City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

October 8, 2013     ebecks     Book review

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare


Release Date: March 27, 2007
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
485 Pages
Received: bought finished copy from store.
Format: Paperback


Description: Clary Fray neither thought that one night would change her life forever. She sees people no one else can see at the Pandemonium Club. A body disappears, maybe things aren’t totally as they seem. Soon Clary is submerged in their world, the world of the Shadowhunters, when her mother disappears.

Vampires, Werewolves, demons, and more! Don’t forget a pretty boy with a bad attitude to get your attention. He looks like and angel and acts like a jerk.

Review: I’ll admit, I was very skeptical after all of the hype around this series. It reminded me too much of the Twilight craziness that everyone wouldn’t stop talking about. I can happily say that City of Bones is not as bad as I feared it would be. Is it great? Not really. Is it fun? Yes. Is it enjoyable to read? Absolutely.

This first book is a little shallow. It doesn’t really have the depth to be a really fantastic book. The most interesting character is most people’s favorite: Jace Wayland. He has the most depth out of the main characters. His story is tragic, he’s got a bad boy attitude, he’s a bit of a stereotype, but that doesn’t make him unlikable. Clary has depth too but she’s less interesting than Jace.

Alec and Isabelle are awesome! I really wish they got more page time. Especially Isabelle. These characters needed more depth but what they got was enough to hold my interesting. Valentine’s character is one of the more fun villains I’ve read in a young adult novel. He’s spectacularly evil and he doesn’t care because he thinks its right.

I’ve heard that the writing gets better as the series goes on and that the related series, Infernal Devices, is much better. I can see why that would be. A lot of the issues with this book is merely down to a lack of practice. As Cassandra Clare began to write more, it makes sense that her writing would get better.

Still, I really enjoyed the book and I’m loving the series. The book wasn’t amazing but it was worth the read. I’m excited to finish the series. Three and a half stars.

Coming soon….
City of Ashes review








Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.