City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, Book 2)

by Cassandra Clare

Paperback, 2009

Status

Available

Call number

F Cla

Call number

F Cla

Barcode

3092

Publication

Margaret K. McElderry Books (2009), 512 pages

Description

Sixteen-year-old Clary continues trying to make sense of the swiftly changing events and relationships in her life as she becomes further involved with the Shadowhunters and their pursuit of demons and discovers some terrifying truths about her parents, her brother Jace, and her boyfriend Simon.

Original publication date

2008-03-25

User reviews

LibraryThing member nbmars
Note: There are mild spoilers for Book One, but none for this book, Book Two.

This is Book Two of The Mortal Instruments series. I wasn’t overly impressed by City of Bones, finding it way too derivative and way too apt to feature very trite metaphors, but still, it had its appeal. Although I
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wasn’t enamored of the heroine, Clary, or her somewhat hapless BFF Simon, I grew quite fond of her sidekicks: Jace, Alec, and Isabel. I also was interested to see how the big but obvious twist in Book One would play out as the series continued.

I’m happy to say that while the writing didn’t really improve much, I grew more attached to the ongoing story with this second book.

We are following the adventures of the New York City based Shadowhunters - Nehphilim (half angel-half-human beings), who act as “the arcane world’s secret police force.” Yes, there is an arcane world full of demons, blood-suckers, wolves, and poisonous monsters, and no, we are not talking about the American political arena in Washington. [Or maybe we are, and Book Two hasn’t revealed that yet!]

Clary has discovered she too is a Shadowhunter, and so she must help battle all the evil demons that have been unleashed from other dimensions by Clary’s most unholy father Valentine.

Whereas formerly Clary’s only BFF was Simon, a “mundane” (or Ordinary Boy), now she and Simon both hang out with Shadowhunters Jace, Isabelle, and Alec, as well as assorted werewolves, warlocks, vampires, and faeries. But these “Downworlders” (i.e., beings not human but neither angelic or demonic) are, on the whole, pretty good people [sic], especially compared to the former Shadowhunter Valentine and his army of slimy, venom-spitting, shape-shifting, demonic creatures.

Clary and the Shadowhunter Crew don’t know, however, if they can survive Valentine’s new improved powers, and his cruel determination to take over the visible and invisible universe.

Evaluation: Once again we have a plethora of the same elementary similes used in Book One to depict Manhattan: the river is “the color of steel” and it slices through Manhattan and Long Island “like a scar.” The ocean sparkles like diamonds, and blood is always announced by someone sensing the tang of new pennies (which however since 1982 only contain 2.5% copper).

But also, like Book One, there are some laugh-out-loud moments, mostly because Jace, and sometimes Clary, have richly sarcastic, wry senses of humor. In addition, there are two big twists in this book to keep us going on with the rest of the series. And there is even a new character with a name right out of the Sooky Stackhouse series, in case anyone forgot to add it to the list of the many other popular works amalgamated by this one.

But don’t let my sarcasm hide the fact that yes, I am off now to pick up the next book!
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LibraryThing member Aeyan
The second novel of Clare's series of The Mortal Instruments finds the author establishing her footing and enlivening the characters she has created to populate this New York world. Whereas the first novel focused almost exclusively from Clary's point of view with occasional side jaunts that mildly
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detracted from the pacing, City of Ashes bounces fluidly between characters, offering perspectives and understanding of these other players in the Shadowhunter world, especially her secondary characters who nevertheless play important roles such as Alec.
The most fascinating character continues to be Jace. Absolutely arrogant and obnoxious, yet like the charming devil he is, he manages to maneuver his way into my favor. Part of this character's dynamism is the relationship that Clare develops with his father Valentine, the big bad of the story. The force that molded Jace into a smooth-talking and lethal Shadowhunter has moments of Voldemort comparativity, yet remains an even more complex villain than Rowling wrote. Jace's struggle between the lessons of his past and those of his present (not to mention his feelings of love for which he has no context never having been given that by his father) leave the reader wondering just where his loyalties will fall.
The Voldemort-like big bad is not the only Harry Potter-esque similarity I noticed, there are in fact several moments when reading this series that I drew that comparison. Clare does not merely reiterate Rowling however, she just makes use of similar techniques yet makes them fit in her world.
Driven by gleeful action and gleeful bouts of demon slaying, this series also examines the dynamics of friendship: testing the bonds, exploring the transmutations friendship can take (oftentimes physically as well as emotionally), pushing the boundaries between the love of friends and that of lovers. Familial ties also play a large role in Clare's story, from the blood relation to the bonded family, and the demands and support and drama that each entails.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: After the revelations of Jayce and Clary's family history, there's a major upheaval - not only in their budding relationship, but also in the world of the Shadowhunters. Jayce, in particular, is no longer trusted. He was raised by the criminal mastermind Valentine, and his loyalties to the
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Clave are now being questioned by everyone, from his adoptive parents all the way up to the High Inquisitor herself. And it's a dangerous time for loyalties to be in doubt - Valentine has the Angel's cup, and he has designs on the rest of the Mortal Instruments as well... plans that will cost the lives of Downworlders and Shadowhunters alike.

