City of Glass

This book was epic! It's so exciting and engaging, even scary at points that I couldn't help but love. And now I know why it's everyone's favorite.
All of the story arcs, for the individual characters as well as the main conflicts, are tied up nicely. The foundations for everything that happens have been building since COB. The resolutions are not gratuitous or indulgent. They feel as if, rather than Cassandra Clare giving the series the ending she wanted it to have, regardless of whether or not it fit the themes of the other books, she allowed these characters to tell their stories through her. It was the way endings should be, but so rarely ever are. Nothing in this book (or the epilogue) will taint your love for the series, it will show more grow it.

All of the characters really shine here. In a story like this, they should be expected to change, to be affected by the events around them and to react to them in someway. And I think that was handled fantastically! They all grow to meet the challenges before them and we see a different side of everyone in Idris, though they also stay true to who they are and how we know them. To say that I'm ecstatic about the character developments here is a huge understatement.

Clary Morgenstern: Just as rash, independent and headstrong as ever at first. She likes proving that no one can stop her from doing whatever she wants that when Jace leaves to Idris without her, she creates her own portal and just jumps in, not caring about any of the consequences and that was kinda idiotic. I think she has siblings issues though cause whenever she likes someone they turn to be related to her. From the second she meets Sebastian she is very open with him and talks to him about her life and what she is planning and if that was the most naïve move out there, I don't know what is. It was amazing though seeing here convince the Clave to go against the Valentine with the help of downworlders and her creating the binding rune that Ithuriel showed her. She just bound one of the Shadowhunters to one of the downworlders to make both of them fight better and that was pretty awesome. Another pretty awesome thing she did was when she changed the runes Valentine drew to summon Raziel and used them to be the one who summoned him instead then she wishes for Jace to come back to life and if that doesn't show how much she loves him, I don't know what does! The whole part with Ithuriel, the angel Valentine kept to torture, was so heartbreaking and I loved how she freed him after he showed what he knows. The fact that the council wanted her to be the one to draw the new logo was really amazing too cause it shows how talented she really is. Watching her character progression throughout this book, as well as the first two, was really beautiful and I hope it gets even better with the rest o the series.

Jace Morgenstern: As he always has, he broke my heart again. Watching him struggle with himself, his past and the things he can't control was so heartbreaking that I can't get over them till now. It was so frustrating that he decided to leave for Idris without Clary. Why would he do that?! I know he had good intentions and he only wanted to protect her and all but there was no point. He knows how stubborn she is and how she would find a way to get there no matter what and no matter how stupid the idea she gets is. So he should have simply saved them all of that trouble and took her to get it over with. The fact that he actually called Simon to try to make Clary stay behind, showed how really desperate he was but that scene was hilarious. I got so angry as well when Aline was kissing him and Clary saw it. Like, Jace, darling, what the hell are you doing?! After their encounter with Ithuriel and learning the truth about himself, I hated how reckless he became, not caring if he dies or not and actually wanting to kill himself cause he thinks he has demon blood in him, ugh! He even ruined the whole make out scene with Clary because of his thoughts, that he only wants her because he is demon. I wanted to slap him and tell him none of that was true, get back to the real you! I was so frustrated with him a lot in this book till Valentine stabs him and he actually dies and I could not believe it happened. I kept repeating to myself, this can't be true, and thank god he was back cause I was on the verge of dying if it ended that way. The whole scene where he goes to Amatis' house to be next to Clary cause that was his last wish, since no one knew if they'll live or die the next day, just to sleep next to her was everything he ever needed and then you have the letter he wrote and if that part didn't make you cry, you are heartless!

