Title:  City of Ashes
Author:  Cassandra Clare
Publisher/Year:  Margaret K. McElderry Books 3/24/09
Length:  496 Pages
Series: The Mortal Instruments #2

Overview 

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.

My Thoughts

so here we are again, dropped into the intriguing world of Jace and Clary.  I’m trying here – really i am to follow what’s going on – and as much as i’m not LOVING the series, i still find myself drawn to it.

We have our same usual suspects in this story with some interesting turns of events coming out.  Folks that we really liked are no longer players, others come to the forefront.  We’re still trying to figure out what’s going on between Jace and Clary if there is anything (or can be anything).

In City of Ashes – we get to know Valentine a little bit better.  we know that he’s really really dark – and he’s trying to use the Soul-Sword to turn things around so that the sword has a demonic tone vs. the angelic one that it has now.  He’s just evil…plain and simple.  I don’t know about anyone else though, but i kind of wonder if Valentine isn’t who he says he is….just a thought that i’m having given that everyone else seems to be someone else as well.

So in this story we get to know Maia a bit more – she’s a werewolf that’s park of Luke’s pack – and she certainly gets dragged into things that she’s not interested in.  i.e. being almost killed a few times by Valentine’s demons since her young blood is needed

Simon continues to play a large role – becoming less than human himself and some how managing to hang on even though his blood is deemed to be necessary by Valentine as well.  It’s interesting here though in his relationship with Clary.  We usually encounter the best girl/guy friend thing that doesn’t turn into romance, yet in this story, their relationship kind of takes that turn.  I have my own opinions – your thoughts?

so craziness ensues – people fight/get killed.  we’re introduced FINALLY to Robert and Maryse Lightwood which is nice since i always kind of wondered what was going on there and if we’d actually like the parents.  We meet Imogen the Inquisitor – and then maybe un-meet her?

so here are a few things i’m thinking about – hopefully none of them are spoilers:

1) Anyone else get the feeling that Jace isn’t ‘Jonathan’ – but instead Imogen’s son?  i don’t recall that they ever found the body of her son, and she did ask him about a scar that he got on his shoulder.  I wonder what she said to him on Valentine’s boat too.  Will Jace remember that?

2) Will Alec and Magnus ever actually get together?  i actually really really like them as a couple.  they are cute…and seem like they are well suited.

3) What’s next for Jace and Clary?  I know that certain things happened at the end of this book that i won’t go into – but i really wonder.  The whole episode with the Fairies in City of Ashes makes me think that what i hope will happen will happen, but i’m keeping myself from reading the back covers of the next few books so that i’m not jumping ahead

4) will jocelyn wake up and who will have a role in helping with that if it does?  if she does wake up, will she help fight Valentine, will she end up with Luke?

good news here is that i’ve already picked up City of Glass and i started it last night, so hopefully in the next day or so i’ll have some of my questions answered and then i’ll be forced to begin reading City of Angels which i think is the next one after that.