City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)
Discover this first installment of the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and "prepare to be hooked" (Entertainment Weekly). 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.
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Community Reviews
What do you get when you cross Buffy with Harry Potter? In this case, you get something that's actually fairly original. The influence of Buffy comes through often (Clare used to write fan fiction about the show), such as when one of the characters gets turned into a rat (she couldn't even pick a different animal?) or simply the fact that the core characters in the book are high school kids with an older mentor, all of whom, except for one, are Shadowhunters (Scoobies, anyone?). There are hints of Harry Potter as well, as the non-talented are scorned by a group who wants to wipe them out (although non-Shadowhunters are called mundanes, rather than Muggles) the leader of which was thought to be dead, but apparently isn't... There's even some Star Wars thrown in, with a modified "Luke, I am your father" moment, which, by the way, I saw coming from miles away.
So, yes, lots of similarities, some of them fairly glaring. And yet, Clare does make a new story out of it all. There's unexpected bravery, betrayal (unexpected and expected), and even a hint of gallantry. In short, it's a pretty good fantasy story. But I think I'll go watch some Buffy now.
So, yes, lots of similarities, some of them fairly glaring. And yet, Clare does make a new story out of it all. There's unexpected bravery, betrayal (unexpected and expected), and even a hint of gallantry. In short, it's a pretty good fantasy story. But I think I'll go watch some Buffy now.
This is a cute book that's appropriate even for younger readers. New York City kids fight demons! Action, adventure, and heartbreak ensue! Not a terrible way to get my mind off reality. Super predictable. I may or may not continue the series though. If I do it's because I find the series relaxing- not because I particularly love anything about it.
I will get to my own thoughts on the book in a moment, but I need to say the following first.
This is the type of book that people love to hate. It's the type of book that makes for those stand-out,absolutely annoying, fun, gif-filled, bashing one/two star reviews that provoke a lot of likes and a lot of comments.
It makes it difficult to read the book and enjoy yourself because you're wondering if you're wrong for not hating it so venomously. And the reviews ARE venomous. They're also harsh and cruel and crass. I get it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and blah, blah, blah. Maybe I just don't have enough passion to hate something (or by some of the reviews, someone that I've NEVER EVEN MET) so much.
Ok! I'm now going to step down from my soapbox and add my little review to the 50,000+ already on here.
Disclaimer: I have only read a handful of Harry Potter books, and although I enjoyed them, I am by no means a die hard fan of the series. I also do not read fan fiction or follow those who write it. I have no rage about any (alleged) plagiarism. There are always going to be similarities to other works in this genre, but my review is of this book as a standalone.
The beginning of this book was awful. I was jotting down lines that annoyed me but stopped when I became too annoyed by how many lines were annoying me. What was grinding my gears? Here's a sampling.
Annoyance #1: YA clichés
-Female lead is beautiful but doesn't know she's beautiful. She is described as "short" and "not pretty or beautiful, but cute." She is also - of course - clumsy and always tripping over her feet.
The only time people turned to watch her go by was when she hurtled past them as she fell downstairs.
-Female lead who is beautiful but has no clue she is beautiful naturally attracts the attention and infatuation of all types of males, from the gorgeous brooding type to the slightly nerdy best friend type.
-Fifteen-year-olds going gaga over coffee.
"Filters are for cigarettes and coffee," Simon muttered under his breath as they went inside. "Two things I could use right now, incidentally."
Clary thought longingly of coffee as they made their way up a winding set of stone stairs, each one carved with a glyph.
I'm surprised there wasn't an emphasis on it being black coffee just to make it clear how hip these youngsters are.
-A best friend of the opposite sex who is "secretly" in love with lead character. Also a best friend supporting character who supplies the comic relief. Unfortunately, Simon isn't all that funny.
Annoyance #2: Writing That Makes Me Fear My Eyes Will Roll Right Out of My Head
I've realized in reading this that I am VERY annoyed by an abundance of (bad and/or elementary) similes. Examples:
She wondered how often he let glimpses of his real self peek through the facade that was as hard and shiny as the coat of lacquer on one of her mother's Japanese boxes.
She pushed the window shut and went into the bathroom to wash her face and rinse her mouth, which tasted like old paper.
