City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)

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City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

by Cassandra Clare (Goodreads Author)

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 · rating details · 326,465 ratings · 22,965 reviews

Don’t miss The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, soon to be a major motion picture in theaters August 2013.

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...more

Hardcover, 448 pages

Published March 27th 2007 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

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May 28, 2013 Palice Pottle rated it 1 of 5 stars

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, why-am-i-reading-this-shit

--Warning: negative review--
Before you leave me comments about your love for Clare and how I need to understand this poor flawed favourite author of yours, do me a favour and check the other comments. Chances are that many others have asked or told me the same thing, and I have already responded to it.
(view spoiler)...more

483 likes · like · see review

Jul 10, 2009 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 kept telling myself this is...more 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 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 dramatic 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 cannot 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 villain 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:)

Later added: Guess what guys? They are making a movie! And here is the trailer!(less)

353 likes · like · see review

Jun 14, 2013 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, young-adult

15 Jun '13
update again! Saw some stills for the movie, and to be honest, despite being slightly spurious in my "casting" of City of Bones, I actually think my version is much better than the movie version.

I mean, look at Isabelle, and look at Clary.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Isabelle is supposed to be way hotter than Clary.

And don't even get me started on Jace.

I mean, Jamie Campbell Bower was cute in a couple of his other films, but.... Jace was supposed to be..... I dunno... swoon-on-your-fe...more

148 likes · like · see review

view all 81 comments

Amanda Eh, I agree Clare did a poor job of providing character background (at least, in the first book, since that is the only one I've read); but I like to...more
updated Jun 17, 2013 04:34am

Andre I think its a better use of time to analyze the author and not the characters, because I personally doubt that Clare is capable of actually adding int...more
Jun 17, 2013 08:51am

May 01, 2013 Kira rated it 5 of 5 stars 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. D'aw.

Magnus.

Love you, darling.

Merged review:

EDIT: Okay, so. I have a question. I, like many TMI fans, am peeing my Jack Skellington panties with excitement for the upcoming movie adaptation of City of Bones (I love a good trip to the cinema. Fun stuff!).

However, I think I'm in the small minority when I say that I like, nay, LOVE the casting of Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace. Do we have much experience in seeing him act? No! But should we give the boy a chance? Yes!

Most of my fellow TMI fannies (t...more

111 likes · like · see review

Oct 14, 2011 Kat Kennedy rated it 1 of 5 stars

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!

But I have never NOT fini...more

334 likes · like · see review

Jan 26, 2012 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

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, this book shines, and to those of you who...more

218 likes · like · see review

Aug 06, 2012 Lina rated it 1 of 5 stars · 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. I originally took down my review because I wanted to re-write a new one in order to make a point, but being my usual absent minded self I promptly forgot that point and so a half-written review has been sitting on my hard-drive for Hera knows how long, while people look at the [[review coming soon]] note and think...sure that'll happen. So I decided on this cool August day that I am going to re-write this damn review and get it over with.

Cassandra Clare was a writer with a history that I was mos...more

147 likes · like · see review

Jun 07, 2013 Christina Wilder rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: had-so-much-potential, paranormal-supernatural, ya, fantasy-magic

This will probably be my longest review, but there's a lot to cover here.

What I liked:

- The action sequences were written well. The pacing in them was decent and I could visualize what was happening.
- The kiss between two characters (view spoiler) was also written well, and I was happy to see a kiss written as a kiss, and not like orgasmic sex (the kiss scene in Fallen was so over the top that it was ridiculous).
- Some of the twisty twists were decent.

What I didn...more

52 likes · like · see review

Sep 12, 2009 Tatiana rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: teenage girls, fans of angsty teenage soap

Recommended to Tatiana by: Heather

Shelves: 2009, ya, why-the-hype, tres-annoying, 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 deny myself a pleasur...more 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 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)

284 likes · like · see review

Jul 04, 2007 Shelley rated it 1 of 5 stars 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 with talent,...more

185 likes · like · see review

Jan 26, 2011 Andrea Caro rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: NO ONE

Shelves: angels, vampires, 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, belongs-on-fanfiction-net, please-hire-an-editor, in-the-movies, you-plagiarising-bastard, sundry-supernatural-creatures, is-it-illegal-to-murder-a-book

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-cock for steal...more

347 likes · like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, hilarious

UPDATE as of 7/15/12
HAPPY DAY!

or is it?

Simon Lewis has been cast. ^^

Who's the dude?

