City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)

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City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

by Cassandra Clare (Goodreads Author)

4.16 · rating details · 111,769 ratings · 11,747 reviews

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 n...more

Paperback, 485 pages

Published April 14th 2009 by McElderry Books (first published March 27th 2007)

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Jul 10, 2009

Cara rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Cara by: Tori

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, series, recommended-to-me

Wow. I was reading some reviews on this and people either hate or love it. I am not ashamed to say I belong to the latter. Lots of opinions means there is lots of things to say...

Ok so I was practically splitting my head open thinking of what exactly I wanted to say about this book. In the end I just decided to go with what comes to mind. So here it goes...

Clare does a superb job of drawing you in. Maybe the plot isn't completely unique but the world she created is. I kep...moreWow. I was reading some reviews on this and people either hate or love it. I am not ashamed to say I belong to the latter. Lots of opinions means there is lots of things to say...

Ok so I was practically splitting my head open thinking of what exactly I wanted to say about this book. In the end I just decided to go with what comes to mind. So here it goes...

Clare does a superb job of drawing you in. Maybe the plot isn't completely unique but the world she created is. I kept telling myself this is sooooooooooo interesting. The whole shadowhunter thing oozes with coolness. I mean half angel, half kick butt people! It doesn't get much cooler than that. The story is full of action and yes sometimes there are things added for dramactic effect, but isn't that the point? If you were looking for something more slow paced read The Mill on the Floss (personally I'd rather pull more hair then read this but moving on...)I'm a sucker for action sequences so this totally delivered on that front. The author's take on werewolves was original, and I gotta say they give the vampires a run for their money. I actually guessed most of the twists but that's some of the fun. Finding the hints and feeling the satisfaction of saying YES! Score for me I got it right! Let's do a little victory dance. (insert some break dancing moves I personally cannnot do here) I think some people didn't get that guessing the twists is all part of the experience.

Some people claimed all of this to be fluff but I don't agree. Just look at Jace. The whole feeling about belonging has depth to it. Now for why I knocked off a star even though I REALLY didn't want to. I thought Clary would be more shocked about finding out her history. You'd think with how much her mother pounded in to her that there was not such thing as magic she would resist the whole idea more. Also I think the author tried to introduce too many fantasy creatures at once. Like the scene at Magnus Bane house was overdone for my taste. We could have done without so many new faces. Those are just little irks though, my main one was Valentine. I know this is going to sound outrageous but Valentine wasn't bad enough for me. I shouldn't feel this way looking at his track record he is evil. The thing is I wasn't scared of him. A good villian has got to be scary plain and simple. I'm hoping to see more evilness in him in the next book.

Well I think I've said enough. I'm so glad I'm reading this series after all the books are out. I totally expect to be blown away by the next installment:)(less)

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Jan 26, 2012

Heather rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya, 2010, faves, urban-fantasy

I was instantly enchanted when I first read City of Bones, and that enchantment still holds four years, and at least half a dozen re-reads later in sptite of the fact that I'm older, wiser, and should know better. I've also read countless reviews, both adoring and loathing and have come to the conclusion that this book does not garner any type of middle ground, you either love it or you hate it.

I'm glad that I get to love it. What else can I say?
description

For me, thi...more

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Jul 01, 2011

Lina rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-general, fantasy-general, paranormal-fiction, paranormal-romance, teen-fiction-fantasy, teen-fiction-normal, ya, over-hyped, why-did-i-do-this-to-myself, will-never-read-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 12, 2009

Tatiana rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: teenage girls, fans of angsty teenage soap

Recommended to Tatiana by: Heather

Shelves: 2009, ya, why-the-hype, tres-annoying, series-dropped-lost-steam, urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 15-year old Clary witnesses a crime at a trendy New York night club. Interesting thing, nobody but Clary can see both the victim and perpetrators. As it turns out, there is an entire invisible to regular people world, and Clary is an unwitting important part of it.

"City of Bones" is one of those books that all my female friends and fellow readers simply love, Jace-mania all around. Needless to say, I had to jump on the bandwagon eventually and get me some Jace. Who am I to...more15-year old Clary witnesses a crime at a trendy New York night club. Interesting thing, nobody but Clary can see both the victim and perpetrators. As it turns out, there is an entire invisible to regular people world, and Clary is an unwitting important part of it.

"City of Bones" is one of those books that all my female friends and fellow readers simply love, Jace-mania all around. Needless to say, I had to jump on the bandwagon eventually and get me some Jace. Who am I to deny myself a pleasure to fall for a fictional hot, sarcastic and brooding guy? Imagine my disappointment, when I found out that this book was one big pile of hot mess! Sorry ladies, I said it, it's bad.

I had the hardest time sticking to the story and for quite some time I couldn't figure out why. Then gradually I realized that there were several reasons.

Let me start with the editing. I don't really think this book was edited at all, actually. Errors were endless and visible to even my untrained eye: wrong words ("noise" instead on "nose"); missing words in sentences; strange mix of POVs (the book is mostly told in 3rd person, from Clary's POV, but occasionally I saw both 3rd and 1st person narration in the same paragraph describing the same events, then there was a page from Jace's POV and a chapter from Luke's); Clary's father was called Jonathan in the beginning of the book, but John in the end. I can go on, but these were the things that I would normally overlook if the story itself was good. Unfortunately it wasn't, and the errors stood out.