Simon Lewis: Bad stuff to him, what's new! I felt really bad for him cause first he got attacked by forsakens in the institute and was dragged to Alicante unwillingly so he wouldn't die there then he got thrown and locked up in jail because downworlders were not supposed to be there and basically he was hyperventilating because he need blood to survive and no one gave him any and to top that Raphael wanted him dead cause he can walk in sunlight and they can't. But thankfully they manage to give him blood with no one knowing and Clary drew the mark of Caine on him to prevent anyone from killing him. I loved his encounters with Jace, especially the one about bursting into flames and framing the photo, but what I liked the most about it was he refused not to tell Clary that they were leaving without her. This showed how good he is as a friend and how he likes having having an open relation with Clary and not wanting to keep things from her. His sarcasm and humor despite all of what was happening was still present and he was the one who gave this book it's light, fun aspect along with Magnus.

Alec Lightwood: We see him a lot in this book and it's one of the reasons that made me love it even more. He is more of a serious character than most but we see the other side of him a little in this book thanks to Magnus and Jace. I loved the whole scene when Jace kissed him and the shock he was in and he was like "Don't ever kiss me again" that was hilarious. It showed though that he only liked Jace cause he was practically the only one there not because he actually loved him and since that is out of the way it was time to really focus on Magnus. I loved how in the middle of everything that was happening he confronted Magnus about not calling him back, not caring about that the wards were down and demons surrounded the city which showed how much he actually liked Magnus but couldn't act upon it before. And the whole scene where Clary bound them together and he just kisses Magnus showing everyone that he doesn't care what they think and that he loves him and they'll be together from now on. If you do not ship Malec, I'm judging you. How can you even not?!

Isabelle Lightwood: She was even more badass in this book. I loved how she was the one who saved Jace from Sebastian before managing to kill him. She was also the one who was giving the blood to Simon when he was in jail and I loved the scene where Simon went to talk to her after Max's death. Max's death though was so heartbreaking and I felt really bad for them, especially for her cause she kept blaming it on herself when it wasn't really anyone's fault but Sebastian's.

Magnus Bane: Sparkly, quirky, sarcastic and fun as ever. I really loved how he froze Sebastian when Clary went to meet Ragnor Fell but found him instead and he wanted to keep him to hang hats on him (the whole door scene was hilarious). I also loved how he offered to help Clary in waking her mother up again only in exchange of the book. How he could read everyone like an open book just by looking at them. Plus, Malec is finally official, what else do I want right now?!

Luke Graymark: He is always there to save Clary, if that's not a father figure, then what is? If it wasn't for Luke jumping with Clary through the portal, she would have literally died. How he finally tells Jocelyn he loves her but when she doesn't say anything he decided to stay in Idris and run the werewolves seat in the new council, but of course it was all just a move to make her tell him how she really feels. Still he is as badass as ever in this book, if not even more.

Jocelyn Fairchild: So she finally wakes up in part three of this book and have the most tense conversation with Clary, which I think was very necessary cause I still haven't forgiven her for not telling her the truth, so it's up to you to imagine how Clary must be feeling. She finally reveals the truth about everything though, and tells Clary that Jace is not her brother, Sebastian is and I couldn't thank her enough for finally making it official.

Valentine Morgenstern: I think he outdone himself on his level of evilness in this book. He didn't care about anything or anyone, only what he wanted. It sucked how terrible he was that he was actually willing to sacrifice his own daughter in order for it to happen. That was just messed up. Like what sane person does that?! But of course Valentine was never close to being sane. He ended up sacrificing Jace though and when Raziel actually rises, the amount of disbelief he is in because of how Clary changed the runes was amazing. I was really sad though when he died cause despite everything he did, I really liked him.

Sebastian/Jonathan: We finally meet the real Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern and he is an absolute jerk just like his father, if not worse. From the second we meet Sebastian, I knew something was up cause something about him was off. He is the reason why the wards were down and all of his abilities were only because of his demon blood. It was actually hinted that he is Clary's actual brother, yet they go and kiss each other like it's nothing which brings me back to the siblings issues. He is a heartless bastard who I hate more than anyone I have ever hated.

