City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) in Shut Up & Read

Oct 11, 2018 Carrie rated it really liked it

Shelves: mgr, young-adult, vampire, werewolves, supernatural, demons, angels

Review to come

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Jan 23, 2017 Chad rated it liked it · review of another edition

Writing this review is surprisingly more difficult than I expected it to be. I think that is the way it goes when you find a book to be squarely in the middle ground. I didn’t love it. I didn’t abhor it. I liked it. It was a mostly pleasant experience.

For the sake of full disclosure, I have tried to read City of Bones a couple times before and have failed. Each time I would get probably fewer than 100 pages in and be bored; so, I would move on. What changed, you may ask? Shadowhunters, the TV sh Writing this review is surprisingly more difficult than I expected it to be. I think that is the way it goes when you find a book to be squarely in the middle ground. I didn’t love it. I didn’t abhor it. I liked it. It was a mostly pleasant experience.

For the sake of full disclosure, I have tried to read City of Bones a couple times before and have failed. Each time I would get probably fewer than 100 pages in and be bored; so, I would move on. What changed, you may ask? Shadowhunters, the TV show – that’s what.

Shadowhunters is not what I would call good television, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t suck me in. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. This might have something to do with the pretty boys… Malec, anyone?! I’m a bit shallow in this respect; get over it.

Shadowhunters does a poor job of explaining the stories behind the world that Clare has created; instead it focuses on the action. This book – to a great extent – does exactly the opposite, until the action-packed conclusion. I’m okay with this. I typically greatly enjoy books that focus on extensive world building, sometimes with little to no action. My previous attempts at reading this book just didn’t get me to that level of enjoyment. Maybe I was more engaged this time because I was looking for answers to the questions that the TV show leaves as gaping holes? I don’t know.

While I went into this first book in the series expecting a few differences from what I saw in the first season of the TV show, I was really thrown off guard by how vastly different it was. Sure, the names are the same, the world the characters inhabit is mostly the same, the overarching plot is strikingly similar, but otherwise they feel like completely separate entities. The one sure thing that I think ties the two together is that they weave a story around the same them of unrequited love and the stupid things we do because of it. I think that this quote from the book really sums it up well:

“Where there is feeling that is not requited,” said Hodge, “there is an imbalance of power. It is an imbalance that is easy to exploit, but it is not a wise course. Where there is love, there is often also hate. They can exist side by side.”

I’m not going to say that this book did anything wholly original, but I did somehow still come away from it having derived some tangible enjoyment out of its reading. If you’re going to read City of Bones, just be prepared for whiny. Clary was just so whiny… To be fair, Shadowhunters did a great job of nailing this characteristic.

Despite the fairly average experience that I had with this book, I’m still pretty hooked. I’m not sure if it is because of the book itself or the TV show, though. Either way, I’m going to forge ahead with this series over the coming year. I’ve heard tell that the series gets better as it gets further along and I’ve enjoyed the first book enough to give the series a chance. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed about the possibility of being able to witness Clare’s growth as a writer as I work my way through the series. ...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Yzabel Ginsberg rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal-supernatural

As weird as it may seem, before reading this book, I had no idea who Cassandra Clare was, nor about her ties with the Harry Potter fandom. One of the first things I thought when reading the first chapters was that I could feel a strong HP influence in it, probably too strong (even in the family names: Lightwood/Rookwood). The whole Circle thing reminded me of the Death Eaters, Jace was enough of a blond jackass to smack of Draco, Simon might just have well have been Ron... I won't list other par As weird as it may seem, before reading this book, I had no idea who Cassandra Clare was, nor about her ties with the Harry Potter fandom. One of the first things I thought when reading the first chapters was that I could feel a strong HP influence in it, probably too strong (even in the family names: Lightwood/Rookwood). The whole Circle thing reminded me of the Death Eaters, Jace was enough of a blond jackass to smack of Draco, Simon might just have well have been Ron... I won't list other parallels I drew, since they'd be spoilers, but I felt them nonetheless. This, I must said, irked me a little: not that I dislike J.K. Rowling's series (on the contrary!), just because at first it seemed, well, too much like fanfiction turned into original fiction at the last moment. This sometimes detracted me from the story's intrinsic values, and it was too bad (probably, also, what partly explains why I'm not giving it a higher grade).

On the other hand, I still managed to enjoy "City of Bones" in the end, so there are clearly good things about it.

The story is pretty much built along traditional plot lines, that anyone familiar with Campbell's "journey of the Hero" will likely recognize, because they're as old as humanity itself. Some may be bothered by this, some may like it, some may not care. As far as I'm concerned, as long as it works in terms of storytelling, I enjoy that. And it worked here, so it's all good for me, even though it makes it a little easier to predict where things are going (for instance, "J.C.": alright, who couldn't see at least that one coming?). It also worked in HP, by the way. It's not something that prevents me from enjoying a piece of writing. I found many interesting things in the novel as a whole, such as the beginning scene (among other things: the killers that nobody but Clary can't see; the Shadowhunters who're clearly not such nice guys; where all the non-human originate from). All in all, it was an entertaining read, meaning I didn't have to think too much, wanted to see the plot progress, kept turning the pages, and thought at the end: "OK, I kind of what to pick up the second book."

