City of Glass by Cassandra Clare, narrated by Natalie Moore, is the third installment in The Mortal Instruments series, and Valentine is back in Alicante in Idris, the home of the shadowhunters, with only revenge and power on his mind. Clary, Jace, Simon, and the Lightwood children are thrust into darkness and battle.
Definitely read these books from The Mortal Instruments in order, if you don’t want anything to be spoiled.
Clary must come to the city to find a cure for her mother, and a plan is made for the group to travel together to Idris. But as Jace continues to conspire to keep Clary in New York, demons descend on the Institute and force Jace, the Lightwoods, and Simon to enter the City of Glass through a portal created by Brooklyn’s High Warlock Magnus. In direct violation of the law, they arrive with vampire Simon in tow who is in need of medical attention. The violations of Clave law continue to mount.
Clary and Luke arrive too late to join the group, but Clary will not be discouraged, relying on her newly revealed powers to draw runes that enable magical things – including her own portal.
Clare has created a complex world with its own lore and complex character arcs that intersect in ways that are confusing and sometimes disheartening. Valentine is pure evil, but has glimpses of humanity and emotion that only Clary can see? Is this how he lured her mother into his web? To this reader, he seems more like a sociopath, someone who lacks true empathy and skirts social rules and norms, manipulates, deceives, etc., to get what he wants. Clary’s defense of Valentine in some conversations is bothersome, but understandable as her interactions with him have been at arm’s length for the most part — she was not raised by him like Jace. Even Jace seems to have fond feelings toward him, despite the cruelty. Does he have redemptive qualities?
I love to see the arcs of Simon and Isabelle. They are maturing, coming into their own. Alec has also matured a great deal, being the eldest and only one able to enter the Hall during Clave meetings. I just wish Alec wasn’t so trusting. Even Isabelle is too trusting. It brings into question how they have been trained and by whom. Even Jace has a good dose of skepticism.
Packed full of battle action, Clave debate, and unraveling storylines, readers will be hooked from page one. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare, narrated by Natalie Moore, is a solid third book in the series, and I would argue an excellent conclusion. But rest easy, there are more books.
Rating: Quatrain
