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elsa_clare's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Child abuse, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Incest
vel629vet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Reread March 2023: Happy to once again move on from incest as a main plot point. Reading this book 10 years after the first time and now as a mother, the death of Max was very frustrating. It was glossed over, the characters moved on within a few chapters, and it didn’t address the intense grief that should have come from such a loss.
After reading my previous reviews as well, I agree with all of my previous points.
June 2014: Reread for City of Heavenly Fire. This is definitely my favorite book in the series so far, although I still think Jace is just about the cheesiest character ever written. All of his dialogue is drama drama drama, and I don't think enough has happened between him and Clary throughout the series to justify their deep love for each other. It seems more like infatuation caused by lust and drama. I wish I could buy in to their love story.
Read Jan 2012: This was a very exciting conclusion to a great series. Oh wait, this isn‰ЫЄt the end of the series? There‰ЫЄs 3 more books? I‰ЫЄm confused‰Ы_
Like I said, I really enjoyed this book. It was very long but moved fast enough that the length wasn‰ЫЄt daunting. There were a lot of interesting plot twists, although also some that I saw coming a mile away. But overall, I was very pleased with the conclusion, although, the epilogue really just felt like another long chapter.
With all of that being said, I don‰ЫЄt understand what Clare could possibly come up with for 3 more books, or why she would want to have to follow up such an exciting book. So I guess what I‰ЫЄm saying is I‰ЫЄm nervous for the next few books because they‰ЫЄll have a lot to live up to.
After reading my previous reviews as well, I agree with all of my previous points.
June 2014: Reread for City of Heavenly Fire. This is definitely my favorite book in the series so far, although I still think Jace is just about the cheesiest character ever written. All of his dialogue is drama drama drama, and I don't think enough has happened between him and Clary throughout the series to justify their deep love for each other. It seems more like infatuation caused by lust and drama. I wish I could buy in to their love story.
Read Jan 2012: This was a very exciting conclusion to a great series. Oh wait, this isn‰ЫЄt the end of the series? There‰ЫЄs 3 more books? I‰ЫЄm confused‰Ы_
Like I said, I really enjoyed this book. It was very long but moved fast enough that the length wasn‰ЫЄt daunting. There were a lot of interesting plot twists, although also some that I saw coming a mile away. But overall, I was very pleased with the conclusion, although, the epilogue really just felt like another long chapter.
With all of that being said, I don‰ЫЄt understand what Clare could possibly come up with for 3 more books, or why she would want to have to follow up such an exciting book. So I guess what I‰ЫЄm saying is I‰ЫЄm nervous for the next few books because they‰ЫЄll have a lot to live up to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Gore
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Incest
maruu_t's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
La verdad que el libro me terminó gustando muchisimo más de lo que me gustaba. Amo la evolución de casi todos los personajes, más que nada la de Jace.
Saber que todavía me quedan el 4to y 5to por leer me dan ganas de llorar.
Saber que todavía me quedan el 4to y 5to por leer me dan ganas de llorar.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Incest, and Suicide
piperclover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cute background couples, queer relationship, plot twist
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Torture, and Child abuse
blakethebookeater's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Ok so this book gets back to the fun antics from the first novel, but actually way more interesting now! The world starts to feel more fleshed out and lived in and traveling to the Shadowhunters’ homeland really gave me a sense of what their culture actually is.
There was fun twists and turns and action moments but in the end it was all overshadowed by one infuriating plot line: the incest.
Literally it’s so in your face and drawn out and I hated it sooooo much. Like that “forbidden love” thing disgusts me and doesn’t intrigue me at all so my brain basically shut off everytime that plot line came to the forefront and that was way too often for my liking. Like I was able to mostly handle it in the last book because they knew it was forbidden and tried to resist but at this point they just don’t care and it made me not even want to pick up the novel tbh.
The ending was sweet and left some small threads dangling (presumably for when she stretched a trilogy into six books), and overall this first trilogy was a solid 3 stars from me. Like intriguing at times, fun at others, bad and very bad at times, and sometimes just meh. I can see how it had a foothold in late 00’s YA culture and I’m glad I read them, but I probably wouldn’t read them again.
(One thing I will give Cassandra Clare props for though is a canon gay relationship in the late 00’s when I was still getting called a faggot in middle school. It would’ve made me feel less alone even if I had read about some gay rep at all! Obviously there are better queer books out there but to have a gay relationship in such a major series at the time is pretty awesome.)
3.5/5 stars
There was fun twists and turns and action moments but in the end it was all overshadowed by one infuriating plot line: the incest.
Literally it’s so in your face and drawn out and I hated it sooooo much. Like that “forbidden love” thing disgusts me and doesn’t intrigue me at all so my brain basically shut off everytime that plot line came to the forefront and that was way too often for my liking. Like I was able to mostly handle it in the last book because they knew it was forbidden and tried to resist but at this point they just don’t care and it made me not even want to pick up the novel tbh.
The ending was sweet and left some small threads dangling (presumably for when she stretched a trilogy into six books), and overall this first trilogy was a solid 3 stars from me. Like intriguing at times, fun at others, bad and very bad at times, and sometimes just meh. I can see how it had a foothold in late 00’s YA culture and I’m glad I read them, but I probably wouldn’t read them again.
(One thing I will give Cassandra Clare props for though is a canon gay relationship in the late 00’s when I was still getting called a faggot in middle school. It would’ve made me feel less alone even if I had read about some gay rep at all! Obviously there are better queer books out there but to have a gay relationship in such a major series at the time is pretty awesome.)
3.5/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Violence
Moderate: Hate crime, Genocide, Misogyny, and Child abuse
Minor: Body horror
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