I didn't think that the story was cohesive, it just didn't quite flow for me. It read as more of a series of events rather than a novel. I thought there were some parts in the book that served no other purpose but to give our hero an opportunity to act knight-like. I am talking about the entire rat-Simon/vampires extravaganza. This story line could have been edited out completely without any damage to the narrative IMO.

I couldn't quite relate to any of the characters either. What made my friends sigh with adoration, annoyed me. I hated the sarcasm, mainly because the jokes, although funny, felt often out of place, plus all of the characters attempting to joke, sounded exactly the same to me. I didn't feel the difference in attitudes of Clary, Simon, and Jace. If Clare had to make Jace a witty sarcastic type, she should have made the wisecracks his exclusive trademark, not everybody's.

The story itself was so ridiculously predictable! I do not normally see what is to come in the books, but in COB, I saw every "revelation" coming. Clare just doesn't have a skill to lead to them subtly, it's always in your face: "Valentine is alive" revelation (who in this book who was thought to be dead was actually dead? - a serious question), "your mother put a spell on you" revelation, the big "father/brother" revelation - I could see them all, and I am not the most astute reader out there.

Now, my biggest problem with this book - I've read/seen it all before! Clare borrows so liberally from "Star Wars," "Harry Potter" and "Buffy," it is simply impossible to overlook. Valentine - Voldemort/Darth Vader combo; Jace/Clary - Luke/Draco/Leia/Ginny (if it is possible) combo; the Circle - reversed Order of the Phoenix/Death Eaters combo; the Clave - Ministry of Magic; Luke - Lupin/Snape combo; Hodge - Giles/Wormtail combo. I can continue, but will stop here, you get the picture. Granted, there is nothing absolutely original in paranormal genre, but a skillful writer can re-work an old theme and make it new, fresh, and unique. Whatever is original in COB, is not quite thought through. As an example, let's take a "stele." After finishing this book, I still have no idea what exactly it does - do you only write runes with it? how exactly do you use it in a battle? why it can open some doors and not others? it can heal, but not everything? it can make you be able to see through a wooden screen, but is it because you write a special rune with it or you use it as a wand? It seems to me stele is pretty much used as a deus ex machina, convenient whenever a quick solution to a problem needed. And what's with all the shadow folk? There is just so much mashed up together - fairies, vampires, werewolves, pixies, jinns. You name any mythical creature, it is in this book. And what about magic? I read about spells made by a warlock, stele rune tricks, curses, where does it end? The limits of magic possibilities were never defined. Bottom line, all these inconsistencies make for one unoriginal and messy imaginary world. And this probably was the main reason why I couldn't connect with this book.

Finally, I was a little surprised by some of Clare's creative choices. I found both flirtations of at least 35-year-old warlock (he might be older, his age was never mentioned) with a gay teenage boy and reversed Leia/Luke extravaganza quite tacky, if not disturbing. Although I know how Jace/Clary "family matter" is resolved in the end, I don't find possibly incestuous relationships appealing.

This review might make it seem like COB is the worst book ever written. I wouldn't say so, after all, I've read "Breaking Dawn," and that book doesn't have any plot. There were some nice Jace/Clary moments, the greenhouse birthday party comes to mind. But was COB the most blatantly unoriginal book I've ever read? Absolutely (although I haven't read "Eragon" yet, but I heard a lot about it).

In all honesty, I shouldn't give this book more than 1 star, but I will add a second one as a dedication to one Mrs. Jace Wayland. Would I recommend this book? Sure, many of my friends enjoyed it immensely. Will I continue on with the series? I don't think I will be able to convince myself to waste any more of my time on being mad at a book. I think I will just check out plot summaries on wiki and be done with the series.

P.S. I just read that Cassandara Clare is an avid and famous in certain circles fanfiction writer. I guess that's where all the liberal "borrowing" comes from. Mystery solved.(less)

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Jul 04, 2007

Shelley rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one

Pure and utter crap. I wish there were ways to give negative stars. I certainly want the time from my life back. I would compare its writing quality to a fanzine, except that comparison wouldn't be fair to fanzines. But I swear to God, it took every single bad fanfic writing cliche and published them. What were her publishers thinking??? Where was her editor?? It was horrible.

I would dearly love for a fanfiction author to make good and become a published writer, but I'd prefer one w...more

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Oct 14, 2011

Kat Kennedy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-deserve-painful-death, just-plain-bad, kat-s-book-reviews, kat-s-rants, ya-pnr-maddness

***Warning: won't contain spoilers cause I didn't get far enough to give a fuck and discover anything worth spoiling.***

Okay, so let me get this out straight. I have never NOT finished a book before. Okay, I'm lying. The History of Sexuality Volume 1 by Michel Foucault remains unfinished as does Villette by Charlotte Bronte. Why? Because they were boring.

