City of Ashes

Last updated
City of Ashes
City of Ashes.jpg
American cover for City of Ashes.
Author Cassandra Clare
Cover artist Cliff Nielsen
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series The Mortal Instruments
Genre Fantasy adventure
Urban fantasy
Publisher Margaret K. McElderry
Publication date
March 25, 2008 (U.S.)
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages464 pages (hardcover)
416 pages (paperback)
ISBN 1-4169-1429-3
Preceded by City of Bones  
Followed by City of Glass  

City of Ashes is the second installment in The Mortal Instruments series, an urban fantasy series set in New York written by Cassandra Clare. [1] The novel was one of YALSA's top ten teen books for 2009. [2]

Contents

Background

City of Ashes is the second installment in the The Mortal Instruments series. It is the first book published by Margaret K. McElderry, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Its sequel, City of Glass , was released in March 2009.[ citation needed ] The cover features Clarissa Fray. [3]

Plot

Clary returns to the Institute after receiving a text message from Isabelle "Izzy" Lightwood, saying that Jace angered the Inquisitor, Imogen Herondale. He has been imprisoned in the Silent City and is awaiting trial by the Soul Sword to determine if he is telling the truth about being in league with Valentine. The Sword is one of the Mortal Instruments, alongside the Cup and the Mirror. While the Cup is capable of creating new Shadowhunters, the Sword forces Shadowhunters to tell the truth. Valentine kills the Silent Brothers to obtain the Sword.

Clary, Izzy, and Alec respond to a distress call from the Silent City but arrive too late. Clary frees Jace using an amplified version of the opening rune that appears to her amidst her panic. The Inquisitor appears, along with a group of armed Shadowhunters, and accuses Jace of helping Valentine.

Magnus Bane is called to the scene by Alec, and offers to keep Jace as a prisoner in his apartment, while he and the others try to figure out Valentine's plans. Magnus and Alec are close to each other, and have even gone on a date. This is detailed in the Bane Chronicles, a tag-a-long book to the series.

Jace receives an offer from the Queen of the Seelie to visit her court. She is a Downworlder, a fairy with demon heritage. Jace, Simon, Izzy and Clary try to convince her to aid them in the defeat of Valentine. The Queen says she is not sure if she will help and mentions their court knows deep secrets, like how Jace and Clary are their father's experiments come to life. Confused, the group decides to leave.

However, Clary is tricked into consuming faerie food, and is only able to leave by kissing "whom she most desires". Simon offers to kiss her, but the Queen reveals he is not the one "she desires most". This is hurtful because Clary has been repeatedly attempting to date Simon, in order to squash her feelings for Jace, her brother. Clary and Izzy suggest that the kiss might be from Jace. The three are reluctant at first because Clary is Jace's sister, but after Izzy insists that she too would kiss Alec to free him, Jace kisses Clary. The kiss becomes passionate, and afterwards, Clary is free, proving that Jace's kiss is the one she most desires. This upsets Simon, who storms off after they return to their realm. Jace and Clary confess their love to each other. Clary is torn between her love for Jace, and the taboo against it because they are blood relatives. Jace suggests keeping a secret relationship. Clary, unwilling to lie to their friends and family, replies that it would eventually be discovered.

Later, the vampire Raphael shows up at the Institute with Simon, who is on the verge of death. Apparently, Simon's initial intake of vampire blood as a rat made him believe he was turning into a vampire, and he went to the Hotel DuMort to see Raphael. He then was devoured by vampires, mixing his blood with theirs.

Simon is buried and transforms into a vampire. A distraught Clary ignores Jace as a result of her concern over Simon and his new undead status. While discussing how to potentially tell Simon's mother about his vampire transformation with Clary, Maia the werewolf comes into the house with wounds too severe for Luke to treat. Magnus heals her while Luke decides to check outside the house to see if the demons are still there. Luke is attacked and gets badly injured. Jace, Simon, and Clary battle the demons, who flee after seeing Clary's rune on her forearm which she got during a dream of her mother blessing her.

