City of Ashes Book Review
Cassandra Clare's Second Mortal Instruments Book Pales to the First
Sep 12, 2009
By the end of City of Bones, Clary Fray learned that her mother was not only a Shadowhunter, but she was almost once married to the most notorious Shadowhunter of all, Valentine Morgenstern, who is also her father. If that was not enough drama for a teenager, she also learned that the boy she loves, Jace Wayland, is really Valentine's son...and her brother.
Cassandra Clare's second installment of the Mortal Instruments trilogy picks up about a day or two after the closing pages of City of Bones, and it is filled with both the strife of the Shadowhunters in their acknowledgment of Valentine's return as well as the strife of Clary and Jace and their forbidden love for one another. The plot of City of Ashes is still as solid as its predecessor, and it's still ripe with teenage angst, but it sadly lacks a lot of the spark of City of Bones.
Synopsis of City of Ashes
Valentine acquired one Mortal Instrument, the Mortal Cup, in the first book and he quickly claims the second, the Soul Sword, but no one has any inclination what he is using them for. The Inquisitor of the Clave is quite sure she knows how to find out: through Valentine's son.
While Valentine murders Downworlders for his latest scheme, none of the Shadowhunter authorities will listen to Jace, Clary or their friends as to the truth. To make matters worse, thanks to the Clave's treatment, Jace is looking at possibly siding with his father.
A Bit of a Letdown After City of Bones
When a book as many surprising twists as City of Bones, it's hard to not expect its sequel to do the same. Unfortunately, City of Ashes (ISBN: 9780743572750, published March 2008) did not have anything that surprising within its plot. There are several hints towards some big twist, but nothing was ever defined.
The plot is still interesting enough to keep readers glued to the pages to the end, but the overall feel of the book is that it does not stand alone, but is a stepping stone towards the next.
Obvious Harry Potter Influence
The most disappointing aspect of the book was its incredibly obvious influences from J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Anyone who has read even a few of these books can see the similarities. Clary grew up in the mundane world like Harry grew up in the Muggle world, and neither knew anything about the worlds where they truly came from. Both of their parents are out of commission, forcing them to rely on their new-found friends. Valentine wants to kill all Downworlders and all Shadowhunters who do not agree with him, just like Voldemort, who wanted to kill all the Muggles and wizards who did not side with him. Everyone in Valentine's Circle believed that they were his best friends when he was really close to no one, just like Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
At times, the similarities were overwhelming, and if the plot wasn't so interesting, readers could easily get irritated and lose desire to finish the trilogy.
It is disappointing to see a sequel have so many shortcomings when its predecessor was so strong. However, none of this will deter readers from either finishing City of Ashes or reading the final book. City of Ashes leaves many doors and possibilities open, and fans of City of Bones will definitely want to find out what happens next.
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