City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) in YA and Beyond

Aug 16, 2011 Evelyn Swift (Featherbrained Books) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, my-ultimate-favourites, 5-star-books, books-i-have-reviewed, romance, paranormal-and-urban-fantasy, love-the-cover, made-into-movie, crush-worthy-men, lgbt

I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed this book, it seemed to have so much hype that I thought it was going to turn out to be another ‘hush, hush’ or ‘twilight’ series….a book with a lot of hype but nothing else. I thought the plot was awesome, the idea of the shadowhunters and different creatures was badass and I liked Clary, she stood up for herself but didn’t act like a bitch and I am glad there is a popular series out there that has gay relationships in them. Um…and the whole “rel I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed this book, it seemed to have so much hype that I thought it was going to turn out to be another ‘hush, hush’ or ‘twilight’ series….a book with a lot of hype but nothing else. I thought the plot was awesome, the idea of the shadowhunters and different creatures was badass and I liked Clary, she stood up for herself but didn’t act like a bitch and I am glad there is a popular series out there that has gay relationships in them. Um…and the whole “relationship” between Jace and Clary was interesting…I wonder where that is going because to be honest I was a bit creeped out at the end of the book when we found out Jace was her brother and they had kissed. I guess shit happens, right?

After reading the book I read quite a lot of reviews saying how she stole from Harry Potter, Buffy and Star Wars (Wow, quite a list eh?). While I was reading it I did think that Valentine reminded me a bit of Lord Voldemort, but then again Lord Voldemort reminded me of a lot of other characters as well, including our own history (Hitler). When I read a book, I read it off of merit, not off of petty things like “mundane” sounds like “muggles!!” because those are so superficial and many, many books are reminiscent of each other, it’s all how you make the plot, character or idea your own that impresses me. And again, I didn’t know about the authors background in writing fanfiction so it bared no trouble in my mind while I was reading and it certainly doesn’t matter to me now that I’ve enjoyed the book and finished it.

One thing to note though is the lack of proper editing in this book. Quite a few times I caught painstakingly obvious mistakes, not just grammatical or spelling but the use of completely wrong words. I really do hate that…please just hire a proper editor! I’ve noticed this mostly with paranormal/urban fantasy etc. YA books. It gives them a bad rap!

edit: 2013/02/15 THEY ARE MAKING A MOVIE! I am actually pretty excited :)
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Oct 08, 2011 S.L.J. rated it really liked it

Shelves: angels

I found this book very entertianing. I know all the talk about how it's a rip-off of Harry Potter etc but it contains all the elements that I loved about Harry Potter so I'm happy.

The only realy peeve I have isn't directed at the book, but rather the author and the scores of other authors that decide to base their books on Nephilim just because angel/human hybrids sound cool.

The old scriptures say that one of the reasons God flooded the world was to kill all the Nephilim. In the original tales t ...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Erika rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya, wont-continue-series, romance, fantasy, supernatural, to-watch, read-no-discussion

It took me a long time to finish, sometimes i was getting a little upset with it, and some situations were getting a little bit predictable, but in some other parts, it was very good.
So yeah, 2 stars is ok.

It also somehow reminded me so much of other stories like harry potter, and star wars for the part where (view spoiler)

Won't continue reading this series.
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Aug 01, 2011 Mackenzie rated it liked it

First read: July 6, 2013.
Second read: Jan 5, 2016

Ah, The Mortal Instruments. A series that never seems to end.

Seriously, though. I thought this was supposed to be a trilogy. Next thing I know she’s popping out 3 more books (are more on the way? That’s a serious question), a spin-off series (which I love SO much more btw), and yet another spin-off series coming this year.

WILL IT EVER END?!?!

Okay, getting off topic.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock a la Patrick Star, you’ll have heard that th

First read: July 6, 2013.
Second read: Jan 5, 2016

Ah, The Mortal Instruments. A series that never seems to end.

Seriously, though. I thought this was supposed to be a trilogy. Next thing I know she’s popping out 3 more books (are more on the way? That’s a serious question), a spin-off series (which I love SO much more btw), and yet another spin-off series coming this year.

WILL IT EVER END?!?!

Okay, getting off topic.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock a la Patrick Star, you’ll have heard that they’re making The Mortal Instruments into a TV Show (it airs tomorrow in case you're wondering). And, as the good little bookworm I am, I simply had to read (or reread in this case) the book before the show came out. 1) So I can remember what the heck happened. 2) So I can see if it stuck close to the book.

The results?

My feelings haven’t changed.

