Review of City of Bones

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
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Description: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....


Review: I first thought the Mortal Instruments series was going to be very confusing, and hard to get into. I tried reading Clockwork Angels, which is the prequel, when Simon Schuster had it up for free on their website. Maybe it was my hatred of reading books online, or the fact that I was not yet immune to Clare's glorious writing, but I couldn't get into it. So, I put that entire series aside. Then one day I was mindlessly scrolling through Tumblr, which is a blogging website that is PHENOMENAL. I started seeing pictures like this.

And then I saw this one.

I though, hmm, that, that is something.

I was hooked. Just from seeing pictures for the characters. 

Picture Credit: Here

I had to read the books after them. And I would fangirl whenever I saw anything TMI related on my Dashboard. It was pathetic, but I didn't care. I got so excited when I saw other people loved the series as much as I did. I am forcing myself not to read the sequel, City of Ashes, because I have a big TBR list. And I haven't reviewed a book a publisher sent me and I feel terrible. 

But anyhow: City of Bones tells the tale of Clary Fray, a smart, hopeful teen who lives in NYC with her mother, Jocelyn. With her best friend, Simon, and family friend, Luke, she lives a pretty normal life. Until she goes to a party with Simon and witnesses a murder, done by mysterious people. When she goes out the next day, she gets a frantic phone call from her mother, telling she can't come home and that she loves her. That's her first encounter with a demon.  

Along this quest, she meets the Shadowhunters: Jace Wayland, and Isabelle and Alec Lightwood. 

Together, the trio fight downworlders, which includes zombies, vampires, werewolves, and demons. Usually, they cannot be seen by mundane, or human, eyes, but somehow, Clary can see them. They live in the Institute, which also houses Hodge, who is their unofficial protector. Hodge lets Clary in on some Shadowhunter history, including backstories. He tells her about Valentine, a man who was very obsessed with making more Shadowhunters, which can only be done with the Mortal Cup. The Mortal Cup is one part of the Mortal Instruments, items that have magical powers. Clary spends the rest of the novel searching for the Mortal Cup with the Shadowhunters and Simon. Meanwhile, she also finds out more about her mother, and her 'dead' father.

I instantly fell in love with Isabelle and Alec. They are the fiercest brother and sister I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. Just from the first encounter in the club, I was like, wow, she's badass. Clary and Jace are my two favorite fictional people in the world, no surprise there. I think this is the first real fictional couple I've ever fangirled over. Well, except for Peeta and Katniss. With them, it was like they had to be together in the end, in my mind anyway. But with Jace and Clary, there is a major obstacle. One which I think is false, but we shall see in the sequel.

I had to agree with Jace when he said "I'm really starting to hate mundanes." I felt they were so annoying. Especially Simon. I could instantly tell I was going to hate Simon, because he think he's a potential mate for Clary, but that will not do in my book.It seemed that the only thing the mundanes were good at was getting in the way. 

Contrary to my previous belief that City of Bones will be 'very confusing', it really wasn't. Everything was explained, and it's not like the Wicked series. I read this series in the sixth grade, and it was just all over the place. And the ending was the most bogus thing I've ever read. The backstory for City of Bones is simple: A single man, surrounded by his minions, is power hungry, and when he plans a riot, everyone ditches him. Now, he's back for revenge. 

The setting was perfect for the story. An encounter with vampires sends Clary and Co. downtown, where it's gritty and messy, which painted the best picture for that scene. And Idris, which is the Shadowhunter home land, seems so beautiful. When Jace is looking through the mirror to Idris, I felt his longing to go back there. And he keeps a piece of that mirror with him. It was all so ... sad. The entire ending was terribly, terribly sad. 

Overall, I can't wait to be sucked into City of Ashes. The entire series is just so .... wonderful. 

"You don't get a choice, do you?" she asked. "About being a Shadowhunter. You can't just opt out."

"No," he said. "But if I had a choice, this is still what I'd choose."

"Why?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow, which made Clary instantly jealous. She'd always wanted to be able to do that. "Because," he said. "It's what I'm good at."

-page 178, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare