City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes, the second book in the Mortal Instruments series is much, much, much better than the first book, City of Bones. However you must read City of Bones in order to get a better understanding of characters and the plots.

This book is fast paced and the characters are further developed which makes reading about them much more pleasurable.

There are twist and turns (some predictable) which will keep you entertained. There are also a few inconsistencies but you can easily get past them and move onto the storyline.

Grade: B+

Synopsis (from the publisher)

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.
To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?
In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.