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

Jul 07, 2010 Laura's Book Addiction rated it it was amazing

I brought this book for 1 of my summer reads and what can I say it was awesome I loved it soooooo Much! It has 2 big twist's in the book the 1st one I saw coming BUT the 2nd I did not see coming and I was really shocked but in a good way and that to me is what makes a really good book I can't wait til I can read the 2nd book ...more

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Oct 03, 2010 Edil rated it really liked it

Originally posted on THE BOOK FANCIER

Well, what can I say? I have mixed emotions. I'm not sure if I love it or hate it. There were some parts that I totally love reading but some parts were just too much to bear!

The book has been on my shelf for months and I just couldn't bring myself to read it. Maybe because of lack of time, or I just don't want myself reading it only because of the hype it gets. Finally, I decided to read it since it's vacation and I can read it without too much distractions Originally posted on THE BOOK FANCIER

Well, what can I say? I have mixed emotions. I'm not sure if I love it or hate it. There were some parts that I totally love reading but some parts were just too much to bear!

The book has been on my shelf for months and I just couldn't bring myself to read it. Maybe because of lack of time, or I just don't want myself reading it only because of the hype it gets. Finally, I decided to read it since it's vacation and I can read it without too much distractions like school. heh!

So it started out fine. It's not like the other books that you will just judge based on the first few chapters. You have to keep reading to decide whether it's a good read or not. After reading the first part, well, I was a little confused. Information overload! There were jargons from the world of Shadowhunters. I was like Clary, feeling confused. The book got better on the second part. I finally understood why the book's title is City of Bones. It became more enjoyable especially with all the action-packed, romance and the "unraveling the truth" parts. Well there's this one truth that I just don't get. I think it's stupid. It's supposed to be tragic because of the feeling that has already arisen... I don't want to spoil!!! oh, my favorite chapter is The Midnight Flower. :)

The characters are likable and well developed. Miss Clare is good in describing her characters. Clary is one tough chick. If I was the one who can see creatures I'm not supposed to see, I'd totally freak out! And then we have Jace, the lovable Jace. Girls are swooning over him. Not the girls from the book okay! I think it's because of how Jace's personality was introduced in the book. Quite arrogant but still lovable.

The reason why I have mixed feelings on this one is because of the story building. The whole concept is good but some parts are irrelevant in my opinion. The twists about the characters, hmm not great. Surprising yes, but I think they totally ruined the reader's imagination. I don't know. It's quite hard to explain. In Filipino, if you read a good twist you'd say, "Aaah, kaya pala ganun!" but a bad one would be "Nyeh ano kaya yun!?". I'm out of my mind.

Reading City of Bones was like a roller coaster ride. It has it's ups and downs, twists and turns. I guess it was still an enjoyable ride. :) ...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Amber rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, reviews

Clare infuses unforgettable and lovable characters into a gritty world that feels like it's just around the corner in New York City. The plot had me racing through the bulky page count to see how the characters were going to make it out alive. Though I'm not usually a fan of third person because it makes it incredibly hard to connect about a character, Clare succeeds at giving the reader a reason to care about her leads and guides the reader to a somewhat comfortable ending for a debut.

Following Clare infuses unforgettable and lovable characters into a gritty world that feels like it's just around the corner in New York City. The plot had me racing through the bulky page count to see how the characters were going to make it out alive. Though I'm not usually a fan of third person because it makes it incredibly hard to connect about a character, Clare succeeds at giving the reader a reason to care about her leads and guides the reader to a somewhat comfortable ending for a debut.

Following Clary Fray in the heavily urban backdrop of New York was fun because she never let her "mundane"ness stop her from fighting. From the very beginning, Clary was interested in figuring out what was going on behind the scenes and she didn't let little things like the word "no" stop her. When she is attacked by a demon in the beginning, she relies on herself to fight, not for Jace or anyone for that matter to save her. I kept expect Jace to barge in and save her at the last minute but it never happened and I was so thankful for this. Clare gave us a smart, inquisitive heroine who took situations far beyond her control into her own hands and Clare allowed her to flourish. Everything out of Clary's mouth was observant or smart and she had a quick witted response to through back at Jace whenever the time called for it.

Speaking of wit and quick retorts, both Simon and Jace were the king of them. There were so many times I'd laugh out loud while reading this novel because of the witty dialog. Jace was an interesting character in that he always told you the truth and I believed it. He was strong and good at what he did. I wanted to swoon but I found it hard as Clare repeated reminded us how young the characters were. I had a hard time picturing a lean and muscular guy like on the cover every time I read how Jace was the youngest Shadowhunter in history or when a character reminded him that he was just a child. I got frustrated with it. However, the compliant is small and I'm hoping it's a wrinkle that will smooth out in the next installment of the series.

