Sunday, March 2, 2014

City of Ashes

by Cassandra Clare
published: EcElderry Books, 2009
pages: 453

Clary, now fully sucked into the life of a shadowhunter, just wishes she could forget everything. She wishes she had never met the evil Valentine or the handsome yet annoying Jace and his friends. She wishes her mom was awake and that she could go back to spending more time with her best friend, Simon.  However, her wishes are just that, wishes. Clary has found herself in the middle of a crazy revenge plot that includes the deceiving Inquisitor, who has it in for Jace. The Inquisitor accuses Jace  of being in league with Valentine and creates chaos that leaves a window open for Valentine to attack. Is it possible that Clary, Jace and the other shadowhunters no longer possess the ability to overcome Valentine's evil plot?

This sequel held a lot of promise and more importantly some of the answers to questions the first left me dying to find out.  However, there were definitely some scenes that were painfully awkward to read, but not because of the writing, more so because of the situation in which the characters have cornered themselves.  I would have preferred that they weren't in the story, but those scenes added to their character so I sucked it up.

Character development!  The one thing I absolutely cannot stand is characters that don't develop, that don't learn and grow.  (I know sometimes those kinds of characters make great antagonists, but still.)  Clary, Simon, Jace and the whole gang DO show character growth.  They change, some much more so than others,  but everyone seems to exhibit some sort of personal growth. We, as readers, learn more about them and become more attached.  I can firmly say that I am invested in the well being of Clary and her mother now.  I care. 

This books leaves room for conclusions to be drawn, and because I am unable to not theorize what's going to happen next I've made my educated guesses.  At this point in the series, I cannot wait to find out what happens next, and I only hope that some of my more optimistic theories are true. Cassandra Clare don't let me down!

Stars 4/5

Praise:

"A gorgeous fantasy that's so good, it's dangerous."
     --Holly Black

"Trust us, you'll be so into this smart, funny, romantic read taht you won't even be frustrated at at the cliff-hanger ending."
     --Cosmo Girl Magazine

No comments:

Post a Comment