Bet you didn't see THAT coming...

     I started reading City of Ashes a couple days ago, and I haven't been able to stop! Cassandra Clare keeps the reader on their toes at all times and always has something COMPLETELY unexpected coming around the corner. For example, she took a seemingly INSIGNIFICANT piece of information, from the previous book in this series (City of Bones) and used it as a MAJOR plot twist in the book.

     "'He broke in?'" Clary said in disbelief. 'Simon would never do anything that stupid and crazy,'

     'But he did," said Raphael, with the faintest trace of a smile, 'because he was afraid he was becoming one of us, and he wanted to know if the process could be reversed. You might remember that when he was in the form of  a rat, and you came to fetch him from us, he bit me,'... 'In any case, he took some of my blood into his mouth when he did it. You know that is how we pass our powers to each other,'"

     In the previous book, Simon drank a potion that had turned him into a rat. One thing led to another, and he ended up accidently being taken home with a clan of vampires...yay:( Later on, he was rescued by Clary and Jace, and nobody would have ever thought that he would have any "side effects" from hid accidental trip. But, what few he WAS having, prompted him to return to the vampires' hotel. Unfortunately, he was attacked because he was viewed as an intruder. So, know he is has died and come back as a vampire. This makes life all the more complicated for Clary, as she struggles with her own newfound family, and the secrets of their world.