City of Ashes
core novel 2008 The Shadowhunter Chronicles
Record
| First published | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.10 (1,010,298 ratings, collected 2026-08-27) |
| Page count | 464 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781416914297 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
City of Ashes continues Clary Fray's story shortly after she has learned of her Shadowhunter heritage, opening as she returns to the New York Institute upon learning that Jace, her fellow Shadowhunter and the boy she has fallen for, has been imprisoned. Jace stands accused of conspiring with Valentine Morgenstern, the dangerous Shadowhunter who resurfaced in the previous book after years in hiding and continues to threaten both Shadowhunters and the Downworlders who share their city. As Clary works to clear Jace's name and the group tries to determine Valentine's next move, she is forced to confront disorienting revelations about her own family that complicate her feelings for Jace. The novel follows Clary, Jace, and their allies as they try to stay ahead of Valentine while managing the fallout within their own ranks.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Shadowhunter Chronicles
- Series: The Mortal Instruments core; position 2 of 6 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Cassandra Clare
Notes
- From the series record (The Mortal Instruments): The original six-book series that introduced the Shadowhunters.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series The Mortal Instruments: position 2 of 6: previous City of Bones (2007) · next City of Glass (2009)
Sources
← The Shadowhunter Chronicles dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.