City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Jun 21, 2011 Sierra rated it it was amazing

City of Bones was... not what I expected it to be. I mean that in the best way possible!

It started out with Clary, Clarissa and her best friend going to a club. Well, technically, in the beginning, the story was told how the demon was caught. Which was pretty interesting, and then it went to be about Clary. I'm not a big fan of third point-of-views, but I had to give it a try. First point-of-views are way better in my opinion. The author switched a couple of times to put more emphasis on anothe City of Bones was... not what I expected it to be. I mean that in the best way possible!

It started out with Clary, Clarissa and her best friend going to a club. Well, technically, in the beginning, the story was told how the demon was caught. Which was pretty interesting, and then it went to be about Clary. I'm not a big fan of third point-of-views, but I had to give it a try. First point-of-views are way better in my opinion. The author switched a couple of times to put more emphasis on another character, which was understanding. Cassandra has a nice writing style; most times when people go on and on about one certain thing for more than two paragraphs, I'll skim through it. I didn't this time. Something about the writing kept me intrigued and my eyes glued to the page. I read from page 120 to the end {485} in one day. It's a shocker, but I couldn't take my eyes off the page. I give a cheer to Cassandra for that.

Now, the part I have been waiting to gush about. Clary and Jace. I love them with a passion. My new favorite people in the world. They are just so... Clary is such a... Jace is such a... I can barely think of the words to fill those sentences. Jace is by far my favorite fictional crush. His attitude and sarcasm make him even better. When he was first introduced, I thought he was hilarious, and he never failed me since. He's one of the self-centered guys, but I still love him. I never knew there could be a guy that uses that much wit and can still be insanely attractive. Jace proved me wrong. Clary is funny as well. She has her naive moments, but I would too if I was told everything that she was told. And, I can not forget about Simon! He's my second fictional crush, right behind Jace. Simon is so cute! He's the kind of guy I would love to hang out with. He, like Jace, had loads of funny moments. Especially since Simon hates Jace, they had their retorts.

I give this book a 4.6, only because I felt that it didn't need to be that long. 485 pages? Not worth it. I love reading huge books, but they have to have a purpose. The whole story on took place for about five days. Do you see the point I'm trying to make? A book doesn't need to be almost 500 pages if it takes place for about five days. It'd be a different story (no pun intended) if it took place over a month or two, but not around a week!

Other than that, I recommend this book. It's a great first start. Obviously from my stated opinion, it's not fast-paced. But it did leave me with my jaw dropped a couple of times. I can't wait until I get my hands on the second book. ...more

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Sep 29, 2010 Stacey (sassysreadingnook) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: re-reads

Wow this book was amazing! It took me into a world full of adventure, danger and passion. The characters you just fall in love with. Clary is just a strong and amazing character. Jace is just every woman's bad boy dream man. I gave this book 5 stars because from the first page i was hooked! I would recommend this book to everyone i know. LOVED IT!!

**Loved it even more the 3rd time I've read it! ...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Cesya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I absolutely loved this!!! I really wasn't expecting the whole Jace/Clary situation but I'm keeping my mouth shut so I don't spoil it for others. Can't wait to see this book come to life on the big screen!! ...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Brandy rated it really liked it

This is a very good YA Book, and by YA anyone from 11 on up would enjoy it. It is well written and keeps you guessing. It can be a bit slow in places but I think that it is because I am not a YA. There is also a slight amount of romance in the book BUT it is kept very tasteful and I found nothing offensive in the situations. I don't always let my girls read the YA books I read because I don't feel that the content is for a young person but I WOULD LET THEM READ THIS. If you are into demons, vamp ...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Jesi rated it it was amazing

While at an all-ages club with her best friend Simon, sixteen year old Clary stumbles upon three tattooed teenagers murdering another teen and finds herself mixed up in the world of Shadowhunters, Nephilim who are charged with ridding the earth of demons and other dark creatures. The fact that Clary can see them at all is a signal that she is no ordinary human girl. When Clary’s mother goes missing, it is the Shadowhunters who take her under their wing and teach her about her mother’s past. She While at an all-ages club with her best friend Simon, sixteen year old Clary stumbles upon three tattooed teenagers murdering another teen and finds herself mixed up in the world of Shadowhunters, Nephilim who are charged with ridding the earth of demons and other dark creatures. The fact that Clary can see them at all is a signal that she is no ordinary human girl. When Clary’s mother goes missing, it is the Shadowhunters who take her under their wing and teach her about her mother’s past. She learns that her mother was taken by an evil rogue Shadowhunter, Valentine, because she knows where the precious Mortal Cup is. But Clary’s mother isn’t the only one who knows where the cup is…with the help of a warlock’s magic, her mother buried clues into her memory. Clary and her Shadowhunter friends fight to reach it before Valentine does.

My favorite part of this book was the snappy dialogue. Jace and Clary both wield sarcasm like swords. I really hope that if they ever make a movie of this series that they will use Cassie Clare’s actual lines and allow her to have a hand in writing the script.

The world that Clare has created here is fun, scary and full of wonder. Her descriptions of fairies, vampires, werewolves, warlocks and Nephilim existing in the modern world around us, made me long for it to be real. I also love that her nasty Valentine character is so calm and psychotic. The way he can justify and turn things around in ways to influence people into thinking he is right is almost scarier than a typical villain.

There is also a love triangle which starts out typical, but ends up being really interesting. Clary & Simon have been best friends since they were kids. It is obvious that he is completely infatuated with her and she has no idea. (There are actually several examples of unrequited love in this book.) When the incredibly hot Shadowhunter, Jace, enters the picture, it’s clear pretty quickly that Clary’s heart lies in another direction, putting her in between the two guys who don’t care for each other. Jace has an exterior that is tough as leather. Even thought you know that Clary is getting to him, he is not quick to relinquish his hold on his emotions. He flat out tells her that love makes people weak, something that a Shadowhunter cannot afford to be. No spoilers here or anything ,but there is a plot twist at the end of this book that completely broke my heart. Can’t wait to read the next book!

Overall, I give City of Bones…

Plot – 4 ½ bookmarks
Character Development – 4 bookmarks
World Building – 4 ½ bookmarks
Love Story – 3 ½ bookmarks, but I think it will get more interesting in the coming books)

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Rachel Hurd-Wood (Clary), Alex Pettyfer (Jace), Luke Pasqualino (Simon), Zac Efron (Alec), Christopher Backus (Magnus Bane), Christian Serratos (Isabelle) ...more

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