City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

I just finished the second installment in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments Trilogy. Clare's writing is magical. Her descriptions are vivid and paint a colorful picture of this Invisible World she has created. I love the way she has combined religion and myth in a believable and fantastic way.

Rather than go off on the plot and summary and characters, for this book review I am going to share a couple favorite quotes. The dialogue is witty and just fun to read.

..Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?'
Jace said, "Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself."
..."At least," she said, "you don't have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland."
"Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.""
***

"'We came to see Jace. Is he alright?' -Clary

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

***

"I was alive when the Dead Sea was just a lake that was feeling a little poorly." Magnus Bane

***

"I don't want to be a man," said Jace. "I want to be an angst-ridden teeenager who can't confront his own inner demons and takes it out verbally on other people instead."

***

"'the cuckoo bird,' she said. 'You see, cuckoos are parasites. They lay their eggs in other birds' nests. When the egg hatches, the baby cuckoo pushes the other baby birds out of the nest. The poor parent birds work themselves to death trying to find enough food to feed the enormous cuckoo child who has murdered their babies and taken their places.'

'Enormous?' said Jace. 'Did you just call me fat?'

'It was an analogy.'

'I am not fat.'

***

"That does it," said Jace. "I'm going to get you a dictionary for Christmas this year."
"Why?" Isabelle said.
"So you can look up 'fun.' I'm not sure you know what it means.""

***

"Mom. I have something to tell you. I’m undead. Now, I know you may have some preconceived notions about the undead. I know you may not be comfortable with the idea of me being undead. But I’m here to tell you that undead are just like you and me…Well, okay. Possibly more like me than you.
-Simon"

***

‘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?’
"

***


"The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he'd learned: that to love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed. (Jace Wayland)"

***

That is just a taste of the witty dialogue found in Cassandra Clare's books. I highly recommend them. Jace, Simon, and Magnus Bane are the funniest characters I've come across in a long time.