City of Ashes (2) (The Mortal Instruments)
Is love worth betraying everything? Plunge into the second adventure in the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and "prepare to be hooked" (Entertainment Weekly)--now with a gorgeous new cover, a map, a new foreword, and exclusive bonus content! City of Ashes is a Shadowhunters novel.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 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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Community Reviews
The first book might have been fine (it wasn't) because it had at least potential. This sequel absolutely shatters every hope I had that it could become anything worth reading. The characters are so annoying that I'm rooting for Valentine, Cassandra can't do subtle foreshadowing to save her life, Clarissa and Jace are Mary Sue's and that makes them detestable and the fact that they all always miraculously survive is histerical. The most bothering thing that makes this book such a hard read is the relationship between Clary and Jace. I don't care if it ends up they're not actually siblings, Cassandra decided that for the entire book the reader had to hold back vomit anytime these two were in the same room and I'll never forgive her for that.
+ Clarissa insults a cat, I hate her the most
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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 for the last (hopefully, since I don't think this story-line can last for more than one more book) book in the trilogy.
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 for the last (hopefully, since I don't think this story-line can last for more than one more book) book in the trilogy.
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I can't believe I'm giving this two stars. It's actually very generous of me considering I can't even work up the oomph to tag this as more than read and young-adult. Here's the thing(s):
1. I don't give a rat's hiney about these characters.*
-Clary. I don't get the appeal. I don't care.
-Jace. I really don't get the appeal. I really don't care.
-Simon. I get it. You love her (that part I'm not sure I get, however). You're always nice, which means you'll always be friend-zoned. We didn't believe the "romance" for a moment. Access DENIED.
-Valentine. Uggggghhhhh. You aren't even a real villain because I can't even make myself care that you are forming an entire demon army.
-The other dozen characters that I don't care about. Guess what? I don't care.
*Except Luke. For some reason, I see him as Sam from HBO's True Blood, which makes me L-O-V-E him.
2. I don't give a rat's hiney about the "adventures."
There is a lot of action going on here. We're visiting a prison, a faerie domain, a ship surrounded by demons. We're mingling with vampires, werewolves, faeries, Shadowhunters, warlocks, etc. etc. Shouldn't I be more excited? There is something about the writing/descriptions that leaves me feeling empty. I can't really picture these things because the world building is lacking. This is something that is always a make or break for me in any type of fantasy book. If you want me to believe in and care about worlds that don't exist, YOU NEED TO PAINT A DAMN GOOD PICTURE. In the same vein, if you want me to care about the characters, YOU NEED TO PAINT A DAMN GOOD PICTURE OF WHY I SHOULD LOVE THEM. You cannot just tell me that so and so loves so and so "just 'cuz." I'm too old to believe that garbage.
3. There is no stopping Clare and her craptastic metaphors.
Who was the editor that allowed this? I almost gouged out my eyes but then remembered that there are some really good books out there that I'd like to have my eyes for.
So back to the two stars.
There is something going on - I'm going to guess witchcraft - that makes me feel like I need to read the next book and find out what happens. I feel like I'm in too deep to not continue. I am sure I will do my fair share of suffering, eye-rolling, and sighing again with the next book, but I was unable to stop myself from plucking it off my shelf and starting the first chapter within minutes of finishing this one. I figure that has to deserve two stars.
1. I don't give a rat's hiney about these characters.*
-Clary. I don't get the appeal. I don't care.
-Jace. I really don't get the appeal. I really don't care.
-Simon. I get it. You love her (that part I'm not sure I get, however). You're always nice, which means you'll always be friend-zoned. We didn't believe the "romance" for a moment. Access DENIED.
-Valentine. Uggggghhhhh. You aren't even a real villain because I can't even make myself care that you are forming an entire demon army.
-The other dozen characters that I don't care about. Guess what? I don't care.
*Except Luke. For some reason, I see him as Sam from HBO's True Blood, which makes me L-O-V-E him.
2. I don't give a rat's hiney about the "adventures."
There is a lot of action going on here. We're visiting a prison, a faerie domain, a ship surrounded by demons. We're mingling with vampires, werewolves, faeries, Shadowhunters, warlocks, etc. etc. Shouldn't I be more excited? There is something about the writing/descriptions that leaves me feeling empty. I can't really picture these things because the world building is lacking. This is something that is always a make or break for me in any type of fantasy book. If you want me to believe in and care about worlds that don't exist, YOU NEED TO PAINT A DAMN GOOD PICTURE. In the same vein, if you want me to care about the characters, YOU NEED TO PAINT A DAMN GOOD PICTURE OF WHY I SHOULD LOVE THEM. You cannot just tell me that so and so loves so and so "just 'cuz." I'm too old to believe that garbage.
3. There is no stopping Clare and her craptastic metaphors.
Who was the editor that allowed this? I almost gouged out my eyes but then remembered that there are some really good books out there that I'd like to have my eyes for.
So back to the two stars.
There is something going on - I'm going to guess witchcraft - that makes me feel like I need to read the next book and find out what happens. I feel like I'm in too deep to not continue. I am sure I will do my fair share of suffering, eye-rolling, and sighing again with the next book, but I was unable to stop myself from plucking it off my shelf and starting the first chapter within minutes of finishing this one. I figure that has to deserve two stars.
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I actually watched the Shadowhunters show on Freeform and thought the acting was godawful, but kept watching almost because the acting was so terrible. I thought it was one of those situations where the book has to be better than the tv/film adaptation.
I was wrong.
Btw, I did power through (maybe speed read thru to get it over with), City of Bones. (I forget when, though, I wasn't a keeping a book journal). For some reason, I thought maybe the second the book in the series would be better. Idk ... Anyway, I traded the entire [The] Mortal Instruments collection I had for credit at an independent book shop (I actually felt kind of bad doing this, but clearly there are people who enjoy these books ('-')b ...)
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