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A review by imme_van_gorp
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
3.5
I find it hard to really pen down my exact opinion on this book as I certainly do love the Shadowhunters world Cassandra Clare is creating and she sure knows how to write an interesting plot with plenty of twists, but her characterization is seriously lacking.
I am intrigued with what will happen next and what everything means because of the actual story, but my heart isn't really in it (yet, I hope) because all the characters feel flat and empty. I do find it promising that we started to read more consistently from other perspectives than only Clary's near the end as this is one of the best ways to give the other characters some well-needed depth.
For example, I truly think the Lightwood siblings could be so interesting if only they would be more developed. I also think Magnus could be such a cool characters, especially when paired with Alec. I wish we'd see more of their romance, since it is obvious that it is there and that there is stuff happening between them, but we just never get specifically told what that is. Super frustrating, because I really want to see more of them.
Despite their sparse appearances, I honestly already find Magnus and Alex together more interesting than the love triangle going on between Clary, Jace and Simon, that's for sure. I mean, Jace and Clary together are fine, you know, kind of sweet, but it gets annoying when Simon is thrown into the mix. There is literally zero, absolutely zero, chemistry between Clary and Simon and their romance just felt forced and awkward. Their relationship felt even more uncomfortable than Clary and Jace together, who think they are literal siblings, so that's definitely saying something.
Anyway, I got a bit carried away there, but the main problem is basically that there isn't enough focus on more interesting and emotionally gripping characters and scenes, which made the novel to become a bit boring at times, even when there isn't anything remotely wrong with the general plot. Therefore, this should be an easy fix, and I hope City of Glass will be better in this department. I have high hopes for it.
I am intrigued with what will happen next and what everything means because of the actual story, but my heart isn't really in it (yet, I hope) because all the characters feel flat and empty. I do find it promising that we started to read more consistently from other perspectives than only Clary's near the end as this is one of the best ways to give the other characters some well-needed depth.
For example, I truly think the Lightwood siblings could be so interesting if only they would be more developed. I also think Magnus could be such a cool characters, especially when paired with Alec. I wish we'd see more of their romance, since it is obvious that it is there and that there is stuff happening between them, but we just never get specifically told what that is. Super frustrating, because I really want to see more of them.
Despite their sparse appearances, I honestly already find Magnus and Alex together more interesting than the love triangle going on between Clary, Jace and Simon, that's for sure. I mean, Jace and Clary together are fine, you know, kind of sweet, but it gets annoying when Simon is thrown into the mix. There is literally zero, absolutely zero, chemistry between Clary and Simon and their romance just felt forced and awkward. Their relationship felt even more uncomfortable than Clary and Jace together, who think they are literal siblings, so that's definitely saying something.
Anyway, I got a bit carried away there, but the main problem is basically that there isn't enough focus on more interesting and emotionally gripping characters and scenes, which made the novel to become a bit boring at times, even when there isn't anything remotely wrong with the general plot. Therefore, this should be an easy fix, and I hope City of Glass will be better in this department. I have high hopes for it.