City of Ashes is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series. It continues the story of Clary Fray as she attempts to navigate her way through the world of the Shadowhunters, a world she was born into but never knew.
It has been a mere two weeks since the end of City of Bones. Jocelyn Fray has been rescued but remains in a comatose state. Clary tries to find the way to revive her as well as attempt to reconcile the growing feelings she has for her brother, Jace Wayland, and the fact that her father is Valentine Morgenstern, the man to created the Circle and starting the Uprising.
Jace, meanwhile, is also trying to sort out his feelings for Clary while trying to come to terms that he is not actually a Wayland, but a Morgenstern and that his father is essentially a monster. At the same time, he must deal with the presence of the Inquisitor, the Shadowhunter’s highest ranking official next to the Consul, and the person who distributes justice to the Nephilim. He no longer knows who he is, or if he even belongs with the Lightwoods, the family who has taken him in and raised him – especially after Maryse Lightwood instructs him to leave the Institute.
Unlike it’s predecessor, City of Ashes doesn’t exclusive focus on Clary and Jace. We also get to see more of the other characters, Simon, Isabelle, Alec, and Magnus and what occurs in their lives. It’s really the secondary characters that I have the most interest in. I really had very little interest in Clary and Jace beyond their main storyline. I was far more interested in how Simon reconciled becoming a vampire, how Alec realizes his lessening feelings for Jace while his feelings for Magnus grew, and I just simply enjoy Isabelle’s character.
As before, I’ll continue to read this story to see how it progresses as I work my way through the series and towards reading Lady Midnight. I’m not sure if I will ever come to like Clary and Jace beyond a necessary part of the story, but the story itself is a fun read.
My rating: 4/5
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