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Description edit
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
The third book in the Mortal Instruments series starts a week after City of Ashes. The Lightwoods, Jace, and Clary are leaving for the city of Alicante that evening. However, Simon goes to the Institute, where he and the Shadowhunters (except Clary) are attacked by dozens of Forsaken. Magnus... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters edit
- Clarissa 'Clary' Fray/Morgenstern: The main character in the stories, although throughout the series the viewpoint changes. She is 15 years old. Clary is the daughter of Valentine and Jocelyn Fairchild/Fray, and an artist like her mother. Clary has some interesting family connections and some even more fascinating abilities, making her a very unique Shadowhunter. She is Simon Lewis's best friend, and is short, with curly red hair and green eyes. Also known as Clary Morgenstern.
- Jonathan 'Jace' Wayland (Herondale): Jace is the Lightwood's adoptive son. He is a very skilled Shadowhunter, sarcastic, gorgeous, and somewhat arrogant. Like Clary, Jace's family connections are a major cause of angst for him. But are Jace's scars and attitude just a mask over his sensitive side?
- Simon Lewis: Simon the Vampire has been Clary's best friend for a very long time. He got sucked into the supernatural and at first, thought it was cool. Then over time, he realized that it wasn't like Dungeons and Dragons, he learned that in this 'game', you have everything to lose...
- Isabelle 'Izzy' Lightwood: One of the Lightwood children who is friends with Clarissa. She has black hair, is an amazing Shadowhunter.
- Alexander Gideon 'Alec' Lightwood: Brother of Isabelle and Max Lightwood, son of Maryse and Robert Lightwood
- Magnus Bane: The High Warlock of Brooklyn who has a crush on Alec Lightwood
- Lucian 'Luke' Garroway: Luke is a Shadowhunter who was turned into a werewolf as an adult. He and Jocelyn have been friends since they were children, and he has been in love with her since they were teenagers. When they were teenagers, Luke and Valentine were best friends, but when Luke was turned into a werewolf and started to see the bad direction Valentine's plans were heading, all that changed. He is like a father to Clary, and cares about her very much. Luke is also something of a mentor to Jace. Luke and his pack keep close to Clary and her friends to protect them, heal them, fight with them, give them advice, and so on. Luke is a flannel and jeans kind of guy and owns a bookstore...that is when he's not in wolf form or out fighting Valentine and his army. Also known as Lucian Graymark, his name before he was Changed.
- Maia Roberts: Maia is a girl around Simon and Clary's age. She was abused by her angelic-looking brother before he died, and her gorgeous boyfriend abused her and turned her into a werewolf, and consequently she is very wary of good-looking guys. Maia is sweet, tough, and pretty, described as being curvy and having golden-brown hair in braids. Maia, being part of Luke's pack, often fights alongside Clary and her friends, including Simon, for whom she harbors something of a crush.
- Valentine Morgenstern: Valentine is charming, persuasive, and manipulative, and when he, Luke, and Jocelyn were teenagers he started a group known as the Circle, meant to purify the world of demons and Downworlders.
- Jocelyn 'Josie' Fairchild: Clary's mother; formerly married to Valentine. Also known as Jocelyn Morgenstern and Jocelyn Fairchild.
- Maryse Lightwood: Shadowhunter. Mother of Alec, Isabelle and Max Lightwood. Married to Robert Lightwood.
- Robert Lightwood: Shadowhunter. Father of Alec, Isabelle and Max Lightwood. Married to Maryse Lightwood.
- Max Lightwood: Little brother of Alec and Izzy; nine years old, likes to read manga
- Sebastian Verlac: He is a good-looking boy and very striking black-haired boy.
- Aline Penhallow: Cousin of Sebastian. Likes Jace Wayland.
- Amatis Herondale: Luke's sister. A shadowhunter. She doesn't really like everything that has happened but learns to deal with it and is reconnected with her brother after so many years. Previously married to Stephen Herondale.
- Inquisitor Aldertree: The Inquisitor who replaces Imogen. Small and squeaky with a thirst for power.
- Samuel Blackburn: A prisoner in the jails of Alicante, becomes friends with Simon.
- Raphael Santiago: Leader of the vampires in New York City
- Hodge Starkweather: Tutor to Alec, Isabelle, Max, and Jace.
- Malachi Dieudonne: The Consul to the Clave.
- Jonathan Shadowhunter: The first Shadowhunter.
- Madeleine Bellefleur: Says she can help Clary wake her mother from her coma
- Meliorn: A Faerie knight who previously dated Isabelle.
- Stephen Herondale: Amatis's ex-husband was also the right hand man of Valentine. Married to Celine after he divorced Amatis.
