City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
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. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
After reading “Lady Midnight” I decided I needed to go back and read the back story to so many of the characters. It is so good to get to know the characters and the mess they get themselves into as Clary learns about this new world. A lot of aspects about the Shadowhunters world is explained more fully and it helps give more context.
The biggest annoyance is the love triangle that quickly develops, particularly since one of the directions is instalove. There are also quite a few Young Adult tropes in “girl-who-doesn’t-know-she’s-beautiful”, almost fanfic vibes, and the portrayal of the other paranormal characters. Additionally, when the “taboo romance” vibe came up I really was really turned off by it. I will be continuing the series, but I want to be conscious that I think this is a book that hasn’t aged well – points for world-building and if I had read it when it first came out and read fewer incredible fantasy series it’d be a full 5 stars.
Warning: Contains repeated violence and some sexual references.
Rating: 4 stars!
Who should read it? Fans of urban fiction and fantasy!
Want to read the whole series?
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)
City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)
City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5)
City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6)