City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) in Around the World in 80 Books

Sep 04, 2014 Pam rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-fiction

AUTHOR: CLARE, Cassandra
TITLE: CITY OF BONES
DATE READ: 08/29/14
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS YA/2007/Margaret K. McElderry Books/485 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: #1 in series
TIME/PLACE: Present/NY
CHARACTERS: Clary Fray/ teenager; Simon her friend and a band of Shadowhunters including Jace, Isabelle, Alec
FIRST LINES: "You've got to be kidding me," the bouncer said, folding his arms across his massive chest. He stared down at the boy in the red zip-up jacket and shook his shaved head.
AUTHOR: CLARE, Cassandra
TITLE: CITY OF BONES
DATE READ: 08/29/14
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS YA/2007/Margaret K. McElderry Books/485 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: #1 in series
TIME/PLACE: Present/NY
CHARACTERS: Clary Fray/ teenager; Simon her friend and a band of Shadowhunters including Jace, Isabelle, Alec
FIRST LINES: "You've got to be kidding me," the bouncer said, folding his arms across his massive chest. He stared down at the boy in the red zip-up jacket and shook his shaved head.
COMMENTS: I chose this book for several reasons … one I had started it a few times & it just never had the time for it. I saw this listed in a group of YA books classified as Dystopian & thought this was my chance to read it. LOL After reading it my first response is this is not dystopian & why did someone list it as such… oh well. I guess there are so many YA books out right now reflecting the bleakness of the times -- ergo, Dystopian fiction -- that sometimes they are just all jumbled together. In a dystopian novel there is a sense of hopelessness & negativity and overbearing control, loss of individualism, freedom etc. (at least that is the way I see it). I think w/ Urban Fantasy -- there is a belief in a rightness/ justice and a sense of order where Good can overcome Bad. Thus… the Shadowhunters in this book are the warriors fighting the demons w/ a sense that they will w/o a doubt have battles and losses but WILL overcome! This book is the 1st in a series and there are prequels and sequels -- I think I will be going on. I liked the characters, the plotting was imaginative and didn't feel I was in a totally strange world -- that is when I do not like the fantasy books when I feel that disconnect and I am thrown into too strange of another world -- at least here there are very familiar aspects being in NY, etc altho' there are parts that are other-worldly -- this is fine for me as long as the whole thing isn't entirely fabricated. I suppose it shouldn't make a difference but I guess I just need something that I can connect to as a reference to really get my reading rhythm flowing.
In this first book of the The Mortal Instruments we are introduced to Clary Fray an average teenaged girl living w/ her Mom in Brooklyn. She goes to a club, Pandemonium, and starts seeing things/people that mere mortals/mundanes cannot see. She is not aware of anything different about her until now. She is unaware that her mother has hidden from her the true beginnings of her life -- she grew up on Idris -- a world between worlds -- invisible to the mundanes. A world inhabited by Shadowhunters who rid the world of the demons -- werewolves & vampires are not demons but not a mundane being either and one that usually can be used as an ally w/ the Shadowhunters. The mortal instruments consist of a cup, a sword and mirror -- these were tools given by an angel to the order of nephillium (Shadowhunters) to use as tools to make the world right from demons. As this story goes… the focus is on the search for the Mortal Cup. And quite an entertaining and clever romp it is to find the cup. Clary begins to recognize qualities in her that set her apart from the mundane but her mind has been "controlled" and there are certain things blocked off to her that she has no memory of. Her mother wanted to make sure when she departed from Idris pregnant w/ Clary that Clary would grow up mundane and not have to know about the world of demons, etc. However, when Clary's mother is kidnapped…that all changes and Clary has to connect to her true self (nephillium) in order to rescue her mother.
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Jun 07, 2008 Ashley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: youngadultfiction, fantasy, 2008-book-challenge

This was an awesome book. It was full of action, adventure, and mystery. I loved it and would reccommend it to anybody.

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Apr 02, 2012 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, stayed-up-way-too-late, paranormal, angels-and-demons-and-good-and-evil, nyc

from the NPR poll of best Young Adult fiction - I heard a lot about this series, and decided to find out if it's really That Good.

*

This is seriously sooooo fluffy and silly, but yet trying to be Very Serious - it is the ultimate fantasy: teen girl suddenly discovers she has Speshul Powers and is not ordinary, she's a star! people are impressed by her! she can do things she never dreamed of, with no effort! there is magic in the world and she never knew! And hey! she thought she was homely, but s ...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Sara rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, the-worst, 2013

First , I want to say that I won this book in the goodreads giveaway. Yay for free stuff! Second, I am so thankful that I didn't waste money on this miraculously published fanfiction. Had I spent even $2 on this, it would have been too much.

I didn't finish this book to be completely honest. It pains me to admit it because this is one of the few books I've left unfinished. I made it to page 114 before I gave up.

Major problems with the book:

1. The reprehensible similes. It's astounding that someon ...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Erin (NY) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, ya, read-in-2011

I really liked this book. I read not-so-good amazon reviews, that compared it to Twilight, so I was reluctant to pick it up, but I am so glad I did. I liked that this book was not at all predictable. The characters were not flat at all, they all had flaws/quirks, even though overall they were bad. I loved learning about that world. Even though YA paranormal genre is so popular right now, Clare managed to make her world different. I cannot wait to see where she takes the series.

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