City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) in Multiculturalism in YA,Fantasy, Sci FI,Paranormal and fun books ;p

May 09, 2010 Karla rated it it was ok

Meh.

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Aug 26, 2011 La-Tessa Montgomery rated it really liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, young-adult

**rating 4.5**

I just finished reading the first 2 books in the Infernal Devices series. Since book 3 is not out yet, I figured it was time to start on The Mortal Instruments series. I will say, you do not have to read The Infernal Devices to be able to follow this series, but it makes it more intriguing when you see familiar surnames and all you can do is wonder at their lineage. I really can't wait for book 3 to come out, but I digress... :-) On the The City of Bones.

Really enjoyed this story. ...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Sasha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy

It’s been quite a while since I’ve found a YA series that has been as utterly and completely immersive as The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. At the time I’m writing this review, I’m currently reading the fifth (and most recently published) book in the series and I just started the series less than a week ago. What can I say? I get it. I totally get the hype about this series, and why people are in love with it (and Jace! We’ll get to him, too).

When Clary Fray witnesses the murder of a bo It’s been quite a while since I’ve found a YA series that has been as utterly and completely immersive as The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. At the time I’m writing this review, I’m currently reading the fifth (and most recently published) book in the series and I just started the series less than a week ago. What can I say? I get it. I totally get the hype about this series, and why people are in love with it (and Jace! We’ll get to him, too).

When Clary Fray witnesses the murder of a boy by three young teens, she cannot believe her eyes. Never mind that she seems to be the only one who can see them in the first place, or the fact that these three teens are strangely tattooed and seem to not quite be human. When that same otherworldly danger comes breaking down her home and attacking the only life she’s known, Clary is unwilling thrust into the world of the Shadowhunters, an elite clan of warriors who protect the “mundane” world from the likes of demons and rogue Downworlders, like vampires and werewolves.

Set in New York, City of Bones has the perfect backdrop for an exciting urban fantasy. While werewolves and vampires are overdone these days, there’s something that I still find so interesting about the concept of angels vs. demons. The Shadowhunters are fascinating, and certain themes echo a bit of Supernatural , one of my favorite television shows, so it was familiar territory for me to read about. Clare’s prose is sharp and witty, full of vivid descriptions and snappy dialogue. She also has a talent for writing action and fight scenes so deftly described that I could easily visualize it. I also liked that the story didn’t shy away from mature themes like violence and the subject of sex—as an older reader, it was nice to read a YA book that didn’t censor itself.

Clary was a great heroine, really managing to come into her own over the course of the book. I absolutely adored Simon, her best friend. And I was worried before starting the book that I would dislike Jace, due to the descriptions I had gotten of him, but to my complete surprise, it was the exact opposite. He was funny and sarcastic, and of course completely full of himself, but never once did I get the impression that he genuinely thought that he was better than everyone else—it was just an act, which ingratiated him to me. I really liked how he acted around Clary. The only character who annoyed me a bit was Isabelle, simply because she came off as shallow and haughty, two characteristics that I have absolutely no patience for. The villain of the story was also pitch-perfect—he was scary, seductive, and cunning.

I found City of Bones to be a refreshing, pulse-pounding dive into YA urban fantasy. The characters were likeable, and the world that Ms. Clare has created for this series is phenomenal and needs to be fully explored in the upcoming books. I’m extremely glad that I sucked it up and began reading The Mortal Instruments at long last—the only problem is now, I can’t put them down!
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Jan 28, 2011 Andrea Jackson rated it it was ok

Shelves: book-in-series, pnr-fantasy, fiction-young-adult, children

This is SO not what I was expecting. I thought it would be edgy and intense. Instead it struck me as sappy. I realize this is partly because I'm not really into YA but I sometimes get into them. This one I could not get past the first couple of pages. ...more

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