Samuel/Hodge: When it was revealed that Samuel is is actually Hodge I was like: "Are you freaking kidding me right now?". I did not expect that one bit and looking back at it, I should have known. Samuel's character has the same wisdom that Hodge had and I felt really bad for not figuring it out on my own. He was on the verge of apologizing for betraying the when they saved him along with Simon but he didn't get the chance to cause the freaking heartless bastard killed him right after he heard what he wanted to hear. May he rest in peace.

Maia: I don't have any new thoughts about her. She is confident, funny and badass so I still stand with that she is a pretty awesome character that I cannot wait to see more of her on the next books.

The ending was the best thing ever. I really loved how it ended with everything resolved, yet so much to look forward to in the next three books. How Jace will handle his knowledge of her real father Stephen Herondale? What is Clary up to from now on? How would Simon deal with Isabelle and Maia and the mark of Caine that cursed him? What are Alec and Magnus' plans? How would Luke and Jocelyn's weeding go? So many questions unanswered yet it makes you feel like that was it and I couldn't ask for it to end in a better way. show less

4.2 / 5

this is healing my inner child, truly. book one was boring, not as well-written as i remembered, and hokey. book two was better, but still boring in some places. this book? this book right here? yeaaahhh, CASSANDRA CLARE hits her stride with this one.

this book is so much better than the previous two that it is truly almost a crime. the characters are so much more ... real to me in this one than in the others. isabelle is no longer a silly, flighty girl - she's shrewd and cunning and most importantly, caring. I wish we had more isabelle screentime honestly, because she's way more interesting than clary in my opinion. isabelle was raised as a warrior but maintains her ties to traditional femininity, she clearly has some show more internalized misogyny - basically, give me more isabelle. i feel like she's been done very dirty in this series and i would like a redemption arc, please.

i still don't give a FUCK about simon. i don't know exactly what i hate about him, but dude i hate him. he's wishy washy, boring, milquetoast, predictable - he's clearly meant to foil clary as her long-time mundane best friend, but honestly his presence in these books is getting less and less believable for me. what does SIMON care about, other than clary? besides being a "nerd" and liking "dungeons and dragons," what does this character actually DO for the plot? big fat nothing.

***brief spoilers ahead***
valentine is definitely more interesting in this one - his whole thing about being jealous of the downworlders makes a lot more sense thematically - the ethnic cleansing thing was obviously a rhetorical device that he used to gain the trust of other shadowhunters. when he finally says that real reason he's pissed off at downworlders is because they're more powerful than him? yeAHHH that's the good stuff. NOW i believe it. i only wish i could have had more of that reality of valentine in the earlier books - i wish i had seen the insecurity that serves as the foundation to his whole vendetta much earlier.

and you know what? after three whole books, i think i'm down with the fake sibling thing and hERE'S WHY: it was a crazy risk for CASSANDRA CLARE to take, and originally i thought it wouldn't pay off - but the tension that builds in the second and third books because of the whole sibling thing is sooo delicious... it's the slowest of the slow burns, and it's what makes you keep turning the pages. it's the whole entire heart of the series - jace and clary and their "forbidden" love. honestly? in an earlier review i said that i don't think this series was made better by tricking us for two books into thinking that jace and clary were blood-related. you know what? I RECANT. i think it was a nasty, foul, amoral plot device, but it is quite literally the most entertaining thing about these books (and you can't say i'm not right).

i guess i could talk about the war, and the politics, and the magical european country of idris, but i don't care about that stuff as much to be honest. i did think the worldbuilding paid off a lot more in this one than in previous installments, mainly because we get to see shadowhunter society for the first time - too bad shadowhunter society SUCKS. everyone has a major stick up their ass. if you could write about a magical hidden society with a headquarters in europe, would you make them assholes? i felt like we missed a cool opportunity to be more engaged with the actual people of idris - instead, we just get to meet a couple families (and they all suck).

