City of Glass by Cassandra Clare Book Review

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
(Simon Pulse, Hardcover, 2009)
Rating:

The rogue Shadowhunter Valentine is still on the loose and very close to obtaining all three Mortal Instruments, an action that will give him uncontested powers. Clary and her friends must travel to the City of Glass to somehow protect the third Mortal Instrument, a mirror that has been lost for hundreds of years. Clary is torn by her love for Jace and her duty as a Shadowhunter. When she meets Sebastian, Clary not only finds a way to help her coma-ridden mother but she also lands herself in the middle of a very tangled web of deceit.

Oh, what a fun series! I read the entire three books basically non-stop for several days, only stopping to work and eat. Cassandra Clare sure knows how to pile on the action and suspense. Simon, Jace, Sebastian...poor Clary and her seemingly endless line of bad boyfriend choices. I don't want to give away any spoilers so I'll just touch on two points about this series that I haven't discussed in my earlier reviews of City of Bones and City of Ashes. First, Valentine and his son are some of the best villains that I've encountered in recent memory. Both are polished and their convincing arguments hide dark jealousies and evil intent. I love that the series ended with a hint that maybe not all of Valentine's evil doing was erased. The second thing that I really appreciated about this series was the relationships. There were so many love triangles, I could write a whole paper about the love triangles in this book. "Teenage angst" is an often bandied about phrase and Cassandra Clare isn't afraid to just pile it upon her characters. Of course, the books have their lighthearted moments and the friendships that are formed are vital to fighting Valentine. I just read that Cassandra Clare is starting a companion series, set in the Victorian era and featuring a young warlock who must rely on a Shadowhunter, the warlocks sworn enemies. Definitely can't wait to read those books. Although, I think I'll have to buy each book and set it on a shelf until I have the whole series. I can't imagine having read City of Bones or City of Ashes without being able to finish the entire trilogy at once. Too many nail-biting cliffhangers!