The first time I read this book, I gave it 3 stars. The second time I read it, I gave it 3 stars. 3rd times the charm? Nope. The rating stays the same (and I seriously questions why I've read this so many times...). I liked it, but didn't fall in love with it. I originally picked this up because of all the hype surrounding it and was expecting it to be some utterly fantastic book. The second time was because the movie was coming out. Unfortunately for me, it felt very middle ground. I liked some things, hated others, or sometimes loved and hated something at the same time.

The one thing I REALLY loved: THE WORLD and PLOT

I loved the world-building. I truly did. I thought it was utterly fascinating and exciting. It was a world ripe with mythology and adventure. It was rich and beautiful and incredibly intriguing. I caught myself consistently wondering about this world Clare had built. I was so incredibly interested in all things Shadowhunters. Even if some points were slightly info-dumpy, I was still utterly fascinated by the Shadowhunter’s world. The demons and Silent Brothers were all insanely creepy and brilliantly done. And all the mystery surrounding the Mortal Cup and Valentine made me want more.

Unfortunately for me, an amazing world and mystery isn't enough to make me fall in love with a book. I need to like the characters too, especially the main characters. And, quite frankly, that didn't happen.

Jace: Don't get me wrong, I love a good snarky, arrogant, tough guy, but I just couldn't fall in love with him the way some others have. I can't quite pin-point what made me not like him. I think it was the fact that while he was arrogant and cocky, he didn't really have any redeeming qualities to counteract those characteristics. Somewhat one-dimensional I guess. He was simply cocky. Plain and simple. But he was sarcastic and I love sarcasm so brownie points there.
Clary: Eh. You were sometimes a rather strong girl and I personally felt bad for you, but you also really got on my nerves. I like that she didn't just believe them, but believed it over time. I liked her curiosity and her fierce protection of her mother, even though they didn't get along. But she was also a very annoying teenage girl. She got petty and jealous and angry. And annoying. Can't forget annoying. She'd vie for Jace yet get mad and extremely mean when Simon looked at Izzy. Oh, boohoo. You can't have both honey. Besides, you ignored that poor boy until someone else came along. Sucks to suck.
Isabelle: Tall, thin and gorgeous. Pretty much a model. I liked that she is a tough girl who kicks-butt. But I don't find her incredibly memorable. Again, she's like Clary. Stereotypical whiny, jealous teenage girl.
Alec: Not much to say. He was a jerk. I don't like him. But he also wasn't really in the book enough for me to really say whether or not he redeems himself.
Simon: I actually liked Simon! Yes, I'm rooting for the friendzoned boy here. He's funny, sarcastic, and geeky. Totally adorable! And he knows how to use a bow and arrows. Cool points!
Magnus: Okay, I can't deny that I do love Magnus. His "I'm awesome and I know it" attitude coupled with his careless and sarcastic demeanor made me adore him. He was cocky sarcasm done right. And, he's a warlock. He's just all around cool.

BUT I hated the ending. It sucked and was awkward. I know what is actually going on from me reading the rest of the books, but the first time I read this, it just disturbed me. Not to mention it totally made the relationship beyond awkward in the next book.

Final thoughts

This series has potential. While I didn't really love the main characters because they were all typical annoying teenagers, I did love the world Clare created alongside all the action-packed adventure. If plot and world-building are the most important to you, definitely check out CoB! Although I didn't love it, it's definitely a series worth reading on a rainy day.

I will say that I think this could make a really good TV show. It's action-packed and dark and has a good plot line. As long as the acting doesn't suck, I have a feeling this will be a guilty pleasure.

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Jul 31, 2011 Janina rated it it was amazing

I love this book. Love Jace. i've never read a book like this because i was never really into the demon thing. But this book was amazing. I mean it had romance betrayal evil and all the good stuff that i love. So if you like those things, this book is for you.

ps. i am not that great at writing ...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Ellie:) rated it it was amazing

Absolutetly ADORED this book.

Can't wait to get the next one in the series!

The ending was so intriguing.. I can't wait for the storyline to develop..

One of my favourite books! ...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Rebecca rated it really liked it

An overall fun story. All of the books. I enjoyed the characters most of all.

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Jul 08, 2011 Micki rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, young-adult, fantasy, audio-version

I really enjoyed the story and it was definitely action packed. I found myself getting tripped up, however, with the adverb heavy descriptors that accompanied so many of the "he said" and "she said". I found it to be distracting at times--not enough to turn me off or detract from the story, but just enough to throw me out of sync on occasion. ...more

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