Angelic Friday (26/02/10) Featuring City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Angelic Friday is a new Meme started by me, that features books that explore the lives of angels, nephilims and fallen angels.

The third angelic series that captivated me is the Mortal Instruments Series! I didn't have the chance to read this chronologically. MI is so famous here that when the stocks would arrive, they'd be gone in a day or two. So I had to deal with it. I read the second book first - City of Ahes. (I know. I'm not supposed to do that. But I couldn't wait anymore. I wanted to know who Clary and Jace are.)

Book Description: Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go -- especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil -- and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings -- and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

 
My Thoughts:
 
After reading the first few pages of City of Ashes, I felt stupid. Why? Because I've been denying myself such a wonderful read for years! I've always seen MI at the bookstore, but I never got to the point where I picked it up and brought it home with me.
 
Jace is a very sexy badboy. Aside from witnessing his passion to fight, we get to see his soft spot for Clary. Speaking of Clary, I love her. I like how she's so herself. As the story progresses, we find out about Jace and Clary's unique abilities. What's so wonderful about Clary is that she tries to do what's right. That's the thing that makes her so realistic. It can be seen in this line:
 
"What do you want me to tell you? The truth? The truth is that I love Simon like I should love you, and I wish he was my brother and you weren't, but I can't do anything about that and neither can you!" - from page 181.

She admits that she loves Jace and it's clear that there's a part of her that wants to be with him, that wants to love him openly but she also knows that it's not...proper. Because they're brother and sister. Then there is Simon. The bestfriend. He's so funny! He makes me laugh. MI will definitely not work without Simon. And then, another character that struck me is Alec. I was shocked when I found out he's not straight. Man! I didn't see that coming. But hey, Magnus Bane has his charms.

This is the only novel I've ever encountered that probably had all the supernatural creatures imaginable in it - vampires, werewolves, faeries, demons, nephilims. I especially love how Cassandra Clare defined what faeries are - the children of demons and angels, having the beauty of angels and the wickedness of demons. She gave the race a very justifiable reason to exist in the paranormal world.

The attacks made by their father, Valentine, and his very deceiving words makes the whole story complex and thrilling. There were times when I'd think like this: He's just being good - standing up for what he thinks is right and leading a movement that will bring change for the better. Then he would do something that a father won't do. And I'd stick to my first impression: He's bad! He's bad, bad, bad! Cassandra Clare makes me react. She makes me love, hate and understand the characters.

I enjoyed everything: the love triangle of Jace-Clary-Simon, the unexpected relationship between Magnus Bane and Alec, the terrifying Inquisitor, the steps of Valentine, the somewhat-bitter experience of Maia, the fight scenes and the moments of emotional struggle.

City of Ashes is a story of good versus evil, a strained confession of brother-sister love, a tangle of feelings and emotions that kindles as events unfold one by one. The lesson here is standing up for what's right. We can't tolerate anything bad, even if it means going up against our own family. When the time comes to do our duty as people, as citizens, we must only do what's right, in accordance to the law and justice.

Rating:

For days, I've been thinking about nothing but the world of MI. My mind kept drifting back to Clary and Jace. I will give this...5 Cupids!