City of Glass

Title: City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments (#3)
Pages: 541 (paperback)
Summary: 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 Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters 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?

My Thoughts: When Cassandra Clare had published this book, I heard that it was supposed to be the final installment to The Mortal Instrument series. After reading it, I could definitely see that when I reached the end. There was a natural break, but you were still left wanting more. I'm personally glad that Clare has gone on to write more installments of this growing series, because I enjoy delving into her world so much. And out of the first three books of this series that I've read, this one has to be my favorite, yet it took me the longest to read.

I found that the beginning dragged a bit and that I ended up skimming some parts just to get to the good stuff. But when I got to the meat of the story, which was pretty much the last half, my heart was racing even though it took a while for Clare to build up to the action near the end. I also found that I grew to love her characters more, even though a few of them (Jace and Clary to be specific) kind of got on my nerves. Simon, Alec, Isabelle, Magnus, and Luke are among my favorite secondary characters and they really helped round out the story. Without them, I don't think I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did. And if an author can make me feel anything towards a character, whether it be love or hate, then they've their job. And Clare certainly went above and beyond with making me feel for her characters and her the world she built for the shadowhunters.
My Rating: 4 out of 5.