Hello fellow literature connoisseurs!
If you have not read the City of Bones it is highly probable that none of the following will make any sense to you whatsoever.
This also may not so much be like my other reviews as I don't feel a recommendation/non-rec review would make much sense for a case like this. Now that I am in the midst of this series (and presumably so are you), it would be an odd approach to take to continue that style of review, so rather this will be more like a book talk, discussing the book, plot development, character development, basically how the series has progressed in its sequel! With that being said, I think it goes without saying that this entire review is one big-ole spoiler. Read with caution!!
BEFORE THE SPOILERS
I loved this book so very much and I sense that my love for the shadow hunter world will not stop at City of Ashes... actually I know it won't because as I write this post I am about 232 pages into City of Glass and boy oh boy things only get better from here my friends!
An aspect of this book that was different from the first was that this is less so about Clary and her development and more about each and every character in this journey. Clary's story, reasoning, and yearning has been firmly established in City of Bones, and I like that the author wasn't about to make that go on and on ad nauseum (latin reference for a subtle nod to the latin references in TMI ;)) about her in this story as well.
The world is more developed but it is written in less of a summarized way because they are discovering as they go rather than just explaining to Clary everything she has just been thrust into. Now every character is being thrust into new conflict so they all have to learn together. It is much more engaging to read about!
The circumstances are certainly far darker now. The dynamic between the characters are more rocky and what is at stake takes a darker shift. Valentine is manipulative and powerful and what he is doing is working! Very spooky, very intense...
If you have gathered with us rad readers today because you just finished the City of Bones and are considering tearing up the book and never reading another book again, let alone finishing the series because of the life shattering ending of that novel, I will leave you with this my fellow Mortal Instruments lovers: life goes on, things get better within the series. You will preserver through this complicated time in the Shadowhunter world. IT IS WORTH IT TO KEEP READING! THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM... *wink wink* Okay, now stop reading this and read City of Ashes!! Ave atque vale... ;)
OKAY NOW PEACE OUT EVERYONE WHO HASN'T READ THIS BOOK YET BECAUSE WE ARE GETTING INTO THE SPOILERS BABYYYY!
Welcome to the discussion my fellow Mortal Instruments connoisseurs!
Well, we did it. We went through an entire book still believing that Clary and Jace are related. I just know that we are going to get a plot twist in City of Glass and I refuse to allow Cassandra Clare to fool me so I'm not even going to touch on this because I refuse to be tricked.
Moving swiftly on, Simon... oh Simon did we go through a whirlwind of character development with him.
Not going to lie he was one of my favorites in City of Bones, but in the beginning of City of Ashes he was by about a country mile my second least favorite only to Clary herself. Simon irked me to say the least in his loud, far from silent, desperation to get out of where he so clearly belongs... the friend zone. I didn't like it when he kind of just said "Yo Clary, you are my girlfriend now," and I disliked it even more when Clary was just like "guess so..." I'm obviously paraphrasing here and by quite a lot, but that was the general gist of things for the first couple chapters and honestly... it was weird.
This brings me to why Clary was my least favorite character for a little more than half of the book. She was simply just too weak minded. She was not thinking logically or for herself or for what was in the best interest of the people she cared about and the people that cared for her. Her woe-is-me attitude drove me to insanity, I was so perplexed as to how such a dope character could have such a steep fall from grace before I was even done reading the prologue. Tisk tisk, wins and losses come with bein' bosses after all.
Simon of course did have a major redeeming quality in medias res, because our golden boy turned into a vampire! Vampire Simon is wayyyyy better than lame unrequited love Simon and I'm not sorry about it. That was probably one of my favorite developments in the series thus far because it made everything so much grander and fantastical. I think it made Clary improve as well because this was when she realized that she needed to get her head on straight and stop thinking about her Jace troubles.
(btw I'm not even going to get into this because of what I said in the beginning about Jace and Clary, but I just have to say that I absolutely hated every scene with them together. It was awkward and weird and had to stop. The entire time I was like Cassandra Clare... I know what you are doing to me and this is so uncool. I know the truth and you need to stop pretending like I don't. I just know. Stop... anyways)
The world building was so creative between the faeries and the vampire scenes. I loved how the author didn't just do the typical beautiful faery that we have seen in a million fantasy books before, or the regular old bitten on the neck vampire transformation. Everything was so dark and well thought out. It was complicated but not confusing and every part of it made sense. It reminded me of the wizarding world of Harry Potter. You can just tell that the author is so immersed in the world that she has built and she knows all about it. It is so engaging and cool! Loved it!
Once Clary got herself together, I liked exploring her talent of drawing runes. It is a very cool ability and I was tired of hearing about how lame and unskilled she was at combat. I was relieved that finally someone threw her a bone and she could stop cowering away and being weak and unuseful. That was when I started liking her again! Also, it was just a very creative and smart way to take the series. She will absolutely explore that later in the series, I know!
As for the conclusion of the book, it all seemed like a little much. The inquisitor was the worst and almost over the top, however it did make me more interested at times when I was so tired of the Clary, Simon, Jace boring annoyingness. I also just know that in the end what she was trying to say was what I have been predicting this whole time: that Clary and Jace aren't related. I was SOOOOO frustrated when she died before she could say it! I know I'm not wrong! I can't be!!
Anyways, the rest of the boat scene I did find a little confusing and a little rushed. It was a little weirdly paced and that made it not as exciting as it was likely meant to be. There was too much going on at the same time and too many attempts at shifts and twists that it kind of felt dumb.
Clary saving the day with her rune powers and Luke's character development was so endearing however, that I couldn't help but be pleased with the ending. Clary and Simon breaking up made me so happy because their relationship was so forced and they just aren't meant to be together and that is a fact... not an opinion. I think I gave this book 3 stars on GoodReads, which I think was well deserved. Definitely not 4 and extremely far from 2. 3.75 Would have been better but I was not allowed the luxury.
So, with that I think it is obvious that I certainly recommend this book and the next and the next and the next until Cassandra Clare is done writing. I love her books. She is so creative and so talented and I am already loving City of Glass more than City of Ashes, so I will prematurely say that I recommend that too. I hope I can stand by that in my review of City of Glass... ahhh!
Finally, I did just realize that my biggest qualm was the fact that there was such a lack of Isabelle in this book!! She deserves so much more attention (which she does get in City of Glass ;))
I will leave you all with much to consider, but know that I think that this was a great compliment to City of Bones but also the worst of TMI so far, which isn't saying much because TMI is so great that even the worst of them is still a great one!
Read on readers, read on
- C8 ;)