- Patrick Penhallow: A former member of Valentine's Circle. Aline's father.
- Lord Raziel: The angel who created the Shadowhunters at the behest of Jonathan Shadowhunter 1,000 years ago.
- Hugo (aka Hugin): Pet raven of Valentine that is able to talk to him and give him information.
- Wayfarer: Sebastian's horse.
- Michael Wayland: The man whom Jace thought was his father. He died during the Uprising.
- Ithuriel: An angel.
- Ragnor Fell: A warlock who showed Jocelyn how to put herself into the coma
- Jia Penhallow: She used to run the Beijing Institute.
- Nasreen Chaudhury: He is the head of the Mumbai Institute.
- Senior Monteverde: He is the head of the Lisbon Institute.
- Seniora Monteverde: The wife of Senior Monteverde.
- Daylighter: a name for a vampire that can walk in the sun light and not be killed by it.
- Madame Dorothea: A woman who lives in Clary's old apartment building.
- Senhor Monteverde: A man on the Council
- Malachi Dieudonné: The Consul or leader of the Council in Alicante.
- Céline Herondale: Stephen Herondale's second wife
- Imogen Herondale: Former Inquisitor.
- Jacob: A vampire in Raphael's coven.
- Jocelyn Morgenstern/Fray: Clary's mother. Was married to Valentine
- Eric: Simon's friend. Has a band for which the members can not think of a name. Often lets Simon borrow his van.
- Lucian Graymark: Add a description of this character.
Quotes edit
-
“"There is no pretending. I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there is a life after that, I will love you then."”
Jace -
“I am a man and men do not consume pink beverages. Get thee gone, woman, and bring me something brown.”
Jace -
“And I love that about you, though I would also love you if you owned, perhaps, one designer suit. What do you say? Dolce? Zegna? Armani?”
Magnus Bane -
“Because you're so much hotter now than when you left....It's true. Must be a vampire thing.”
Clary -
“Because you weren't in love with him. That's an iffy proposition, and I think he's handling it with grace. A lot of teenage boys would sulk, or lurk around under your window with a boom box.”
Luke -
“Have you tried talking to her?” “No,” Jace said, “we’ve been punching her repeatedly in the face instead. Why, do you think that won’t work?”
Jace and Simon -
“If I feel the urge to burst into flames, I'll let you know.”
Simon -
“I have a fetish for damsels in distress.”
Sebastian -
“I have to say, I'm surprised. I've always been told my presence brightened up any room. One might think that went doubly for dank underground cells.”
Jace -
“I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there's a life after that, I'll love you then.”
Jace -
“It's like a cotillion, this partners business, except with killing.”
Isabelle -
“WHATEVER DOESN'T KILL ME...HAD BETTER START RUNNING!”
Maia's shirt -
“You should leave him here. I could hang hats on him and things.”
Magnus Bane -
“What walk takes SIX hours?" "A long one?" "I could kill you. I'm seriously considering it." "But, that would kind of defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?”
Alec and Jace -
“So, technically," Simon said, "even though Jace isn't actually related to you, you have kissed your brother." "Simon!" Clary was appalled. "Shut UP.”
Simon and Clary -
“He was totally dating Isabelle," Simon said, "and she dumped him too. At least she said she was going to. Tough break man.”
Simon -
“But what's with the James Bond spy stuff?”
Clary -
“He taught me there's a place on a man's back where, if you sink a blade in, you can pierce his heart and severe his spine, all at once, Sebastian had said. I guess we got the same birthday present that year big brother, Jace thought. Didn't we?”
Jace -
“I must be the only vampire in the world sickened by the sight of blood...”
Simon -
“Clarissa here with the vampire, I see. When things settle down a bit, we really need to have a talk about your choice of pets.”
Valentine -
“It had taken me a few tries to find her door, but the scream of "Go Away!" that had emanated from behind this one convinced me I'd made the right choice.”
Simon -
“Look you can date whoever you want and I will totally support you. I am all about support. Support is my middle name.""So that's why you never told me your middle name. I figured it was something embarrassing.”
Clary and Simon -
“If you don't go after Luke," Clary said, enunciating very clearly, "I, personally will kill you.”
Clary -
“...I'm pretty sure he didn't actually care one way or the other whether I lived or died." "Now you're being too hard on him," Jace said. "I'm sure he'd rather you died.”
Simon and Jace -
“Patience grasshopper," said Maia. "Good things come to those who wait." "I always thought that it was 'Good things come to those who do the wave'", said Simon. "No wonder I've been so confused all my life.”