Robert Sheehan. Don't look at me, I don't know him. Or do you know him? Good for you.

Personally, I don't give a flying, stinking stool anymore. And I think, this is my last update ever. Unless of course somebody dies or the movie is moved again to another year. But yeah, the film is set to be released on Aug 2014. Pray to the gods they stick to that or I'll send them a stink that will blow their heads off.

UPDA...more

49 likes · like · see review

Aug 03, 2008 Moderatrix Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars 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. This is a great urban fanta...more

77 likes · like · see review

Oct 25, 2012 Nessa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, review, not-my-cup-of-earl-grey-tea

Last year, I read Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. It was okay, nothing special, yet it seemed to be a real darling in the YA world. I'd be hanging out in the YA section at bookshops and seeing girls squealing about The Mortal Instruments, I'd buy books similar to TMI or The Infernal Devices, and the clerk would tell me I should check Ms. Clare's books out too... So eventually, I got around to reading City of Bones, the first in the series.

I really didn't enjoy it.

It starts out strong enough,...more

53 likes · like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-shameful-shelf-of-get-rid-of-it, worst-books-i-ve-ever-read, so-bad-that-i-refuse-to-finish-it

I read this book a long time ago--a very, very long time ago. Okay, maybe not that long ago, but it feels like it's been so long since I was a fifteen-year-old girl who devoured every book she read without comment or critical thought.

My best friend gave me City of Bones on loan, saying it was great and I would like it. To say the least, I didn't. The writing was terrible, Jace was more of a jerk than a heartthrob, and Clary was as bright as a sack of potatoes. Halfway through, I gave up on the b...more

37 likes · like · see review

Feb 20, 2011 Joyzi rated it 3 of 5 stars 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=mSgEwl...

***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 now is HIM HIM HIM!!! Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!...more

117 likes · like · see review

Sep 07, 2010 Sparrow rated it 2 of 5 stars 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 this...more 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 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)

105 likes · like · see review

Jun 05, 2011 Lora rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who actually enjoy YA paranormal romance

Shelves: g-ya-paranorm

This series has a lot of hype behind it, of both the positive and negative variety, and so naturally I started City of Bones with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. And while I wouldn't say that I'm nuts over it, it isn't as bad as some reviewers would paint it.

The writing is, surprisingly, exceptional. I wouldn't expect good writing from a book blurbed by Stephenie Meyer, but there you have it: Clare can actually write well. Her sentences are composed with an erudite hand and make the eyes...more This series has a lot of hype behind it, of both the positive and negative variety, and so naturally I started City of Bones with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. And while I wouldn't say that I'm nuts over it, it isn't as bad as some reviewers would paint it.

The writing is, surprisingly, exceptional. I wouldn't expect good writing from a book blurbed by Stephenie Meyer, but there you have it: Clare can actually write well. Her sentences are composed with an erudite hand and make the eyes glide over them with ease.
Clary . . . well, here's the thing about her: she's heavily overshadowed by the supporting characters. She seems to have little personality and what little she does possess seems rather dull and cookie-cutter. One key point when writing a series with many characters, Clare, don't let your lead be weaker than your weakest supporting character. I can only hope that she improves as the series progresses.
Jace definitely has the sexy and aloof thing going for him, plus he plays the piano(!). Lots of personality, sarcasm, strength on the page — pretty much the opposite of Clary. I guess opposites do attract, even in fiction.
And . . . that brings me to the Jace-and-Clary love fest. Lots of chemistry, lots of sexy times going on with them. But if you've read this then you know their budding love is in serious jeopardy. (view spoiler) Gonna have to read book two to see where that goes.
Simon. So sweet, so endearing — and so never going to have his romantic feelings for Clary reciprocated. Seriously, I can't help but feel bad for that kid.
Alec, Jace's longtime friend, was a great character who I wouldn't hesitate to call my favorite if it weren't for Jace and, oh yes, Magnus. Mustn't forget Magnus! The promise of something between him and a certain character (view spoiler) is one of the main reasons why I plan to continue reading this series. So yes, City of Ashes is up next for me. 3.5 stars(less)

29 likes · like · see review

May 10, 2012 fяσzєη rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who have the hots for dickhead heroes.

Shelves: i-am-disappoint, dickhead-heroes, love-triangles, unlikable-heroines, pile-of-crap, owned-physical-copies, dont-understand-why-its-hyped, wolves, vamps, why-do-people-like-this-shit, is-this-some-kind-of-joke, horrifyingly-bad, goodbye-brain-cells, boooooring, waste-of-paper, no-just-no, my-eyes-are-bleeding, hot-mess, cant-believe-i-finished, get-that-thing-away-from-me, sorry-excuse-for-a-romance, what-the-actual-fuck, you-arrogant-prick

I had to do it.