Review: I'm a little perplexed by my reaction to City of Ashes - to all of Cassandra Clare's books, really. I like them, for sure, and I am certainly going to keep reading them, but I'm not over the moon crazy about them in a way it seems like so many people are... and I can't put my finger on why not. They certainly have lots of things I like: paranormal YA, an interesting and well-built internal mythology, good writing with snappy dialogue and a sense of humor, plenty of action, etc. But something is just not quite clicking the way I want it to.

I think part of it is that a large part of the plot focuses around the romantic storyline. That's not a problem in and of itself, but while I like Jayce and Simon well enough, I'm not particularly invested in either of them as a romantic lead, and so I don't find the love triangle aspect of things all that compelling. In fact, in City of Ashes, I found the familial relationships - particularly the parent/adopted offspring relationships between the Lightwoods and Jayce, and Luke and Clary - much more interesting than all of the "I love you but I can't have you but I can't not have you" drama of Clary's love life. In general, the secondary characters provided most of my favorite moments of the book (I actually cheered aloud when the "fearless" rune started working for the first time), and I wish they'd gotten some more screen time.

The plot itself was certainly enough to hold my interest, although I thought that more could have been done with Valentine's plan and the magic behind it. I also think that leaving Jayce's allegiances in question for longer could have upped the dramatic potential substantially. There were a number of clues dropped about Jayce and Clary's past that weren't ever paid out completely - something that is presumably coming in the next book? - so that while I'm while I'm not rabidly in love with this series, I'm definitely enjoying myself and interested enough to keep reading. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: City of Ashes is in no way a stand-alone book; City of Bones need to be read first. The series as a whole should appeal to fans of YA fantasy, particularly urban fantasy, who aren't burnt out on love triangles yet.
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LibraryThing member sunnycouger
I was pleased to see that book 2 of the series was just as good as the first book, although I'm not actually sure if I enjoyed it as much. That sounds stupid and contradictory I know, but what I mean is that the storyline in this book was better than the first, it was slightly darker which worked
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well, it still had the balance of humour which I was glad of but, for large portions of the story I found myself disliking Clary. I'm a Jace fan, I'm not going to hide it and he was wonderful throughout with hints about his abusive upbringing and the dichotomy of the facade he puts up and the way he really feels. Clary has Jace on a string for the whole book, and although events in the first book obviously plays a large part in her actions, I found her needlessly cruel to him at times. It wasn't his fault, yet she acted as though it was and the whole 'I'll punish myself by not talking to Jace' bs because of what happened to Simon was so selfish I was half hoping that Jace wouldn't come running when she snapped her fingers. She calls all the shots and I get it - she's a heartbroken teenage girl who enjoys having two boys at her beck and call and can't see past her own feelings, but I disliked girls like that when I was that age so I really haven't developed a tolerance for them now that I'm older. At least she admits the reason she doesn't have any female friends is because she feels threatened by them (for encroaching on her boys, I guess) so I'm hoping with the nonsense with the now vampiric Simon over with (I mean seriously - it is clearly impossible to have a platonic male/female friendship in modern media nowadays, isn't it?) that Clary will open her eyes and grow up a little.

