City of Bones [Review]

Stats:
#1 in Series
485 Pages [Paperback]
Published March 2007


Synopsis:
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:

Where to start with this one?

I had a friend recommend Cassandra Clare to me back in like 2008. I finally made sure to work her books into my reading schedule (that's right, schedule) this year.

Did I love City of Bones? Absolutely.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely.

So why didn't it get 5 stars?

I don't want to make babies with this book. There were a few things that did grind my gears, but I will mix these with things that I loved.

At first, I had a hard time grasping what was going on. Lots of terminology and proper nouns were thrown out there with little to no explanation...sometimes for chapters at a time. I kept notes while I read and that helped a little.

Clary is a great protagonist in the fact that she stands up for herself. She fights. She is bold. She is naive and/or gullible. SPOILER ALERT I immediately knew that Valentine was her father. That was just too easy. I knew Simon liked her. I knew Jace was the boy in the falcon story. I think that in real life, I wouldn't be friends with her. She is an odd cookie at times - i.e. she doesn't get why girls want to smell like desserts (in reference to vanilla perfume) - Dear Clary, I wear brown sugar "perfume" because it smells AMAZING!

I was pleasantly surprised with Jace. Even though he is at times, narcissistic and a little harsh, he is probably my favorite character. He is a book lover, he plays piano, and he is also an athiest/agnostic. Not many authors really go there with the non-religion. I like that. I liked that she also made one of her characters, Alec, gay. Way to think outside the box!

Clare also wins major cool points for mentioning Giger! :)

I was a little weirded out with the conclusion - the Valentine being Jace AND Clary's dad....I don't even know what to think about that. I almost feel betrayed. I like that Luke/Lucian came back into the story and was able to redeem himself.


Previous Review:
Lover Reborn by JR Ward {here}

[Counts toward my TBR Pile challenge: here]

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