WHAT THE HECK DOES OLD PAPER TASTE LIKE?!
The steps creaked and groaned as they ascended, like an old woman complaining about her aches and pains.
I was plodding along and chalking my experience up to being too old for these types of books. I would probably finish it but would give it my standard 3-Star "eh" rating and move on. So what happened that there are FOUR stars?
The real action started.
I'll admit it. I'm a real sucker for vampires and werewolves and faeries and demons and shapeshifters. Not in a Twilight-Teen/PG sort of way but in a True Blood-HBO/Nudie Scenes short of way. Even though this was YA and sort of in the middle of the two, the action scenes had more of that True Blood raw/sexy vibe.
The last 25% of the book was like a different book. There were a number of twists and turns. Some I saw coming and some I didn't. I like knowing that I can't necessarily trust anyone. I actually like when characters can be disposable. Even the writing seemed to improve. I first noticed this in the chapter where Luke is telling Clary the truth about his past. It was so convincing that I almost believed it was real. I also kind of developed a big crush on Luke at this point.
This doesn't mean it became perfect. There was still some dialogue that made me cringe. There were some irritating villain clichés. But it became fun. It made me want to read more about these characters. It made me want to imagine more of their world; fantasy settings that are well developed intrigue me.
If I'm being honest, the book as a whole would be a 3.5.
Rounding up to 4 'cause I can.
This is the type of book that people love to hate. It's the type of book that makes for those stand-out,
It makes it difficult to read the book and enjoy yourself because you're wondering if you're wrong for not hating it so venomously. And the reviews ARE venomous. They're also harsh and cruel and crass. I get it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and blah, blah, blah. Maybe I just don't have enough passion to hate something (or by some of the reviews, someone that I've NEVER EVEN MET) so much.
Ok! I'm now going to step down from my soapbox and add my little review to the 50,000+ already on here.
Disclaimer: I have only read a handful of Harry Potter books, and although I enjoyed them, I am by no means a die hard fan of the series. I also do not read fan fiction or follow those who write it. I have no rage about any (alleged) plagiarism. There are always going to be similarities to other works in this genre, but my review is of this book as a standalone.
The beginning of this book was awful. I was jotting down lines that annoyed me but stopped when I became too annoyed by how many lines were annoying me. What was grinding my gears? Here's a sampling.
Annoyance #1: YA clichés
-Female lead is beautiful but doesn't know she's beautiful. She is described as "short" and "not pretty or beautiful, but cute." She is also - of course - clumsy and always tripping over her feet.
The only time people turned to watch her go by was when she hurtled past them as she fell downstairs.
-Female lead who is beautiful but has no clue she is beautiful naturally attracts the attention and infatuation of all types of males, from the gorgeous brooding type to the slightly nerdy best friend type.
-Fifteen-year-olds going gaga over coffee.
"Filters are for cigarettes and coffee," Simon muttered under his breath as they went inside. "Two things I could use right now, incidentally."
Clary thought longingly of coffee as they made their way up a winding set of stone stairs, each one carved with a glyph.
I'm surprised there wasn't an emphasis on it being black coffee just to make it clear how hip these youngsters are.
-A best friend of the opposite sex who is "secretly" in love with lead character. Also a best friend supporting character who supplies the comic relief. Unfortunately, Simon isn't all that funny.
Annoyance #2: Writing That Makes Me Fear My Eyes Will Roll Right Out of My Head
I've realized in reading this that I am VERY annoyed by an abundance of (bad and/or elementary) similes. Examples:
She wondered how often he let glimpses of his real self peek through the facade that was as hard and shiny as the coat of lacquer on one of her mother's Japanese boxes.
She pushed the window shut and went into the bathroom to wash her face and rinse her mouth, which tasted like old paper.
WHAT THE HECK DOES OLD PAPER TASTE LIKE?!
The steps creaked and groaned as they ascended, like an old woman complaining about her aches and pains.
I was plodding along and chalking my experience up to being too old for these types of books. I would probably finish it but would give it my standard 3-Star "eh" rating and move on. So what happened that there are FOUR stars?
The real action started.
I'll admit it. I'm a real sucker for vampires and werewolves and faeries and demons and shapeshifters. Not in a Twilight-Teen/PG sort of way but in a True Blood-HBO/Nudie Scenes short of way. Even though this was YA and sort of in the middle of the two, the action scenes had more of that True Blood raw/sexy vibe.
