City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments)
by Cassandra Clare
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Book Summary Information
Author: Cassandra ClareEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-03-25
ISBN: 1416914293
Number of pages: 464
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Accessories:
- City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments)
- City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)
- City of Bones (Mortal Instruments, Book 1)
- City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)
Book Reviews of City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments)
Book Review: Few One Star Reviews Because Most Readers Gave Up
Summary: 1 Stars
There are very few one star reviews because most readers who will share my concerns gave up after the first book. If you're prodding along after the first book and are even slightly tempted by the high ratio of five star reviews, stop right there buddy. Get off the ledge. Put your feet safely back inside your house. Things do not get better. It's like eating something that looks like it tastes good because you're hungry even though you know the aftertaste is awful and gives indigestion.
City of Ashes is the sequel to City of Bones and Cassandra Clare hasn't sharpened her skills or refined any of her techniques. The book is more of the same and contains all the same flaws as the first book. The dialogue between characters is unrealistic and the characterizations blur into one hodge-podge mess. There's no witty character whose presence you look forward too. They're all extremely witty. The jokes are heavy handed and the setups are clear. The character's alternate the role of the person asking the stupid question so that the next witty remark can be thrust in there. Maybe if one character was forever asking pointless questions and one always retorted with witty remarks it would be okay, but no. Everyone has their chance being the villiage idiot and what that leaves is a total lack of structured characters.
The characters happen to be the very least of this novels many, many issues. There are plot holes I can not only drive a truck through, but lead a street parade. I'm going to give an example so be aware the following lines contain spoilers. Stop reading if you're concerned about preserving the surprise (although, honestly, if you're going to go into this book you might as well be prepared.)
Jace, the male lead, is held prisoner to be offered as collateral. He escapes with assistance and flees while being chased. Guards give chase and almost, but not quite for some reason, disable the escape car with a throwing knife to a tire. Later, the woman responsible for holding him still offers to trade Jace to his father. Yes, I know. I was stuck on that too. So, the guards never informed her the prisoner escaped? Well, I could let that go if the trade's rejection wasn't such a significant part of the storyline. It's the tide turning event and the person in charge isn't aware the prisoner escaped despite having guards give chase... really.
An editor should have pointed out the necessity for a clean escape because the trade being rejected was an important point in proving Jace's innocence. The author should have been prepared to leave him an outlaw or done a better job in general.
This is not the only plot hole. There's timeline issues, paper-thin explanations, and general nonsense someone clearly pulled out their rear ends. The only good thing I can say about the novel is Jace's feelings for Clary lend a tone of longing and despair that make his scenes with her worth reading. Clary herself is still a flat out Mary Sue and her feelings for Jace don't hold up nearly as well as his for hers. The depth of the sacrifices he's willing to make for her make him the only real character in the series.
I've been lent the third book by a friend who finds my displeasure cute and I'll be giving a review of it next week in the hopes of giving these stars a better and more realistic ratio.
Summary of City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments)
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.
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