City of Glass
Ratings523
Average rating3.9
I love the last line of this because it was the title of the next book “City of Fallen Angels”.
this one is the best book of the series. everything is finally explained and now things make proper sense! you just have to read it! it was AWESOME!
DNF - PG 57
Why?
TL;DR
Clary. And, to a lesser extent, Simon. But mostly Clary.
I'm done. At the very least with this series and quite possibly with all of Clare's work. (There is a part of me that want's to read Alec and Magnus' stories, but... Yeah.)
So, for the first fifty pages, I was annoyed with Clary. Nothing new there. Then I was flipping through the book, trying to awaken my curiosity when I find a lovely excerpt to share with you guys.
“Simon?” she [Clary] said. “I have a stupid question.”“What is it?”“Did you sleep with Isabelle?”Simon made a choking sound. Clary swiveled slowly around to look at him.“Are you okay?” she asked.“I think so,” he said, recovering his poise with apparent effort. “Are you serious?”“Well, you were gone all night.”Simon was silent for a long moment. Finally he said, “I'm not sure it's your business, but no.”“Well,” said Clary, after a judicious pause, “I guess you wouldn't have taken advantage of her when she's so grief-stricken and all.”Simon snorted. “If you ever meet the man who could take advantage of Isabelle, you'll have to let me know. I'd like to shake his hand. Or run away from him very fast, I'm not sure which.”“So you're not dating Isabelle.”
I just cannot with these two anymore. I mean, Clary is so nasty, has been right from first meeting Isabelle and Simon is often an ass. I just...I have no desire to keep forcing myself through when I'm not enjoying the characters and they keep showing absolutely no signs of improving.
i think it's hilarious that valentine summoned raziel to kill all nephilim but ended up getting killed by him
Loved it... after all it's [a:Cassandra Clare 150038 Cassandra Clare https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1270502031p2/150038.jpg] she has made an awesome world..
Eu demorei quase um mês nesse livro, só consegui me prender a leitura nos últimos 6/7 capítulos mas mesmo assim ainda pretendo continuar a série.
I'm just happy they are not siblings bc chilleeee!!!
Like honey they thought they was siblings and made out with each other like ma'am NO JUST NO!!!!!!!
Thank you to Erin for continuing to buddy read with me even though I keep falling behind. I'm still enjoying the story overall but Clary is so annoying for so many reasons and Clare really likes to drag things out where this series is concerned. I'm enjoying buddying reading these books and talking about them because while I'm hooked on the romance side of the story Erin's focus is on other aspects so it helps me to notice more of what's going on. I don't really have much else to say about this book without spoilers so I guess I'm just going to leave it there which I know isn't very much but I've got nothing else.
City of Glass is the third installment in Cassandra Clare???s Mortal Instruments series and also happens to be the one that made me a fan of hers. I found City of Bones an enjoyable enough read at the time, and City of Ashes was fine. They were easy reads and were exactly what I needed at the time, but I felt as though City of Glass brought it all together and almost went down a high fantasy route, which is always my jam. I had read that this one was due to be the last in the series but Clare ended up continuing with 3 more books, which makes a lot of sense as City of Glass feels like a natural end to this story.
You may have noticed that I skipped out on reviewing City of Ashes, which I read between this one and Raybearer. I enjoyed reading it but I really didn???t have a lot to say so decided not to bother. It was a book I???d started reading more than a year ago and picked back up over 100 pages in for an easy read to prevent slump from settling back in, and it did its job. In fact I enjoyed it enough to pick up City of Glass right after, which I almost regretted (apparently I can???t read a series in sequence right now) but ultimately, I had a great time reading, aside from a couple things which I???m not sure I want to talk about as they get into spoiler territory.
We have some dark moments in City of Glass, some actions that make me want to yell at the characters, and I did at some points (boy do Clary and Jace frustrate me), and some tropes, some of which I didn???t mind, while others grated on me a little. There are also plenty of twists and turns in this book, many I saw coming, but a few I actually did not, which was a really nice surprise. I also found the story took a while to pick up. The entire first part, actually, felt slow to me and contained situations that I wasn???t enjoying reading and was almost reading to put the book down and move on. I didn???t though, and I???m glad for it because once it picked up, I enjoyed myself a bunch.
