Books › City of Ashes
City of Ashes
480 pages
A neon-lit plunge into a hidden, monster-filled New York City, fueled by teenage angst, sarcastic banter, and forbidden romance.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like stepping into a shadowy, neon-lit version of New York City where every alleyway hides a monster and every teenager is armed with a seraph blade and a sarcastic quip. It is a propulsive, deeply angsty ride that thrives on the messy, high-stakes drama of adolescence colliding with apocalyptic supernatural threats. The atmosphere is thick with gothic romance and gritty urban fantasy, wrapping you in a world of leather-clad demon hunters and glittering, dangerous faeries. The prose is fast and dialogue-driven, leaning heavily into sharp banter and breathless action sequences. It is perfect for readers who want to be swept up in a whirlwind of forbidden love, dark family legacies, and the intoxicating thrill of discovering a secret magical world hiding in plain sight.
- Mood
- shadowy
- neon-lit
- tense
- romantic
- Tone
- snarky
- angsty
- dramatic
- earnest
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- forbidden love · found family · dark legacies · loyalty vs. duty · coming of age
- The writing
- Accessible and dialogue-heavy, laced with sarcastic banter and vivid, gothic-tinged urban descriptions.
- The arc
- Moves from overwhelming confusion and denial to a fierce, reluctant acceptance of a dangerous destiny and complicated affections.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave high-stakes urban fantasy, snarky teenagers, complex love triangles, and hidden magical worlds.
Content notes
- fantasy violence
- blood and gore
- parental manipulation
- incest themes (psychological)
About the book
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?
Description from Open Library.
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