City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments)
by Cassandra Clare
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Book Reviews of City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments)
Book Review: Lots of action!
Summary: 4 Stars
CITY OF ASHES, by Cassandra Clare, continues this action-packed series with more surprises. Clare definitely stepped up the game in this book where Clary becomes more fierce and the characters around her were growing and changing as well.
I sped through this book just like I did with City of Bones. Mainly because I wanted to see if Jace and Clary weren't brother and sister, and I was disappointed once again. The feelings between them were still creepy and weird to me but it was not in the forefront of the story. I actually became more interested in Valentine and his motivations for killing the young Downworlders. Although he was a terrible person, I was intrigued by him as a character.
The second book in a trilogy can sometimes lean toward being a "filler" book but I have to say this one was not. The plot actually thickened with the discovery of Simon as a vampire and the forbidden relationship between Alec and Magnus growing.
Clare added to the tension by inserting doubts about Jace and his relationship with Valentine. I was very interested to learn the actual truth of this boy's past. The fast-paced action of this book made my heart pump with excitement for the final book of this trilogy, City of Glass.
Book Review: The Compulsive Reader's Reviews
Summary: 5 Stars
The past few weeks have been hectic for Clary Fray to say the least, and they only seem to get even more so in the sequel to Cassandra Clare's popular debut City of Bones. Clary's mother still hasn't awoken from her strange sleep induced by Jace and Clary's father, Valentine, and Jace is having troubles coming to terms with his true parentage.
Things only get more complicated when an Inquisitor is sent to the Institute to question Jace's loyalty to the Clave, and he doesn't make a good impression. Suspicion is further aroused when children of magical descent are found dead all over the city, making everyone suspect that Valentine is up to something more sinister than they have anticipated.
The second book in the Mortal Instruments series is full of fast paced action and twists and turns that you won't see coming. Clary gets more and more involved in the supernatural world as she and Jace struggle to accept their relationship, while at the same time fending off attacks from all sides. In between it all is exhilarating excitement, the awkwardness of being a teenager, and intriguing mysteries. Readers looking for more breathless adventure and a spectacular battle against evil will delight in City of Ashes.
Book Review: Probably going to get slammed here, but I actually liked it
Summary: 4 Stars
Yes the writing is atrocious at times ("the metal melted like ice cream on a hot day" - ugg!) and maybe I wasn't expecting much after City of Bones, but I actually liked the story and thought it was pretty entertaining with plenty of action. I've never watched Buffy, so I can't attest to any similarities - perhaps if I had I'd be more in agreement with the negative reviews here - but overall I enjoyed the story and it kept me engaged enough to keep reading. I thought it flowed better than COB and had better overall pacing.
As for characterization, I still found Clary somewhat lacking but I liked Jace much more this time around. He wasn't as cocky and showed more vulnerability which made him a more likeable character. A number of other reviewers seemed disturbed by the Jace/Clary situation and while it's not my favorite plot twist, it's also probably not what it seems.
From what I can tell, Clare has garnered quite a few enemies due to the fanfic issue and as a result anyone who rates her books well gets a deluge of unhelpful votes, which is unfortunate. While these books aren't great literature, they're quick, easy reads that would likely appeal to a younger teen audience.
Book Review: inconsistent timing
Summary: 4 Stars
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 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.
Book Review: How did you NOT like this book?
Summary: 5 Stars
I was very surprised by the amount of one, two or even three star reviews for this book because I actually enjoyed it. It wasn't as exciting as the first book in the series: City of Bones but it was still enjoyable enough to be given five stars.
On Clary's next adventure there is even more conflicts going on in her life: She is still falling for Jace, who she believes to be her brother and Simon, her best friend is falling for her. Life is clearly difficult! Her mother is also in a coma and it seems as if she'll never wake up from it...
Jace, Clary's brother is also having troubles with his life. Except that his are troubles with Shadowhunter law! Their father, Valentine was so horrible and unstoppable that they're blaming him for his father's mistakes! Valentine must be stopped before he can carry through with his plan that could control everyone and put him in complete power!
Make way for a story full of fantasy, adventure and romance! Cassandra Clare has done it again with the sequal to "City of Bones".