What really stood out to me in this book were some of the side characters. I believe Magnus Bane is pretty widely beloved so it???s likely no shock that I loved his character. I felt like he was given more depth in City of Glass, more life, and he actually made me laugh out loud a few times which always helps. Plus I love me a magic user, that???s no lie. I also loved seeing Simon???s growth as a character, how mature he is about situations that in other YA romance books the guy would have flipped out and gone full angst, but Simon just doesn???t do that. He takes the punches and grows, and ends up being a great friend for Clary. We love a non-toxic relationship!
Then in the other column, we have the book???s villains. I despised Sebastian. I didn???t trust him, he was obviously evil, and hoo boy is he slimy. Then we have Valentine, who genuinely seems to believe his delusion that he is doing the right thing somehow, when what he???s really working towards is genocide and his own personal glory. He???s frustrating. And this is a good thing, in my eyes! Yes I love a lovable villain, but villains you can really hate and root against? They are well written villains, simple as.
Finally, I want to talk about the writing. Honestly, when I first started reading the series I wasn???t sure. The writing style was good enough to pull me in but with all of the clich??s and stupid actions from the characters, I was concerned that the Mortal Instruments books were yet another example of teen paranormal romance pushed out to hit an audience rather than because they???re actually any good. I have read my fair share. Yet here I am praising book three, so to past me: you were wrong. Clare???s writing style is actually really interesting. It???s simple enough to immerse you and be enjoyable to follow, even if you???re struggling with focus and such like I do, and yet she has these moments in her prose where she paints a beautiful image with her words, very reminiscent of Clary and her mother???s artistry. It???s pretty clever, frankly.
The book also utilises multiple points-of-view which ordinarily I despise. I find most books do not gain anything from using a different character???s perspective, all it does is give me narrative whiplash and make me feel frustrated. Yet in Mortal Instruments, I enjoyed them. Each POV added something to the story without feeling needless. Moments that we would never have seen, making later moments in the story pack a much harder punch. And yes, a break from Clary???s stressing was honestly refreshing.
And the ending of the book. Wow. It does not rush itself, rather, it takes its time, making sure to wrap up each loose thread and build up such a rise in tension that when the story comes to the climax, it feels so satisfying. It actually feels epic.
So those are my thoughts on City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book. It???s not perfect (what book could claim to be anyway?) and certainly not for everybody, but if you don???t mind a little teenage angst and some trash Nephilim just trying to do right in the world, you might enjoy it too. Now I???m going to give the series a small break so I don???t burn out but I do have books 4 and 6, so at some point I???ll absolutely get into those, and probably the other series in the same world as well.
Por ahora es mi favorito y por fin me ha parecido super interesante. Además de que no podía dejar de leerlo jsjjs
MARAVILLOSO, UN APLAUSO PARA RAZIEL QUE MATA A VALENTINE, TODOS A DARLE LOS APLAUSOS QUE SE MERECE!
Bueno, ahora los demás:
-Clary y Jace, me tenían sufriendo como cuando tenía 13 años, la diferencia es que mi yo de ese entonces los shippeaba Y NO SABÍA LA VERDAD COMO AHORA, QUÉ ME PASABA PARA SHIPPEAR A LOS HERMANOS?????
-Ay, Simon, Simon, Simon, como te quiero cuando no eres pesadito con “estoy enamorado de Clary”. Te amo rey, de diez, sigue así.
-ALEXANDER LIGHTWOOD TE AMO CON TODO MI CORAZÓN, DALE AMORCITO A MAGNUS, SOIS LOS MEJORES, OS QUIERO MIS REYES.
-Izzy DIOSA, TE AMO REINA, GRACIAS POR CORTARLE LA MANO A SEBASTIAN.
Okay now the book was really good but there can be some improvements.
I really didn't like Simon's character that much,
And then there's Clary, she acts as if everything is about Simon. Even though she knew Jace was the one who saved Simon, how could she believe when someone she just met that jace bought Simon to Alicante and thrown him in the prison.
Sebastian's character was such a surprise.
con questo libro ho provato la bellezza di mettere dei segni alle pagine. sensazionale.
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: City of Glass
And my reread continues!
The City of Glass allows readers a glimpse into Alicante, the fabled city of the Shadowhunters that they have been hearing about since book one. The Shadowhunters are gathering, as Valentine prepares to launch an attack against the city. His ultimate goal to eradicate anyone who does not pledge loyalty to him. As war brews on the horizon, Clary desperately tries to find a cure for her mother's endless sleep. Simon has also found himself in trouble. Accidentally being transported to the city of Idris with the rest of the crew, Simon is wrongly imprisoned by the Shadowhunters. And of course, the tension rises as Clary and Jace fight against their feelings for one another. With so much at stake, there are bound to be sacrifices and losses.
