Hey, everyone! Welcome to the City of Bones Book Discussion! I’m so glad you could join me! This is the LAST week that I’m bringing on some awesome-ness to spice up your life! That’s right, I’m about to get the party started, but I have to set a few ground rules first (*trying to make a stern face*). This is how each week will play out:

• Each week I will do a detailed discussion of the plot of that week’s chapters (every Monday!). I will also highlight characterization, quotes, favorite parts, random scenes, and ask/answer questions.
• Argh, thar be spoilers ahead, matey!! While each week will be spoiler-free for the next chapters in the book, all of the previous chapters I’ve read will become free game. So to keep this discussion fun for readers who have not read the amazing series try to keep your comments spoiler-free, from the next chapters, as possible.
• At the end of each post, questions will be asked. Feel free to participate every week! We’d love to hear your opinion but you don’t have to answer everything. The questions are only there as guidelines but I’d love to read your tangents on that week’s chapters. And if you feel totally inspired about this book, as much as I am, you could always discuss your own opinion in a guest post: just fill out the form HERE.

For an entire schedule of our discussion (or just in case you’ve missed a post), you can go HERE. And I am also giving away a copy of City of Bones, to enter the contest, go HERE. Finally, on to the moment you’ve all been waiting for. *drumroll*

Chapter 23: Valentine

Can you believe it's almost the end?  My heart's pounding, this is where everything goes down.  The entire title is called Valentine, that totally tipped me off.  Especially because we just left off where Jace is under the impression that he is Valentine's son.  WHAT?!  Clary is in utter disbelief, while Jace plays the introduction game that leaves another, oh-no-he-didn't-moment.  "This is Clary...  She's a friend of mine" (435).  I was sure that Jace and Clary were between the friend station, but not quite dating.  What happened to that fact, Jace? 

But anyway, Clary eventually realizes that Jace and her are brother and sister, which I think must deserve another WHAT moment.  Valentine keeps that fact a secret from Jace for awhile.  Clary tries to put some sense into Jace that Valentine is a bad man.  Valentine has been giving Jace lies for most of his life.  It made both Clary and I frustrated with Jace.  "Don't talk to my father like that" (439).  Valentine explains how Wayland was never really Jace's father, how he'd staged his own death a second time to run from the Clave, how he'd had to make Jace believe he was dead.  Valentine tries to make it look like Jocelyn is the bad guy.  Not true.

Of course, Jace believes every word.  So when Valentine suggests they all take the portal to Idris, Jace tries to put some sense into Clary (who seems more sensible than Jace at the moment), "Yeah, that sounds like a perfect family reunion" (444).

Then Luke shows up.  Now it's a party.  Luke and Valentine get in a heated argument about Jocelyn and the dagger that Valentine gave Luke to kill himself.  Then Valentine and Luke really start fighting, which isn't very fair considering Luke had to battle Forsaken downstairs and Valentine got to sit on his bum, talking with Jace and Clary.  Valentine is about to do some real damage to Luke when Jace saves the day and tells his father to leave.  Valentine is not used to people giving him attitude, "I will not take orders from a child" (456).  Finally Jace starts to see the light when Valentine admits his plans of what he had done to Jocelyn and her parents.  Jace wants to go to Idris with Valentine to retrieve the Mortal Cup.  Valentine walks through the Portal, a mirror from across the room.  The mirror shatters while Jace is standing there, almost in shock.  He picks up a piece of the mirror, where he can still see part of Idris, his home from long ago, in and sits down and bows his head.  Clary comforts him, but there's not much she can do.  He whispered her name over and over.

Epilogue: The Ascent Begins

Clary's mom is in a mundane hospital, trying to be cured.  The doctors have no clue neither does the Silent Brothers.  "This was no ordinary coma-- no injury, no lack of oxygen, no sudden failure of heart or brain had caused it" (471).  Luke has been staying with Jocelyn and Clary would visit during the day.

Clary visits for a while, but then orders Simon (her driver- driving Eric's van) to take her to the Institute.  She hasn't been back since that night.  Isabelle and Church greets her at the door.  Isabelle comes to the conclusion that Clary is sort of part of the gang, "I guess I resented you at first, but I realize now that was stupid" (477).  Alec even apologizes for being a total jerk to her.  He leads Clary to the greenhouse where Jace is. 

Jace is still obsessing over the small piece of mirror he took.  He can still see Idris in the reflection.  Clary sympathizes and questions the importance of Idris.  She then suggests that Jace should come with her.  She wants him to try to talk to Jocelyn, maybe that would wake her up from her coma, hearing her son's voice.  he agrees to go for Clary and leads her to the roof where he is keeping a vampire motorcycle.  Jace and Clary drive it to the hospital, "but this time Clary kept her eyes open, so that she could see it all" (485).  (The End of City of Bones.)