City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Summary:
"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." -Goodreads.com

My Review:


I liked the book, just not as much as the first in it's series. It didn't seem to have as much action... just more focus on love and, dare I say it, incest? Well, there may be some clues that the latter might not be true, with the actions of the Inquisitor in the end, as well as some other things that I won't get into because I don't want to include spoilers. In all the book advances the knowledge and strengths of the main characters as they fight to figure out Valentine's intentions and battles. I only hope City of Glass restores my interest in the series, because this book didn't have the zing that the previous book did.

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"'I remember you saying that growing up happens when you start having things you look back on and wish you could change. I guess that means I've grown up now. It's just that --that I--' I thought you'd be there when I did." (209)

Hardcover, 464 pages

Published March 25th 2008 by Margaret K. McElderry Books