Because, as I read them, I wanted to take a cheese grater to my skull and rub vigorously just to have something to do! ...more

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Any Length your comment is so funny. I got the cheese grater feeling when I read "How Proust can change your life". You can save yourself those hours o...more
Dec 28, 2011 01:42am

Maru I'm glad for your review because I have been trying to read this book for about six months now and I cannot get any further than I am now (which is le...more
Feb 05, 2012 04:05pm

Jan 27, 2012

Palice Parrot Pepper rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: i-should-get-a-trophy-for-finishing, could-ve-been-better, dissappointed, really-needs-cutting, shit-on-paper-i-tell-ya, needs-cutting, hate-a-female-character, hate-a-male-character, hate-most-characters, hate-all-characters, those-descriptions-so-not-needed

Yes! FINISHED! Review to come soon.

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BAHAHAHAHAHA!
*dies laughing*
That lovely drawing was made by the wonderful Ghirardelli. We're going to be rereading this book, and it is going to be AWESOME.

Just to be clear: We aren't making fun of the author's appearance. Caricatures are meant to look silly, and they're simply to entertain. Almost every famous person has had a caricature made of him or her.
------------------------...more

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Jan 26, 2011

Andrea rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: NO ONE

Shelves: angels, vampires, paranormal-or-supernatural, werewolves, young-adult, read-in-2011, headache-inducing, annoying-character, asshole-hero, author-self-insert, dumb-heroine, love-triangle, wtf-is-this-shit, urban-fantasy, ebook, family-dynamics, belongs-on-fanfiction-net, please-hire-an-editor, bad-writing, random-pov-changes, in-the-movies, you-plagiarising-bastard, another-makeover-scene, sundry-supernatural-creatures

I've been deliberating for a few hours over doing a Serious Business review of City of Bones and outlining the infinite number of problems that lie within, but I decided that any critical thought that I could flesh out isn't going to be anything that you've never heard before. Therefore, I choose the low road - sarcasm and mockery.

Oh, Cassie Clare, you so crazy. I can only guess that after writing almost a million words of Harry Potter fan fiction, a bunch of people sucking your e-co...more

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Aug 03, 2008

Moderatrix Lori rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone who likes urban fantasy

Shelves: urban-fantasy, young-adult, read-2008

Do yourself a favor and be careful reading reviews or posts that give away the ending of this book. Unfortunately, I read about the devastating twist on a message board and was sorry that I knew, sooner then I wanted to, what direction the story takes towards the end. Of course you'll have to read the next two books in the series in hopes that it's not true. It can't be true, it just can't be!

Don't let the fact that this book is in the "Young Adult" section throw you. T...more

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Feb 11, 2012

Sarah rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, hilarious

UPDATE as of 2/12/12

I've been busy with my blog this past few months and my update was 4 months ago? Yeah that sucks right. But what I'm going to tell you will suck more so suit up guys.

Warm Bodies movie adaptation was pushed back to 2013. It was supposed to be this year at August. I'm sorry to say that it's not gonna happen until next year.

What? What was that? Oh yeah, that has nothing with TMI at all, right? I'm just breaking it to you slowly because I'm k...more

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Feb 20, 2011

Joyzi rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of Harry Potter

Recommended to Joyzi by: Stephenie Meyer

Shelves: e-book, fantasy, fiction, ya-books, reviewed, read-more-than-once, book-series, vampires, author-american, paranormal-romance, 100-books-tfg

Alex Pettyfer Update

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSgEwlsek...

***OBSCENE ALERT***

Alex Pettyfer Pictures, Images and Photos

Note: I will fucking kill the Casting Director if Alex Pettyfer, ~~the man of my erotic dreams and fantasies~~*coughs* will not be cast as Jace Wayland! Seriously I don't care if he has a British accent and he already have Beastly, I am Number Four and Torment movies for 2011, I don't freaking care! He need to be Jace Wayland and Peeta Mellark! All I want in my life right...more

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Sep 07, 2010

Sparrow rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: ABOVE ALL ELSE, AVOID THE AUDIO

Shelves: punching-tour, young-adult, reviewed

I think this book is seriously mentally other-abled. I kind of don’t want to make fun of it because, you know, it’s not playing the game with a full deck of cards. But, at the same time, it’s not so learning disabled that it needs to sit in a separate classroom from the other stories, it’s just learning disabled enough to be creepy. So, I kind of do want to make fun of it. It's a tough call. There was this guy in my high school graduating class like that. I’m going to tell you about him in...moreI think this book is seriously mentally other-abled. I kind of don’t want to make fun of it because, you know, it’s not playing the game with a full deck of cards. But, at the same time, it’s not so learning disabled that it needs to sit in a separate classroom from the other stories, it’s just learning disabled enough to be creepy. So, I kind of do want to make fun of it. It's a tough call. There was this guy in my high school graduating class like that. I’m going to tell you about him in this review. I really, honestly apologize ahead of time if I offend anyone here. I especially apologize to Cassandra Clare, who I see is a GR author. I'm not meaning to disparage anyone in the learning disabled community, and I have great respect for people who share their writing with others. And I'm not equating learning disabilities with mental illness or with being creepy, just to be clear. I just knew a boy who happened to have a learning disability and be creepy, and he reminds me of this book. Also, this isn't to say that people shouldn't read The City of Bones. You actually should read it, maybe, and play the really fun game, Where Did the Mangled Body Part Come From?