Simon...up until the end of the book I disliked him. He reminded me of Jacob from Twilight, and not in a good way and although no one had a gun to Clary's head to force her to go along with it, he did kinda brow beat her into a relationship out of his jealousy for Jace. The very same jealousy that had him run off in a childish rage and into a room of vampires where he got turned. I think he'll come into his own when he's away from Clary more and he did redeem himself at the end.

I know I'm judging him and Clary harshly - they are supposed t just be 16, but in so many ways they don't act 16, or talk 16 so although I get it, they are hormonally driven, angst ridden, selfish teenagers - it's sometimes hard to reconcile how they act sometimes with how they appear most of the time.

I enjoyed her power developing though and although I suppose it's a convenient power, the main character in every book generally has to have something extraordinary about them or else there wouldn't be much point of anything.

I loved the little homage to Harry Potter with the Dumbledore vs Magnus Bane discussion at the end, and although the Inquisitor reminded me of Dolores Umbridge at first (especially with the handcuffs - oww) I was pleased to find that she had some depth and backstory that made her actions, while not right, at least a little understandable.

Regardless of everything I've said, I did really enjoy the book and I can't wait to start the third and see what happens next. I have my suspicions, but we'll see. If nothing else, I know I'll be engrossed in how it develops anyway.
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LibraryThing member Jenson_AKA_DL
Clary is still getting used to the idea of being more than what she once thought she was, a Shadowhunter by birth, decended from the angels. More than that she has to learn to live with who her family is, including the brother she never knew she had and a diabolical father who wants to wipe out the
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Shadowhunter Clave and the downworlders she has come to trust.

**some light spoilers**

I know that some of this really went right by me because I had forgotten so much of the first book. However, the story was still enjoyable. I really enjoyed all the characters, especially Alec, Luke, Simon and Maia. I have read that some people got squikked out by the relationship between Jace and Clary but I thought it was understandable all things considered. It's not like you can control who you love just because they turned out to be someone you didn't realize they were. I'm still not sure they're as "related" as might have been let on so far so I'll be waiting on book three find out if my suspicions are right.

At the beginning of the story I felt a little overwhelmed by all the characters and events that I didn't remember but once we got into the new territory it was all pretty interesting. This is an enjoyable young adult urban fantasy that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to teens and up.
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LibraryThing member flemmily
I got about halfway through this book thinking that this series was a second rate Harry Potter knock-off, and then somehow it got good! I'm glad this book heated up for me because the last half was gripping. Even though the structure of the plot is reminiscent of Harry Potter, the mythology and the
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pathos are all its own.
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LibraryThing member coffee.is.yum
I didn't like this book as much as the first one. I have to be honest, I really think the only reason I read through the entire book is because Clary's relationship with Jace is really interesting (and tense!). However, Cassandra's writing style is horrible. The whole book is so plot-driven that
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she forgets about characterization. The characters are used to push the plot forward, or to create humor, or whatever. The dialogue is all the same, they all talk exactly the same. Even the body language is weird. "Clary almost fell off her chair" when Simon said something to her just conjures weird images. Most of what Cassandra writes conjures weird images in my head. It's not fluid body language--nether is the dialogue. It's really jolts me out of the book in a lot of places.

I also don't understand why everyone stands around and talks for six pages during important scenes. They did the same thing in the first book. In this book, Jace was standing around talking to a woman while they are surrounded by demons. So, she gets killed because they're too busy talking. Then Alec and Isabelle show up out of nowhere, and they begin talking about the Institute. So, Isabelle gets attacked. Alec bends down and helps Isabelle. So, Alec and Jace start talking...then Alec has to scream "Jace behind you!" and THEN he starts fighting the demons. Yeah, so let's sit around and talk (which is a really odd way to fill the reader in on things the reader doesn't care about at that moment) when our friends are captured. So, yeah these moments are really boring and they litter the book.

Also, Simon's character is weird, it seems that he's used as simply a plot device, too. I also don't like him, Cassandra tries way too hard to create two boys that are lovable so that her readers can "choose." I just ended up hating, because the reader needs conflict to feel engaged in the story and Simon isn't a threat. His careless nature and constant breaking up and "waiting" on Clary just makes the whole love triangle boring and obvious. The book is just not very smooth, and I wished the characters were fleshed out more instead of the book just jumping from action scene to action scene with a LOAD of dialogue explanation in between.

