hooksbookswanderlust's review against another edition
3.0
Okay so the plot was better, or at least I felt like it started to really come together. And a lot happened very quickly. I found myself wanting to pick up this book more frequently than I had with the previous books. I liked Alec, Jace, and Simon so much more in this book too, as their characters were further developed. Isabelle too. But I still don't like Clary all that much. She gets slightly cooler here because she uses more of her special power, but those bursts of 'interestingness' (yes I made that up) were few and mostly at the very end of the book. She still seemed kind of weak and whiney to me. I was a bit let down with Jocelyn too. I don't know what I was expecting from her exactly but what I got missed the mark a little bit. Still, it was better than the previous books by a landslide. I am still mad about the whole sibling thing. I would think that if Clare was looking for a literary device to do the whole forbidden love angle, she could have figured something else out. I don't really see what point that whole thing served other than to piss off the readers. Things seem pretty wrapped up at the end of this book but there are a few open ends left out there. We will see what the 4th installment holds. But I'm thinking this is a good stopping point to break from this series for Professor Robert Langdon's newest adventure in Inferno.
lisa_readsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
blissyreads's review against another edition
5.0
I love, love, love this book. It's my favourite in the series so far (I'm still waiting for City of Heavenly Fire to completely blow my mind and probably destroy me).
I was really excited that we finally get to see (or visit) Idris, the home country of the Shadowhunters and I wasn't disappointed. The description of Alicante is so vivid that I could easily imagine it and it looked so great (in my mind at least).
My favourite funny scene (there are more than just one) is the part where Clary and Sebastian go to Ragnor Fell's house and find Magnus there who pretends to be Ragnor. It made me laugh when Magnus froze Sebastian and said: "Nice, bah. He's gorgeous. You should leave him here. I could hang hats on him and things." And it's even funnier when you read it the second time when you know who Sebastian is. ;)
I loved the story even more when we learn that Valentine experimented on his children with angel blood and demon blood. And finally one thing which has been nagging me for the last two books, is revealed: Clary and Jace are not siblings! I was so relieved when I read it. We learn that Sebastian is Clary's real brother. I have to admit that I had some doubts about Sebastian and I didn't really like him when he first appeared in the book, but I've never ever assumed that he'd be Valentine's son.
The only thing that I found maybe a tiny little bit annoying was when Jace still thought that he was the one with the demon blood and kept saying things like: "I'm so evil. That's why I'm in love with my sister, blablabla." (I don't know what he said exactly) I love you, Jace. But you have to stop acting like this. And finally he did when he found out that he wasn't the one with the demon blood. Yay!
In my opinion, City of Glass is a great conclusion to the first part of TMI. So if you decide to read only the first three books, you have a nice trilogy. But I'd recommend to read the other books as well because they're awesome too. :D
I was really excited that we finally get to see (or visit) Idris, the home country of the Shadowhunters and I wasn't disappointed. The description of Alicante is so vivid that I could easily imagine it and it looked so great (in my mind at least).
My favourite funny scene (there are more than just one) is the part where Clary and Sebastian go to Ragnor Fell's house and find Magnus there who pretends to be Ragnor. It made me laugh when Magnus froze Sebastian and said: "Nice, bah. He's gorgeous. You should leave him here. I could hang hats on him and things." And it's even funnier when you read it the second time when you know who Sebastian is. ;)
I loved the story even more when we learn that Valentine experimented on his children with angel blood and demon blood. And finally one thing which has been nagging me for the last two books, is revealed: Clary and Jace are not siblings! I was so relieved when I read it. We learn that Sebastian is Clary's real brother. I have to admit that I had some doubts about Sebastian and I didn't really like him when he first appeared in the book, but I've never ever assumed that he'd be Valentine's son.
The only thing that I found maybe a tiny little bit annoying was when Jace still thought that he was the one with the demon blood and kept saying things like: "I'm so evil. That's why I'm in love with my sister, blablabla." (I don't know what he said exactly) I love you, Jace. But you have to stop acting like this. And finally he did when he found out that he wasn't the one with the demon blood. Yay!
In my opinion, City of Glass is a great conclusion to the first part of TMI. So if you decide to read only the first three books, you have a nice trilogy. But I'd recommend to read the other books as well because they're awesome too. :D
cristina0194's review against another edition
5.0
Holy mother of instruments! This book was awesome! ❤
It’s been a while since I read the second book in the series, but I still remembered everything. And I’m so glad I watched the TV series first, because I was able to see all the differences between the book and the action from Shadowhunters. Which were a lot by the way.
It was amazing to read about Idris and about the action taking place in the City of Glass. It kind of felt like I was there with Clary, like I was her shadow and I could see every building and character living there. The truth is that books are magic. They bring imagination to another level.
What I loved in this book: the kisses! All those kisses! I was so excited to read about the connections between the characters. Even though some of them were so wrong. But don’t blame me. I’m a hopeless romantic.
And the jealousy! New characters and a lot of bad blood. Of course Jace had to suffer a little bit. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jace, but he can be such a baby sometimes.
By the way, am I the only one who likes Simon? I swear I like him more and more with every book read. He is so cute and he tries to help everyone even though he can barely fight. I kind of wanna hug him. And Raphael! He is so hot and mysterious. Vampires grow on me and this ain’t gonna change anytime soon.
On the other hand, I hated Sebastian! Such an evil, cruel character. I know, I know! Every book has its villain, but wasn’t Valentine enough? And I have a feeling Sebastian’s story isn’t over yet. I just hope no one important dies in the next books. Because I hate it when characters I really start to love, die at some point.
Oh, and, well done Clary! She was so brave and her idea was genious! The action and the fights were even better because of her idea.
In conclusion, of course I’m going to rate this book with 5 stars. Cassandra never disappoints.
It’s been a while since I read the second book in the series, but I still remembered everything. And I’m so glad I watched the TV series first, because I was able to see all the differences between the book and the action from Shadowhunters. Which were a lot by the way.
It was amazing to read about Idris and about the action taking place in the City of Glass. It kind of felt like I was there with Clary, like I was her shadow and I could see every building and character living there. The truth is that books are magic. They bring imagination to another level.
What I loved in this book: the kisses! All those kisses! I was so excited to read about the connections between the characters. Even though some of them were so wrong. But don’t blame me. I’m a hopeless romantic.
And the jealousy! New characters and a lot of bad blood. Of course Jace had to suffer a little bit. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jace, but he can be such a baby sometimes.
By the way, am I the only one who likes Simon? I swear I like him more and more with every book read. He is so cute and he tries to help everyone even though he can barely fight. I kind of wanna hug him. And Raphael! He is so hot and mysterious. Vampires grow on me and this ain’t gonna change anytime soon.
On the other hand, I hated Sebastian! Such an evil, cruel character. I know, I know! Every book has its villain, but wasn’t Valentine enough? And I have a feeling Sebastian’s story isn’t over yet. I just hope no one important dies in the next books. Because I hate it when characters I really start to love, die at some point.
Oh, and, well done Clary! She was so brave and her idea was genious! The action and the fights were even better because of her idea.
In conclusion, of course I’m going to rate this book with 5 stars. Cassandra never disappoints.
minniewhite's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
nyx1801's review against another edition
5.0
The copy I have came with [b:City of Fallen Angels|6752378|City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4)|Cassandra Clare|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1292350615s/6752378.jpg|6948844]. It is still sealed in the envelope. If there was a shelf like I-have-it-but-I-can't-bring-myself-to-open-it I would add it there. It's just so beautiful. Good thing the letter was posted to the net, so I got to read it at last!!!
froreviews's review
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75