City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Glass

Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker Books
ISBN: 978-1-4063-0764-1
Pages: 492
Series: The Mortal Instruments #3
Type: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


Clary Fray has had a rough time. She discovered that she is a Shadowhunter, that she has fallen in love with her brother and that her father is a racist homicidal maniac. Now Clary is travelling to Idris, the true home of all Shadowhunters to discover more about her abilities and to aid in the fight against Valentine. But there are those who would seek to protect her, and those who would betray her, and Clary knows nothing of the world in which she finds herself...least of all who to trust.

This is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series (after City of Bones and City of Ashes) which was initially intended as a trilogy but extended to six books after the author realised there was essentially another trilogy left to tell about these characters. Having finished this book, I agree and I can't wait to see what the author does next.

The story is great and Idris fits into the existing world of the books well. I loved seeing the Shadowhunters' home city of Alicante (even if the name does remind me of a Spanish resort) and it was well developed. The pacing is kept high throughout with lots of twists and turns, although I figured out a major one quite far in advance which dented my enjoyment a bit.

Clary's unusual talents are finally explored in more depth and many secrets from her past are revealed. Simon, however, steals the show as the Daylighter - a vampire with no reaction to sunlight. He reveals so much about the Shadowhunter world that would have remained hidden otherwise and really comes into his own as a character. Another favourite for me in this book is Alec who starts to take a more mature approach to his feelings and abilities.

The ending is cleverly thought out and ties up most of the loose ends to provide a cohesive ending without seeming contrived. However there is ample material for the continuation of the series, and I can't wait to see how the adventures of Clary and friends continue.

All in all this was a great read and I'm really looking forward to City of Fallen Angels.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 47/50

Teaser Tuesdays (4)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser:

People aren't born good or bad. She'd always thought that was true, but in the images the angel had showed her, she'd seen her mother call her own child evil, a monster.

~ Page 273, City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Ashes
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker Books
ISBN: 978-1-4063-0763-4
Pages: 411
Series: The Mortal Instruments #2
Type: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Clary Fray now knows that her past is a lie. Her mother hid her true identity, and Clary's discovery of her role as a Shadowhunter is tainted by the realisation that her crush Jace is in fact her brother. But with their homicidal father Valentine still on the rampage, Clary and Jace must learn to deal with their emotions and begin to fight back against him...and against the dangers from within the Shadowhunter's Clave itself.

This is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series (after City of Bones) and I couldn't wait to see what happened after the shock revelations at the end of the last book. Clary has returned to Luke's and is spending her time with Simon while Jace, Alec and Isabelle have all returned to the Institute. Valentine is still a threat and is continuing his plans to destroy both Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike, and Jace comes under suspicion from the Clave.

The story is quite well paced, although several of the twists aren't fully explored, like Clary's unusual abilities. There's a quite a lot of development of Clary and Jace's backstory, along with several hints that they are not as they appear and may not even be related after all. Valentine is certainly twisted enough to invent that kind of trauma, and also if they are his creations as opposed to his children it is reasonable he would still regard them as siblings.

Simon's story also takes several surprising turns, first with Clary and second with an impulsive decision that has far-reaching consequences. Magnus Bane also reappears and becomes more ingrained in the story through his connection to Alec. In terms of the romance it's a bit all over the place with some ending, some beginning and some muddling through, and rather than affecting a simple love triangle it appears most of the characters have messy love lives.

All in all this was a fun read and I'm looking forward to City of Glass.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Cover: 8/10

Overall: 45/50

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker Books
ISBN: 978-1-4063-0762-7
Pages: 442
Series: The Mortal Instruments #1
Type: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Clary Fray always thought she was an average girl until she started seeing people that no one else could. Clary finds herself dragged into a world of warriors and demons, revealing secrets about her past. When her mother goes missing, she finds herself reliant on a group of teenage Shadowhunters and begins a journey to discover the secrets hidden in her past.

This is a hard book to review. It has an addictive style and fast pace that makes the book great fun to read, but at the same time there is a huge amount of plot that with hindsight I can't figure out how it all fit in. This is one of those books that sucks you into the story and is full of twists and turns.

The author has managed to develop a believable world inhabited by all manner of paranormal creatures - vampires, werewolves, demons, angels - with it's own intricate political and cast systems. There is a large amount of background information that is revealed simultaneously to Clary and the reader so info dumping for the most part is avoided.The writing does contain a lot of pop-culture nods and expressions, which is understandable given that the author comes from a fan-fiction background.

Clary is a solid lead character and is portrayed in a realistic manner, although her cluelessness is at times a little annoying. Her friend Simon gives a sense of normality to the story, but it is Shadowhunter Jace that steals the limelight. Sarcastic and impulsive, Jace leads Clary on an adventure ending at a shocking revelation.

All in all, this was a great read and I'm looking forward to City of Ashes.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 8/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 45/50