Closet Confidential

Clary Fray is having some significant issues. Her best close friend, Simon, is falling in love among her; her bad-boy crush, Jace, just might be her brother; her mom is in the hospital in a coma — oh, and did we mention that her dad is summoning an army of devils in a plot to take over the planet?

It’s enough to make any girl desire to scream, simply Clary isn’t just any girl — she’s a Shadowhunting demon slayer, and in Cassandra Clare’s new book, City of Ashes, her life gets a lot more complicated.

City of Bones, the prequel to city of ashes book, introduced scanners to Clary and the alter-Manhattan she’s thrown to when she discovers she can see beyond the “glamours” that shield normal humans, or “mundanes,” from the faeries, werewolves, vampires, and warlocks among us. In City of Ashes, Clary’s crash method in demon slaying gets even crazier, as Valentine, her long-lost father (and all-around bad guy), plans a political takeover of the Shadowhunter government with the help of the demonic allows Clary and her friends are sworn to fight.

Despite the sorcery themes, City of Ashes definitely isn’t your average fairy tale or fantasy book. Clare’s vision of modern-day Manhattan is gritty and edgy: Punked-out warlocks wear glitter eyeliner and leather pants, and faeries throw wicked dance get-togethers. The plot’s twists and turns will keep you questioning, and Clare’s descriptions are so detailed, you’ll be able to imagine the heroes and places clearly. Still, the real reason you won’t be able to put down City of Ashes is its awesome characters. You’ll get so drawn into the drama between Clary and her good friends that ones fact that they carry seraph blades, ride flying motorcycles, and get turned into vampire will barely register as anything out of the ordinary.

Clary is feisty and smart — totally the lady you want on your side when creepy Drevak demons are attacking. She isn’t just a fighting heroine, though. You’ll have compassion for her when she’s feeling insecure next to her gorgeous friend, Isabelle, and unsure about the awkward romantic tension with Simon. You’ll also fall hard for gorgeous Jace and his snarky one-liners. The love triangle he, Simon, and Clary get caught in is a little weird, then again Clare does a great job of mixing it into City of Ashes’ hard plot.

Of course, there are too much supernatural action sequences and gory battles to keep even the greatest hard-core fantasy fan’s adrenaline pumping. But be warned: Clare’s expert product descriptions of the otherworldly dark forces Valentine summons can be actually creepy, and more than a bit disgusting.

Still, don’t let that scare you aside from City of Ashes. Trust us, you’ll be so into this smart, funny, romantic read that you won’t even be irritated at the cliff-hanger ending — we’re just counting down to 2009, when the last chapter in Clary’s story hits the bins!