City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book and trilogy review (yes, you read that right... TRILOGY review... but, isn't it 6 books? Well, yes, but it's really 2 trilogies... read on)

"City of Glass" starts off strong and emotional and halfway through, the action is so intense that you think you're reading the final battle of the story... but it isn't! I have to admit that I cried a little bit towards the 50% mark. There's a bit of a breather 75% in and then you are thrown into a powerful conclusion. I loved it and had a really hard time putting it down.

I love Cassandra Clare's writing style. She has witty characters that are easy to love (even the evil ones), she uses funny banter and sarcasm that makes me laugh (so many memorable quotes!) and she has an ability to play with her readers' emotions. There is always a romantic element that will make your heart go pitter patter as well as mysteries that are solved by the young Shadowhunters (a little reminiscent of Harry Potter). Her wonderful world of Shadowhunters is fascinating! Be prepared for unexpected romances and inner conflicts.

Trilogy "City of Glass" is the third book in the The Mortal Instruments (TMI) series. TMI is a series of 6 books total but can be divided into 2 trilogies. "City of Glass" is the last book in the first TMI trilogy (does that make sense?). The first 3 books follow a storyline that puts the heroes against Valentine, the big bad meanie of the series. By the end of book 3, that storyline is resolved and you get a sense of conclusion to most of the loose ends. I DEVOURED THE FIRST TRILOGY and can't wait to get started on book 4.

Technical stuff and parental advisory: This is a teen / young adult series in the fantasy / paranormal genre that can easily appeal to adults as well. It contains violence and explores themes of sexuality (no graphic sex but the teenage characters start feeling sexual desires towards one another) and sexual identity / orientation / homosexuality. As a parent, I'm going to wait until my pre-teen becomes a teenager before adding this book to his library but I will most definitely encourage him to read it. Told in the 3rd person, past tense, mostly from Clary and Jace's points of view.

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Synopsis:

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 Timesbestselling series The Mortal Instruments.