They return to the house to rest with the others and end up talking about the powerful rune Clary used to free Jace earlier. Clary reveals it was something she just thought of, and everyone opposes her, saying that runes can only be created by angels. Clary is dared to make a new rune, and she ends up making a "Fearless" rune, as suggested by Jace. They try it on Alec, whose parents and sister arrive then. Alec approaches his parents, saying he is seeing someone who is a Downworlder. Magnus silences him before he says who he is dating. Alec claims not to remember anything. He gets nervous and defensive when asked who he is dating, leading them to believe that the rune worked.

Everyone decides to sleep, but Jace secretly takes Raphael's motorcycle and meets Valentine at a ship. Valentine offers protection to his loved ones if Jace joins him and comes back to Idris with him. The next morning, the Inquisitor, knowing of that meeting, once again imprisons Jace, planning to make a trade with Valentine - Jace's life for the Sword. Jace tries to tell her that it will not work, which the Inquisitor refuses to believe and devises a plan of revenge on Valentine, who had killed her son, Stephen Herondale.

While traveling to see Simon, Maia is attacked by a demon, who comes to her in the form of her dead brother, after which Valentine kidnaps her.

Clary and the others rescue Maia with the help of Magnus, but not before Valentine drains Simon's blood. Jace manages to restore life to Simon by feeding him his blood, after which the Inquisitor appears. After seeing Jace's star-shaped scar on his shoulder, the Inquisitor begins to suggest something about who his parents are, but she jumps in front of Jace, saving him from a demon before she can finish. She later dies, leaving Jace confused at her sudden change of heart.

Meanwhile, one of Valentine's demons kidnap Clary. At his boat, Valentine intimidates her with the Sword. Jace and Simon rescue her and Valentine admits that Jace only chose to fight on his side because he loves Clary more than a sister. He knew of this when Jace saw a demon that transforms into the thing you fear the most, which appeared to him in the form of Clary dying. The second time he saw the demon it appeared to him as Valentine, and Jace continued to kill the demon. Clary draws an opening rune on the ship's metal, which causes all of the ship's pieces to open up, making it explode. Clary falls in the river and is saved by the nixies the Queen sent to help. The group escapes by truck, where Simon discovers that Jace's blood has made him a "Daylighter", a vampire that can tolerate the sun's light. After a talk with Luke about love and his regrets of not telling Clary's mother how he felt about her, Clary decides to tell Jace of her love for him and her sudden change of mind to start a relationship, regardless of its consequences. However, before she can say anything, Jace tells her that he will only act as her brother from then on, breaking her heart. As Clary reels from this, she meets a woman who introduces herself as one of Jocelyn's friends and says she knows how to wake up Clary's mother.

Characters

Shadowhunters

Mundanes

Downworlders

Reception

The Duluth News Tribune praised City of Ashes, calling the book "gripping". [4] The School Library Journal also praised the novel, comparing it to "like watching a particularly good vampire/werewolf movie". [5] Kirkus Reviews enjoyed the book but warned that the "incestuous overtones might be too disturbing for some". [6] Common Sense Media gave the book four stars, calling it "gripping" while warning parents of the violence and potential incest. [7] Seventeen Magazine gave a positive review, saying that the book was "smart, funny, romantic". [8]

Cancelled film adaptation

The film based on the second book titled The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes was planned for production in 2014, but was cancelled.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>City of Bones</i> (Clare novel) 2007 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones is the first urban fantasy book in author Cassandra Clare's New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments. The novel, first published in 2007, is set in modern-day New York City and has been released in several languages, including Bulgarian, Hebrew, Polish and Japanese. It is the first book in the first trilogy of The Mortal Instruments which includes the books City of Ashes and City of Glass.

<i>The Infernal Devices</i> Novel trilogy by Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices is a trilogy by author Cassandra Clare, centring on a race called the Shadowhunters introduced in her The Mortal Instruments series. The trilogy is a prequel series to TheMortal Instruments series. Cassandra Clare has stated that the two series are able to be read in any order, but it is best to read them in publication order.

