City of Ashes
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
The Mortal Instruments #2
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.
The repercussions of finding out Jace is Valentine's son hit everyone hard, but had the most devastating impact on Jace and Clary. While they are trying to figure out their new roles with each other, Valentine doesn't give them a break. He continues with his plot to destroy all of the downworlders as well as the Shadowhunter's Clave. Because of this, Jace's loyalty is constantly tested and questioned throughout the book. Almost everyone believes he is Valentine's spy and he spends most of this book fighting against imprisonment. In the end, one person's revenge could cost them everything, as without their help, it could all easily crumble.
Anyone who read my Review of the first book in this series, City of Bones could tell that I was completely shocked at the twist in the end of the book. I didn't go into to much detail because I didn't want to spoil such a major event. However, now that I've read the second book, I just have to talk about said event. Never would I have expected Jace and Clary to be siblings! The heartache is completely evident between the two throughout this book as they both try to deny/hide their feelings for each other. I cannot imagine finding out the person you love is completely unattainable. They could have overcome almost any other obstacle, but this one just won't go away no matter how much they may want it to.
Its funny that the "love triangle" aspect continues throughout this book considering Jace is her brother, but it does make sense since neither Clary nor Jace can just turn off their feelings. As much as I love Simon's character and his absolute loyalty to Clary, I just don't feel the "romance" between the two of them. I think Simon is truly in love with her, but one side just isn't enough. Clary of course loves him, but its more of an extremely close brother love, the type of love she should have for Jace. I think there are only two reasons she shows any romance at all towards Simon. One, she is trying to forget about Jace, something that just doesn't look likely, and two, because she is afraid of losing Simon. Even though her feelings might not be romantic, she cannot bear the thought of losing him. The poor girl is just in a losing battle on all sides.
There were plenty of shocking moments in this books, and one character in particular was irrevocably changed. Everything about the world and the characters seems so real. All the emotions are felt right along with the characters as they go through the things they do. I love a book/series that really sucks you in, and this one is no exception. The most impressive would have to be Valentine's character. Sometimes the villains in books just don't come across as completely believable or a major threat. However, Valentine is truly a nefarious character as everyone who he comes in contact is utterly destroyed in one way or another. Everyone loves a "good" bay guy to "hate, and Valentine fits that bill perfectly.
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City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments)
