entering the city without permission is against the law. If she is found she could be put to death. Once in the City of Glass, Clary is thrown in the middle of the largest battle the Shadowhunters have ever had to face. Valentine’s evil plans are in the final stages and everyone is on full alert, not knowing what he will do next. Jace and Clary’s complicated relationship keeps them just as confused as ever, but provides great excitement for the reader. Cassandra Clare works magic with this novel. The excitement begins on the first page and doesn’t stop until the final sentence. She brings everything full circle for a completely satisfying ending – even though fans would be more than happy to read about these beloved characters forever. One thing Cassandra Clare fans need to keep an eye out for is the release of THE CLOCKWORK PRINCESS: VOLUME 1 of THE INFERNAL DEVICES. THE INFERNAL DEVICES is a trilogy of prequels set one hundred and forty years ago in Victorian England. Tessa, a warlock, is the main character. The first prequel to the Mortal Instruments trilogy is scheduled to be released Fall 2010.
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LibraryThing member onyx95
With 2 of the Mortal Instruments (the cup and the sword) already in Valentine Morgensterns possession, the main obstacle to his plan was finding the 3rd (the mirror). All th shadow hunters needed to get to Alicante in Idris to see how the Clave had decided to handle the information that Valentine
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was not only still alive, but was still hoping to cleanse the world of demons, downworlders and any who did not follow in his own beliefs of how that should be accomplished. Arriving in Alicante with the main goal of finding the wizard (Ragnor Fell) that could help her mother, Clary (Clarrisa Fray) discovered that no one wanted her there so she took the help of the only person who was offering, Sebastian Verlac. With Jace otherwise occupied, and Simmon thought to still be in New York, the familiarity she felt with Sebastian was almost comforting at first. Learn more details about Jace’s upbringing, see pieces of Jocelyn and Valentines history, hear about more and more secrets that have been kept for far too long. The Angels once helped the Nephilim, but can that save them now?

Book 3 ….. Fast paced, exciting, ever changing, action packed fun. I didn’t want to put it down till the end. As the final installment of the Mortal Instruments series this book was very involved, the need to have read the first 2 of the series (City of Bones and City of Ashes) not just to know the characters, but the main story line is continual. The characters gained depth - more personality and definition, even Valentine. The conclusion wrapped thing up (with one exception) and left things - characters were they should be and with who they should be with. I really enjoyed this whole series even though it was labeled as a young adult, I found the action, adventure and suspense very intriguing and the romance aspect at times frustrating but always sweet and touching.
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LibraryThing member Awesomeness1
I must say, I rushed like a tornado through this book to get to the end, and will most likely re-read it to pick up what I missed.
This was a thrilling conclusion to an exciting series. These books are good if you are trying to pass the time with some kick-butt thrills. However the writing style
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isn't fantastic, and this one felt particularly rushed as it had many spelling and gramatical errors. The characters were also fairly dramatic and would have detailed, repetitive conversations about their feelings during epic battles. It felt that the author was trying to jam anything she could possibly think up in the plot. The plot was complex though (if mildly predictable) and had many mentions to the previous books, so you might want to read them again. I have to say the end satisfied, and the series is good if your expectations aren't too high.
If you are already into the trilogy, this one won't disappoint.
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LibraryThing member kikistina
City of Glass is definitely my favorite of the Mortal Instruments Series so far. It's packed to the brim with romance, intrigue, and suspense. You won't be able to put it down once you pick it up. I loved this book, and I can't wait for the next one, City of Fallen Angels.
LibraryThing member ssalach21
This is a must read! The first two novels in this series were amazing but they just don't compare to City of Glass. We follow Clary, Jace, and the rest of the characters to Alicante, where everything just starts falling into place. I've read that people disliked where it was predictable in parts
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but I didn't find any of that to be a problem. There was action, romance, comedy and everything fit well together. I hated to see it end, but am glad now that it is the ending no more. May 2011 will bring us City of Fallen Angels which will no doubt be another hit in this wonderful series! I've read them all twice now and I know I will never get sick of them. This is mynumber 1 favorite series! They are also not just for YA, i'm 20 and I absolutely loved this book and entire series, my mother and grandmother did as well too! If your looking for a great read then don't hesitate to pick up this series! It will blow you away! Keep it coming Clare!! :)
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Rating

(3243 ratings; 4.2)

Pages

576
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