<i>City of Glass</i> (Clare novel) 2009 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass is the third book in the urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. In 2009, Walker Books published the third book of the series worldwide. It is a journey that explores Simon's and Clary's experience in the Shadowhunter city, and Clary works on saving her mother, as they travel from the New York institute to Alicante, Idris.

<i>The Mortal Instruments</i> Series of fantasy novels by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments is a series of six young adult fantasy novels written by American author Cassandra Clare, the last of which was published on May 27, 2014. The Mortal Instruments is chronologically the third series of a planned six in The Shadowhunter Chronicles but was the first one published. It follows Clary Fray, who interacts with a group of Nephilim known as Shadowhunters while also discovering her own heritage and her family history. The Shadowhunters protect the world of mundane/human people, who are also called mundanes or "mundies", from dark forces beyond their world. The book series falls under the young adult genre, specifically that of the paranormal romance/urban fantasy and supernatural genres.

<i>City of Fallen Angels</i> 2011 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. The series was meant to end with City of Glass; it was announced in March 2010 that a fourth book would be added, with Cassandra Clare later saying that she views this as a "second trilogy" in the series. The book was released on April 5, 2011.

<i>Clockwork Angel</i> 2010 novel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel is the first installment of The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. After the death of her aunt, Tessa Gray is sent a ticket to travel to London by her brother Nathaniel. On arrival, she is kidnapped and abused by two cruel sisters who work under the name of 'The Dark Sisters', until her eventual saving by a group of people who are referred to as Shadowhunters. The rest of the book is based around her discovering the Shadow world and making a life with the new people she encounters.

<i>City of Lost Souls</i> (novel) 2012 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls is the fifth book in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. City of Lost Souls was released on May 8, 2012, and was followed by the sixth and final book in the series, City of Heavenly Fire in 2014.

<i>City of Heavenly Fire</i> 2014 fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire is a young adult fantasy romance novel, the sixth and final installment in The Mortal Instruments series, and chronologically the twelfth installment in The Shadowhunter Chronicles franchise by Cassandra Clare. It was released on May 27, 2014. The book once again follows the adventures of the teenage Shadowhunter, Clary Fray, and her allies in facing her brother Sebastian Morgenstern and his allies of Endarkened Shadowhunters. It also ties in with both The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices series by having their main protagonists, Tessa Gray and Emma Carstairs, appear as supporting characters and connecting the worlds of The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices.

The Dark Artifices is a trilogy written by Cassandra Clare. The series is chronologically the fourth series in The Shadowhunter Chronicles and a sequel to The Mortal Instruments. It is set in Los Angeles. The series consists of three books: Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows and Queen of Air and Darkness, in that particular order. Centered around the protagonist, Emma Carstairs, the series follows her journey as a Shadowhunter at the Los Angeles Institute, and her life with her best-friend and parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, and his family. The series is about a sacred bond of "parabatai", two bonded Shadowhunters, and it is more valuable than any bond in this world. This bond makes the two more powerful and strong, but there is only one drawback - it is forbidden to fall in love with your parabatai. It so happens that Emma and Julian, two parabatai, have fallen in love. The Dark Artifices is a trilogy about their struggle against their enemies and how the two protagonists deal with their forbidden love and the resulting consequences. The series is told from the point-of-view of the various different characters in the story.

<i>The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones</i> 2013 urban fantasy film

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a 2013 urban fantasy film based on the first book of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. It was directed by Harald Zwart, with a script written by Jessica Postigo. The film stars Lily Collins as Clary Fray, a teenager from New York City who meets a group of Nephilim known as the Shadowhunters while also discovering her own heritage and her family history. The cast also includes Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, Lena Headey, Kevin Durand, Aidan Turner, Jemima West, Godfrey Gao, CCH Pounder, Jared Harris, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes was set to be a 2014 action film based on the second book of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.