Oh yes, I forgot to mention the author's writing itself, which I found good enough, even though she sometimes makes use of weird similes. ften the dialogues made me smile or even chuckle, and it was pleasant. (Yes, there were lighter moments in the darker plot; those are never a bad thing, in my opinion.)

Unfortunately, I was less than thrilled about the characters, whose main flaw was that they lacked substance. They're likeable in their own ways, but didn't feel 'present' enough throughout the story—as if the substance was here, underneath, but not fleshed out enough. I don't think it has to do with the fact that they pretty much fit archetypes that are often seen in YA novels or TV series in general—I'm convinced that archetypes, if made deep enough, can be very interesting. It's just that they struck me as bland at times. Jace often came too much as a jackass (oh, boy, you're not as witty as you think you are, and no, you're clearly not more witty than Simon, and putting him down all the time won't make you appear more badasse). Isabelle seemed too cookie-cutter. Alec would've deserved more attention. Clary was a nice girl, but didn't stand out more than the supporting characters (and I kept on wanting to smack her head because she was so blind to what was so evident from the beginning). Poor Simon was really played for the resident butt-monkey, when he'd deserve to be treated better. I think I liked Magnus Bane best; too bad he got only minimal screen time.

All in all, this novel was enjoyable. I'm quite tempted to go on reading "The Mortal Instruments", or at least the next installment, because there *is* room for improvement, and it may very well still happen. In spite of what I didn't like in it, it isn't enough to drive me off the series. ...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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For more book reviews, visit my blog The Bookshelf! ...more

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May 11, 2012 Jessica Payne rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult-read

City of Bones, Book I in The Mortal Instrument Series by Cassandra Clare, is the story of Clary Fray and her journey into the world of Downworlders, Shadowhunters, Demons, Werewolves, Vampires, Faeries, Witches, Warlocks, and…well, you get the idea. Clary’s life starts to change when she sees three teenagers, Jace, Alec and Isabel, murder a demon in the nightclub Pandemonium. Clary, a mundane (or muggle, if we’re using Harry Potter lingo), shouldn’t be able to see these Shadowhunter teens – but City of Bones, Book I in The Mortal Instrument Series by Cassandra Clare, is the story of Clary Fray and her journey into the world of Downworlders, Shadowhunters, Demons, Werewolves, Vampires, Faeries, Witches, Warlocks, and…well, you get the idea. Clary’s life starts to change when she sees three teenagers, Jace, Alec and Isabel, murder a demon in the nightclub Pandemonium. Clary, a mundane (or muggle, if we’re using Harry Potter lingo), shouldn’t be able to see these Shadowhunter teens – but she can, which indicates that she is more than just an ordinary mundane. The trouble begins when Clary’s mother disappears, taken by an evil Shadowhunter named Valentine who is after a very important and powerful magical instrument called the Mortal Cup. The Mortal Cup has been expertly hidden by Clary’s mother, who turns out to be a retired Shadowhunter once married to Valentine. Clary, along with, Jace, Alec and Isabel, endeavor to stop Valentine and retrieve the Mortal Cup before it falls into the wrong hands.

Okay, I’m cutting right to the chase today. I had a really, really, really hard time getting into this book. It’s almost 500 pages in length (eek!), which wasn’t initially a turn off (I mean, I’ve burned through more Harry Potter pages than that in one night), but as I slogged through the book, it became a major bummer. There’s a lot of “go here and get attacked by this monster, go here and get attacked by some other weird thing, and yet one more place and attacked by something else” – and so on. At about page 200, I was kinda bored and I wasn’t even sure I could finish. That being said, I am glad I finished the book. The last hundred pages or so were probably the most interesting , and I’m not saying it made the other 400 pages worth it, but there was at least some kind of reader’s gratification at the end.

I also need to preface my review by saying I’m not really into demons and faeries and all that jazz, so I may be a little jaded. I picked up this book because I was trying to branch out from my usual dystopian stuff – and because of the hot bodded muscle-laden guy with runes all over him on the cover (sorry, sometimes I do judge a book by its cover). And if you’re thinking of branching out too, I might try a different series, although there were several things that I did find appealing about City of Bones. Clary was a compelling and identifiable character and I found Jace to be somewhat of a literary hottie. There were some imaginative moments, like the Shadowhunters having runes burned into their skin to protect them, the way the werewolves and vampires were portrayed in the book (very un-Twilight-ish), and how the Mortal Cup was actually retrieved (I won’t give you the details, since I found that to be one of the more creative moments in the book). There was also some fun and witty banter between characters that I found amusing.
Overall, I didn’t hate the book, but if given the chance, I probably wouldn’t read it again. So, my suggestion, read at your own risk.
...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bought

This series was recommended to me by several people, so I already had it in mind that it was going to be good. Though the story was interesting from the start, sometimes I think Clare's snappy comebacks between Clary and Jace got in the way of telling that story. The writing definite picked up about midway through the book and by the end she had me simultaneously angry, intrigued, and wanting the next book immediately. The last 100 pages definitely earned those 5 stars for me! ...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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Apr 10, 2009 Marla rated it liked it

Shelves: paranormal, overrated, with-reservations, romance, demons, series, vampires, made-me-laugh, fantasy, young-adult

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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