Anyway, back to my story. For purposes of this illustration, I'm going to call the creepy high school boy David Caruso (any resemblance of that name to the name of a real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental, of course). I felt bad for David because he was so picked-on, so I tried to be nice to him. One day, he started leaving notes in my locker on notebook paper in a child’s scrawl, asking things like, “If I’m sad, can I have a hug?” He found out where all of my classes were and would be waiting outside them when the bell rang. He lived about a block away from me, so he would walk home with me from school sometimes. After the hug note, we had a serious talk about boundaries. That night, I had to take a makeup Chemistry test, which lasted about an hour. It was pouring outside, and he waited in the rain for me, standing under a tree. When I finally left, he followed me home, walking about ten feet behind me the entire way.

As I was turning to the road that led directly to my house, David desperately cried out something like, “Why don’t you love me?!!!” This was a relatively common experience with him. There was another girl he was following around for a while around that same time, and he went down on his knees outside of the cafeteria, saying something similar. She got a restraining order against him.

I’m not saying that I believe in originality, because I don’t, but The City of Bones made me realize that there is a line somewhere, where the flow of literary inspiration and use of traditional themes can turn into a Single White Female incident. Rather than being a fun re-imagining of Star Wars, this story was a haphazardly sewn together pop-culture Frankenstein. Eeeet’s ALIVE!!! Basically, the characters from The Gilmore Girls hook up with non-vampy, but still campy, versions of the characters from Twilight, and re-enact Star Wars. Seriously, there is a Luke Danes character, and his name in this story is still Luke. And, it turns out, it is very possible to make the Luke and Leia Skywalker relationship grosser. I'm not sure why you would want to . . . Also, I feel like there are a bunch of other stories that The City of Bones is stalking, and it seems like some other reviews list them, but I forget what they are right now. My point is that this book has killed them and is walking around wearing their skin.

The other weird thing is that I’m pretty sure there’s a misquote from Star Wars in here. Isn’t Han Solo the one who says, “I know”? This book says that Leia says it. And I don’t mean that the Leia/Rory character in here says, “I know” while re-enacting the Star Wars storyline. I mean the book literally says that Leia says, “I know.” If you’re going to SWF a story, at least get it right. Better yet, don’t SWF a story because that’s creepy.

I listened to half of this book on audio, driving to and from a wedding, then I read the rest on the page. Neither were good. Reading on the page is a little better because you can skip the boring parts. I’m not going to lie, though. It was actually a great experience. It was completely refreshing to read something awful. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m not sure why, but it renewed my hope for writing.

Still, all you young stories out there, if a stranger story with shifty eyes comes up to you and asks for a hug, it’s okay to say no. Set some personal boundaries, or you might end up the victim of this kind of literary massacre. I hate to be a fear-monger, and use your own judgment, but be smart. Some of these stories obviously waited too long to take out their restraining orders.(less)

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Jul 27, 2007

Jess rated it

· review of another edition

Really, there's nothing very original, or satisfying in the book. She borrowed so heavily from Buffy, Harry Potter, and Star Wars that it sticks out like a sore thumb. It reads like altered fan fiction. And I love fan fiction, make no mistake, but it's not attempting to make a buck off someone else's world, either. Which is essentially what the book is. Cobbled fan fiction that has no cohesion.

I knew Clare as Cassandra Claire from Harry Potter fandom, I will admit, and that did color...more

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Jun 05, 2011

Lora rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people that actually like YA paranormal romance

Shelves: g-ya-paranorm

Okay, here's the deal: The first portion of this review is going to be completely spoiler free (for those who haven't yet read this), but the second part, after the long line of asterisks, is going to be basically just me venting about some things that are VERY spoilery. So, I wouldn't recommend reading the second part of this review if you haven't yet read City of Bones.

Okay, let me just say that this book completely exceeded my expectations by far. You know how when you start a boo...more

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Sep 02, 2008

Shannon rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, ya, 2008

Clary Fray is a regular fifteen year old, living with her mum, Jocelyn, an artist, in Brooklyn. Her father, she has been told, died before she was born. One night at an underage club with her best friend Simon, she witnesses something no one else can see: three teenagers kill what looks like a boy, but is really a demon. She shouldn't have been able to see anything - she's a "mundane", and doesn't have the Sight. Or does she? Has her mother been lying to her about who she really is? Wh...moreClary Fray is a regular fifteen year old, living with her mum, Jocelyn, an artist, in Brooklyn. Her father, she has been told, died before she was born. One night at an underage club with her best friend Simon, she witnesses something no one else can see: three teenagers kill what looks like a boy, but is really a demon. She shouldn't have been able to see anything - she's a "mundane", and doesn't have the Sight. Or does she? Has her mother been lying to her about who she really is? When her mother disappears and Clary is attacked by a demonic creature, the three kids - Jace, Isablle and Alec - are the only ones who can help her find her mum and explain this new, frightening underworld to her.

