This is a spoiler free review!
City of Bones
Written by Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal/Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: March 27, 2015
Pages: 485
Source: Bought
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository
Recommended Age: 13 and up!
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...
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.
Review:
I loved this book as you will be able to tell from my rating! I put off reading this book for at least four years because I thought it would be stupid. And now I realize how wrong I was.
This is a mix of fantasy, paranormal and supernatural.
COVER
Well, I really dislike the first cover which is why I put the new version of the cover here because it is so much better.
WORLD-BUILDING
The world-building was done fantastically well. Except for the fact that at one point I felt like it was an information overload but besides that, the information was wonderful.
Then there are the characters.
CLARY
We first meet Clary Fray when she is going to the Pandemonium club with her best friend Simon. Clary wasn’t the best female protagonist but I loved her all the same. She was strong on the inside but took a while to get used to the shadowhunters world and life.
JACE
Jace is so rude and cold-hearted. He seems to have family issues and he takes it out on others like Clary who clearly don’t deserve it. At the beginning I really disliked him but he starts to grow on you. He’s sarcastic and apparently really attractive which is a plus.
ALEC
I’m really annoyed at the fact that he didn’t get a better role in this as apparently he gets a bigger role in the TV show. But I really liked him anyways.
SIMON
Okay. So Simon was clearly the best friend who was in love with his best friend but was obviously still in the friend-zone. Phew! That was a mouthful but it was so true and no it really isn’t a spoiler. Simon got a pretty large role in this book due to several things happening to him and Clary and Jace having to um ‘save’ him. He was often ignored and I felt bad for him a lot but he might get a better role in the next book so I’m happy.
ISABELLE
Isabelle was a wonderful character despite the fact that she was also not on as much as I liked. Despite being gorgeous, she has a much deeper personality and isn’t as rude as she seems.
MAGNUS
Seriously, this guy should have been in the book much more. He’s hilarious and has such a personality.
ROMANCE
The romance between the two main characters wasn’t insta-lovey but it also didn’t take up the whole plot of the story which made me really happy. That’s one of things that really irritates me. I don’t like romance that takes up the whole plot of a book or tv show or movie.
WRITING
The dialogue is hilarious and the whole book is just really funny which made me really like it. I loved some of Jace’s lines as he was super sarcastic and hilarious.
Final Thoughts:
This book was really good. I loved the action, dialogue and banter between characters. The romance was cute and didn’t take up the whole book which impressed me. The characters were also wonderful. I recommend this book to everyone.
Quotes from the Book:
“Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?'
Jace said, "Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself."
..."At least," she said, "you don't have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland."
"Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.”
“Sarcasm is the last refuge of the imaginatively bankrupt.”
“The meek may inherit the earth, but at the moment it belongs to the conceited. Like me.”
“I figured all your classes were stuff like Slaughter 101 and Beheading for Beginners."
Jace flipped a page. "Very funny, Fray.”
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns