City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: McElderry Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Edition: Paperback
* Purchased on my own.

Summary from GoodReads: A murderer is loose in New York City ...

... and the victims are Downworlder children. Clary Fray and her fellow Shadowhunters have a strong suspicion that Valentine, Clary's father, may be behind the killings. But if he is the murderer, then what's his true motive? To make matters worse, the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, has been stolen, and the mysterious Inquisitor has arrived to investigate, with his eyes vigilantly targeted on Clary's brother, Jace.

Clary will need to face some terrifying demons and even more terrifying family decisions. No one said that the life of a Shadowhunter would be easy.

My Thoughts: 

So, if you haven't read City of Bones, don't read the summary for this book. Why? Because you'll learn an important part of Clary's relationship with Jace and that's all you need to know. As I can't promise to keep this completely spoiler free--although I'll certainly try--you may wish to stop reading my review now (unless you don't mind some minor spoilers). By the way, did I mention that I love the cover? I hate to admit it, but I'm all about the metallic covers. If it's shiny, I'll be drawn to it. And, I mean, there's Clary on the cover!

Someone has been killing and draining Downworlders dry. Although the motive remains unknown, the Children of the Night are immediately suspected of the killings and deny having anything to do with it. Meanwhile, the Inquisitor is coming to pay the Shadowhunters a visit and more importantly, to question Jace. Although this is her supposed goal, it isn't long before she tosses him into a cell in the Silent City and while he's there, the Soul-Sword is taken from the Silent Brothers. Needless to say, things pick up in City of Ashes and the plot certainly picks up speed. Did I mention that Simon meets with an interesting almost end twice in this book? Seriously, I had a serious "No way! They can't kill him off!" moments. And well, you'll have to read it to understand what I mean--because you aren't getting me to spill that spoiler! 

Meanwhile, I really did enjoy reading City of Ashes and well, I'll definitely be picking up City of Glass the next time that I hit up a bookstore! No, really, I want to know what's going to happen next and I really shouldn't have read the first chapter of City of Glass that they have at the end of City of Ashes because I'm now suffering from 'oh my goodness, what happens next!?' syndrome. Also, I love Clary's ability with the Marks--although again, won't say more than that. And then there were references to Naruto (which admittedly is not my favorite shounen manga/anime), World of Warcraft (yes, I do play), and Dumbledore. Oh! And I love how Clary and Jace's relationship is evolving! Don't get me wrong, I feel horrible for Simon, but I'm still rooting for Clary/Jace even though yeah, it is technically 'wrong' to do so. So don't mind me, I'm busy speculating about how the two of them are apparently different from one another--asides from the obvious (genders, age, and who they were raised by). No, really, there's a line in City of Ashes that will make you wonder--something I won't/can't tell you--about Jace that the Inquisitor says.

Anyways, if you enjoyed City of Bones--like I did--then you'll want to pick up City of Ashes if you haven't already (and while you're at it, if you can, pick up City of Glass too).  

Overall Rating:  ★★★★★