I also wish Cassandra wouldn't treat her readers like idiots. She explains everything over and over and foreshadows to the point that it's not really foreshadowing...it's telling the readers what to expect. And when there's an entire page about Maia feeling sad, so sad that she feels obliged to leave the house...we know something bad is going to happen. I would appreciate more subtly in the book. Oh well, I will read the third book just because I really like Clary and Jace's conflict. Although I know how it's going to end.
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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 heaven_star
You know, I don't think I'm going to end up finishing this trilogy.

"Come on - three star review and not going to read the next one?"

Probably not, no.

There's nothing really wrong with the book, or the previous one. I picked them up because they were the big hyped YA thing at the time and I wanted
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something to potter through in German and figured pulpy, fun YA was the ticket. I think I've learned something important - if I'm not interested in reading it in Englishh, my enthusiasm for reading it isn't going to increase by reading it in German. Even if it's pulpy and easy. I need a story to drag me through it and, honestly, these books don't do that for me.

It's weird, I really love the world and the soapie-drama characters and plot is the sort of thing I can be tempted to jump on the bandwagon for. But not this one.

Jace and Clary are dealing with the aftermath of the "oh crap, we're siblings, we should probably put a hold on that crush we've been working on" situation, but they're finding that hard, and Clary hooks up with Simon who turns out to be a vampire and...

I just sort of didn't care. The world is fun, I love the shadowhunters as a concept. I don't mind Clary as a main character, I quite like Jace, it's just... they're a bit 2D or something? Motivations are slim on the ground and everyone acts emotional and irrational most of the time - even the adults! Fine for a soap, but doesn't give a book much depth.

It's YA, I do get that. I do get that the themes are all about emotions and relationships and simplified difficult concepts. This just misses the balance somehow. I didn't notice it so much in the first one but this one I really wasn't engaged with. I was never worried for any of the characters - there was no real threat that I noticed, even when Simon was "dead" on Valentine's boat. It was just sort of 'blah'.

It was easy enough to read and the world, again, is really fun. This installment just left me with very little to compel me to read the next one - even the hooks like the Inquisitor having some sort of epiphany about Jace just before she died and the mysterious stranger who is the only person who can help Clary wake up her mother.

I'm not sure if it's a pacing or characterisation depth problem, really. It could be either but the result is the same. Ok read, didn't mind doing it and enjoyed it in parts, but probably won't pick up the next one.
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LibraryThing member Dissidence
My fangirlishness over this series has skewed my morality since I spent the entire book thinking, "Yeesss...kiss your sister..." I love Jace. And I like this series so much that I don't even care about the writing or the strange plot twists etc. I've read so many books in the past year that have
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appealed to my head, but not many since Harry Potter appealed to my heart...and this series has!
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LibraryThing member soliloquies
Much more enjoyable than the first book, possibly because I've got into her style of writing. The characters were fleshed out better and it had less of a feel of fan fiction about it and more that of a confident writer.
LibraryThing member thediaryofabookworm
Gack! Give away of the century!! That's right folks, this story turns X-men right away, right down to the old school yellow and black unitards (notice how much that word looks like retard? I'm just saying that maybe it suggests a little something about adding one to your wardrobe). But seriously...
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I'm just pulling your leg, there is an aquatruck, but Magnus is running it so it's still super hip and cool, a la Shadowhunter/downworlder.

Book two of The Mortal Instruments series, does not suffer the lull that middle books can often fall into in a three parter. Just like book one, City of Ashes is a fast paced, breathlessly exciting read. With more daemons, more shocking discoveries, and of course that nasty little love triangle which has gotten oh, so awkward in light of Valentines news at the end of City of Bones.

Alec and Isabelle's parent's and younger brother Max have returned, but not with good news. The Inquisitor is fast on their heels, and she's as bad as her name suggests, zeroing on Jace in the most unpleasant manner. Things have gone from bad to disaster at an alarming rate and Clary is going to have to pull her weight amongst the shadowhunters and downworlds if the people she cares about are going to survive Valentines machinations.

If you even remotely enjoyed book one of the series, City Bones, you'll love City of Ashes. And I feel compelled to say, there is an absolutely bone chilling incident in the the actual city of bones in this book that still creeps me out a little. Make sure you have book three on hand way before you'll think you need it; you'll be shocked how quickly you work you're way through the 496 pages.