the war parts were well-written, with a good amount of gore and whatnot, but i still felt like the things that were hokey about the first book remained hokey about this one. the climax of the plot didn't really hit that hard for me - i thought the most compelling part of the book was when clary and jace went to wayland manor. everything after that was less climactic for me. ESPECIALLY the ending - i felt like it ended too easily, tied up too nicely in a bow. granted, these characters have been through so much shit that they kind of deserve a break. but i just didn't believe the ending! i wish we got more of the final battle.

the romance, however? unparalleled. CLARE really put her whole entire bussy into writing this book. the things that jace says to clary are exactly what everyone dreams of hearing from the person they love the most. it's haunting, beautiful, moving, inspired, thoughtful, gorgeous, never before seen, unafraid to reference or not reference... you get it. the clary/jace plot is a slam dunk. i guess i could also say that the respective "finding myself" journeys that jace and clary embark on are well-planned, well-written, well-executed. in fact, i think this book would be unbearable mush if it wasn't for the inner turmoil that both jace and clary must face about their own identities. the element of choice is huge for both of them; they couldn't choose their upbringings, but they can choose each other. CHEF'S KISS!

***

i originally set out to read these books because i thought it would be entertaining, but i'm realizing that revisiting something i loved deeply as a child has been really beneficial for me. getting to read this again with new eyes, with a totally new perspective, is crazy - i encourage everyone to read that shitty teen romance they loved as an adolescent. reading is transformative - this book hasn't changed, but i've changed. i'm totally different now than when I read this at 13. and because of that, the book means so much more. it's like a little piece of that younger me. much to think about! show less

After finishing City of Glass, I finally understand why these books are best-selling. The first two books were average, with just enough to keep me interested but nothing special. This volume knocked it out of the ballpark. The main characters become fully developed and the plot kicks into high gear with nearly non-stop action. Book two ended on a cliffhanger with someone telling Clary how to wake her mother. This book picks up immediately from there with everyone traveling to the fabled Alicante. The last Mortal Instrument is here, and Valentine will come for it. I was very happy to see the other characters (Luke, Alec, Magnus, et al) get fully involved in the story, as well as their relationships solidifying along with Jace and show more Clary's.

The book wasn't perfect. There are still more than a few info dumps, and the "forbidden love" between Jace and Clary dragged on way to long before being resolved. Still, the good significantly outweighed the bad. The mythology of Shadowhunters is expanded upon. Valentine's plot is more convoluted than previously hinted at and our heroes actually formulate plans in response to it, rather than just reacting to individual incidents. I especially loved that Valentine's downfall was so perfectly executed (the how and the who). Though the conclusion is very satisfying, there are just a few threads left with potential for more books. Overall, this trilogy was well worth reading and I look forward to the forthcoming City of Fallen Angels, and the spin-off series "Infernal Devices." show less

This trilogy is derivative and cheesy, but incredibly good fun, page turning, and gripping. The plot twists are signposted so much you could see them from orbit, but you still find yourself rooting for the characters and enjoying their witty banter. A huge dollop of easy reading fun and teenage wish fulfillment, with lots of vampires, wearwolves, flying motorbikes, and the holy grail ;-)

Clary's mother is still in a coma at the hospital, Valentine is on the loose and Jace & Clary just learnt they are siblings, which makes everything much more complicated. Can it get any worst?

The Lightwells have been summoned by the Clave after the events of New York and Clary wants to tag along in hopes to save her mother from her condition. But Jace won't let her, and Clary, true to her stubborn self, will find a way to make it to the City of Glass anyway.
Not a classy entrance, and one that will create many waves in a community on the edge of a big crisis - a war is coming.

I LOVED City of Glass, the entire book is a rollercoaster of emotions and nothing is what is seems. Friends and foes mix in together to give this novel an amazing show more depth and a fair share of betrayals and surprises. Clare's suspense was nicely calculated and I didn't see any of the major events coming, so Kudos for keeping us on the edge of our seats.