The last 25% of the book was like a different book. There were a number of twists and turns. Some I saw coming and some I didn't. I like knowing that I can't necessarily trust anyone. I actually like when characters can be disposable. Even the writing seemed to improve. I first noticed this in the chapter where Luke is telling Clary the truth about his past. It was so convincing that I almost believed it was real. I also kind of developed a big crush on Luke at this point.
This doesn't mean it became perfect. There was still some dialogue that made me cringe. There were some irritating villain clichés. But it became fun. It made me want to read more about these characters. It made me want to imagine more of their world; fantasy settings that are well developed intrigue me.
If I'm being honest, the book as a whole would be a 3.5.
Rounding up to 4 'cause I can.
Picked this book up for 2 euro in a charity shop after being recommended it by a friend. It wasn't an awful book, but I found it very flawed. Some faults I found with City of Bones are as follows:
1) Not one of the villains/monsters were even remotely menacing. The vampires were ludicrous, the greater demon was a let down and Valentine was boring.
2) Lack of attention to detail. For example, at the start of the book Clary's father is called Jonathan, but later Clary calls him John. Another one that stuck out was Clary telling Jace that her mother never let her out of New York, yet later she casually references a wax statue she saw at Madam Tussauds. These little mistakes struck me as being careless. Also, the magic or runes or whatever you want to call it was kinda just up in the air. A little more explanation of the universe wouldn't have hurt.
3) Cassandra Clare's writing. Her writing was nice in parts, but awful in others. For example, in the chapter where Clary and Jace are in the Garden at midnight, Clary eats an apple. She describes the apple as tasting "green and cool". Really? The apple tasted green? That was so ridiculous it made me laugh, to be honest. Clare also capitalized the words when characters are shouting, which would be fine if used at a big dramatic scene, but when they're just thrown in there haphazardly it looks childish and hackneyed. Some scenes that should have been shocking ended up as kind of flat, like (spoiler alert) Hodges betrayal. Instead of an "OH MY GOD!!" it was more of an "Oh..."
4) Unoriginality. As mentioned in other reviews, a lot of the characters are basically clones of Harry Potter characters, e.g. Clary/Ginny, Valentine/Voldemort, etc. (Not that Valentine has a penny on Voldemort, mind you.)
The sad thing is, it could've been a great book. The plot wasn't bad, and most of the characters (while unoriginal) were interesting enough. With a little more care and originality, City of Bones could have been a great book. For me though, it fell flat.
P.S. Jace and Clary. Yuck.
1) Not one of the villains/monsters were even remotely menacing. The vampires were ludicrous, the greater demon was a let down and Valentine was boring.
2) Lack of attention to detail. For example, at the start of the book Clary's father is called Jonathan, but later Clary calls him John. Another one that stuck out was Clary telling Jace that her mother never let her out of New York, yet later she casually references a wax statue she saw at Madam Tussauds. These little mistakes struck me as being careless. Also, the magic or runes or whatever you want to call it was kinda just up in the air. A little more explanation of the universe wouldn't have hurt.
3) Cassandra Clare's writing. Her writing was nice in parts, but awful in others. For example, in the chapter where Clary and Jace are in the Garden at midnight, Clary eats an apple. She describes the apple as tasting "green and cool". Really? The apple tasted green? That was so ridiculous it made me laugh, to be honest. Clare also capitalized the words when characters are shouting, which would be fine if used at a big dramatic scene, but when they're just thrown in there haphazardly it looks childish and hackneyed. Some scenes that should have been shocking ended up as kind of flat, like (spoiler alert) Hodges betrayal. Instead of an "OH MY GOD!!" it was more of an "Oh..."
4) Unoriginality. As mentioned in other reviews, a lot of the characters are basically clones of Harry Potter characters, e.g. Clary/Ginny, Valentine/Voldemort, etc. (Not that Valentine has a penny on Voldemort, mind you.)
The sad thing is, it could've been a great book. The plot wasn't bad, and most of the characters (while unoriginal) were interesting enough. With a little more care and originality, City of Bones could have been a great book. For me though, it fell flat.
P.S. Jace and Clary. Yuck.
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