For a very long time (since it came out in 2007), I have wanted to read this book. First of all, the cover is sexy and alluring (see for yourself), secondly, it was on the New York Times Bestseller list, and third, I knew it had a supernatural element to it, which is my “thing.”
City of Bones is the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy. The book opens with a mysterious scene where we meet fifteen-year-old Clary Fray, a redheaded girl who does not listen to anybody but herself. She is at Club Pandemonium in New York City with her best guy friend Simon when she witnesses something suspicious: a teenage boy is being lured into a back room by a seductive girl. The part that gets Clary’s attention is the two other teenage boys who are secretly following them. But when she goes to investigate (while Simon goes to get the police of course), she discovers that a world exists outside of human reality. The teenage boy who Clary thought was in danger is actually a demon and is “murdered” right before her eyes. The body disappears into the ground with no evidence left for the police or anyone else to discover. The three remaining people in the room are shocked to realize that Clary can see them because normally “mundanes” or normal humans cannot see their kind unless they want them to. These three call themselves Shadowhunters, which we find out later are a subgroup of humans who kill demons.
Subsequently, Clary gets home late from Pandemonium that night and her mother, Jocelyn, gets deeply angry. She drops the bomb on Clary that they are moving away from the city with her mom’s friend Luke to live in his farmhouse in upstate New York. Clary freaks out because she does not want to leave her life in NYC. She has friends, school, and summer art classes that she wants to attend. To spite her mother, she runs off with Simon to hang out in the city.
The plot quickly picks up when Clary’s mom suddenly disappears. Clary comes home to find the apartment destroyed and a multi-legged, fang teethed, drooling monster waiting for her. She has to fight the monster off, but narrowly escapes death thanks in part to her own quick thinking and one of the Shadowhunter teenagers from the club, Jace, who drags her unconscious body back to the Institute.
The best part about this book is the characters. Each one has a story including Isabelle (the seductive girl from the club), and Isabelle’s older brother Alec (other teenage boy from the club). Hodge, the fatherly librarian with a mysterious past, reminded me very much of Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which always makes me smile. Another great character is the big bad Valentine who is searching for what is known at the Mortal Cup. He will do anything to get it, which makes him delightfully evil. Magnus Bane is a leather pants and eye liner wearing warlock who has a huge hand in the deception that has surrounded Clary her entire life. And of course there is Jace, the love interest of Clary, er, at least that is what we think!
There are many twists and turns in this story that have to do with fathers, mothers, siblings, wolves, vampires, warlocks, portals, and a mortal cup. These secrets keep you reading. The best storyline, however, is in the third part of the book in a chapter called "The Werewolf’s Tale". I was getting bored with the plot right before this chapter, but then I was revitalized by the mysteries that were revealed.
Cassandra Clare has been criticized for borrowing heavily from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Wars, which I will say I do see the similarities…they are certainly hard to miss. Many people are put off by these likenesses and claim this author completely ripped off Star Wars plot lines and many Buffy characters. The resemblances do not bother me because I think it is hard to have a completely and totally original idea that is not somehow inspired by things we have read, seen, or done in our lives. I do not fault Cassandra Clare for that. However, this is not one of my favorite books; I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. I do know students who have read this book and love it, but it just wasn’t for me. I won’t be reading the rest of the trilogy, City of Ashes and City of Glass.
City of Bones is the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy. The book opens with a mysterious scene where we meet fifteen-year-old Clary Fray, a redheaded girl who does not listen to anybody but herself. She is at Club Pandemonium in New York City with her best guy friend Simon when she witnesses something suspicious: a teenage boy is being lured into a back room by a seductive girl. The part that gets Clary’s attention is the two other teenage boys who are secretly following them. But when she goes to investigate (while Simon goes to get the police of course), she discovers that a world exists outside of human reality. The teenage boy who Clary thought was in danger is actually a demon and is “murdered” right before her eyes. The body disappears into the ground with no evidence left for the police or anyone else to discover. The three remaining people in the room are shocked to realize that Clary can see them because normally “mundanes” or normal humans cannot see their kind unless they want them to. These three call themselves Shadowhunters, which we find out later are a subgroup of humans who kill demons.
Subsequently, Clary gets home late from Pandemonium that night and her mother, Jocelyn, gets deeply angry. She drops the bomb on Clary that they are moving away from the city with her mom’s friend Luke to live in his farmhouse in upstate New York. Clary freaks out because she does not want to leave her life in NYC. She has friends, school, and summer art classes that she wants to attend. To spite her mother, she runs off with Simon to hang out in the city.
The plot quickly picks up when Clary’s mom suddenly disappears. Clary comes home to find the apartment destroyed and a multi-legged, fang teethed, drooling monster waiting for her. She has to fight the monster off, but narrowly escapes death thanks in part to her own quick thinking and one of the Shadowhunter teenagers from the club, Jace, who drags her unconscious body back to the Institute.
The best part about this book is the characters. Each one has a story including Isabelle (the seductive girl from the club), and Isabelle’s older brother Alec (other teenage boy from the club). Hodge, the fatherly librarian with a mysterious past, reminded me very much of Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which always makes me smile. Another great character is the big bad Valentine who is searching for what is known at the Mortal Cup. He will do anything to get it, which makes him delightfully evil. Magnus Bane is a leather pants and eye liner wearing warlock who has a huge hand in the deception that has surrounded Clary her entire life. And of course there is Jace, the love interest of Clary, er, at least that is what we think!
There are many twists and turns in this story that have to do with fathers, mothers, siblings, wolves, vampires, warlocks, portals, and a mortal cup. These secrets keep you reading. The best storyline, however, is in the third part of the book in a chapter called "The Werewolf’s Tale". I was getting bored with the plot right before this chapter, but then I was revitalized by the mysteries that were revealed.
Cassandra Clare has been criticized for borrowing heavily from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Wars, which I will say I do see the similarities…they are certainly hard to miss. Many people are put off by these likenesses and claim this author completely ripped off Star Wars plot lines and many Buffy characters. The resemblances do not bother me because I think it is hard to have a completely and totally original idea that is not somehow inspired by things we have read, seen, or done in our lives. I do not fault Cassandra Clare for that. However, this is not one of my favorite books; I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. I do know students who have read this book and love it, but it just wasn’t for me. I won’t be reading the rest of the trilogy, City of Ashes and City of Glass.
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