Less derivative, although the fanfic roots still show - Rated 
Less derivative than CITY OF BONES, this sequel suffers from the same purple prose problems, characterisation is sometimes patchy and the internal logic creaks.
Clare works harder to make the material here her own. Valentine is less cliched as a villain, with Clare doing a decent job at showing someone so utterly convinced that he is right that he can't even begin to think that he might be wrong and I could just buy into his being willing to use demons to further those ends. Unfortunately the Inquisitor feels like a rehash of `old' Valentine, a single-minded Shadowhunter who holds Jace responsible for the sins of his father and refuses to listen to any views different to her own.
Jace will appeal to teenagers - moody, handsome and with hints at special powers. His dialogue sometimes doesn't fit his age, but his scenes are confidently handled. I wish I could say the same for Clary. She remains passive and reactive and her own special powers take her too close to Mary-Sue territory. The incestuous feelings between Clary and Jace are the main theme in the book but the subject's handled in a shallow manner as neither character seems interested in the consequences or emotional implications of their feelings and Clare drops anvils as to its resolution, which robs the love triangle between Clary, Jace and Simon of tension.
Simon suffers a great deal in this book and it's a shame that Clare does not set out the scene where he's forced into a terrifying transformation. There have been hints of this since the first book but the main catalyst here happens off page and without any real build-up, which is frustrating as it robs the book of some real drama and shock-value. The dilemma that this transformation causes for Simon is resolved by the end of the book in a way that's too pat and I think it's a missed opportunity.
The prose is purple and repetitive at times and sometimes stunts the action. There are some inner-story logic problems, notably where Jace visits Valentine, finding him easily even though he's managed to evade all of the other Shadowhunters. Best scenes in the book are a dream sequence between Clary and her mother and Valentine's attack on the Silent Brothers. The cliffhanger ending is a cheap device but will leave fans panting for the concluding volume.
Great! - Rated 
When I first got the book I had to leave it until a time when i could give it all my time as once I started it I would not be able to put it down and I wasn't dissapointed! This was quite eaasily the best book ever in my opinion! But alas-Jace and Clary so frustrating! GET THE BOOK it is really good!
Courtesy of Teens Read Too - Rated 
Last week, I received a copy of CITY OF ASHES, book two in THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS trilogy by Cassandra Clare, for review. I was so excited because I just loved the first book, CITY OF BONES. I wanted to read more about Clary, Jace, Simon, Luke, and the rest of the Shadowhunters and their adventures. This book, as with the first one, thoroughly entertained me. With this series, Cassandra Clare will easily make herself a household name.
The story opens with Valentine summoning a demon to be at his beck and call. This demon plays against a person's worst fears. You would need a protection spell if you wanted to ward off the advances of that kind of demon. How is that for an opener?! Once again, Valentine is up to no good - no surprise there. At the end of the first book, Valentine gained control of the Mortal Cup, which can only mean trouble for...everyone. What is he up to?
The last few weeks of this new seeing and slaying life has both exhausted and exhilarated Clary. Everything was so simple before that fateful night at the club. Clary was an ordinary teenager with an affinity toward drawing and manga. Now she can see werewolves, vampires, and fairies, and sketch her own runes. Plus, her mother is in a coma and Jace, one of the Shadowhunters who annoys and attracts her at the same time, turns out to be her brother. Bad news for Clary but good news for Simon, who used it to his advantage to get even closer to Clary. She has a tough choice to make about her future. Clary can leave the Shadowhunter world behind like her mother did, or she can become one of them and work toward finding out what Valentine's plan is now that he has the Mortal Cup.
Clary is not the only one to go through personal upheaval. Jace is devastated that he is not who he thought he was. Nothing good can come out of being Valentine's son, which he learns when his "mother" returns home full of accusations. Soon he is cast out from the one place he can call home. The Inquisitor, a real peach of a lady, holds Jace's fate in her hands. Believe me, there is no love lost between his adoptive parents, his real father, and her. Needless to say, the meeting between them doesn't go well and he is sentenced to prison in the Silent City. Prison turns out to not be the safest place for Jace, as dear daddy pays him a visit there trying to get him to switch teams.
Will Jace join Valentine or remain true to the Shadowhunter's virtues? And if he stays true to his Shadowhunter's roots, will he and his cohorts be able to stop Valentine before the rest of the mortal instruments are collected?
To find out how these and many other surprises happen, pick up your copy of CITY OF ASHES.
Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick
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