City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments)

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
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.

Customer Reviews: Read 34 more reviews...

2 out of 5 stars

Wrong Title . . . Please Change April 16, 2008
33 out of 68 found this review helpful

This book should have been titled one of the following:

1) Observations of Pretty People Under Different Intensities of Light and Shadow

2) Clary and Her Pretty, Tortured, Demon-slaying Hunter Boy

3) The Young, the Demonic, and the Restless

4) City of Golden Eyes (Particularly, Jace's)

Is it just me, or does this book, and its predecessor, come across as a flimsy excuse for Clare to write about tortured pretty people?

Jace's eyes (which are golden, but sometimes amber) were mentioned at least 2343454 times. This was really irritating, and I think I've strained my ocular muscles from rolling my eyes so much. Another thing that bothered me about this book was the dialogue. Normally, I love witty dialogue, and this book is 'full of it.' However, for some of the scenes, it came across as pretentious and inappropriate. The characters became harder to believe than the fantastical world they inhabited. (And if you're writing fantasy, your characters' realism is like a lifeline; you better not slacken your grip.)

I read all but the last forty pages, which I skimmed. My disgust with the poorly concealed superficiality of the story finally asserted itself and made me stop reading. That, and my eyes were really starting to hurt from the incessant rolling.

Two stars for the series' potential. Minus three for screwing it up.

(On a positive note: This book is a fantastic read for teeny-boppers.)

2 out of 5 stars

Slow and appropriate for children? May 6, 2008
19 out of 31 found this review helpful

I checked out City of Ashes from my local library. Unlike City of Bones, which I bought to see if I could use it in my classroom (I couldn't), I was just reading City of Ashes for my own pleasure.

There are a few good things about City of Ashes and many bad things about it. I will discuss the positive aspects first. (Be forewarned I am going to be discussing major plot points of this novel (i.e. SPOILERS), if you have not read City of Ashes, then I suggest you SKIP my review).

I must say that in this book, Ms. Clare's characterizations are somewhat better. Not a whole lot better, but improved, at least most of the Star Wars references are gone. For example, I really enjoyed the characters of Alec and Magnus. In fact, they are the only reason I gave this book 2 stars instead of one. Their love story is bold, interesting and different. I hope Ms. Clare will expand on their relationship in the third book. For me, Alec and Magnus were my favorite part of City of Ashes.

Now onto the negative aspects of the book. First, the book starts out with a bang with Valentine showing up. Then, we get 6 chapters of BORING, slow-paced nonsense. Unfortunately Ms. Clare doesn't seem to know how to write a fast-paced sequel that can keep the reader awake with drama and action. The end picks up, but by then the casual reader may have just discarded the novel.

Another negative aspect is that once again Ms. Clare is drawing from other source material for her characters (i.e. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer). In chapter one, when Clary and Simon are watching the movie Dracula, I figured out that by the end of the book Simon would turn into a vampire - and guess what he did! There was no surprise to this revelation. Now I know the book is being targeted to 14+, but that plot point was so obvious a 6 year old could have seen it coming.

Lastly, what is up with the promotion of an incestuous relationship between Clary and Jace? I understood that in book one, the two did not know they were brother and sister and had feelings for one another, but in this book they clearly know they are related and yet continue to kiss and discuss their romantic feelings ad nauseum. (At one point, Jace states he wants to be with Clary, no matter if they are related or not, Clary nixes that idea, but by the end of the book, she is okay with it?) I am not getting it. This book is geared towards young readers, so why is the author pushing an incestuous relationship onto her audience? I have my own ideas about why this is happening and will see if they play out in book 3, but for now that plot is just morally wrong. Brothers and sisters should not be thinking of making out or having sex with one another.

Overall, I cannot say I liked this book. On my hand it had some great aspects (Alec and Magnus), and then it had some downright awful things (incestuous plotline, slow pace). So, what I am recommending is that if you liked the first book, but are unsure of wanting to buy this book, then check it out of the library. Save yourself $[...].

