City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments Series #3) by Cassandra Clare

From Barnes & Noble

The trilogy clincher of Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments bristles with action. Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, Alec, and the rest of the Shadowhunters crew have already survived their fair share of troubles, but things grow even more intense before the dawn finally breaks.

From the Publisher

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters — never mind that enter-ing the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City — whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.

Children's Literature

In the final title of the "Mortal Instruments" trilogy, Clary faces some of her greatest challenges. Her mother's life is endangered and to save her, Clary must journey to the City of Glass, ancient home to the Shadowhunters. Once she arrives there, she finds that saving her mother is only one of many troubles in the City. Simon is imprisoned for being a vampire, especially since he can withstand sunlight. Jace is distant as he and Clary struggle with their feelings for each other, forbidden since they found out they are siblings. Jace's father Valentine now seeks to destroy all the Shadowhunters and the only hope the Shadowhunters have of defeating him is to ally with the downworlders. When Clary finally reaches her mother, many of Clary's ideas and facts she thought she knew are turned upside down. Although Clare has created a very intricate world with very intricate relationships, a reader who missed the first two books in the trilogy can catch on quickly. First time readers are soon as immersed in this amazing fantasy as the fans who eagerly awaited this conclusion. The world is incredibly well conceived and all of the characters are simply fascinating. Clare is a worthy heir to the void left after the last Harry Potter book was published. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up–In the two previous books, Clary learns that she is a member of a race of demon-hunters and that she has the special ability to create new versions of the runes that give these Shadowhunters their power. Her mother has been hiding the truth from her for years to protect her from her father, Valentine, a cult-leader-turned-villain who is seeking to gain control over the Shadowhunters by obtaining the three Mortal Instruments. Now, Valentine has only one Mortal Instrument left to find, and the Shadowhunters must ally with the despised Downworlders, including vampires, werewolves, and fairies, to prepare their final defense. The question of whether Clary will be able to harness her unique abilities in time to help–and whether they will let her–is sidelined by the question of whether her love interest, Jace, is really her brother. Though the story is hampered by predictability and overblown writing, Clare continues her talent for mixing hip, modern humor with traditional fantasy, and fans eagerly awaiting the series conclusion should come away more than satisfied.–Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA

Kirkus Reviews

How could things possibly work out for Shadowhunter Clary in this trilogy conclusion? Her mother's still in a coma, her boyfriend Jace is still her brother and her best friend Simon is still a vampire. As the Shadowhunters prepare for war against the army of demons raised by Clary's father, Valentine, Clary's bound for inspection in Idris, the Shadowhunter country. She's joined there by Simon and her werewolf father-figure Luke, though as Downworlders, their presence in Idris is illegal. Soon all the magical beings readers have met in Manhattan-vampires, warlocks, faeries and werewolves-have converged on Idris in a last-ditch effort to save the world. Betrayal and intrigue suffuse Clary's world as she navigates between angels and demons, politics and war. As lurid battle scenes cut to the requisite shocking revelations and angst-drenched reunions, readers will almost hear the John Williams music swelling. Derivative though it may be, melodramatic emotional wallowing has never been so much fun. (Fantasy. YA)

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