City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. It was released in the UK on 7th July 2008 by Walker Books UK and is 416 pages long.

Plot

After all the drama of recent events, Clary is trying to get on with her life again and be as normal as possible. She thought that putting Jace out of sight and mind would make things easier but it isn’t actually helping at all.

When strange murders of Downworlders start to surface and Valentine reappears, it is Jace in the firing line. The Inquisitor of the Clave refuses to believe anything that Jace tells her, believing that he is really working with Valentine and the Lightwoods are also doubting their friend and brother. Everyone knows that Clary is probably the only one who can get through to Jace but will she be able to before Valentine goes too far?

What I thought
My TBR pile is already pretty big but after reading City of Glass, I couldn’t wait for this one and had to buy it straight away. As soon as it arrived I got myself comfortable and began to read…and I didn’t stop.

After the first book, I was quite nervous about how Cassandra Clare was going to approach Clary and Jace’s relationship. I had no reason to be nervous at all though as these parts were so well written and believable. My mind was telling me that I should have thought it sleazy but I just couldn’t think like that in the end. There is so much tension between the two but neither really wants to talk about it with the other. I thought it was really clever of Cassandra Clare to make this such a big issue throughout the story instead of choosing to ignore it. Secrets regarding both characters were hinted at and I think they will be something to do with this. I still have hope for this relationship to work out in the end somehow.

Jace’s character developed so much this time around. He faces many hard decisions and events throughout the story and the cracks slowly begin to show. Gone is the big macho guy who isn’t afraid of anything. Of course, he doesn’t turn into a complete wimp but he really does begin to show his emotions. I truly enjoyed seeing a softer side to Jace, especially when it came to Clary, but also while he had to deal with Valentine. It was good to see that he could still be cocky and a little bit full of himself at the same time though. I wouldn’t want him to lose any of the things that I love about him.

Many of the secondary characters get a much bigger role in City of Ashes as well as having some new ones introduced. I really loved Simon in City of Glass so I was glad to see that he got a storyline all of his own instead of just being Clary’s friend although I would have liked for him to have had a bit more time if his own. Other characters that I enjoyed learning more about were the Inquisitor because of her past and what she had to do with the story as a whole and I also liked Mr and Mrs Lightwood being around more. I thought that they should have been around in the first book even though their absence was explained.

The excitement kicked in very early on in the story as it began to unfold but it didn’t stop there. There was action throughout the whole story with a lot happening. City of Ashes had one of the most thrilling and exciting fight scenes that I have ever read. I really didn’t want this part of the book to end because I loved it so much. City of Ashes is a rollercoaster ride that made me want to read as fast as I could so that I could find out what was really going on.

One of the things that I love the most about this series is how the real world and the world of Shadowhunters, Vampires and Warlocks etc are intertwined. I love that all different kinds of people are involved in the story and made a part of the action. I did have one small problem with the story though and that was timeline. I have no idea when the book is set. Maybe I missed it so correct me if it is actually stated. Clary and Simon should still be in school and they weren’t at all during this book. I assume they are on break or something but because I didn’t know for sure, it made me wonder.

The inclusion of Clary and Jace’s unknown abilities was fabulous. This gave both characters a lot more depth and mystery as it seems that there is so much more to learn about them. The fact that I got to see snippets of what they might be capable of made me really excited to see what was going to happen in the next book and now the latest three books to be announced.

Although there isn’t much resolution to be found in City of Ashes, it has set the scene well for the next book in the series, City of Glass. I wish I had bought it with this one so that I could pick it up straight after I finished reading City of Ashes. In only two book, I have become a big fan of Cassandra Clare and will be reading anything that she brings out in the future.