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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Less derivative, although the fanfic roots still show, 3 May 2008
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.
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6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Snappy, sexy but ultimately lost in prose and sarcasm. , 12 Jan 2009
- WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS -
After reading 'City of Bones' I was especially eager for 'City of Ashes' to come out. Clare's first book was well written, with an engaging plot and most importantly - sexy, likeable characters. Jace, Alec and Isabelle all made up for the blatant Mary-Sue that Clary was, and I followed the story with interest and somewhat fiendish delight at the characters' sarcasm and wit. Cassie Clare is, to me at least, best known for her fabulous and deeply addictive fanfiction trilogy, more commonly known as the 'Draco Trilogy' and anyone who has read it, will be interested to see many curious similarities in 'City of Bones'.
The evolution of the characters was, admittedly, what I was most interested in. After seeing them and getting to know them in 'City of Bones' I was anxious to have more of them in 'City of Ashes'. With regards to character evolution, however, I was disappointed and it wasn't the only aspect of the book that harboured disappointment.
Cassandra Clare has a talent for prose and for making boys into sexy, tense, dark people who you find yourself willing into reality. The main character, Clary - however - is deeply un-likeable and in this book is made unfortunately more so by the fact that she is imbued with Mary-Suic powers which no-one else has. The favourite characters do not grow or change at all; even their situation seems similar to 'City of Bones'. Jace's relationship with Alec - my personal favourite - wasn't dealt with at all, except to hint at the brotherly love that they feel for one another and the somewhat non-brotherly love that Alec has for Jace. I longed for a development, but was denied and instead given strange, offhand observations about the Magnus-Alec "relationship" which was unsatisfying. Isabelle is given very little depth, apart from her beauty and love for her family and is made out to be exactly what she was in the previous book- no revelations that would further along the characters and the same goes for them all.
I think the weakest point in the book was Simon's transformation which was over and done with in a matter of six pages or so. This felt rushed, to the point where I was certain some pages had fallen out of my book and I was reduced to counting page numbers to check. But in fact no pages had fallen out, Clare obviously didn't want to stretch out this very important turning point, less she waste space that could be used for pointless, somewhat irritating purple prose about Jace's 'icy' countenance, glares, tone of voice and general mannerisms.
The plot was also thin, I felt a little jilted at the end - the book was so long and so thick with pages that I expected a number of things to occur, when in fact they really didn't. A considerable amount of the book was spent brooding over the borderline incestuous (and therefore wonderfully forbidden) relationship between Jace and Clary, which was unfortunate for me as I fervently dislike Clary. There was some good angst - who doesn't want angst? - but in the end, it stole away potential plot development which was painfully necessary towards the end.
The final battle was exciting and I openly praise Clare for her imagination when depicting the various gruesome demons that pop up to slaughter and bit people in half (a particular scene stayed with me, I'm sure you all know which one) but alas this was not enough to leave me feeling satisfied when Clary simply invented a rune and drew it on the boat to save the day *cough-MarySue!-cough*. Far more interesting characters; e.g. Alex, Isabelle, Magnus and Luke are shoved aside to make way for Clary in a forced attempt to get the reader to like her. I have tried this and failed and as a result the book suffers.
The characters are flawed in another way, and it related back to the fanfiction issue. At least five characters are BLATANTLY modelled on Clare's own take on the Harry Potter characters from her excellent fanfiction trilogy. Jace = Draco, Clary = Ginny, Alec/Simon = Harry and Isabelle is a kinder version of Rhysenn Malfoy. There is, indeed, one excerpt in the book which is wholly taken from a scene in the Draco Trilogy, involving the falcon and its training. This is word for word the same scene in the fanfiction and this shows that Clare is not moving on from the fanfiction aspect of her writing. The chopping and changing of POVs is another aspect of her reliance on the Fanfic Method and, while it's refreshing (Clary's point of view is not something I want all the way through) it reveals a level of un-professionalism that causes me to question her writing and that - believe it or not - ISN'T something I want to do.
As a huge fan of the Draco Trilogy and of Cassie herself, I was willing and eager to follow this book and bang my drum about it until the cows came home but unfortunately this book didn't give me a lot to work with. The thin plot, un-evolved characters and shoddy explanations (Simon walking in daylight - absolutely no explanation) left me somewhat irritated and as I said, disappointed.
There were, however, highlights. Clare is naturally funny and her sharp wit and clever wording flows into the characters with ease. The dialogue is flawless, even though it's a little beyond their age, and every word Jace says is somehow beautiful. It's also pointless to try not to get caught up in the admittedly purple, but undeniably beautiful, prose that fills a good 68% of the book. The violence and gore is equally pleasing. Perhaps the best aspect of this book, with the exception of the characters, is the marvellously fresh angle Clare gives things. I was deeply impressed with the idea of the Seelie Court and the faeries. Such a vicious, demented twist to a wide renowned faery tale was a welcome scene in the book. There were also some spit-out-your-drink moments, involving Alec and the subject of sexuality. Anyone who has read Clare's 'The Very Secret Diaries' will know not to attempt drinking while reading anything written by Clare.
All this taken into account, the book is overall good owing largely to the characters Jace, Alex and Isabelle. There are some brilliant insights into Clare's imagination and some truly horrific demons. The villain of the piece is well written and believable although he lost something of his cruelness in this book somehow. There are, however, plot holes, characters flaws and a plethora of prose - not to mention an inherently un-likeable main character.
I will read City of Glass in the anticipation that Clare leans less on her glorious Fanfic days, and more towards building up the characters that I love and adore. I am assuming many plot holes will be filled in in the third book, and that many unresolved issues will be given sufficient angsty air time to get sorted out.
3/5.
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9 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, 18 Mar 2008
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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