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City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)

Cassandra Clare

Start date: April 1, 2013

Finish date: April 30, 2013

Discussion: Group Read

Why we're reading this: April 2013 Group Read
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What Members Thought

Mar 02, 2013 ♥Booknerdswift♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

OMG! So good! I would read it again, but my mom would be mad for not reading books that I have 2. So good, like I said before. I may not like death, blood, vampires, werewolves, that kind of stuff, but I loved this book.

4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 Angela Blount rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, ya

I wish Goodreads allowed half-stars...if it did, I would have given this one a one and a half. But I decided to round up based on the simple fact that the book is readable, and the writing is okay. Not exceptional or even memorable, but okay. The author kept the tension going well enough to get you through the book.

My most immediate problem came in the form of the main female character, Clary, who I never did manage to care for or sympathize with. Right around chapter 4 I found her too stupid to ...more

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May 24, 2012 Justin rated it it was amazing

I know, I know. I'm extremely late to this series. I had actually meant to start it a long time ago, I just always tended to find something else. Now that I have read the first book though, I am wondering why I had ever decided to pass on it so many times. City of Bones was deeply engrossing, I loved the extremely rich atmosphere of the scenes/settings. The dark vibe was also really fun, it added a great layer to the story. I was somewhat afraid that it would be more toned down, but I was really I know, I know. I'm extremely late to this series. I had actually meant to start it a long time ago, I just always tended to find something else. Now that I have read the first book though, I am wondering why I had ever decided to pass on it so many times. City of Bones was deeply engrossing, I loved the extremely rich atmosphere of the scenes/settings. The dark vibe was also really fun, it added a great layer to the story. I was somewhat afraid that it would be more toned down, but I was really impressed with how dark some of it actually was.

I had a minor issue with the story, it starts out really great though. Early on you start learning a lot about the characters, and the different situations going on but towards the middle of the book I felt like Cassandra just added some filler scenes that I don't really feel was needed. There was nothing really specific that comes to mind, I just remember getting bored at certain parts because I felt like a scene was just tossed in for the sake of it and really didn't have any role in the story. Most of those scenes were good though, just wish the flow of the story would of went a little better in the middle of the book. Luckily things really seemed to get back on track towards the end, some of the major plot lines were picked back up and I was able to get several of the answers I was wanting.

I'm not going to go into a huge discussion on the characters, as I feel like talking to deeply about it could ruin the feel of this book and I want people to enjoy it. I will say though that Cassandra did an amazing job creating her characters. Both the good and bad ones where written very well, and I found myself really wanting to know their stories and how they came to be in certain situations. I feel like things are really going to pick up in the character department in book two though, especially after some of the bombshells at the end. I am excited to see what happens to them all, and to meet any new characters there might be.

The ending was fantastic, it left you with a thirst for the next book but I didn't really see it as much of a cliffhanger or anything. Luckily it will be easy just to pick up book two and not have to worry about any of that, I guess that is one of the awesome benefits of waiting so long to start a series because most of the books in the series are already out.

I can't wait to read the rest of this series though, I plan to pick up a copy of book two soon and just really look forward to jumping back into this insanely rich world that Cassandra has created. If you're like I was, and haven't started this series yet I would highly recommend adding it to your summer reading list. It would be an awesome use of time. ...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Renuka rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure, action, cliff-hangers, owned, romance, young-adult, fantasy, paranormal, thriller, magic

I just reread this in perfect time for the movie and I couldn't be happier. What astounded me while reading this was the amount of planning that went into it. As I was reading, I realized how perfectly the other books meshed in with this one, and even the prequel Infernal Devices fits into the world just perfectly. That must have taken a lot of careful planning and forethought.

I just enjoyed it, a LOT. The characters are all incredibly amusing: Jace and Clary constantly bickering; Simon, plain a ...more

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Jan 12, 2012 📖 Yazzie 📚 rated it liked it

this book was fairly good. a friend recommended it to me and after enough pestering i gave in. I was expecting more, considering how highly she spoke of the book. i was a bit disappointed, and maybe thats why i down graded it. My hopes for this books were too high.
I did like that the book incorporated several different mythological creatures (Vampire, werewolves, witches etc). but it was short lived since i didn't like them much.

Clary Gray was a normalish girl who turned out to be a shadow hunte ...more

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May 17, 2011 Kayla rated it really liked it

I waited quite a while before finally reading City of Bones. I'm not one who likes to hop into the hype of books when they're really big and join the squealing band wagon of fans. I hang back and wait for the love and band wagon of fans to calm down and empty a bit before I read the book. That's what I did with the first book and I admit, I wished I would've read it earlier, but I'm not disappointed. I loved City of Bones, it was incredible.

I first heard about City of Bones while I was reading V ...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Sarah added it

Absolutely amazing. It's not often that you find a book that ties together so many supernatural creatures so well. Also, the plot twists are something of a rarity: you don't expect them at all. ...more

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