City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jul 25, 2009 Thenia rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, 2009, paranormal, series, 2013, r-ab

(First read July 23rd 2009)
(Buddy read with Anna - April 13th 2013)

Motivated by the upcoming movie and seeing how I didn't remember the book very well and hadn't written a review the first time I read it, I thought a buddy read would be a good idea.

The story is interesting enough, with a lot of paranormal elements, from Shadowhunters (aka Nephilim) and magic to werewolves and vampires. There's mystery and shocking revelations and some intriguing characters, but there's also a problem. It is focu ...more

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Dec 12, 2010 Logan rated it really liked it

Shelves: borrowed-library, paranormal, young-adult, movie-tv

First impressions: The opening nightclub scene in NYC was fun and intriguing, so I got hooked in right away. I have to admit, however, that the large Stephenie Meyer quote on the front cover of this edition was distracting. I was not a fan of this cover. It doesn't have anything to do with my experience with the book matter, but...duly noted.

Lasting impressions: I was not a big fan of the twist at the end. **SPOILER AHEAD** I didn't want Jace and Clary to be brother/sister. I wanted them to fall First impressions: The opening nightclub scene in NYC was fun and intriguing, so I got hooked in right away. I have to admit, however, that the large Stephenie Meyer quote on the front cover of this edition was distracting. I was not a fan of this cover. It doesn't have anything to do with my experience with the book matter, but...duly noted.

Lasting impressions: I was not a big fan of the twist at the end. **SPOILER AHEAD** I didn't want Jace and Clary to be brother/sister. I wanted them to fall in love! It was Luke and Leia disappointment all over again. Sigh.

Negative impressions: I didn't have major issues with this book. Other than the twist ending and cover, I have no real complaints.

Overall impressions: I really liked this book. From the moment Clary's mom went missing, I was invested in how Clary was going to get her back. Clare does a good job of setting up some tension in the relationship between Clary, her mother and Luke. From the first scene, we know something is up in this world of the Shadowhunters, and with enough tidbits and clues thrown in along the way, we start to piece together the truth about Clary's family. I thought the pacing and flow of information to the reader were handled well.

**SPOILER AHEAD**There is also a nice dose of unrequited love thrown in between Clary and Simon, her best friend. Normally this situation is bungled by writers who can't seem to quite work out how those feelings are discussed among teenagers. Here, I felt Clare had a perfect grasp on what a boy says to his best friend who he happens to love. The scene where this is revealed had spot on dialogue that hit all the right emotions square on the head.

This was a solid book from start to finish, with lots of promise for the rest of the series. I thought Clary was a great protagonist, and her dialogue with Simon and Jace seemed honest and warm. The plot had enough mystery to keep me hooked until the end, and the final battles were well paced. I'm looking forward to the next installment. ...more

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Nov 28, 2011 lia rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-fiction, young-adult

I don't know why but i couldn't relate to this book. Don't know whether because i read the translation or maybe just some bad story line, this is just not a book that i want to continue (but by sheer stupidity i bought it till No 3 in the series and haven't read both of them)

The heroine is just not appealing and the hero which the heroine has a crush on, turns out to be her brother - so bordering on incest there - which i'm afraid not my forte.

The story line itself does not really stand out. T ...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Cheer Papworth rated it liked it

Shelves: ya

I would give this book 3.5 stars. I read the first chapter about 4 times before I could continue. It was worth reading and I enjoyed it, but I would not call it literary genius, just entertaining.

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Dec 06, 2009 Kati rated it liked it

Shelves: ebooks, 2015, in-english, in-czech, queer, urban-fantasy, look-for-more, bromance, shadowhunters

Good idea but the writing... There was something really off about it. It just didn't click for me. It felt... rough, unrefined, almost amateurish. Also, I liked Alec, Isabelle, Magnus Bane and Simon more than Clary and Jace and it irritated me that some of the most interesting parts - like Magnus saving Alec's life - happened off-screen. I wonder if I should get the rest of the books - or just wait for the TV series "Shadowhunters" which looks like an ensemble show, something I would prefer cons ...more

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Jan 05, 2011 Samantha rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 2011, ya

Very action-packed. The sarcasm was funny at points and I'll definitely be continuing with this series. Reading it and then finding out it will be made into a movie makes me wonder how they're going to work their movie-magic for some of this stuff.

Onward to City of Ashes we march!!

Slight peeve yonder……
Did anyone else notice this?
If it's top-secret demon mission to rescue The Very Important Cup, why do they care if anyone's got a driver's license. Jace just finished driving a flying motorcycle, b ...more

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Apr 10, 2009 Marla rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, lgbt, fantasy, new-adult, made-me-laugh, zz-2010, young-adult, with-reservations, series, vampires

3.5 stars. Hyped to be great...maybe I expected too much. It was good, but not to die for. Quick read and lots of action. Dark and edgy, but not too bad for YA.

I thought Jace sounded too moody.

Lots of gay issues and comments.

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