Review: City of Ashes

by Cassandra Clare
publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
date published: March 24, 2009 (first published January 1, 2008)
format: NOOK ebook
pages: 321
source: gift
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 E-Book Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

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.

What I Thought

There were so many bombshells dropped in City of Ashes that I was left reeling all the way through. I was amused by the banter, which was only slightly less witty than City of Bones, although I found myself disturbed more than once at certain occurences throughout the book. I was left praying that some new revelation will come to light in a subsequent book to remove said disturbed feeling.

I was a bit surprised to discover a continuity problem in this offering from Cassandra Clare. There is a point when Luke is attacked and Magnus Bane, who happened to be at Luke's house to heal someone else, is later asked by Luke why he didn't come to the aid of Jace and Clary as they confronted Luke's attackers. Magnus replies that he was too busy in the house healing Luke. However (and correct me if I'm wrong), but wasn't Luke still lying on the river bank while Jace and Clary were fighting off the demons? I went back to read the section again and it would seem so. Future re-readings will tell.

There was someone new to despise in City of Ashes: Imogen Herondale. She is the Clave version of Valentine with her hatreds and prejudices. I spent as much time fuming at her parts in the story as I did Valentine's. It added a nice sense of tension to the story in that you just aren't sure who (if anyone) is right, though I was left with the feeling that both the Clave and Valentine were morons. The teenagers in the story seem to be the only ones who have any inkling as to what is right.

There were some intriguing new hints as to what is going on underneath the surface of Jace and Clary's world, so I will be waiting with bated breath to see the outcomes of those hints. However, while I very much enjoyed City of Ashes, it wasn't quite a match for City of Bones or Clockwork Angel. The continuity plays a considerable part in this feeling, as well as a few other elements I just couldn't get past. As a result, I give City of Ashes a more than respectable 4 hoots.