bookthief's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I felt really bad for Jace throughout this book because he had the right intentions the whole way through he just didn’t know how to express them. Especially with the Inquisitor. I thought he was quite blunt and could have tried harder to prove he was innocent. I thought it was really cool how he could jump really high and fall from high places and land perfectly.
When they went to the Seelie Court I thought it was really cool for them to be in a different environment and I loved how visual it was and cool the entrance was. I did think it was a bit strange and weird how the Queen made Jace and Clary kiss but I guess they aren’t actually siblings so it’s okay.
I was shocked when Simon was actually a vampire!! Like I thought it was completely unexpected but quite cool to find out how people became vampires. Also it was shocking at the end how he can be in sunlight which is really strange but I’m sure there is some sort of reasoning behind it that will be explained later.
Clary’s ability to create new runes is super cool! And she was extremely powerful and talented when she managed to destroy Valentines boat with a single rune. I loved her and Luke’s relationship!
The epilogue was really interesting with Madeline. I thought her character may return again after Clary and seen her at the Silent City. I am really curious to what the spell was!
And finally Magnus is such a great character I wish we could see more of him and his relationship with Alec!
Overall, this book is more intense and intriguing than the first book. I can’t wait to read the next one !
Graphic: Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Confinement, Death, War, Blood, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Death of parent, and Grief
cdo499's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
therefore, i do have to say,
Spoiler
i LOVE reading them get the absolute shit kicked out of them, it's so therapeuticalso, why do jace and clary have more chemistry with literally any other character in the cast than they do with each other?
like jace
Spoiler
and raphael when raphael lent him his motorbike, and simon drinking his blood during the climax??? there's more to that than the entire incest storylineand i was NOT expecting
Spoiler
the moment of self-awareness fromSpoiler
thought "this is why you don't have any female friends, get a grip"im mad. not the worst thing i've ever read, i think
Graphic: Incest and Violence
toastyghosty13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I also found the dynamic between her and
Spoiler
Jace to be absolutely horrific. Why this type of relationship (where they are in love with each other and then find out they are long lost siblings) was included as a major plot point of Clary’s romantic interests is a complete mystery to me. It offers no value other than to make Jace a forbidden love in the ABSOLUTE WORST WAY POSSIBLE. It’s gross, especially when they have to kiss in front of the Seelie Queen and the rest of the gang just brushes it off as if it is no big deal, except for Simon who had the only normal reaction of walking away angry.The spoiler above plus how annoying I find Clary are making it super difficult for me to want to move on to the next book, despite the fact that I am invested and interested in uncovering Valentine’s ultimate goal. I also found this book to be pretty boring for the majority of it, other than the last ~3-4 chapters where all of the action takes place. I will probably get on to the 3rd book at some point in the future since I do at least know that
Spoiler
it is revealed in the 3rd book that Clary and Jace are not actually relatedAlthough I will be making my way through the next book eventually, I still want to emphasize that the only thing keeping this from a 1 star rating are the lovely secondary characters of Alec, Isabelle, and Magnus Bane. Magnus Bane is a mood and vibe, and I love that for
Spoiler
Alec since he needs any semblance of normal social interactions away from Clary/Jace/only his familyGraphic: Violence, Blood, and War
Minor: Incest and Homophobia
plantsnbooks_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
(why is there so much incest/incest vibes help, and i knew that going in. it still shocked me how strong the incest vibes were)
Moderate: Incest
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Ignoring the incest issue, this book was really boring for about 60% of the way through and then after that point the action started to pick up. When the action picked up I just remember thinking "why should I care about these characters?" Most of the characters, like Alec and Isabell, are one dimensional characters and I have no interest in them.
Isn't Magnus a 1,000 year old Warlock? Why is he dating a 17 year old Alec? Why is he interested in dating a teen, he's old as hell. He's way too old to be dating Alec, that's worst than some Bella and Edward, Twilight shit.
I might continue this series because I recently found 20 Clare books at a thrift store and this series was among the books I found.
Spoiler
I want to see what happens when Jocelynn wakes up and I want to know what it means now that Simon can go into the light despite being a Vampire, after he drank Jace's blood.This book was a miss for me.
I'm giving it 2.5 (rounded up to 3) stars out of 5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Body horror, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Narrated by Natalie Moore
Unabridged
Despite going pretty much straight into the sequel, the inital scene threw me off and had me discombobulated on how much time had passed
Spoiler
(especially with how Jace was acting and the relationship developing with Simon and Clary)Simon has been through shit - to me, he is the star of the show and I want everything good for him. Honestly, I just want to protect him with everything I have. I hope the situations he's been through doesn't fester over this endless time and create a villan out of him.
The angst was real in this installment. Particularly with the trio of Clary, Jace and Simon and now Mia? I feel really weird about certain dynamics continue to unfold and I really hope the direction of romance changes cause... eww.
Spoiler
I'm really hoping that it turns out Jace and Clary aren't siblings because that forced kiss in the fae court wasn't really forced and that made me feel icky... and also, poor Simon, my heart hurts for him!!I still really enjoyed City of Ashes and found it incredibly high action, great entertainment and fast paced, but I definitely would say I preferred City of Bones just that little bit more.
Looking forward to seeing how I feel about book 3.
Graphic: Incest, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
breedawnwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
The tension between Jace and Clary in this book was entirely unhinged, and I loved every single freaking moment of it.
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Incest, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Sexual content, and Child death
Minor: Cannibalism
chrstnlvly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Mundane humans create distinctions between themselves, distinctions that seem ridiculous to any Shadowhunter. Their distinctions are based on race, religion, national identity, any of a dozen minor and irrelevant markers. To mundanes these seem logical, for though mundanes cannot see, understand, or acknowledge the demon worlds, still somewhere buried in their ancient memories, they know that there are those that walk this earth that are other. That do not belong, that mean only harm and destruction. Since the demon threat is invisible to mundanes, they must assign the threat to others of their own kind. They place the face of their enemy onto the face of their neighbor, and thus are generations of misery assured.
Spoiler
Although Simon turned into a vampire, we saw Robert and Maryse, and there was a battle between the Shadowhunters and Valentine, the plot felt lacking.Spoiler
And yes, the incest thing bothered me more in this book because of Clary.Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Murder, Torture, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping and Child death
Minor: Animal death
as610's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Incest
slipp99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Incest, and Blood