Maia and Simon -
“The smoke was puffing out of the chimney in the shape of little dancing figures. Dancing Magnuses?”
Clary -
“Alec refuses to acknowledge that we have a relationship, and so I refuse to acknowledge him.”
Magnus Bane -
“Normal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
Luke Garroway -
“Look, did you ask me to come all the way uptown just so you could stare at me like I was something in a petri dish? Next time I’ll send you a photo.”
Simon -
“I’m not an angel, Jace. I don’t return library books. I steal illegal music off the Internet. I lie to my mom. I am completely ordinary.”
Clary Fray -
“Tell you what. We live through this, and I promise I’ll introduce you to my whole family.”
Alec to Magnus -
“I lived in fear, as much as I lived at all.”
Hodge Starkweather -
“Knowing is better than not knowing. Every time.”
Clary Fray -
“You made them look at you and see the person they loved most in the world, didn’t you? <Jocelyn>Yeah. How did you know? <Clary>Because I heard them calling out different names. But I still saw you. <Jocelyn>”
Clary and Jocelyn -
“Doing the right thing because you love someone sucks sometimes.”
Clary Fray -
“Power doesn’t have to be unlimited to be deadly.”
Valentine -
“I wouldn’t cut you out of my life, Clary, any more than I would cut off my right hand and give it to someone as a Valentine’s gift.”
Simon -
“You look so plain”
Clary to Magnus -
“You never called me back. I called you so many times and you never called me back." "Your city is under attack. The wards have been broken, and the streets are full of demons. And you want to know why I haven't called you?" "I want to know why you haven't called me back." "You're an idiot!" "Is... that why you haven't called me? Because I'm an idiot?”
Alec Lightwood & Magnus Bane -
“Looking at him now—even if she hasn't been in love with him, that part of her that was her mother’s daughter, that loved every beautiful thing for its beauty alone, would still have wanted him.”
Clary -
“So you speak French?” Isabelle sighed. “I wish I spoke another language. But Hodge never thought we needed to learn anything but ancient Greek and Latin, and nobody speaks those.” “I also speak Russian and Italian. And some Romanian,” Sebastian said with a modest smile. “I could teach you some phrases—” “Romanian? That’s impressive,” said Jace. “Not many people speak it.” “Do you?” Sebastian asked with interest. “Not really,” Jace said with a smile so disarming Simon knew he was lying. “My Romanian is pretty much limited to useful phrases like, ‘Are these snakes poisonous?’ and ‘But you look much too young to be a police officer.’”
Jace, Isabelle and Sebastian -
“And now I'm looking at you," he said, "and you're asking me if I still want you, as if I could stop loving you. As if i would want to give up the thing that makes me stronger more than anything else ever has. i never dared give much of myself to anyone before - bits of myself to the Lightwoods, to Isabelle and Alec, but it took years to do it - but Clary since the first time I saw you. I have belonged to you completely. I still do. If you want me.”
Jace -
“People aren't born good or bad. Maybe they're born with tendencies either way, but it's the way you live your life that matters.”
Simon -
“It's my cologne, Eau de Recent Injury.”
Jace -
“I am a man," he told her, "and men do not consume pink beverages. Get thee gone, woman, and bring me something brown." "Brown?" Isabelle made a face. "Brown is a manly color," said Jace, and yanked on a stray lock of Isabelle's hair with his free hand. "In fact, look - Alec is wearing it." Alec looked mournfully down at his sweater. "It was black," he said. "But then it faded.”
Jace, Isabelle, and Alec -
“I always figure it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission in these sorts of situations.”
Sebastian -
“You keep passing out on me," Sebastian said. "It's extremely tedious.”
Sebastian -
“You could have waited," he said. She leaned forward, her hands on her knees, catching her breath. "You . . . can't really say that . . . since you got here before me anyway." "Vampire speed," Simon said with some satisfaction. "When we get home, I ought to go out for track." "That would be . . . cheating.”
Simon and Clary -
“So talk," Isabelle said, poking at a misshapen object in the bottom of the frying pan that was, Clary feared, a pancake.”
Isabelle -
“They probably think I'm going outside to run in circles and bark at the moon.”
Luke -
“You know what I really need right now?" she said, enunciating each word clearly." Um," Simon said. "No?" "To be distracted," she said, and with a half turn yanked him bodily onto the bed beside her. He landed on his back amid a tangled pile of clothes. "Isabelle," Simon protested weakly, "do you really think this is going to make you feel any better?" "Trust me," Isabelle said, placing a hand on his chest, just over his unbeating heart. "I feel better already.”
