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Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizzare world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster.
HatsForMice: Girl pulled into a fantasy world only to discover she's a part of it. Stephanie/Valkyrie is a stronger character than Clary, too.
Obviously this is for a slightly younger readership, so if you're in it for the romance, you won't find it here until the 4th book.… (more)
This book did not live up to hype I've been hearing about the series. None of the kids interested me at all, and I found Alec and Jace to be obnoxious at best. Only the adults really caught my attention, and they are few and far between. ( )
Not great, not horrible. Some fairly major plot holes. Everything “resolved” at the end so not sure what incentive there is to read the next book although I probably will. ( )
4.0 Stars When I was younger and City of Bones became a popular books and then the series became popular, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more. That is not to say that I think it is bad, but it is not the type of magic/adventure/romance laden book that I have come to gravitate towards. My own high school experience is far enough in the past that I prefer reading books with adult main characters. That said, a few of my thoughts on the construction and plot are below.
In City of Bones, 15 year old Clary discovers there is another world under mundane human one, a world filled with demons, warlocks, vampires and more. It's not pointedly unique in any way. As a reader, I don't mind this as long as the narrative strings together these components in an interesting and unique way. Clary makes new friends with the Shadowhunters who police demon-kind and along the way develops a romance with cliche bad boy Jace. The book is full of teenage angst, a little bit of unrequited love, family drama, and importantly magic. On the whole, I would have liked the book more if there were a greater focus on plot, and character development and a little less emphasis on pretty shallow interpersonal drama. A few specific plot points are already going to annoy me. Though Jace is "revealed" to be Clary's brother at the end of the book, we know this is not the case (the books have been out for a while and there's a TV show). I don't find that this plot point is particularly interesting, creative, or well done. However, the description of the runes that Shadowhunters use as a type of magic and the lore behind their world is interesting enough that I wanted to learn more. In this way, the writing and pacing of the story is pretty well done. ( )
I love fantasy so I loved this book! However, I didn't like the ending. I didn't really end. You HAVE to read the sequel to find out what happens! I don't like books that do that. I like series, but I want each book to have an ending! Obviously, I am going to read the next book now. :) ( )
Sed grandium revocare superasque evadere ad auras;
Hoc opus, hic labor, est.
- Virgil, The Aeneid
The descent beckons
as the ascent beckoned.
- William Carlos Williams, The Descent
Dedication
For my grandfather
First words
"You've got to be kidding me," the bouncer said, folding his arms across his massive chest.
Quotations
"Sarcasm is the last refuge of the imaginatively bankrupt," she told him. "I can't help it. I use my rapier wit to hide my inner pain." "Your pain will be outer soon if you don't get out of traffic. Are you trying to get run over by a cab?" "Don't be ridiculous," he said. "We could never get a cab that easily in this neighborhood."
"Is this the part where you start tearing off strips of your shirt to bind my wounds?" "If you wanted me to rip my clothes off, you should have just asked."
"If you were half as funny as you think you are, you'd be twice as funny as you are now."
"Jesus!" Luke exclaimed. "Actually, it's just me," said Simon. "Although I've been told the resemblance is startling."
"Unfortunately", said Hodge, "we're all out of bitter revenge at the moment, so it's either tea or nothing."
Last words
Her stomach dropped out from under her as the silver river spun away and the spires of the bridge slid under her feet, but this time Clary kept her eyes open, so that she could see it all.
Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizzare world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster.
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Book description
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...
Haiku summary
Addiction-causing trash about Shadowhunters and forbidden love. (passion4reading)
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