City of Glass

 City of Glass
Cassandra Clare

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight. As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost? Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine.

And I've kept on going. I have so many mixed feelings about this one. As I had realized in City of Ashes, the writing is still lazy but the story is interesting. I found phrases repeated within 10-15 pages of each other. It was kind of ridiculous. One was "it felt like a thousand years" and "it's like from a fairytale." Clary is supposed to be fairly intelligent and couldn't find another way to describe something. C'mon! (And the fact that the characters are stupid enough to leave a desperate girl alone who has magical rune powers is a dumb idea. Of course she'll do something rash.) I also wish the whole truth reveal was more dramatic. Having Clary and Jocelyn just talk about it didn't seem very interesting.

As the story progressed I was interested in the book more. I wanted to see how it would all end, and it feels like the series could have ended here. I almost wish that it had but I could see the holes that needed filling. I also like that at the end the Shadowhunters are reminded that vampires, warlocks, werewolves, and faeries have souls; they aren't demonic by nature. It was good to see them coming together.

P.S. - Simon rocks.