Isabelle and Simon -
“I'll walk you back," Jace said. "As for Simon, he can manage his own way back in the dark - can't you Simon?" "Of course he can," Alec said indignantly, as if eager to make up for his earlier slighting of Simon. "He's a vampire - and," he added, "I just now realized you were probably joking. Never mind me.”
Jace and Alec -
“The second you protect your fortress with a Spell of Total Invincibility, someone comes along and figures out how to trash the place." "Simon," Clary said, "Shut up.”
Simon and Clary -
“I thought so too," Aline said slowly, "which is why I kissed him. I was trying to figure out if any guy is my type.”
Aline -
“You don't think I'm tortured and intelligent?”
Simon -
“I've never killed a human being with one of these before," said Jace. "But I'm willing to try.”
Jace -
“Ouch," he said, staring up at the sky. "I think I pulled something.”
Jace -
“I'm seven hundred years old, Alexander. I know when something isn't going to work. You won't even admit I exist to your parents." Alec stared at him. "I thought you were three hundred! You're seven hundred years old?" "Well," Magnus amended, "eight hundred. But I don't look it. Anyway, you're missing the point.”
Magnus and Alec -
“She was too surprised to struggle as he carried her over to the broken window and dumped her unceremoniously out of it.”
Clary -
“Nice, bah. He's gorgeous." Magnus gazed dreamily in his direction. "You should leave him here. I could hang hats on him and things." "No. You can't have him.”
Magnus and Clary -
“You Nephilim think all your problems are life an death," said Magnus. "Now go away. You've begun to bore me.”
Magnus -
“You can't see me without an appointment. Come back later. Next March would be good." "March?" Sebastian looked horrified." You're right," Magnus said. "Too rainy. How about June?”
Magnus and Sebastian -
“I put it through a window," Jace said, "and Alec's making me heal like a mundane to teach me a lesson. There, I told you the truth. Impressed?" "No.”
Jace and Simon -
“Isabelle and Sebastian? Hardly. Sebastian's a nice guy - Isabelle only likes dating thoroughly inappropriate boys our parents will hate. Mundanes, Downworlders, petty crooks . . ." "Thanks," Simon said. "I'm glad to be classed with the criminal element.”
Alec and Simon -
“"Even I can't fight off a hundred Forsaken." "And yet," Simon said, "I bet it pains you to admit that." "You're an ass, even for a Downworlder.”
Jace and Simon -
“Ugh, dead blood." "Isn't all blood dead?" "Fresh is better." "But you've never drunk fresh blood. Have you? Well, aside from mine, of course," Jace said. "And I'm sure my blood is fan-tastic." "There's something very wrong with you. Mentally, I mean.”
Simon and Jace -
“It doesn't hurt." "But my eyes do. Molesting the vampire while he's too weak to fight back, Iz? I'm pretty sure that violates at least one of the Accords.”
Simon and Jace -
“Clary. You know: short, redheaded, bad temper.”
Jace -
“Look, did you ask me to come all the way uptown just so you could stare at me like I was something in a petri dish? Next time, I'll send you a photo." "And I'll frame it and put it on my nightstand.”
Simon and Jace
-
“I am a man,” he told her, “and men do not consume pink beverages. Get thee gone, woman, and bring me something brown.”
Highlighted by 136 Kindle customers -
“People aren’t born good or bad. Maybe they’re born with tendencies either way, but it’s the way you live your life that matters.
Highlighted by 92 Kindle customers -
Jace raised an eyebrow. “Is this the part where you tell me that if I hurt her, you’ll kill me?” “No,” said Simon. “If you hurt Clary, she’s quite capable of killing you herself. Possibly with a variety of weapons.”
Highlighted by 91 Kindle customers -
“There is no pretending,” Jace said with absolute clarity. “I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there’s a life after that, I’ll love you then.”
Highlighted by 89 Kindle customers -
“Not everything, Jace, is about you,” Clary said furiously. “Possibly,” Jace said, “but you have to admit that the majority of things are.”
Highlighted by 86 Kindle customers -
“And now I’m looking at you,” he said, “and you’re asking me if I still want you, as if I could stop loving you. As if I would want to give up the thing that makes me stronger than anything else ever has. I never dared give much of myself to anyone before—bits of myself to the Lightwoods, to Isabelle and Alec, but it took years to do it—but, Clary, since the first time I saw you, I have belonged to you completely. I still do. If you want me.”
Highlighted by 81 Kindle customers -
“If you don’t go after Luke,” Clary said, enunciating very clearly, “I, personally, will kill you.”
Highlighted by 67 Kindle customers -
“Regret is such a pointless emotion, don’t you agree?”
