I started out really enjoying City of Bones. Unfortunately, when I was about halfway through I realized how similar the storyline and characters are to some of the Harry Potter books. Once I noticed this similarity I could not help but compare the two series and that resulted in my picking apart City of Bones much more than I normally would have.

Here are just a few of the similarities I noticed:

Main character Clary Fray knows nothing of demons, Shadowhunters, werewolves, vampires or any other fairy creature, although they apparently live alongside us hidden by a glamor. Harry Potter knows nothing of the magical, wizarding world of Hogwarts even though it exists alongside us hidden by a glamor. Both characters also have difficult family histories that they do not fully understand and learning about their family is central to the story lines of the books.

In City of Bones the bad guy, Valentine, has loyal followers, the Circle, and is presumed dead. In the Harry Potter books, Voldemort has loyal followers, the Deatheaters, and is presumed dead.

Even some of the character names in City of Bones reminded me of names in the Harry Potter books. Of course, both series also revolve around children facing dangers and truths that the adults are not willing to face.

I think that I would have enjoyed City of Bones much more if I'd not read the Harry Potter books because then I wouldn't have been constantly comparing them after I first started picking out the similarities. However, I also feel that Cassandra Clare tried to pack a bit too much information into this first book in the series. There were too many subplots and it was easy to get distracted by them.

With all of that said, I do plan to read the next book in the series to see if Clare can take the series in its own direction and tighten up her writing. ( )

After reading "Twilight" I was looking for a series that had some of the same things going for it: people who were more than human, a believable otherworldly element and a love story. This definitely fit the bill! After finishing it in one day, I immediately moved on to the next books. The characters are fully developed and aren't constrained by a 'mainstream conservative' world which makes them so much better! I love these characters as much as the story and really can't wait until Cassandra Clare's new series!!

City of Bones was a great read...if you don't mind reading a book that is extremely predictable. I have in my notes details from the first chapter that end up being the Big Plot Twists, so that's slightly sad. A lot of the book falls into what one typically expects from a fantasy novel, down to the "turn a person into a rat" trope. The Big Reveals were kind of pathetic, and frustrating to read, I know I wanted to reach into the book to shake Clary in her utter obliviousness. The exposition to the fantasy world was done well, introducing it simultaneously to the reader and Clary herself. While I was irritated by yet another love triangle, sick to death of those, I was thrilled with its conclusion. The characters, despite their predictability and all, are very well developed, and you find yourself getting attached to some, repulsed by others, all essential parts of great characterization. The ending does leave the reader satisfied while at the same time, wanting more, essentially being all that a great ending should be.

Rating: 4.5/5 ( )

It's been a few days since I finished reading this and still I can't decide if I liked it or not. The story, a tale of demon slaying mixed with coming of age angst, in itself was wonderfully written. From the first page, I was hooked. The characters were interesting, the relationships felt real, and the action was entertaining. The problem, or perhaps the best part of the book, was the WTF moment near the end wen the entire plot came full circle. It was brilliant and nauseating at the same time.

This book was everything many other simpering YA reads are not. It was funny, dark and a little twisted but still sweet and romantic. sounds like an oxymoron, I know. That's why I'm still unsure. What I do know is I plan to read the rest of the series soon. ( )

Clary Fray is living with her mother, an artist, in New York City. One night, she goes to a club with her best friend, Simon, and sees something completely crazy- three teenagers killing another in a storage room. The weirdest part is that the kid just disappears, folding in on himself. Clary tries to forget about the incident, since no one else could see the event, but when she sees one of the killers in a coffee shop she can't resist following him. She is then pulled in to a whole other world of Shadowhunters, people who kill demons. In an attempt to save her mother, who has been kidnapped, she teams up with them and goes off on journey around NYC to try and find her.
This is the first book in the Mortal Instruments series. It's definitely a page-turner. The world created is thrilling and mysterious. It had many twists and turns near the end. The ending demands you read the next book in the series, City of Ashes. ( )