psliz's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
nothing if not action-packed and drama oriented!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Misogyny, Incest, Homophobia, Hate crime, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Child death, Death, and Bullying
Minor: Child abuse, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Blood
qcupquake's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
City of Ashes:
3.25/5
- yk i could really do without the whole but yk thanks bc i definitely needed that in my head. that was so gross i was actually disgusted. it wasn't that they kissed, it was that they kissed while they
- idk if Cassy Clare meant to make The Inquisitor an EXTREMELY unlikeable character, but if she did, she did a damn good job of it. i
- valentine is also an extremely well written villain. i like his charm but at the same time it's what makes me despise him
- i personally liked City of Bones more but this was still nice :)
- i liked the action and the humor that we established in the first book
3.25/5
- yk i could really do without the whole
Spoiler
making clary and jace kiss while they still believe they're siblingsSpoiler
sTILL BELIEVE THEY ARE SIBLINGS- idk if Cassy Clare meant to make The Inquisitor an EXTREMELY unlikeable character, but if she did, she did a damn good job of it. i
Spoiler
celebrated when she died- valentine is also an extremely well written villain. i like his charm but at the same time it's what makes me despise him
- i personally liked City of Bones more but this was still nice :)
- i liked the action and the humor that we established in the first book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Incest, Blood, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Child death
jaynovara's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Injury/injury detail, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Incest, and Kidnapping
tiana_king's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Blood, and Confinement
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Incest, and Kidnapping
bblanka's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Blood, Death, Murder, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Incest
Minor: War
alisasreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
i liked it but i don't feel like much happened in this book, i mostly cared for the characters not rly for the plot. i do look forward to reading city of glass. anyways simon lewis main slayer <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Blood
e_freckles's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Incest
cress_likes_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Warning there is a lot of incest in this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Incest
Moderate: Torture, Incest, Violence, and Gore
mollydollydoodah's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
This book was much more captivating than the first one. I really enjoyed it, and I read the entire thing in one sitting. It was very interesting and a lot frustrating when it came to the romance side of things, and I really hope that figures itself out soon because I’m dying over here. It was thrilling and adventurous and at times very much gave me second-hand embarrassment, but I thoroughly enjoyed this and couldn’t put it down. It’s one am rn as I’m writing this, but I’ll be glad to start the next novel as soon as I wake up tomorrow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, Injury/injury detail, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child death
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Updated rating: 4.5/5 stars.
The Mortal Instruments has always been one of my favorite series, but until this reread I would have said City of Ashes was among my least favorite of the individual books. But this reread reminded me how many incredible moments this book holds—moments of friendship, sacrifice, bravery, and love—not to mention how much happens in terms of character and plot development for the larger series. So now, I truly think this one might be among my series favorites. I'm so glad I read it again.
Original review (3 stars, 2013): Alright, so first and foremost I want to say that I refuse to write reviews with spoilers, so, in the interest of not spoiling either this OR City of Bones, this review will likely be very vague. But here goes:
Characters: Still freaking amazing. Slightly evolved, but in good ways.
World: Still freaking amazing. Still under-explained in parts, but so intriguing and exciting and awesome.
Plot: Still MERGH. But better than the first book, in many ways. More issues and twists and side plots to deal with, and I was kept guessing until the very end, which was nice. I didn't like how a few things ended up, but I know it's being set up for the rest of the series, so I can forgive most of it.
The structure of the book was a little jarring in places too, because I'm not a HUGE fan of switching POVs, especially during action-packed sequences, because as soon as I get excited and on the edge of my seat about one situation, I'm switched to another section of the book. That said, I felt like each POV was needed exactly how it was written, and once I adjusted to the switches I didn't mind them: they gave depth to some previously under-explored characters, and added insight to the main characters as well. The ending was an exciting but abrupt cliffhanger, so I know one thing for sure: I cannot wait to get started on City of Glass.
The Mortal Instruments has always been one of my favorite series, but until this reread I would have said City of Ashes was among my least favorite of the individual books. But this reread reminded me how many incredible moments this book holds—moments of friendship, sacrifice, bravery, and love—not to mention how much happens in terms of character and plot development for the larger series. So now, I truly think this one might be among my series favorites. I'm so glad I read it again.
Original review (3 stars, 2013): Alright, so first and foremost I want to say that I refuse to write reviews with spoilers, so, in the interest of not spoiling either this OR City of Bones, this review will likely be very vague. But here goes:
Characters: Still freaking amazing. Slightly evolved, but in good ways.
World: Still freaking amazing. Still under-explained in parts, but so intriguing and exciting and awesome.
Plot: Still MERGH. But better than the first book, in many ways. More issues and twists and side plots to deal with, and I was kept guessing until the very end, which was nice. I didn't like how a few things ended up, but I know it's being set up for the rest of the series, so I can forgive most of it.
The structure of the book was a little jarring in places too, because I'm not a HUGE fan of switching POVs, especially during action-packed sequences, because as soon as I get excited and on the edge of my seat about one situation, I'm switched to another section of the book. That said, I felt like each POV was needed exactly how it was written, and once I adjusted to the switches I didn't mind them: they gave depth to some previously under-explored characters, and added insight to the main characters as well. The ending was an exciting but abrupt cliffhanger, so I know one thing for sure: I cannot wait to get started on City of Glass.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Violence