City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Series: The Mortal Instruments, Book Three

Publisher: Walker

Format: Paperback

Published: 22^nd June 2009

Number of Pages: 496

Book: Bought

Genre: Dark Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Considerable Violence, Death, Some Swearing

No Alcohol, Drug References

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide to fight with the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders – or against them.  Meanwhile, Jace and Clary have their own decision to make: should they persue the love they know is forbidden?

Review:

To save her mother, Clary has to go to Idris.  The problem with this plan?  Jace doesn’t want her to go.  And so Clary misses the legal portal opened by Magnus Bane.  The result: she has to create her own, very illegal one.  This crime could be punishable with death.  To make matters worse, Valentine arrives, with an army to crush the Glass City and all in it.  But can the hatred between the Downworlders and Shadowhunters be put aside to save all their lives?

Just when you think this series can’t get any better, it just goes and does.  Cassandra Clare creates such a vivid, realistic world that it’s like I actually travel there.  Every time I open one of her books, I’m whipped away into a new life.  And then there’s her storylines.  Well, let’s just say that they blow me away.  There are so many twists, so much action, humour, romance, suspense, despair: I was literally never bored and putting down the book was the hardest thing to do.

And I just love seeing how her characters have grown over the three books, with every new character being just as strong as the main ones.  Clary, in particular, has grown a lot stronger, and with her newfound gift is a force to be reckoned with.   Jace... well, what do you say?  I love him!  His sense of humour, his sarcasm, his soft side, that stubborn streak.  Just: love him.  And then there’s Simon, the Daywalker, who is definitely my favourite male-best-friend-from-a-book.  His irony is brilliant, and whenever he and Jace are together I end up in stitches.  But one character I just have to mention is Magnus Bane: I love him, with his sparkly hair and rainbow-leather pants.  Plus he and Alec are the sweetest couple – even if neither of them will admit it.

And now for the darker side: Valentine.  I can’t read, see or hear that word without hissing, growling or flinching.  His evilness is so lifelike I actually feel like he is trying to destroy the world.  He’s just one of the bad-guys that makes you scared for the characters all the way through the book.  And he’s just so mean.  I hate him.  He isn’t real, but I hate him.  Cassandra Clare is honestly that good.  Oh, and there’s a new face for the evil guys.  Who may be even worse than Valentine, something before City of Glass I hadn’t thought possible...

I laughed, I cried, I feared, I loved, I hated.  Twists and turns left me breathless.  Questions screamed in my head.  My heart pounded.  I loved every single second of all four-hundred-and-something pages. 

Now, from what I understand, this was meant to be the final in The Mortal Instruments series.  I can see how: the loose ends were all tied up, all the niggling questions answered.  However... I am so glad that it isn’t the end!  I just love the entire Shadowhunter world.  The mythology, folk lore and pure imagination that go into these books is astounding, and I just want to jump into the pages and live there forever.  Since that’s fairly impossible, I’ll settle with my copy of City of Fallen Angels. 

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Night World by L.J. Smith

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

The Vampire Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Parajunkee's View)

Off The Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)

Happy Reading

Megan