In keeping with my first post I'm also including some great quotes from the book, just for your giggling pleasure.

"'I don't want to be a man,' said Jace. 'I want to be an angst-ridden teenager who can't confront his own inner demons and takes it out verbally on other people instead.'"

"‘Well, I’m not kissing the mundane,’ said Jace. ‘I’d rather stay down here and rot.’
‘Forever?’ said Simon. ‘Forever’s an awfully long time.’
Jace raised his eyebrows. ‘I knew it,’ he said. ‘You want to kiss me, don’t you?’"

""You Might want to lie down," Magnus advised. "I find that it helps when the crushing sense of horrible realization sets in.""

""How did you get Magnus to let Jace leave?"
"Traded him for Alec," Clary said.
Isabelle looked mildly alarmed. "Not permanently?"
"No," said Jace. "Just for a few hours. Unless I don't come back," he added thoughtfully. "In which case, maybe he does get to keep Alec. Think of it as a lease with an option to buy."
Isabelle looked dubious. "Mom and Dad won't be pleased if they find out."
"That you freed a possible criminal by trading away your brother to a warlock who looks like a gay Sonic the Hedgehog and dresses like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?" Simon inquired. "No, probably not.""

City of Ashes, by Cassandra Clare
Published by McElderry, March 2009
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LibraryThing member onyx95
Learning more everyday about the world of Shadowhunters, Downworlders and Demons that her mother tried to keep from her, Clary (Clarissa Fray) discovers the differences. Finding she has a father (Valentine Morgenstern), and a brother (Jace) that are on different sides of the Shadowhunter’s view
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about how to handle the Downworlders and the Demons puts Clary in a postion that leaves her wondering who to believe in. The people she turns to first are her mothers long time friend Luke Garroway (who happens to be a werewolf) and her own best friend Simon (who is turning in to more than a friend). With there help and a few other Shadowhunters and one High Warlock, Clary and Jace are determined to fight for what is right, even if it is their own father.

Book 2 ….. Wow, talk about a jam packed book. So much happened in just the first half I would have been satisfied if it ended there. It kept going and just got better as it went. There are a lot of fighting scenes and some are really good, well written. I was a little surprised by what happened to poor Simon, there are actually several things that took me by surprise in this one (but a few things didn’t), I think what Imogen Herondale (the Inquisitor) said to Jace will come out and be understood (as a good thing). It ended with certain expectations of what the 3rd book (City of Glass) will have in it. Now that Valentine has the cup and the sword, the only Mortal Instrument left would be the mirror.
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LibraryThing member QueenAlyss
City of Ashes is the sequel to City of Bones. The conflict between the main characters of Jace and Clary continue as their relationship expands to encompass the people they know and the details of their lives they have discovered. I enjoyed the writing, but I feel that the book was attempting to be
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a set up for the final novel because it was a little slower of a read than the first or the last. However, great read!
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LibraryThing member carlienichole
This series is absolutley amazing! I have read them so many times lately. There's a tension in the books that makes you want to keep on reading and never put them down and then reread them over and over again.
LibraryThing member Tcubed
A rich tapestry, gathering from all myths and stories. "All the stores are true, all of them!"

