Review for City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA Paranormal

Pages: 485

Summary from Goodreads…

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

The Good, The Bad, The Krazyness…

I was a little unsure of how I would like this popular series by Cassandra Clare when I first checked it out from the library. Many people say that it’s a great series even though they think The Infernal Devices is better but in my case I have already read the Infernal Devices and, though I liked them, they just didn’t hook me;  That turned out not to be the case here.

The author paints us an intriguing world of the supernatural that’s woven delicately within our own. We are introduced to the policing force called the Shadowhunters; mortals with some angel blood charged with protecting the human race from the supernatural creatures called Downworlders. They have their own mother city and live by their own laws. All across the world they have institutes set up so that the Shadowhunters can more easily keep an eye on the Downworlders. I love the concept and execution of Clare’s world. It feels so real and if I had any higher suspension of disbelief I would be keeping my eyes out for krazy faeries or pointy ears.

At the beginning of the book we are introduced to Clary Frey who thought her problems consistent only of school and fights with her mother, until she witnesses a murder that no human was ever supposed to see. Though Clary may be seen as a damsel in distress because she needs saving from certain Downworlders, she is hardly a weak female. I love Clary’s strength and determination and willingness to do what is needed. Unlike some cringe-worthy teen characters I thought that Clary was very aware of her limits and would listen to others when they told her to “stay behind me”. Jace is your typical badboy with a reckless streak and a wall around his heart. The hunt is his life and he’s not exactly a people person. Anyone who’s not a Shadowhunter he calls either “Downworlder” or “Mundie” (human). Clary finds him irritating right off and they spend a lot of time arguing, which could be interpreted as flirting, while some of the others in their life look on longingly. Yes, I am talking about a love triangle… or a couple of them… yeah. If you’ve read my reviews you know I hate love triangles mostly because they break my heart. I especially feel sorry for the best friend type of character who never seems to stand a chance.

This book was definitely a page turner but I couldn’t help but feel that the writing wasn’t as polished as it could have been. Sometimes I felt like I was in one of my creative writing classes and I kept wanting to mark sentence and description that I thought were repetitious or didn’t work. I also notice a lot of metaphors. I don’t mind a few every now and then but I noticed enough to irritate me a little. I also didn’t care for the big shocking twist at the end. It was very uncomfortable and I thought unnecessary. Though it wasn’t really a show for me because I stupidly read the summary for the second book before I read this one; I hate when I find spoilers in the summaries.lol There was also a smaller twist not long before this one that I had actually predicted but it was cool and added some great tension that can be used throughout the series.

Krush of the Book: There were so many guys in this book that were completely crushable! We have the badboy, the sweet nerd, the krazy warlock, and the quiet hunter. But I gotta tell you guy’s, while I liked the others, I was totally crushing on Luke! He was just so cool and he owned a bookstore I couldn’t help it! Who was your crush of the book?

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