Review: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)

Title: City of Bones

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Published: March 27, 2007

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary:  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 (Goodreads).

Review: This book was a reread for me as I read the book several years ago but never continued on with the series. I remembered bits and pieces but was missing major plot points so a reread was definitely necessary before continuing to read The Mortal Instruments series.

Things I Liked

1. There’s diversity in the characters and creatures found within this book and I would assume the Shadowhunter world.
2. Banter between the characters is literally what I live for in books. I was so happy with the sarcastic, witty remarks exchanged by Jace and Clary and even Simon.

Things I Didn’t Like

1. Clary seemed pretty whiny to me throughout the book. I mean, I do understand that a lot was happening, unexpectedly, and that she is only 15 but… I would have loved for it to have been toned down a little.

Favorite Quotes

“… Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.”

“It means ‘Shadowhunters: Looking Better in Black Than the Widows of our Enemies Since 1234’.”

“Sarcasm is the last refuge of the imaginatively bankrupt.”

“Where there is love, there is often also hate. They can exist side by side.”

 

I’m planning to continue diving deeper into the Shadowhunter world by intermixing The Mortal Instruments (6 books) and the Infernal Devices (3 books). This is likely going to take quite a while for me to get through due to my temporary move that limits the number of books and bookish merch I can take.