This is a much longer book than the previous two novels. It almost seems like it could have been broken down into two separate books with the way the storyline progresses. But with that being said, Cassandra Clare did a good job of providing entertaining conflicts, and a steady pace with her plot development. Because of its size, readers also have the chance to see larger sections from the cast of characters. Of course, Clary and Jace steal the spotlight. The dynamics between the two are what enamored me to the series, and each book only proves to be more intense.
The series certainly takes a darker turn with this addition. If you've read the first two books, you know that the overall tone of The Mortal Instruments is dark, but there are no pulled punches as Valentine cuts his way through Shadowhunters to attain his goal. I prefer to read books with darker themes, and I was just as glued to the pages as I was with my first read through.
This is a great recommendation for fans of the urban fantasy and young adult genres. I would say it is more geared towards the older side of YA with the battle scenes and brewing romance. Adults will enjoy it as well! I'm off to start the next book!
“Since the first time I saw you, I have belonged to you completely. I still do.” - Jace Herondale ♥️
—
So while writing this review my heart is crying. It is broken. It always is broken while and after reading City of Glass. I can't help it. It just hurts so much.
This is honestly such a fantastic end to a trilogy. Like it was great even when it was only three books, and then it just got better. It has such great character building in this one, we really start to see our supporting characters shine much brighter. It was already miles better in Ashes, but I loved seeing them all in this book and becoming the characters I actually remember them as from later books. Really just a wonderful conclusion to this storyline.
For some reason, this book has always been the one that I remembered least of. I don't know why, but that was always how it was. I could only remember a character death and the fact that there was a battle. But then when I started this book, it was like everything just rushed in and I found out that I remembered a lot more than I realized. And that was a weird and awesome experience!
This book is incredible, and definitely the best of these first three books (although all three are great). There's so much at stake, and things are settled so well, yet given the right clues to fuel the next three books. I can't wait to get to them, although I think I will read The Infernal Devices after this trilogy, and then pick up the second half after I finish TID. That seems about right. Also I miss Will Herondale! I'll be going into it with so many clues this time. I've reread TID before, but never with these books so fresh in my mind. Can't wait for all that fun stuff.
YES YES AND YES! So I'm rereading all of the Shadowhunter Chronicles this year and I remember this book being in my favorite half of the Mortal Instruments and it is one of the ones I remember very distinctly. I loved this book the second time around. I love all the characters and how we got to see them unfold more as well as the introduction of Sebastian and even seeing Clary's mother alive and up. I loved Idris and how everyone ended up there. I love the vibes of Idris. I also really enjoy how downworlders and shadowhunters finally banded together and will finally start to get along a bit more. The whole Valentine plot line ended well and I feel like everything wrapped up well but still left loose ends to continue in with because this was supposed to just be a trilogy. Everything is working out for Clary and Jace, Simon, Simon and Jace, Isabelle, Alec, Magus, even Luke and Jocelyn. We did have some dark points in this book though. Actually most of it is the characters being in a depressive state especially Jace. This is definitely not the Darkest we will see Jace though. Also with the death of Max that hit the characters really hard. I just loved everything about this book 10/5 stars. This book just makes my heart sing!
OMG I think this one is the best one yet.
I'm still not feeling super attached to many of the characters cough Clary cough and I feel many of the side female characters didn't get much page time while also being super bitchy, so that all kinda sucked. Magnus Bane, Luke, Isabella, and Jace are probably my favorites. I really wanted more of Izzy because she is just so cool. Maia was on her way to being in my top, but she never got to show up....
The story was interesting and I enjoyed all the different elements that come together.
Yet, it was still very teenage-angsty which is totally fine for teens – I probably would have enjoyed this a TON more back when I was in high school. I'm glad we finally left New York and got to explore some of the world-building possibilities, but hmmm... just still felt like it was missing something.
Very happy with how the romance turned out. I'm a sucker for all the romance in this book. There are probably problems, but I'm totally ignoring it.
Instead I'm more concerned with other things... like Simon.... hmmm
I'm not sure what is in store with the rest of the series since this seemed like a finale, but I'm excited to continue.
