Spoiler Free Review of City of Glass
It's a scary thing when you get to the final book in a series or
trilogy that you particularly care about. There's a certain amount of
apprehension involved,correlating directly to your emotional
involvement to the story and characters. Its tricky for the author to
wrap things up in a way that is true to the characters, consistent
with the themes of the previous books, ties up the story arcs, and is still enjoyable to read. I've never read the final book in any series that managed to seamlessly do all of those things.
City of Glass did.
The characters remained true to themselves while still managing to grow appropriately.
Clary was very Clary-ish. Particularly early on in the book she was
just as rash and independent and headstrong as ever. Watching her
character progression over the span of the book (as well as the
series), I must say that she usurps Gemma Doyle for the crown of
female protagonists in the category that I refer to as "Girls Who Do
Things." And she does "Do Things." Regardless of the fact that Jace
tried to keep her from Idris, despite the fact that
she lacks the training or even the in depth knowledge of their
society, Clary refuses to sit on the sidelines. She refuses to be
relegated to the role of bystander or victim. She was very true to the
character that we got to know in City of Bones and City of Ashes.
Jace, well, what can I say. Jace's journey here is epic. As he has in
every book before, he broke my heart. Watching him struggle with
himself, with his past, with things he cannot control...it is
beautiful.
The 'minor' characters (though I am loathe to call them that, seeing
how real and well developed they are) really shine here, too. They all grow to meet the challenges before them, and we see a different side of
*everyone* in Idris, though they stay true to the characters we knew.
To say that I am ecstatic about the character development here is a
gross understatement.
All of the story arcs--both for the individual characters as well as
the main conflicts--are tied up nicely. The foundations for everything
that happens have been building since COB. The resolutions are not
gratuitous or indulgent. They feel as if--rather than the writer
giving the series the ending she wanted it to have, regardless of
whether or not it fit the themes of the other books--the author
allowed these characters to tell their stories through her. It was the
way endings should be...but so rarely ever are.
I laughed, I cried, I squealed, I shouted at the characters, I yelled "Yes!" and "No!"Oftentimes I did all of those things within the span of a single chapter. It's an emotional whirlwind reading experience. I was
physically unable to put the book down from the moment I picked it up. And the ending? Well, the ending left me breathless.
I don't say this lightly: there are probably two dozen books that I
easily list as "one of my favorite books of all time." City of Glass is not on that list.
City of Glass *IS* my favorite book of all time.
For sheer emotional connect, suspense, excitement, character WIN,
romance, frighteningly believable villainy goodness, and moments that made me flail around like a toddler in the candy closet, it is
unparalleled.
So for those of you eagerly counting down the days between now and
March 24, take heart. City of Glass is well worth the wait. I had
really high expecta
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