107 likes · like · see review

Jan 10, 2013 Zero vi Britannia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: why-did-i-do-this-to-myself-again, useless-lead-character, bleep-hole-love-interest, did-this-book-even-have-an-editor, how-did-this-get-published, if-i-could-turn-back-time, if-i-weren-t-such-a-masochist, mythology-what-mythology, just-stop-it-already, no, no-just-not, they-publish-anything-don-t-they, this-will-not-be-pretty, what-the-hell-fuck-crap, why-am-i-still-unpublished, why-is-the-rating-so-high, why-rowling-had-to-use-her-initials, worldbuilding-needs-work, why-do-i-have-to-have-integrity, bad-romance, doesn-t-live-up-to-the-hype, why-is-this-going-to-be-a-movie

New Review

"This is going to suck so hard."
-Clary Fray, City of Bones
(Did she read CoB too?)

"Did three months mean nothing? Did you flip a switch and erase me from your memories?"
-Clair Edwards, Degrassi
(Funny and how I imagine Clary would react to Jace.)

"Do you think that when Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel, he just dipped his dick in a bucket of paint, slapped it around a few times, and said 'There, I'm done'?"
-DevanBlair, Order of the Phoenix movie review

No, he did not. That is w...more

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Sep 02, 2008 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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? When her mot...more 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? 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 27, 2007 Jess rated it 1 of 5 stars

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 somewhat. B...more

104 likes · like · see review

Jun 06, 2013 Joanna Tsiou rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-enough, ya-na-romance, demons, angels, magic, shapeshifters, urban-fantasy, vampires, fantasy, paranormal, stupid-love-triangles

Since the movie is to come out this year I though I'd give this one another try. I actually enjoyed my second time just as well as the first. Although the book isn't the best I've read, it is fast paced, well written, interesting at ever turn. So...

Clary has lived in a lie her whole life but when she learns the truth it will be the worst way possible. Her mother has gone missing, Luke(the closest thing she has to a father) has abandoned her and her new friends and only people who can help her go...more

19 likes · like · see review

Nov 11, 2012 Oceana Fern {Assorted Insanity} rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, paranormal-romance-fiction, young-adult, three-stars, guilty-pleasures, owned, paper-copy

Random original prologue: http://www.mortalinstruments.com/dele...

17 likes · like · see review

Dec 01, 2007 Natalie rated it 1 of 5 stars

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 cringed. It reads like a...more

102 likes · like · see review

Jul 25, 2010 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Yes. Hot Guy. Yes. Read this.

~ 2013 update. The above line was my original review from way back in 2010. Originally, I think there was also a "buh" in there, but I took it out. Go easy on me. I was new to reading again, so I hadn't read a ton of funny/cocky guys yet. Although, I have to say that Jace handles his cockiness with some great wit and flair, which makes him stand out from the other 10,000 run-of-the-mill arrogant guys in books.

I understand why some people won't read this author for co...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Daylighter rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Clace Lovers

Shelves: guides_short-stories

Quite interesting! It's a nice change of perspective, but I'm glad she didn't keep this prologue in City of Bones, cause like Cassandra Clare said herself, this way Jace is more mysterious throughout the series.

Merged review:

Since the url has been removed, I'm putting the scene here for those who haven't read it yet:

I kissed your lips and broke your heart
The Institute’s bell begins to toll, the deep loud heartbeat of the apex of the night.
Jace sets his knife down. It’s a neat little pocketkni...more

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Oct 26, 2008 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, signed-books

Fifteen-year-old Clary Fray thinks she is just a normal teenager. I mean, of course she is a normal teenage, she lives in Brooklyn with her artist mom, and spends most of her time with her best friend, Simon. One night when Clary and Simon are at a club, Pandemonium, she figures out that she can see people that nobody else can. Wham! Not so normal, I guess. The people that she can see are called Shadowhunters. They go around killing demons and such, you know the bad guys.

Not too soon after Clary...more

24 likes · like · see review

Jun 20, 2010 Kaitlyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 :)

33 likes · like · see review

Feb 06, 2009 TheUnicorner rated it 3 of 5 stars 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 hard not to have...more

71 likes · like · see review

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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 Instruments trilo...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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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.” — 12,208 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.” — 7,398 people liked it

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City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

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