Review Detail

After I had finished City of Bones, the first book of this amazing series, I was begging my parents to let me get the second one. My dad finally said yes, but after nearly a month of waiting, my friend Cassidy just lent it to me instead. I finished the book in a day, doing some non-stop reading (even though I had to rush to finish my homework in the evening), because I just couldn't get away from it.

The characters were all written and described perfectly, except that I warmed to Alec more than Jace now, because he was even more likely to get angry than in the last book. I also really liked Clary, she was, as always, the perfect heroine.

I can kind of understand why Clary just wants life to go back to normal, but she really needs to press on, for the sake of her mother, who is still in a magical coma. And how could she even think about going back to some boring normal life, when she can see werewolves grinning at her, vampires staring at her from the rooftops at night, and faeries wanting to cause mischief? Not to mention all the rest. No, normal is no longer possible for Clary, no matter how much she wishes for it.

And even if she could let go of the Shadow Hunter world, that world is no longer inclined to let her go. She must track down her father: the rogue Shadow Hunter Valentine, who is insane and capable of twisting anyone to his advantage. And her brother, the annoying Jace, who she just might have been falling for, isn't ready to let her go either.

To make matters even worse than they already are, which I didn't think could have been possible, someone is out there, someone who stole the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul Sword. The terrifying Inquisitor arrives and suddenly normal for Clary crashes and burns. She is again swept up in a war of things she is only beginning to understand.

In this absolutely wonderful sequel, Cassandra again draws us deep into the modern New York, where love becomes the most dangerous weapon, and power the most terrifying temptation, where things lurk in the dark and there actually are monsters who want to kill you while you sleep.