Comparisons to Harry Potter are unavoidable, mostly because of the author's background in writing HP fanfiction. I don't care about any of that, or any controversy surrounding said fanfic. I read and review books based on their own merit, as often as possible. You do get "mundanes" instead of "muggles", and the evil Valentine instead of Lord Voldemort, but there aren't many more similarities than that, and those are pretty superficial.

The "mortal instruments" are three artefacts with magical properties, including a cup that turns humans (mundanes) into Nephilim: Shadowhunters, those with the Sight who fight and kill demons who come from other dimensions. The cup has been missing for fifteen years, and Valentine wants to get his hands on it because with it he can create an army and kill not just demons but "downworlders" - the fairies and elves and ifrits etc.

It's not a powerful story, though there are some telling comments and descriptions about the Shadowhunters, especially Valentine and his "Circle", touch on racism and superiority issues - that cleansing thing that was also a theme in Harry Potter - but it is a good story, fast-paced, full of adventure and a couple of twists - one of which was predictable, though the reasons for it weren't so obvious.

The characters could have done with more depth and development - Clare has fleshed them out well enough, but then they became static. Hopefully in the following books they'll grow some and move away from stock character traits. Clary's a solid protagonist, with a firm head on her shoulders, but Jace was a bit two-dimensional and Isabelle and Alec weren't really explored at all.

The pacing is cracking and rarely lets up - we're flung from one predicament into another, facing off vampires, gay warlocks and traitors. It's a lot of fun, but the character development suffers for it. It's not bad, it just could have been better. I loved Magnus Bane, he was a real character, but that just proves my point.

As for plot, there was one glaring plothole that I noticed - I can't give the details without spoiling it, but if you're reading it or have read it, check page 375 - did she ever give Jace his stele back? Yes she did, on page 358. But look, here it is in her pocket just when she needs it! It was a bit glaring, and I'm surprised her pre-publishing readers, and her editor, didn't spot it - it could've been easily fixed.

Despite what looks like a lot of criticism, this is an enjoyable fantasy story with engaging characters, and I definitely want to read the next one. (less)

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Jul 04, 2011

Kira rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Blue fairies

Recommended to Kira by: A blue fairy

Shelves: ya, awesome-ya, favorites, angels-and-demons, non-shitty-vampires, awesome-heroine

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Warning: This book contains violence, coarse language, sexuality, partial nudity and INCEST.

Yeah, you read that right. INCEST.

Reader discretion is advised. Nah, scratch that.

I checked this out of the library rather than spending the damn $14 at the bookstore. I'm leaning toward buying it, even after I'm done, because I love the cover, and I think it would look most fabulous on my bookshelf. Also, I like to own my books. I don't like being badgered by the other...more

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Dec 01, 2007

Natalie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, fantasy, fiction, young-adult, kindle

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have never been more disappointed and aggravated by a book. (Slight spoilers follow.)

I had been looking forward to this book for months because I enjoyed her fanfiction (despite the controversy surrounding some of it), but this book is easily one of the worst I have ever read. Trust me, that's saying something.

The prose is rambling and full of extraneous and misused descriptors that fail to be poetic, and there are multiple similes and metaphors that are so bad that I...more

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Feb 06, 2009

Cat rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of urban fantasy

I read this one while taking a break from school books and papers, and I needed some mindless but entertaining brain rot. Therein lies the appeal of this novel.

If you've even dipped a pinkie toe in the online Harry Potter fandom, you've probably heard of the author (if not, just employ some google-fu and you find everything you need). The buzz generated by Clare's fandom notoriety probably was a great boon for this book, and I admit it's the only reason I read it. Although it's ha...more

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Jan 11, 2012

Lou rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: other-beings, may-read, series

City of Bones has a lot going on inside the story. The cover for a start is bit over the top makes out to be more romantic than it is. I might be one of the last bunch out of goodreads who only just read this. So many readers have this as read and voted for it as good story, I can see why in some ways but I felt it was too over crammed with things going on. Information overload and tried a bit too hard into making it a good story with a dialogue that just lost me being really engrossed into the ...more

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Aug 29, 2011

Natalie (Mindful Musings) rated it

· review of another edition

Short & Sweet Second-Time-Around Review (2-22-12)
This series is LARGELY in need of an updated review from me, since my opinion has changed somewhat since I first read the books three years ago. While I still think these books are part of an incredibly creative world with a wonderful mythology, I had more issues with some of the characters (mainly, Clary and Jace) than I did the first time around. I still really like the idea of the books, and the minor characters were fun as well. Overall,...moreShort & Sweet Second-Time-Around Review (2-22-12)
This series is LARGELY in need of an updated review from me, since my opinion has changed somewhat since I first read the books three years ago. While I still think these books are part of an incredibly creative world with a wonderful mythology, I had more issues with some of the characters (mainly, Clary and Jace) than I did the first time around. I still really like the idea of the books, and the minor characters were fun as well. Overall, my opinion of the series would probably fall in the three star range (a few flaws, but worth reading). But, for nostalgia's sake, you can still see my original review below.

