Book Review: City of Glass

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

*Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t read the first two books in The Mortal Instruments series please be warned, there will be spoilers!*

I resisted reading this series for a long time and I have no idea why. Probably because it was so hyped up, honestly.

Well I’m the first to admit it is well worth the hype. These books keep getting bigger and better and I’m not sick of them yet.

Cassandra Clare is an excellent storyteller. By telling the story in a close third that follows various characters throughout the book, the story feels like a movie. I’m not stuck with just Clary or Jace the whole time. I get to check in with Simon and Alec as well. Additionally, although I knew one of the plot twists going into the book (this is one of the few books I voluntarily spoiled for myself) I was still shocked by it. I didn’t know the whole story so learning the truth was very interesting and not a let down at all.

Moreover, this book was action packed. With Valentine setting his sights on taking over the Clave and ridding the world of Downworlders everything is thrown into chaos and some lives are even lost. It was interesting seeing how the Shadowhunters and Downworlders handle battle and seeing Clary, Jace, and Simon’s roles in the whole thing. The three discovered their own strengths (and weaknesses) in this book, which was fun to read. I loved seeing Clary be strong and not back down from a challenge. She went after what she wanted and it was amazing seeing her be so fierce and brave. Jace and Magnus, as always, were sassy and provided comic relief at the best times. And Simon didn’t annoy me at all in this book. I actually really like Simon now; he’s grown on me.

Besides all the violence and fighting in this book, it’s also surrounded with themes of family, love, friendship, and has a ton of happy moments that made me smile as much as I teared up. It was an excellent balance of not being too sappy but also not too crazy and sad. Clare wrote this book really well and I’m excited to see what happens next in this series. Although honestly, the series could’ve ended with this book and I would’ve been satisfied. I’m glad it’s not over though. I’m too invested in these characters now to let them go.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!!

Favorite Line:

“Clary, since the first time I saw you, I have belonged to you completely. I still do.”

Stars:

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