EH AND MEH BUT MAYBE I’LL READ THE SEQUEL // CITY OF BONES BY CASSANDRA CLARE

This series clearly has a bit too much hype, and the first book REALLY let me down. But I still have hopes for City of Ashes, because a lot of people say that the series gets a lot better once you’ve pushed through the first two books.

There are funny parts, though! That redeems almost any book from a two-star rating (at least for me). Oh, and the action scenes were on point. 

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder – much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing – not even a smear of blood – to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Format & Pages: Hardcover, 485

Published: March 27th 2007 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Add to Goodreads | Buy on Amazon

COVER REVIEW: Basically the most embarrassing cover ever. “Honey, is that one of those erotic romances?” *awkward pause* “No, Mom, it’s an urban fantasy… no, I swear I’m telling the truth!”

I am not overly attatched to these characters. They’re kind of bland and stereotypical… But some of them can be hilarious!

Clary Fray, the main character, was annoying as f**k. She complained about her body, her looks, her friend, and her mom. She was a spoiled little brat, and I hope that she grows up a bit more in the sequel.

Jace Wayland was… interesting. He’s a bit of an a-hole, so I’m not exactly dying for him, but he’s still very cynical and funny, and I’m always up for that!

Alec and Isabelle Lightwood were really put on the back burner, which I hated, because these two really intrigued me. Isabelle is totally kickass… she’s like the modern-day Celaena. And Alec is the sweetest. God, I want to be best friends with him.

Magnus was THE BOMB, as always. If you want to read more of my fangirling about him, you can read my review of Clockwork Angel, which is the amazing prequel trilogy to this series. As far as I’m concerned, it tops The Mortal Instruments on all accounts.

And Simon and Clary’s mom and Luke… were boring. Simon was a jealous little b**ch though, wasn’t he? Man, I hate him.

I’ve never really dipped my toes into the vast ocean of urban fantasy, but now that I have gone swimming in it, I’m very excited to read more! The whole theme is really badass and intriguing, because you’ve got modern setting and characters, but some reallllly creepy ancient monsters and demons and AWESOMENESS!

This plot really sucked me in, and it was probably my favorite aspect of this book. There were a lot of shocking reveals (most of which I could see coming, but it’s always gratifying, you know?) and there were a lot of creepy and gory action scenes, which means SUCCESS as far as I’m concerned.

To be completely frank, I just didn’t like the writing. I didn’t enjoy it at all. It seemed choppy, and vague, and more than a little… childish? I don’t know, I can’t hit on the exact thing that ticked me off while reading it. The style didn’t sit with me at all.

ψ THE ACTION SCENES WILL SLAY YOU

ψ Creepy monsters

ψ Very interesting backstory

ψ Good political conflicts

ψ Magnus. Bane. *mic drop*

BUT…

ψ Weird writing

ψ Some very annoying characters

ψ Overall let-down from the hype

I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read, but it wasn’t the worst. It’s a solid 3-star story, with some realllly funny scenes. I will probably read the sequel, City of Ashes, and then I’ll feel like it’ll be fair to judge the series as more of a whole.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cassandra Clare’s first professional writing sale was a short story called “The Girl’s Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord” in a Baen anthology of humor fantasy. Cassie hates working at home alone because she always gets distracted by reality TV shows and the antics of her two cats, so she usually sets out to write in local coffee shops and restaurants. She likes to work in the company of her friends, who see that she sticks to her deadlines. City of Bones was her first novel.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? LET US FANGIRL AND RAVE ABOUT MAGNUS BECAUSE HE IS TOO SASSY AND AMAZING TO HANDLE. And also Alec because their little ship is… adorableness.