REVIEW: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

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.

MY THOUGHTS…

(Minor spoilers ahead…)

Whoa, so that was the introduction of The Mortal Instruments! That was such a pretty ride. Mind-blown!

Alright, so I’ve finished this book last night, around 2:00 A.M. Crazy, I couldn’t it put down. I can’t help it, Cassandra Clare is driving me crazy! Anyway, The City of Bones is the first book of The Mortal Instruments series. It’s an urban fantasy book that introduces an uncanny world that is far beyond your imagination. If you guys think vampire stories are cool, and if you’re much into fairies and werewolves and witches, then you will absolutely find them all here. Exactly! And hey, that’s not all. This book mainly introduces a secretive race of human beings known as Nephilim or Shadowhunters. They have a special role by the way– they just simply slay and clash demons that unknowingly exist in this world.

Well, this book’s really interesting. No wonder why it became really popular. It’s a book that describes a well-constructed, fantastic, supernatural world with clever characters that fascinate you all throughout. What I also love about this book is how Cassandra didn’t complicate the whole plot. Everything is in place and well-thought out. I even love how she made everything in the Shadow world in total order through the rules and laws that the Clave had set. So, it’s kind of revealing that these paranormal beings don’t instantly clash together when they bump against each other somewhere in the streets of Brooklyn.

I just have some issues about this book though. First is the world-building process. I admit I was confused at the beginning chapters and that confusion eventually continued until the middle part of the book. It was like I’m reading more of a puzzle than the story. There are terms that are not well-explained, so I had to go to Shadowhunters wiki where I can find the definitions of those terms. But in the end, this issue was resolved. I fully understood those things.

Another thing is the editing of the book? I was really confused ‘coz there are clerical errors in some parts. One example is Clary’s father who was named Jonathan Clark at the first chapters. I was surprised to find out that he’s no longer Jonathan at the last chapters but instead, John Clark. So, yeah, that was really confusing.

And yeah, something happened in the few remaining chapters that didn’t sit well on me. I was kind of annoyed with our dear Jace. What happened to the brute, sarcastic, brooding guy from the beginning? He suddenly turned out confused and emotionally flimsy. So yeah, I was disappointed with him there. But it’s okay, I still love him. Lol. 😀

And Clary– well, I like her. She doesn’t know how to fight and use weapons, but this girl is a smart a**! She can think and handle a stressful and nerve-wracking situation. But! Sometimes she annoys me, I don’t know why. Maybe because of her insecurities? — which is kind of unnerving.

And oh–one more thing, that BIG revelation! I don’t know what to say. I was shocked. It was such a devastating twist, one I could not easily handle and accept ugh– No, just no! After all?! C’mon, *spoiler alert* they already kissed! 😦 I hate it. I actually yelled out in protest in the middle of the night!

But of course, there are more positive things in this book. It also has funny scenes that had me laughing.

“Stay away from my blades. In fact, don’t touch any of my weapons without my permission.” (Jace)

“Well, there goes my plan for selling them all on eBay,” Clary muttered.

“Selling them on what?”

Clary smiled blandly at him. “A mythical place of great magical power.”

And the romantic scene of Jace and Clary at the greenhouse? Darn asdfghjklmnb! I want more of them! More more more! But that seems impossible already. 😦

The ending of the book…

I kind of don’t like the ending, to be honest. There’s already some sort of gap between Jace and Clary. But it’s okay, it left me longing to find out the things that will be happening on the second book. I’d definitely read it. Swear by the Angel Raziel!

My Rating for this book: 4 Stars (I love the creativity of the book. It’s a book that begs you not to put it down.)

Favorite Quotes from this Book

“Only people with no purpose are unhappy. I’ve got a purpose.”

“Most people don’t cry when they’re upset or frightened, but rather when they’re frustrated.”