<i>Clockwork Prince</i> 2011 book by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince is a 2011 novel written by Cassandra Clare. It is the second novel in The Infernal Devices trilogy and is written through the perspective of the protagonist, Tessa Gray, who lives at the London Institute among Shadowhunters, a group of half-angel/half-human beings called Nephilim. After the recent failings of Charlotte, the head of the London Institute, the Council of Shadowhunters begin to question her ability to lead. Now Tessa and her friends must find Mortmain – an evil industrialist bent on destroying all the Nephilim in the world – or risk losing control of the Institute.

The Shadowhunter Chronicles is a media franchise based on the writings of American young adult fiction writer Cassandra Clare, which currently encompasses six series of novels, three short-story collections, five graphic novels, one film, a television series, and other media.

<i>Shadowhunters</i> 2016 American supernatural drama television series

Shadowhunters, also known as Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, is an American supernatural drama television series developed by Ed Decter, based on the novel series The Mortal Instruments written by Cassandra Clare. It premiered in North America on Freeform on January 12, 2016. Primarily filmed in Toronto, Canada, the series follows Clary Fray, who finds out on her eighteenth birthday that she comes from a long line of Shadowhunters, human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons, and has to deal with the struggle of forbidden love.

<i>Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy</i>

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy or simply called Shadowhunter Academy is a series of connected novellas featuring the character of Simon Lewis from Cassandra Clare's best-selling The Mortal Instruments series. It consists of ten novellas written by Cassandra Clare in collaboration with other authors that were published online on a monthly basis. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy was released in print on November 15, 2016.

<i>Lady Midnight</i> 2016 novel by Cassandra Clare

Lady Midnight is a young adult urban fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare. It is the first book in The Dark Artifices, which is chronologically fourth in The Shadowhunter Chronicles. The book follows the events that occur in the Los Angeles area in 2012, focusing on the residents of the Los Angeles Institute. The title was based upon Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe and all of the chapter titles are lines from the poem.

<i>Lord of Shadows</i> 2017 novel by Cassandra Clare

Lord of Shadows is a young adult urban fantasy novel by Cassandra Clare. It is the second book in The Dark Artifices, which is chronologically the fourth series in The Shadowhunter Chronicles. The book is set in the Los Angeles area in 2012. The titles from each chapter are derived from the poem Dreamland by Edgar Allan Poe.

<i>Queen of Air and Darkness</i> (Clare novel) 2018 novel by Cassandra Clare

Queen of Air and Darkness is the third and final book in The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare, which is the fourth chronological series in The Shadowhunter Chronicles. This series follows the characters of the LA Institute in 2012 and features characters from all of the previous series. The chapter titles all come from the poem The City in the Sea by Edgar Allan Poe.

<i>Chain of Gold</i> 2020 novel by Cassandra Clare

Chain of Gold is a young adult-urban fantasy-novel by Cassandra Clare. It is the first book in The Last Hours, which is chronologically second in The Shadowhunter Chronicles. The book follows the events that occur in the London area in 1903, focusing on the residents of the London Institute. The chapter titles, like in The Infernal Devices, are all taken from poetry of the Victorian and Edwardian era that the characters would be familiar with, and the book title was taken from the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations.

References

  1. Brody, Cheryl. "Interview: Cassandra Clare: The author of CG! Book Club's City of Ashes answers four quick questions just for you!". Seventeen Magazine. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  2. ALA Teen's Top Ten 2008
  3. "Who is on the covers of the books? | Cassandra Clare". Archived from the original on 2015-04-03. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  4. Johnholtz, Ashley (June 11, 2009). "Shadow Hunter Mayhem". Duluth News Tribune. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  5. Draper, Jennifer-Lynn. "Grades 5 & Up". School Library Journal. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  6. "Review: CITY OF ASHES". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  7. "City of Ashes: The Mortal Instruments, Book 2". CommonSenseMedia. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  8. Reid, Megan. "book review: city of ashes". Seventeen Magazine. Retrieved 16 August 2012.