A story with so many first plan characters can easily be overwhelming, but The Mortal Instruments series is so well written, you are fond of every characters. If I had to pick a favorite, I honestly don't know you I would choose.
I love Clary's determination, Simon's originality, Isabelle's style & attitude, Alex's "secret life", Jace's sense of humour & fondness for Clary, Luke's gentleness & fierceness. Each and every character as this little something that makes them so unique and lovable.

It was also nice to visit Alicante. The Mortal Instrument series' world has always been great and unique but it was even more interesting to be in the core of the Nephilims' world.

I loved the end, there was a grief and sadness in the air balanced with a good share of happiness and I was quite pleased with it. I felt like the loop was closed, no major cliffhanger and the series could have ended right then, but I'm really happy that there will be a fourth book early 2011. I can't have enough of this world and it's characters!

If you haven't started this series yet, you should really pick it up. It's a Fantastic story with action, love, treason, grief and so much more, a unique world you won't forget! show less

CITY OF GLASS, by Cassandra Clare, was my favorite book of this series. Clare wrapped up the story absolutely perfectly. This book was jam-packed with action and suspense that made my adrenaline run wild!

One main thing (among many) that made me love this book so much was the humor. There has been humor in all of the books, but in the midst of an all out war, I think the sarcasm and quips of these characters lightened the mood and truly made this a phenomenal book. The fact that Simon was now the main focus of not one but two females, and could not decide between the two was hilarious and cute. And pretty much anything Magnus said made me laugh, gosh I love that man.

The main relationships were resolved (finally) and I have to say I am show more very pleased (finally). Learning the truth between Jace, Clary, and Sebastian definitely made my jaw drop. But, I do feel bad about how mentally damaged Jace is now after being duped by his father once again. And one final "finally" for Alec and Magnus. I was so proud of Alec for letting his true self show to his family.

The action was pretty awesome as well. Clare's visuals for the fight scenes were amazing and I felt like I was inside the book watching it occur in front of me. Overall, this was the perfect ending to this trilogy and I am very excited that Cassandra has decided to extend the Mortal Instruments Series into another trilogy. After reading the excerpt for City of Fallen Angels, in the back of this book, all I have to say is TEASE! show less

Allora... FINALMENTE ho finito la prima trilogia. Insomma... Il terzo libro è stato di poco migliore dei due precedenti, per via del fatto che i personaggi secondari mi hanno convinta a continuare. Continuo a pensare a Clary e Jace come odiosi ed inutili, mi spiace. Non li sopporto. Alec, Magnus, Hodge, Sebastian/Jonathan Christopher e gli altri sono personaggi molto più interessanti.
Valentine/Hitler è un personaggio piuttosto interessante, anche se ovviamente ha intenzioni e opinioni assolutamente da non condividere. Importante è stato l'intervento di Raziel, comparso verso la fine, che ha distaccato sé stesso e Dio dalle intenzioni di Valentine.
Shadowhunters e Nascosti si sono dovuti alleare contro un nemico comune, mettendo show more quindi da parte il risentimento. Anche qui, avrei voluto che il rapporto Shadowhunters/Nascosti fosse meglio approfondito. Gli Shadowhunters sono nati per combattere i demoni, ma uccidono anche i Nascosti, che sono ritenuti inferiori. Prima degli Accordi, i Nascosti venivano uccisi come animali, pezzi di loro presi come trofei. Insomma, avrei voluto vedere di più questa fragile dinamica.
Sebastian/Jonathan Christopher è un personaggio affascinante e avrei sperato che gli fosse dato più spazio.
Nel complesso do tre stelle perché la storia è interessante e accattivante e così anche i personaggi secondari, ma lo stile di scrittura pieno di similitudini e gli insopportabili Jace e Clary non mi hanno fatto gradire a pieno il libro.


Recensione postata anche su http://www.thereadingpal.blogspot.it show less