I thought Simon was equally worth note. Though he wasn't trained to fight, he always came through. I enjoyed his friendship with Clary and the fact that he used his wit for more than just great one liners. He always had a plan whether it was to get Clary jealous or burst in at the last moment and defeat a demon. He knew what he was doing and for that, I really liked him. I'm really interested to see how he will progress in the series.

Reading this novel reminded me of two things. The first is Harry Potter (and no, not in a "Clare copied Potter" sort of way-- I think that just because they both have flying bikes doesn't mean they are the same, that's like saying since Rowling wrote about wizards with wands then no one else can.). Bones reminded me of Potter in the way that it read. It had a very storybookesque quality to the writing. The third person narrator who knew what was going to happen. Basically, I trusted the voice to lead me safely through the novel to the other side and I don't usually get that in a third person novel. I also never felt like the voice talked down to me.

I was also reminded of playing a Final Fantasy game because of the atmosphere that was created. The crazy costumes and over top hair, the gritty city that mixed swords and cell phones. The broadsword wielding hero with a shock of blonde hair and the evil guy from the past who started out with the best intentions. It all reminded me of a video game. This added to my enjoyment.

All this being said, this novel wasn't without its flaws. There were times when Clary would explain something about the world to another character and I'd have no idea where she learned it herself. Since Clary was experiencing everything in that world the same time as the readers, it really showed when she knew something we didn't. There were also places where Clary would connect something completely random that wasn't even hinted about beforehand. For instance, she asks Isabelle if Alec is gay and there was nothing to hint at it before hand. After the question comes up, we see more of that behavior but there is nothing beforehand to suggest he's gay. Also, and this has to do with the third person, there were times in the novel where reactions were too exaggerated and jumped out from no where.One minute Clary would be fine with Isabelle and the next she'd think she was a bitch and all Isabelle would do is look at her. I just didn't think some actions warranted the reactions.

The last major thing I had wrong with this novel was the ending. When The Big Secret (you know what I'm talking about if you've read it) is revealed, I just kept waiting for someone to tell me it was a joke. And waiting... and waiting and then the last page came and it never did. I really hated this. As a reader, I felt tricked and not in a pleasant way. Also, during that last scene, I could feel some confusion in the fluidness of the writing. For me, that's where it was most obvious that this was a debut novel. Anyway, the ending bothered me so much, I went on Wikipedia and had to look up some things and spoil the ending for myself just to put my sick mind at ease. What redeems this ending for me and will make me keep reading is the fact that I cared enough to look it up. I wanted to make sure everything was going to be okay. That shows me that the writing and the characters were worth spending more time with.

Don't let the little things get in the way of you trying this novel for yourself. So it's not perfect. Rarely anything is. This novel is a fun read with a wonderful and gritty environment, characters to love, a whole bunch of awesome paranormal creatures and a plot that will make this whooping 495 page book seem short. City of Bones is worth every page. ...more

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Apr 12, 2011 nikorachan rated it it was amazing

Taken from
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This book didn't draw me in with the cover, not that i don't like it, it just wasn't the usual sort of thing i go for. The synopsis however was very interesting along with the prospect of quite a long series. We are introduced to Clary, a girl who happens to stumble upon a situation that changes her life, it starts her off to seeing things that she should have always seen. The characaters along with Clary are all well developed, it being easy to picture th ...more

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May 13, 2011 Catherine rated it it was ok

I've read through a lot of comments here and it looks like everyone already said the things I want to say. It seemed like a lot the ideas were copied from Harry Potter books. Does this count as plagiarism?
I'm sure a lot of people are attacking her for this.. I wonder what her take on it is.

Anyways, besides all the stolen ideas, I think the story flowed well and there were a few page turning chapters but it was like someone was telling me a story I already heard. ...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Kara rated it really liked it

4.5

OK. well, this is the second time ive read this book...and I think I loved it even more than the first time I read it!! and...hmm. I kind of like Jace, but I STILL don't understand what all the big fuss about him is... Oh well. ...more

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Jul 06, 2010 Amy rated it liked it

Shelves: i-own

really I should only give it 3.5 stars, but I liked it well enough...lots of plot twists....I really like the characters...their personalities work well together, love the sarcasm, my favorite type of come backs :o).

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Dec 14, 2010 Paola rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

I LOVED THIS BOOK. IT WAS AWESOME. SOME PARTS I DINT LIKE BUT IM LIKE WHATEVER

PLOT:19/20
CREATIVITY:20/20
CHARACTERS:20/20
WRITING:19/20
ENDING:17/20
COVER:10/10

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