1 out of 5 stars

so bad, she had to get her author friend to praise it. May 9, 2008
13 out of 23 found this review helpful

If there is one good thing about Cassandra clare's writing is that it is a perfect tool in the classroom to teach you how not to write a book. The book, and the first book in the trilogy are both extremely derivative from various well known sources such as Buffy, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. This is something that is unexcusable. This isn't like jk rowling creating the mythos of the deathly hallows based on a ancient midevil moral fable, or Tolkein baseing the Lords of the Rings on a old norse saga. This is the example of a author who dosent want to do the work in creating a rich tapestry, and simple weaves a dishtowel filled with plot holes, cliches, and mary sues.

Serious readers dont want to read books with main characters that are flat, and can do no wrong. Writing is about conflict, and its hard to get into the conflict of a story when it is nagated by the fact that the main character goes from being a zero to a hero immediatly. People want to read books about characters with flaws and obstacles. People dont want to read what they already have seen in famous movies and books.

Poorly edited, with prose that makes reguler purple prose look at white, eloquent, sophisticated writing, The mortal instruments trilogy so far two books in lacks depth, and dosent make up for it with new ideas. It is highly pathetic when books written by authors for 6-9 year olds far outstrips a YA novel in quality and creativity.

Also, its kinda lame that the person Amazon has posted as praising the book is not only a long time friend of the author, and therefore biased, but the person who pushed through a publication deal for a writer already famous for plagerisem. she might not be copying text word for word with character names changed anymore, but she certianly isent creating new and interesting plot elements.

If you want a good book, look elsewhere.

4 out of 5 stars

Courtesy of Teens Read Too March 18, 2008
12 out of 33 found this review helpful

Last week, I received a copy of CITY OF ASHES, book two in THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS trilogy by Cassandra Clare, for review. I was so excited because I just loved the first book, City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments). I wanted to read more about Clary, Jace, Simon, Luke, and the rest of the Shadowhunters and their adventures. This book, as with the first one, thoroughly entertained me. With this series, Cassandra Clare will easily make herself a household name.

The story opens with Valentine summoning a demon to be at his beck and call. This demon plays against a person's worst fears. You would need a protection spell if you wanted to ward off the advances of that kind of demon. How is that for an opener?! Once again, Valentine is up to no good - no surprise there. At the end of the first book, Valentine gained control of the Mortal Cup, which can only mean trouble for...everyone. What is he up to?

The last few weeks of this new seeing and slaying life has both exhausted and exhilarated Clary. Everything was so simple before that fateful night at the club. Clary was an ordinary teenager with an affinity toward drawing and manga. Now she can see werewolves, vampires, and fairies, and sketch her own runes. Plus, her mother is in a coma and Jace, one of the Shadowhunters who annoys and attracts her at the same time, turns out to be her brother. Bad news for Clary but good news for Simon, who used it to his advantage to get even closer to Clary. She has a tough choice to make about her future. Clary can leave the Shadowhunter world behind like her mother did, or she can become one of them and work toward finding out what Valentine's plan is now that he has the Mortal Cup.

Clary is not the only one to go through personal upheaval. Jace is devastated that he is not who he thought he was. Nothing good can come out of being Valentine's son, which he learns when his "mother" returns home full of accusations. Soon he is cast out from the one place he can call home. The Inquisitor, a real peach of a lady, holds Jace's fate in her hands. Believe me, there is no love lost between his adoptive parents, his real father, and her. Needless to say, the meeting between them doesn't go well and he is sentenced to prison in the Silent City. Prison turns out to not be the safest place for Jace, as dear daddy pays him a visit there trying to get him to switch teams.

Will Jace join Valentine or remain true to the Shadowhunter's virtues? And if he stays true to his Shadowhunter's roots, will he and his cohorts be able to stop Valentine before the rest of the mortal instruments are collected?

To find out how these and many other surprises happen, pick up your copy of CITY OF ASHES.

Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick

1 out of 5 stars

Not original May 6, 2008
11 out of 17 found this review helpful

A friend gave me City of Bones & City of Ashes to read because I am a big BtVS fan. I am so very glad I did not buy them. Both books are unoriginal, dull and have such flowery prose I must have rolled my eyes 5,000 times. Teenagers do not talk like Clary, Simon or Jace in any universe I know.

Reading City of Ashes was like trying to get away from a slow moving train wreck. I wound up skimming the middle bit to get to the end as it was so tedious. Besides the obvious Buffy rip offs, the book just doesn't hold up to muster in the youth genre. I'd rather reread Holly Black or Stephenie Meyer any day of the week, then torture myself with City of Ashes again.

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