First Time Review
I came across this series while looking for e-books online. While I didn't find the e-book, I did find a sample of the audiobook for the first in the series, City of Bones, which I downloaded. I didn't get around to actually listening to it until I had my wisdom teeth removed a few weeks ago, and I needed something to do to help me relax and take my mind off of my sore mouth before bed. The series had been on my reading list for awhile, but was always checked out and on reserve at the library.

Now I know why.

The series consists of the following three books:City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass.

The main character of the series is Clary Fray, a teenage girl who lives with her single mom in New York. Her life seems average, until the night when she comes across three Shadowhunters (demon hunters), in a local night club. What's more is, Clary is the only one who can see them. Soon after her strange encounter, Clary's mother disappears, and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. As Clary and her best friend, Simon, search for answers, Clary begins to realize that things are not always what they seem, and she is thrust into a world of demons, Downworlders (vampires, warlocks, faeries, and werewolves), and Shadowhunters.

This series was extremely well-written, and will satisfy teens looking for another fantasy romance as well as those readers who are looking for something a bit deeper. The characters are well-developed and the reader is easily able to identify with them, as well as with the situations they are placed in. The books deal with prevalent teen issues such as love, heartbreak, family, and friendship as well as more advanced topics such as redemption, temptation, and even the argument of nature vs.nurture. With an overabundance of teen fantasy novels being published since the onset of the Twilight saga, the Mortal Instruments series offers something that stands out above the rest.(less)

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Dec 28, 2007

Jarrah rated it

Recommended to Jarrah by: Sarah Rees Brennan

Shelves: author-cassandraclare, genre-yafantasy, series-mortalinstruments, genre-yafiction, vampires, weres, setting-secretworld, magical-objects, country-america

YA urban fantasy. Clary sees a boy - or possibly a boy - killed in a night club, and is pitched into a world of shadowhunters and downworlders, where she might fit in better than she imagined.

I will admit that I read this purely because Cassandra Clare wrote the ridiculously well-known Secret Diaries of the Fellowship of the Ring. (And there's a Secret Diaries reference in the book, which is cute.)

This is definitely a different kettle of vampire bikies. I have slightly m...more

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Jan 28, 2012

Ghirardelli rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya, um-what, sigh, fantasy, meh, uh-oh, wish-it-were-better

*Spoilers yeah*

I’m going to say this now so it’s out of the way.
No.
I’ve never read the Draco Trilogy by Cassandra Claire on fanfiction.net.

No.
I have no right to mention the plagiarism event around the Draco Trilogy in this review, because I have not read it, and so I will not go into the plagiarism event.

Yes.
I know of the plagiarism, and I find it despicable, but I’m not reviewing that, I’m reviewing City of Bones.

THE ...more

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Dec 21, 2011

Mery rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: terjemahan, fantasy-ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 16, 2011

Isabel rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Isabel by: Zoë Marriott

Shelves: books-i-own, reviewed

This is my new favorite book! Wow... I really want to write a review, but I don't know if I can adequately express what I think about it without dissolving into fangirly squealing. But if anyone really wants me to write one then I'll give it a shot. :) Just leave a comment if you want me to!

(AHHHHHHHHH it was so good!!!)

Updated: So, by popular demand (AKA I just randomly decided to write a review), I’ve decided that yes I AM going to torture you all by ranting on aimlessly ab...moreThis is my new favorite book! Wow... I really want to write a review, but I don't know if I can adequately express what I think about it without dissolving into fangirly squealing. But if anyone really wants me to write one then I'll give it a shot. :) Just leave a comment if you want me to!

(AHHHHHHHHH it was so good!!!)

Updated: So, by popular demand (AKA I just randomly decided to write a review), I’ve decided that yes I AM going to torture you all by ranting on aimlessly about how much I love this book. To organize my thoughts a bit, I’ve made a nice(ish) little list:

Reason #1 why City of Bones has become my favorite book EVER: Jace! Jace! I love him!! Now, you all know that I have a very extensive list of book crushes (well, eight, actually) and he’s number one. I just . . . love him! I mean, is it possible NOT to?

Reason #2: I basically love the entire cast of characters, especially Clary; she’s the perfect POV for the story. She enters it without having a clue what’s going on but somehow manages not to act annoyingly dumb and clueless anyway. Also, she can totally kick butt!

Reason #3: I don’t know how Cassandra Clare does it, but this plot? This world that she’s created? It's AWESOME. It’s so addicting that I can’t help but start reading City of Ashes NOW, even though I was originally planning to jump right into The Gray Wolf Throne, book three of the Demon King series. (Sorry, Cinda Williams Chima. I just have to find out what happens in book two first!) She’s so skilled, and I don’t know how she comes up with all these twists and turns and that surprise ending that will make your jaw drop in astonishment. (That is, if SOMEONE—coughWILLIAMcough—hadn’t spoiled it for me in the first place!!)

Reason #4: IT. IS. HILARIOUS. That’s all I have to say on that front.

Reason #5: The writing is incredible! I think one of the quotes in the first page of the book (you know, the praise for City of Bones) mentioned that her writing style manages to be descriptive and fast-paced at the same time, and I couldn’t agree more! It’s the perfect prose for the story Clare is trying to tell.

