City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) in Book Buying Addicts Anonymous

Feb 21, 2009 Mare S rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy-scifi, youngadult

Okay, this is a hard review to do because I'm trying very hard not to pull from what I know about the author pre-reading this book.

I will start out saying that the book has an interestng plot. The action starts out right away and keeps building, so there aren't a lot of non-essential scenes just for the sake of writing. It kept me entertained and I plan to read the next in the series.

However, I did have some issues with the story.

The writing wasn't spectacular, but there are a lot of good story ...more

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Nov 03, 2009 Lisa Lap rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, paranormal, 2011-books-read

Book One in the Mortal Instruments series. Fifteen year old Clary is a Shadowhunter, but she has no idea that the things she is starting to see are actually hidden to the sight of the rest of the human race. She can see angels, demons, and many other lorekind creatures. Her mother, a Shadowhunter herself, has chosen to have Clary routinely subjected to a blocking spell to prevent her from seeing this other side of life in order to protect her. Unfortunately, Clary's mother's past has finally cau Book One in the Mortal Instruments series. Fifteen year old Clary is a Shadowhunter, but she has no idea that the things she is starting to see are actually hidden to the sight of the rest of the human race. She can see angels, demons, and many other lorekind creatures. Her mother, a Shadowhunter herself, has chosen to have Clary routinely subjected to a blocking spell to prevent her from seeing this other side of life in order to protect her. Unfortunately, Clary's mother's past has finally caught up to her and Clary finds herself smack dab in the middle of a war between worlds. What starts out as an innocent night out with her best friend, Simon, turns into a revelation for Clary as she realizes that everything is not as it seems including who she really is. Suddenly thrust into an almost alternate reality that includes fighting demons, escaping from vampires, and evading capture by werewolves - Clary finds herself aligned with a trio of strange teenagers who thrive on battle and sarcastic comebacks. The trio of teenagers help Clary understand what's happening to her and also help her try and find a way to save her mother who has vanished admist a violent struggle. This story is packed with twists, turns, romantic triangle possibilties, and of course shocking betrayals. This story also ends with quite the cliffhanger, and definitely leaves you with a hunger to fine out what happens next.

I have actually owned this book for quite a while and only recently decided to pick it up and give it a try. I've seen quite a few people gush over this series, but every time I tried to start the first chapter I couldn't get into it. Finally, I decided to suck it up and get past the first chapter or two. I'm glad I did. After the first few chapters, I found myself enjoying the story even in its vagueness. I have always had a fascination with the spiritual realm and the constant epic battle between angels and demons. The idea of the Nephilium (also known as Shadowhunters)living and walking among us as a type of invisible superhero is intriguing, and Clary not knowing why she can suddenly see these things that have alwasy been invsible to her is a teasing mystery. As the story continues, the reader begins to feel torn between the quest to find Clary's mother and the Mortal Cup (which is a Mortal Instrument sought by many), and the budding romantic triangle between Clary, Jace, and Simon. The reader and the other characters in the story can all see Simon's love for Clary, but Clary is cluelss to Simon's feelings. Jace, an irritating and sarcastic companion, also has strange feelings for Clary. He doesn't understand why he seems to care about this human (also know as Mundane or "mundie") girl, but he feels drawn to her in a way that prevents him from keeping his head on straight at a time when it can be fatal to be distracted.

The twist at the end threw me a bit, even as I saw it coming. I'm not sure I like that development, but I will continue with the series and the adventures it presents.

~Lisa

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Jun 27, 2008 amber rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paranorm-fantasy-scifi, ya

I avoided this book for a long time because of all the negative reviews and comparisons to Buffy fanfic. A friend gave it to me to borrow so I started reading hesitantly and with low expectations. It took me awhile to get a feel for her world but once I did I was sucked in! I thought this was a really entertaining book! I can't wait to get started on City of Ashes. ...more

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Aug 16, 2008 Elaine rated it really liked it

Shelves: august, 2008

I didn't really care for the first 11 chapters, but once past that point the book moved rather quickly for me. The fore-shadowing was fairly heavy handed so I wasn't much surprised by the "big plot twist" but I still enjoyed the story enough to give the next installment in the series a shot. ...more

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Dec 25, 2012 hh rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, reread, sff, ya, 2012, 2024

totally addicting. nothing earth-shattering in terms of plot, but great characters in a compelling world. this has all the charisma that i couldn't find in the his dark materials series. this is fluff, but fun. ...more

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