I enjoyed reading this one, would recomend it to anyone looking for something fresh and a little different
LibraryThing member JRlibrary
Book two of the Mortal Instruments series. Don't think I can write a review without some spoilers, and I don't want to risk that. Let me just tell you that this is an incredible series; one that should be read by all fantasy lovers. Would be a great series for those who read Twilight and were
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hunting for something to keep them satisfied. Clary discovers that she has a father and a brother she didn't know about, and she learns a lot more about Shadowhunters and Downworlders. I was shocked by what happened to Simon. I love the tension between Jace and Clarry... great story.
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LibraryThing member simplykatie
decent sequel. i still think that my teens will wind up getting squicked out, but i'm ordering it for the library nonetheless.it will make for interesting conversation. this novel felt a bit more polished to me than the first and i can only hope that the third book (city of glass, due out in march
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of '09) will follow suit.
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LibraryThing member knielsen83
A fabulous second book... involves a few different love triangles, forbidden love, and lots of gruesome demon fights. Ends with a cliffhanger, so there will definitely be another book (hopefully by next year).
LibraryThing member Library-Wolf
first in a trilogy (3rd one due out early 2009), this is a great story on many levels. Suspense, magic, werewolves, vampires, demons (and demon slayers). There's many twists and turns in this and the next book. A great read for young adults and adults also.
LibraryThing member TeenBookReviews
Clary is drawn deeper into the world of Shadowhunters and Underworlders at a time when their greatest enemy, Valentine, is amassing power and implementing a heinous plot. Another win for Clare. Having finished the first book in the series, I rushed to acquire the second (which was very quickly
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devoured). City of Ashes starts off a bit slower than City of Bones, but quickly gains momentum while grabbing the reader’s emotions and imagination. Characters from the first book return with new depth and secrets in need of resolution are discovered, but no resolved. The writing is tight and descriptive, easily transporting the reader into Clary’s rapidly changing world. By the end of the second novel, there are more issues raised to be dealt with in the third installment and, as a reader let me say, I can’t wait.
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LibraryThing member mzonderm
This book seemed like much less of a mush of other books than the first one in the series did, which was a relief. It picks up shortly after the first book left off, with all the main characters just recovering from the wounds they sustained in the big fight against Valentine's Forsaken. Which
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brings me to my only major problem with this book: the timeline. Although we're told that it was August during the events of City of Bones, in this book it seems to be late fall (there's always a chill in the air). Clary wakes up and eats a doughnut on her way to meet Simon, and then suddenly it's late afternoon. And a few more occasions of missing time...

If you can ignore those inconsistencies, though, this is a good read. Plenty of twists and turns, and unexpected action. A few characters wind up not being dead a few too many times (an author can only pull that trick so many times before all the tension leaks away). And, although the book dragged in a few scenes (ok, Inquisitor, we get your point), I'll be waiting with a fair degree of anticipation of the (hopefully, since I don't think this story-line can last for more than one more book) last book in the trilogy.
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LibraryThing member Runa
I was not very satisfied by this volume of the Mortal Instruments series. I think it was summed up well by a friend of mine as just being a very weird book. The writing is unnecessarily melodramatic while the plot moves along quite slowly, except during the important parts, where it seems to zoom
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by too fast. For the most part, the characters are kept realistic, although they all do go through their brief moments of flatness. The cultural references are a fun addition, adding a bit of extra enjoyment throughout the book. Like I had said in my review of City of Bones, the love triangle is overdone, like so many other books. The additional drama with Simon's character seems ridiculously overdone to me, particularly the supposed vampire vs. werewolf drama, as if we needed more of that. The cliffhanger was crazy awesome, and I can't wait to read more, but by God, I hope we are done with the disgustingness that is Jace/Clary. I don't need to read about siblings who are madly in love with each other, I really don't. Anyways, looking forward to getting my hands on City of Glass, and, oh, one last thing. Dumbledore would so win in a fight versus Magnus, no questions asked!

Rating: 3.5/5
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LibraryThing member bell7
Clary's mother is still in the hospital, Jace is in trouble with the Clave and their Inquisitor, and a murderer on the loose appears to be targeting Downworlder teens and draining their blood. Not much time has passed since the first book ended, and this one jumps right back into the situation.
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Jace and Clary are trying to figure out how to act like brother and sister, and it's not going so well. Valentine is still on the loose, and his plan is anyone's guess.

Though fast moving and intense, this second book in the "Mortal Instruments" series is more about developing the main characters than about furthering the plot. On occasion, things seemed to be set up a little too neatly (a character just happened to be right where s/he needed to be for an action sequence) or forgetfully (Isabelle and Alec are suddenly Jace's stepsiblings?). But this was still an excellent read, and I can't wait to start City of Glass.
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LibraryThing member df1a_laurenM
City of Ashes was even better than the first book, City of Bones. It had so much more in it and had even more action than in the first book. The author brought new characters into the story and they fit perfectly along with all the rest. My favorite new character in this book is the Farie Queen.
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She is full of humor, even though it is a little harse, and the author has described her so well i can clearly picture her in my mind. This book is awsome and i cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
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Rating

(3569 ratings; 4)

Pages

512
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