I think that about sums it up. I’ll close by just saying that you NEED to pick up this book RIGHT NOW. And if you’re planning on spacing the books out so that you don’t have to wait five bigillion years to read the last one, like I originally planned to do . . . good luck with that!(less)

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Jan 03, 2011

Gabby rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Gabby by: Julie and Joyzi (thanks girls!)

Shelves: owned-it, action-adventure, favorites, fantasy

one day whilebrowsing some pictures of Alex Pettyfer on Photobucket (obsess much?? XD) i spotted this photo of him

Jace Wayland Pictures, Images and Photos

(that's not the only photo of him that has "jace" written on it)

so i was curious i was like "does alex pettyfer have a new movie and his character's name is Jace?" i googled it and found out it is a book character in the series called the mortal instruments so i was like " owww!! this book is everywhere @ NBS" but there are u...more

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Feb 04, 2011

Lucy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: recommended-by-an-author, wasn-t-for-me, young-adult, paranormal, disappearing-parent-syndrome

The writing was weak and inconsistent. It felt like a writing stage you hit in your teens when you've just read books by great authors and want to experiment with their writing and style. We all go through those periods, any sort of writer, where we think the punch to Hemingway is just too brilliant and find ourselves replicating his more obvious style points. For me, City of Bones read like a book written by someone who did not have a voice of her own. I felt like there might have been some sor...moreThe writing was weak and inconsistent. It felt like a writing stage you hit in your teens when you've just read books by great authors and want to experiment with their writing and style. We all go through those periods, any sort of writer, where we think the punch to Hemingway is just too brilliant and find ourselves replicating his more obvious style points. For me, City of Bones read like a book written by someone who did not have a voice of her own. I felt like there might have been some sort of skill, but it was weighed down with the burning desire to test out other people's writing styles.

What sealed the deal for me about this book was the number of times characters 'laughed out loud.' If you don't understand what's wrong with a bit of prose and dialogue that ends with "Isabelle laughed out loud" then I don't know if I have the skill or patience to describe it. It reflected badly on the editor, but it reflects awfully on the author because if it made it in there ten times than she wrote it fifty times and the editor removed the difference. I couldn't take her seriously after the third repetition and, believe me, it happens early on in the book. No one tilts their head back and laughs or chuckles low in their throat, no one expresses merriment with their eyes as they mock one another. No, they all laugh out loud because using internet loling spelled out is the height of sophistication. Honestly, the out loud part is implied for god's sake. Soon authors like this will feel fine shoving "she loled" into their books and a generation will be raised with this being something worthy of five stars.

The characters are cliches pasted over and over again. Clary is pretty much the definition of a Mary Sue. She discovers she's super special and both of the straight male leads follow her around like puppies despite her opinion that she's not very beautiful. To compensate for a lack of skill with weapons she's got a knack for runes. A knack no one, not even the most trained Shadowhunter possesses. As for the male lead, Jace would have been charming if a single line of his dialogue had ever rung true to me. It ALL felt shoved in, like she decided he was supposed to be funny and aloof so she looked up the dialogue of other funny and aloof characters and crammed it down his throat rather than letting him speak for himself. None of it felt natural. It was disappointing because I think she could have done it with a little bit more faith in herself. Instead of trusting herself, Cassandra Clare held onto the safety rail and went down hard anyway.

I didn't mind Simon, except that he was very much a stock best friend that you could've picked up at the Fictional Best Friend Depot. Alec, the gay character is instantly outed by the main character despite having only known him a week and spent a minimal amount of time with him. Isabelle is gorgeous and confident, a beautiful warrior of excellent birth and she's jealous of dowdy little Clary. At least Clary sees herself as tiny and imperfect, but no one else seems to agree. Even the competition waves a flag and says she's gorgeous.

The villain is not impressive. You're left wondering why he vanished for so many years. He's been gone the length of the main character's life. Unlike Harry Potter the reason for his absence is neither satisfactory or really belonging to the realm of logic and reason. I feel like the pause in the antagonists career is a link the writer had to Harry Potter and seemingly couldn't shake for the sake of logic and reason. Real crazy dictators don't take a fifteen year holiday before peeking their heads up and deciding it's an okay time to wage war again.

It's a decent book for a tween, but it's really no better than some other books written for the same age group and it is, in fact, a great deal worse. I don't know if the author improved as she went. I might borrow them from someone to find out - but they wouldn't be worth owning. Sadly, when your curiosity is about a writer's skill and not the characters' development it's difficult to get invested again.(less)

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Dec 05, 2010

Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone

Shelves: could-not-put-it-down-books, favorite-series, read-more-than-once, favorites, love-the-audio

I bought this book on Monday before I was leaving to go to TwiCon in Dallas on Thursday. I sat down to look at it for a few minutes and before I knew it hours had passed and I HAD to finish it. I didn't have time to read that week, but this book just drew me in. As I learned about the world of Shadowhunters, I also was intrigued by the characters and discovered that world along with red-haired Clary whose mother had been kidnapped. Thrust into a world of strangers who were definitely not as ...more

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Jun 10, 2010

Penny rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone who likes sci-fi

Shelves: penny-s-favorite-books, ya-fiction, urban-fantasy, reviewed-books, zombies-aliens-vampires-dinos, angels-demons, faebook

Update 06/10/10: changed star rating and added a little addendum/explanation at the end of the original review.

