City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
ISBN: 9781406307634

Published: 7th July 2008
Paperback, 411 pages
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Rating: 8.5/10

WARNING: This review may contain spoilers from the first book in the series City of Bones.

By the Angel! Everything kicks off in the second installment of The Mortal Instruments series. Vampires, Werewolves, Shadowhunters and Demons make for a fantastic fantasy world. The plot was well paced and moved on seamlessly.

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? Clary would love to spend more time with her best friend, Simon.

But the Shadowhunters won’t 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. When the second of the Mortal Instruments is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor suspects Jace. Could Jace really be willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

This book was focused more on Jace than Clary and I really liked that. We’re able to see inside his head and how he felt after the revelation that came to light at the end of the first book. Also, Clary annoys me a little so it was good to see a little less of her. my favourite character progression for this book had to be Simon’s. He goes through so much and it’s just so good to see how he reacts, it also makes for some really funny moments.

Valentine is a superb villian and adds a great deal to the book. It’s hard to explain what he’s like, he just is. To see more of the Downworlders was a nice touch, especially with everything that was happening with Simon. I think him and Luke are going to be great friends.

“I’ll just have them change the entry in the demonology textbook from ‘almost extinct’ to ‘not extinct enough for Alec. He prefers his monsters really, really extinct.’ Will that make you happy?”

However, the constant ‘I love him, but I can’t ever be with him’ and ‘I just want to kiss her’ stuff between Clary and Jace made my skin crawl, they should be running away from each other not trying to be all lovey-dovey.

This guest review was contributed by Mezzalilys Teen Book Reviews. This blogger capitalizes on her experience of youth to bring insight in her book reviews, particularly of the YA market.