Denise's Reading Blog: December 2020

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments Book 2) by Cassandra Clare-Notes & Highlights

I don’t like how the narrator of the audiobook (Natalie Moore) makes Clary sound stupid whenever she talks for her. Her voice was high-pitched to make her sound younger, I guess.

I think I got this from Goodwill or Savers.

“He'd felt like a jack-o'-lantern for the past few days, as if his guts had been yanked out with a fork and dumped in a heap while a grinning smile stayed plastered on his face" (18).

“He didn't look up now, though she could tell by the tightening of his shoulder muscles that he'd heard her. She went over to the sink, laying a hand lightly on his back. She felt the sharp nubs of his spine through the thin cotton T-shirt and wondered if he'd lost weight. She couldn't tell by looking at him, but looking at Simon was like looking in a mirror--when you saw someone everyday, you didn't always notice small changes in their outward appearance. 'Are you okay?'" (24).

“‘There’s nothing wild about me. I’m stolid. Middle-aged.’

‘Except that once a month you turn into a wolf and go tearing around slaughtering things,’ Clary said” (69).

When Clary said that it reminded me of a woman’s monthly visitor, if you know what I mean, but in Luke’s case it’s only for one night instead of seven.

“The library door was half open. Not bothering to knock, Jace went in. It had always been one of his favorite rooms in the Institute—there was something comforting about its old-fashioned mix of wood and brass fittings, the leather-and-velvet-bound books ranged along the walls like old friends waiting for him to return” (75).

I’ve always loved the common phrase of books being like old friends because that is so true. I am returning to my old friend The Mortal Instruments now. I also love the descriptive scene of the old library.

“When she went into the kitchen, she found Luke had left breakfast for her in the form of a Danish in a grease-spotted cardboard box. He'd also left a note stuck to the fridge. Gone to the hospital.

Clary ate the Danish on the way to meet Simon. He was supposed to be on the corner of Bedford by the L train stop at five, but he wasn't. She felt a faint tug of anxiety before she remembered the used record store on the corner of Sixth. Sure enough, he was sorting through the CDs in the new arrivals section. He wore a rust-colored corduroy jacket with a torn sleeve and a blue T-shirt bearing the logo of a headphone-wearing boy dancing with a chicken. He grinned when he saw her. ‘Eric thinks we should change the name of our band to Mojo Pie,’ he said, by way of greeting.

‘What is it now? I forgot.’

‘Champagne Enema,’ he said, selecting a Yo La Tengo CD.

‘Change it,’ Clary said. ‘By the way, I know what your T-shirt means.’

‘No you don't.’ He headed up to the front of the store to buy his CD. ‘You're a good girl.’

Outside, the wind was cold and brisk. Clary drew her striped scarf up around her chin. ‘I was worried when I didn't see you at the L stop.’

Simon pulled his knit cap down, wincing as if the sunlight hurt his eyes. ‘Sorry. I remembered I wanted this CD, and I thought—’

‘It's fine.’ She waved a hand at him. ‘It's me. I panic way too easily these days’” (133-134).

“‘We came to see Jace,' Clary said. ‘Is he all right?'

‘I don't know,' Magnus said. ‘Does he normally just lie on the floor like that without moving?'" (135).

Oh my god! This is like the exact line they used in Shadowhunters! I love it!

https://youtu.be/vFs5v-Pzqig?t=270

4:30

I also wanted to say that I love the scene surrounding this quote!

“‘You know how the bonds of family are, my lady,' said Jace, recovering his voice. ‘They cling as tightly as vines. And sometimes, like vines, they cling tightly enough to kill'" (167).

“’Well, I'm not kissing the mundane,' said Jace. ‘I'd rather stay down here and rot.'

‘Forever?' said Simon. ‘Forever's an awfully long time.'

Jace raised his eyebrows. ‘I knew it,' he said. ‘You want to kiss me, don't you?'" (171).

“By the time Alec came back into the training room, Jace was lying on the floor, envisioning lines of dancing girls in an effort to ignore the pain in his wrists. It wasn’t working.

‘What are you doing?’ Alec asked, kneeling down as close to the shimmering wall of the prison as he could get. Jace tried to remind himself that when Alec asked this sort of question, he really meant it, and that it was something he had once found endearing rather than annoying. He failed. ‘I thought I’d lie on the floor and writhe in pain for a while,’ he grunted. ‘It relaxes me.’

‘It does? Oh—you’re being sarcastic. That’s a good sign, probably,’ Alec said. ‘If you can sit up, you might want to. I’m going to try to slide something through the wall’” (317-318).

I laughed out loud when Jace made that smart remark to Alec. XD He can be so funny.

“‘I suppose.’ Isabelle sounded reluctant. ‘What do you need the phone for, Alec?’

‘We just need it,’ Alec said impatiently. ‘Izzy—’

‘If you’re texting Magnus to say “I think u r kewl,” I’m going to kill you.’

‘Who’s Magnus?’ Max inquired.

‘He’s a warlock,’ said Alec.

‘A sexy, sexy warlock,’ Isabelle told Max, ignoring Alec’s look of total fury” (329-330).

Lol omg 😂 🤦🏽‍♀️ :P

“‘That’s your truck parked up by the factory, isn’t it?’ Magnus pointed. ‘It’s awfully butch for a bookseller.’

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Luke. ‘All that lugging around heavy book boxes, climbing stacks, hard-core alphabetizing…’” (353-354).

lol

“‘Yes, I hated it,’ Luke said. ‘At the time, I thought what I had with you and your mother was better than nothing. But if you can’t tell the truth to the people you care about the most, eventually you stop being able to tell the truth to yourself’” (445).

“...but it hadn't stopped her crying because what she thought was permanent was not permanent after all, but only made out of sand that vanished at the touch of wind or water" (450).