Jenn's Review: City of Bones

Summary:  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. . . .

Review:  I have been meaning to get around to reading the Mortal Instruments series for a long time.  I'm glad I finally got to City of Bones and frustrated at the same time. Glad because it's fantastic and I couldn't put it down and frustrated, because I'm going to have to dive right into the next book because, well, I can't put them down!

Cassandra Clare has an easy writing style that continuously catches me by surprise. Maybe it's the ease with which a complicated story flows, or the quirky humor imbued in her characters. I loved all Ms. Clare's characters. Clary may have started the narrative in a position of weakness, but she doesn't throw up her hands and wail, she absorbs knowledge, accepts the challenge, and sets off to defend her family and friends no matter the odds.  I loved wounded Jace, feisty Isabele, protective Alec, and lovesick Simon. 

I love her obscure references and symbolism and I love that she doesn't try to veil it but incorporates it honestly.  It made me see some of the twists coming, but certainly not all of them.  I was still caught by surprise on several points and routing for things to turn out differently.  I actually feel like Ms. Clare wrote herself into a bit of a corner and I can't wait to see how she writes her way out of it.  It's one of the reasons I will be reading City of Ashes next.  Yes, she left things open ended, it was a good stopping place and not a horrendous cliff hanger, but it's the curiosity of where she will go from here that is pulling me into this series.

I have heard tell that Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series is even better than Mortal Instruments so I'm excited that I will have lots more Shadowhunter goodness to go.  However, the time is come to end this review because, well, I've got some reading to do...

Final Take:  5/5

Read an excerpt here.

Listen to an excerpt here.