Relative Confusion

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
reviewed by Chimey

City of Glass is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series by bestselling author Cassandra Clare. Loved by Stephenie Meyer and compared to the Harry Potter series, the book is a spellbinding success that strikes the competition down a handful at a time.

Clary, who lives in the human world, is a demon-hunting Nephilim, a shocking girl, and the daughter of a villain named Valentine. Clary is a disturbed child, as she has fallen in love with her brother and her mother has been kidnapped by her father. Her mother is taken to the City of Glass, a place in the Shadowhunter magical world, and Clary needs to go there to retrieve her. Her brother, Jace, in a rare moment, agrees with her Vampire friend Simon that it's not safe for her to go. But she manages to tag along with other characters Jace, Simon, Isabelle, and Alec.

Strange things are revealed, such as the fact that Clary can create runes of the Angel that can make Nephilim do extrodinary things. She also finds that by the Nephilim law, no Downworlder, which is a creature such as a Vampire or a werewolf that is not Nephilim, cannot enter the City of Glass.

Simon is put in jail, and Jace expresses such vehement anger toward Clary that she is nearly heartbroken, and becomes full of rage at the girl Aline when she is found embracing Jace one day. Then Clary meets Sebastian, the quiet, handsome brother of Aline. She finds him enthralling and continues her quest with him, her quest to free her mother and bring down Valentine, leaving Jace to amuse himself with Aline

In the end, it turns out that Sebastian is actually the brother who wants to murder her, and Jace is not related to her but to one of Clary's mother's friends, and that Valentine told Clary Jace was her brother simply to irritate her. Relieved, Clary realizes she and Jace can be together, and now they are. The story wraps up with Sebastion being overthrown by Jace, and Valentine ends up being killed by an Angel. Even though there is another book in the series, the story seems to be finished — or is it?

This book is recommended for both girls and boys ages eleven and up.

Librarian's note: Confused? You might one to start with books one and two in the series: City of Bones and City of Ashes.