Even though this is book two in the Mortal Instruments series, this novel could be read as its own entity. Readers might not get some of the references, but this book fleshes out the novel and the characters a bit more than the last book. I've heard that Cassandra Clare's writing gets even better as her books go on, and I have to agree. I really enjoyed this book, and I have already started City of Glass. City of Ashes allowed readers an even deeper and more extensive look at the Shadowhunters world and the creatures that inhabit it, including fairies, vampires, and werewolves. The book made me laugh and cry throughout. Because this is such a complex world and the plot threads through all the books, it is hard to write a spoiler-free review.

I normally don't read books in a series one after the other (except for Harry Potter of course!), but this series keeps me so engaged that I HAVE to read the next book before going on to anything else!