City of Glass

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher:

Love is a mortal sin, and the secrets of the past are deadly. Plunge into the third installment novel in the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly)—now with a gorgeous new cover, a map, a new foreword, and exclusive bonus content! City of Glass is a Shadowhunters novel.

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters—never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City—whatever the cost?

My Review: 

This was a quick read because it was so action packed. Cassandra Clare's plot in this book is definitely a roller coaster, taking readers through the ups and downs of rising and falling action. I think this book really expanded the Shadowhunters universe, and it also explained many of the mysteries and questions that have been woven into the previous two books, City of Bones and City of Ashes. It was fun to see if my predictions were correct or not. 

I think that this is the best book of the series so far. I didn't find it slow in places, and the character development was excellent. Clary grew the least out of all the characters, but we did get a glimpse of her flaws. I think that this makes her more of a relatable character. Jace grows the most, and it was awesome to see this as well as what drives him. 

There is a HUGE plot twist that was so fun. It is hard to go in depth about the novel because the plot is so interwoven with City of Bones and City of Ashes that it might give away some spoilers. Go check this book out!

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City of Ashes

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher: 

Is love worth betraying everything? Plunge into the second adventure in the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly)—now with a gorgeous new cover, a map, a new foreword, and exclusive bonus content! City of Ashes is a Shadowhunters novel.

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 readers back into the dark grip of New York City’s Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

My Review: 
Even though this is book two in the Mortal Instruments series, this novel could be read as its own entity. Readers might not get some of the references, but this book fleshes out the novel and the characters a bit more than the last book. I've heard that Cassandra Clare's writing gets even better as her books go on, and I have to agree. I really enjoyed this book, and I have already started City of Glass. City of Ashes allowed readers an even deeper and more extensive look at the Shadowhunters world and the creatures that inhabit it, including fairies, vampires, and werewolves. The book made me laugh and cry throughout. Because this is such a complex world and the plot threads through all the books, it is hard to write a spoiler-free review. 

I normally don't read books in a series one after the other (except for Harry Potter of course!), but this series keeps me so engaged that I HAVE to read the next book before going on to anything else!

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City of Bones

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - ☆☆☆☆☆

I know I am VERY late reading this series for the first time, and I am very behind in the series! I really enjoyed learning about Nephilum, or Shadowhunters, and the world that they inhabit. Cassandra Clare did an excellent job of setting up and describing the world in this book, and I was drawn in from the very beginning of the book. 

The story centers around fifteen-year-old Clarissa "Clary" Fray and her introduction into the world of the Shadowhunters, The book opens with Clary and her friend, Simon, going to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, and Clary witnesses a murder committed by three tattooed teenagers with strange weapons. The body of the murdered victim disappears into thin air, and Clary discovers that only she can see the teenagers, and Simon can't. She then learns that the victim was a demon and that Shadowhunters rid the world of evil demons. One of the teenage Shadowhunters is Jace, who is handsome, witty, and sarcastic. Following this incident, Clary's mother is kidnapped, and Clary is attacked by a demon in her home. The rest of the novel unravels the mystery behind Clary's mother's disappearance and how Clary and the Shadowhunters intertwine. 

Cassandra Clare's writing is excellent and flows really well. The character development is really well-done with dynamic characters. The book was well-paced, and the characters were relatable. Readers will be able to see what drives them or why they feel or act a certain way. Overall, this was an amazing read. I was so into the book that I read it in less than two days! 

***SPOILERS***

I was really rooting for Jace and Clary to become romantically involved until about halfway through the book when I started to guess that they were somehow related. I actually wasn't disappointed by this because Clary seems to be really good for Jace, by building him up and supporting him. Clary and Jace make each other grow as characters, and I am interested to see where their relationship goes in the future books. 

I was suprised that they had the same father, Valentine. I thought Jace may have only been a half-brother. I was also really surprised that he was so easily pulled into Valentine's game at the end of the book and at how hard Clary had to fight for him to come back and realize that he was her family and that he wasn't abandoned by his mother on purpose. 

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