Highlighted by 63 Kindle customers -
“And quit baring your fangs at me. It’s making me nervous.” “Good,” Simon said. “If you want to know why, it’s because you smell like blood.” “It’s my cologne. Eau de Recent Injury.”
Highlighted by 55 Kindle customers -
Oh yes, I know the way to heaven was easy. We found the little kingdom of our passion That all can share who walk the road of lovers. In wild and secret happiness we stumbled; And gods and demons clamoured in our senses. —Siegfried Sassoon, “The Imperfect Lover”
Highlighted by 35 Kindle customers
Setting & Locations edit
Modern day New York and fantasy world Alicante.
- Alicante: Capital of Idris. The City of Glass.
- New York: A city of southern New York on New York Bay at the mouth of the Hudson River. It is the largest city in the country and a financial, cultural, trade, shipping, and communications center.
- Idris: Hidden to humans, home of the Shadowhunters.
- Luke's House
- Institute: It is located in a Church. This is where Lightwoods reside.
- Lake Lyn: The lake in Idris where it is said the Angel who gave the powers to the Shadowhunter's emerged. Also said to be cursed, causing illness or death to anyone who ingests it's water.
- Penhallows' House
- Gard: It is the official meeting place of the Clave.
- Brocelind Forest: It has always been a hiding place for Downworlders.
- Waylands' Manor
Organizations edit
- Shadowhunters: A thousand years ago, the Angel Raziel mixed his blood with the blood of men and created the race of the Nephilim. Human-angel hybrids, they walk among us, unseen but ever-present, our invisible protectors.They call themselves Shadowhunters.The Shadowhunters obey the laws set down in the Gray Book, given to them by the angel: their mandate is to protect our world from the interdimensional parasites they call demons, who travel from world to world, razing and destroying everything in their path. Theirs is also the task of keeping the peace among the warring Downworlders: the human-demon crossbreeds we know as warlocks, vampires, werewolves, and faeries.
- Downworlders: Mythical/magical creatures. e.g. Werewolves, vampires, faeries.
- The Clave: the Shadowhunters' government
- The Circle: Valentine's former group of followers he obtained before the Uprising
First Sentence edit
The cold snap of the previous week was over; the sun was shining brightly as Clary hurried across Luke's dusty frontyard, the hood of her jacket up to keep her hair from blowing across her face.
Table of Contents edit
Part One: Sparks Fly Upward
1 The Portal
2 The Demon Towers of Alicante
3 Amatis
4 Daylighter
5 A Problem of Memory
6 One of the Living
7 Bad Blood
8 Where Angels Fear to Tread
9 This Guilty Blood
Part Two: Stars Shine Darkly
10 Fire and Sword
11 All the Host of Hell
12 De Profundis
13 Where There is Sorrow
14 In the Dark Forest
15Things Fall Apart
Part Three: The Way to Heaven
16 Articles of Faith
17 The Shadowhunter's Tale
18 Hail and Farewell
19 Peniel
20 Weighed in the Balance
Epilogue: Across the Sky in Stars
Glossary edit
- Shadowhunter: A Shadowhunter is half human, half angel and have chosen to rid the world of demons. Also known as Nephiliam.
- Downworlder: Mythical/magical creature; e.g werewolf, vampire, fairy, shapeshifter, warlock
- Daylighter: A vampire who can walk on broad daylight.
- Downworld: Secret world inhabited by Downworlders.
- Mundane 'Mundie': One who does not have anything to do with the Shadow World. A human.
- Stele: Is the instrument used by Shadowhunters to draw Runes. Described as a slender twig made of whitish-silver material, apparently flexible.
- Runes: The marks Shadowhunters use in order to enhance their abilities.
- Fearies or Fair Folk: Half angel and demon crossbreads.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 3 of 8 in The Mortal Instruments. (standard series)
Preceded by City of Ashes, and followed by City of Fallen Angels.
This is book 11 of 19 in Popular Series. (community list)
This is book 26 of 216 in Whitcoulls Kids' Top 50 (2011). (authoritative list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Cassandra Clare (Author)
Other Contributors:
- Margaret K. McElderry Books (Publisher)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Country: United States
Publication Date: March 24, 2009
ISBN: 1416914307
Page Count: 560
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Country: United States
Publication Date: March 24, 2009
ISBN: 1416914307
Page Count: 560
Awards edit
- Teen Read Awards (2010: Best Hottie, #1)
- An American Library Association Teens Top Ten Award (2010)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PZ7.C5265 Ckg 2009 FT MEADE
- Dewey: 813.54
Subjects edit
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Links to Supplemental Material edit
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Books with Additional Background Information edit
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