City of Ashes
The Mortal Instruments, Book #2
By Cassandra Clare
ISBN# 9781416972242
Author’s Website: cassandraclare.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Review
Clary is still reeling from all the changes in her life now that she knows she’s a Shadowhunter. And, of course, the devastating news that Jace is her brother. If only the two of them could turn off the feelings they have one another …
“I love you; I love you and I don’t care that you’re my sister; don’t be with him, don’t want him, don’t go with him. Be with me. Want me. Stay with me.
I don’t know how to be without you.”
Simon has been pushing Clary into a relationship. She’s going along with it, but what she feels for Simon doesn’t have nearly the spark her feelings for Jace have.
“Something inside Clary cracked and broke, and words came pouring out. ‘What do you want me to tell you? The truth? The truth is that I love Simon like I should love you, and I wish he was my brother and you weren’t, but I can’t do anything about that and neither can you!”
Jace’s life is going downhill fast. Nobody trusts him now that it’s been discovered that he’s Valentine’s son. His adoptive mother has kicked him out of the house, thinking that he was spying for Valentine all along. And the harsh Inquisitor has come to town, thinking only the worst of him.
“Then you’re aping him. Valentine was one of the most arrogant and disrespectful men I’ve ever met. I suppose he brought you up to be just like him.”
“Yes,” Jace said, unable to help himself, “I was trained to be an evil mastermind from a young age. Pulling the wings off flies, poisoning the earth’s water supply — I was covering that stuff in kindergarten. I guess we’re all just lucky my father faked his own death before he got to the raping and pillaging part of my education, or no one would be safe.”
It was bad that Valentine got away with the Mortal Cup, but he just stole the Mortal Sword as well. The day before Jace was set to be tried by it, since nobody believes him now.
“Actually,” said Jace, “I prefer to think that I’m a liar in a way that’s uniquely my own.”
Now Valentine’s giving Jace a choice. Will Jace turn his back on the Shadowhunters that have already turned their backs on him for a chance of finally having a father once again?
It’s been a long time since I read the first book of this series, City of Bones. Not to worry though, as I watched the movie to get a little refresher. So, I came in feeling like I knew most of what was going on, at least.
I adore Jace (and his sarcastic smartass quips) and felt horrible for him in this book. Everybody was turning on him just because of whom his dad was. Yet, he was always trying to help everyone else when trouble came their way. Clary had the same father, but she didn’t seem to have to deal with the same repercussions poor Jace faced. And, even she kind of turned on him. She was trying to avoid the feelings she felt for him by avoiding him altogether. Although, their relationship was very Flowers in the Attic like…. Except they didn’t give into their feelings except when the Seelie Queen forced their hand.
“That’s right,” It was Jace. Clary saw him, at the blurred edge of her vision, as he moved toward her and put a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. “It’s just a kiss,” he said, and though his tone was harsh, his hands were inexplicably gentle. She let him turn her, looked up at him. His eyes were very dark, perhaps because it was so dim down here in the Court, perhaps because of something else. She could see her reflection in each of his dilated pupils, a tiny image of herself inside his eyes. He said, “You can close your eyes and think of England, if you like.”
“I’ve never even been to England,” she said, but she shut her eyelids. She could feel the dark heaviness of her clothes, cold and itchy against her skin, and the cloying sweet air of the cave, colder yet, and the weight of Jace’s hands on her shoulders, the only things that were warm. And then he kissed her.
She felt the brush of his lips, light at first, and her own opened automatically beneath the pressure. Almost against her will she felt herself go fluid and pliant, stretching upward to twine her arms around his neck the way that a sunflower twists toward light. His arms slid around her, his hands knotting in her hair, and the kiss stopped being gentle and became fierce, all in a single moment like tinder flaring into a blaze. Clary heard a sound like a sigh rush through the Court, all around them, a wave of noise, but it meant nothing, was lost in the rush of her blood through her veins, the dizzying sense of weightlessness in her body.
Jace’s hands moved from her hair, slid down her spine; she felt the hard press of his palms against her shoulder blades–and then he pulled away, gently disengaging himself, drawing her hands away from his neck and stepping back. For a moment Clary thought she might fall; she felt as if something essential had been torn away from her, an arm or a leg, and she stared at Jace in blank astonishment–what did he feel, did he feel nothing? She didn’t think she could bear it if he felt nothing.
He looked back at her, and when she saw the look on his face, she saw his eyes at Renwick’s, when he had watched the Portal that separated him from his home shatter into a thousand irretrievable pieces. He held her gaze for a split second, then looked away from her, the muscles in his throat working. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides. “Was that good enough?” he called, turning to face the Queen and the courtiers behind her. “Did that entertain you?”
The Queen had a hand across her mouth, half-covering a smile. “We are quite entertained,” she said. “But not, I think, so much as the both of you.”
“I can only assume,” said Jace, “that mortal emotions amuse you because you have none of your own.”
The smile slipped from her mouth at that.”
The seemingly forced relationship between Simon and Clary was a bit obnoxious as well. How could she really give her all to a new romance when her feelings for Jace still burned so bright and hot? Yes, I realize it was Simon pushing that, but she could have told him no. And, she should have told him no. She friend-zoned him years ago and I don’t think he could ever truly get out of that zone.
I do find Valentine to be quite interesting. His charisma and manipulative skills are unmatched. He can truly seem like he cares and cut your throat in the next breath. And, add in all the power he now has from the Mortal Instruments. He truly makes the perfect villain.
I enjoyed this book and found it easy to read and understand what was going on. However, I found that it ended weirdly. I assume it was meant to be a cliffhanger, but I didn’t find it that moment exciting enough to consider it as such.
And, right before that, the romance just died. Every little possibility of romance in the book was obliterated. Well except Alec’s relationship, which I would like to explore further. I do feel like Jace and Clary (because I don’t feel they’re siblings) will end up together, but that romance was one of the obliterated ones at this point.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series, City of Glass, and to see how everything plays out.