Loved this book, though it isn't anything particularly special; it isn't a life-changing read. But it's not a "check your brain at the door" book either. It's just a fun fantasy/adventure-type book.

Clary is your regular fifteen-year old girl growing up in New York - nothing particularly special about her or her upbringing, though her father passed awa...more

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Penny Kelly wrote: "lol well, I'd love to change that for you, but sadly, there's not really anything special about my upcoming book either. The more I...moreKelly wrote: "lol well, I'd love to change that for you, but sadly, there's not really anything special about my upcoming book either. The more I read the more I think I really lack imagination."

I'm shocked that you think you lack imagination. I'm not saying this to be nice and/or because you're on my friends list. Besides, I'm just not that nice nor do I lie (by the way, I don't think lying is nice, even if it's done to spare someone's feelings.)

I'm saying you've got loads of imagination because of this: "Most superhero stories start with a meteor shower or a nasty insect bite, but mine actually starts with a kiss..."

Sound familiar? Yeah, that's from your book. About a superhero. A girl superhero. You have no idea how much I love the idea.

The market is flooded with books in which the protagonist is a vampire/vampire-slayer/necromancer/werewolf/faerie/witch/extrasuperspecial-for-no-reason-whatsoever/Marysue-who-is-too-stupid-to-live. I don't know of any YA novels targeted specifically at teenage girls in which the female protagonist is a superhero. So already you've got my attention.

I admire the fact that you didn't write a book about vampires or faeries or werewolves or fallen angels or eating disorders or suicidal teenagers or teenage pregnancy. I'm especially grateful you didn't write a pointless run-of-the-mill sappy teenage romance.

Not that I don't like romantic storylines, because I do. It's just that nothing irritates me more then a book about normal boring teenagers who don't have any real problems except when it comes to their love lives (or complete lack thereof).

Had you written a book in which the girl had no goals besides being with her true love forever n ever--which, based off the book description of Being Jamie Baker, doesn't seem to be the case--I wouldn't have added your book to my TBR list.

I've been excited about your book ever since I heard about it. I love superheroes. I especially love female superheroes. You see, I grew up reading my older brother's Spiderman, Superman and X-Man comics. I've watched, and loved, almost all the movies based on Marvel comics. And before the storyline got too confusing and they started killing off my favorite characters, I was a huge fan of the TV show Heroes ("Save the cheerleader, save the world").

So, yeah, I'm going to read your book.(less)
updated Jun 11, 2010 10:36am

Kelly Oram Like I said, Penny, ignore my little bout of self pity. Please. I was having a bad day yesterday. But thank you. Sometimes I need a good pep talk. Rea...more
Jun 11, 2010 11:33am

Sep 17, 2010

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Old and new fans of classic fantasy

Shelves: uf-summer-challenge, owned-copy, urban-fantasy, favorites, hot-heroes-kicking-butt, young-adult, the-lost-heir, angels, demon, werewolf, vampire, wizard-warlock-sorcerer, alternate-dimension-or-world, faerie

Rich, vivid, entrancing. City of Bones is all those things and more. As I read this book, I felt that sense of childhood joy that I remembered from reading C.S. Lewis' Narnia series and Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time, and the many fairy tales and legends growing up. I found the world-building in this series without fault. I have to give it to Cassandra Clare for creating this book. It was a fantastic concept that kept me enthralled to the last page.

City of Bones is a...more

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Jun 20, 2010

Kaitlyn rated it

Shelves: 50-book-challenge, favorites

I have heard people say great things about the Mortal Instruments series for a while now, so I decided I would check it out. Wow! They were right, this book was amazing. I loved it. I fell in love with Jace because of his sarcastic and witty humor. Clary was a very good main character, she just seemed so real. Alot of plot twists that I didn't expect...this book definitely caught my attention!

I cannot wait to pick up and read City of Ashes :)

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you're on a triple date with Jace and Clary...	19	55	28 minutes ago
What?!?!? SPOILERS	4	22	41 minutes ago
What?!?!? SPOILERS	21	53	2 hours, 16 min ago
YA book to movies?	10	25	3 hours, 17 min ago
Young-Adult Book ...: Mortal Instruments Series	1	2	15 hours, 17 min ago
I felt EH about this... should i continue this series?	59	186	17 hours, 22 min ago
Exceptional Books: The City of Bones	15	158	Feb 21, 2012 10:36pm

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About Cassandra Clare

Hello Goodreadsers. Here's my official bio:

"Cassandra Clare was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of fantasy books. Cassandra worked for several years as an entertainment journalist for the Hollywood Reporter before turning her attention to fiction. She is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal ...more

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Books by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3)

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, #2)

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4)

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2)

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Trivia About City of Bones

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Quotes from City of Bones

“Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?'
Jace said, "Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself."
..."At least," she said, "you don't have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland."
"Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.” — 6,069 people liked it

“Is this the part where you start tearing off strips of your shirt to bind my wounds?"
"If you wanted me to rip my clothes off, you should have just asked.” — 3,817 people liked it

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City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

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