Hardcover, 485 pages
Published March 27th 2007 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN
1416914285 (ISBN13: 9781416914280)
edition language
English
original title
City of Bones
series
characters
literary awards
South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2010), ALA Teens' Top Ten (2008), Georgia Peach Honor Book Award (2009), Abraham Lincoln Award (2010)
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.
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 Review
Wow, wow and did I mention wow! So many people have been talking about this series and I have been wanting to read it for a very long time but have never had the money to buy them. So you can imagine how thankful and grateful I was when I realized that the library had them, so reserved them and waited, somewhat patiently, for them to arrive. I suppose I never knew what to expect with the book, merely that it was good and had captured its audience automatically without fail. I knew it was based on some sort of fantasy, after all I am one of the biggest fantasy lovers around, but I never expected it to touch on about every angle of fantasy that you could find there. I found myself falling in love with the characters, wanting to be with them to understand them and to know them. However if I had to pick a favorite character then I would probably pick simon, just because of how sweet natured he is. Don't get me wrong, Clary and Jace are nice, but they get the spotlight anyway whereas simon has this sort of cute sweet romantic nature to him that you just find yourself falling in love with him. At one point I do remember growling at the book, telling Clary to open her eyes. However, I was also willing her to fall in love with Jace and for Jace to fall in love with her. After all that seemed to be obvious throughout the book that something was going to occur between them both.
Therefore you can only imagine my shock when I reached the ending, when I found out what Jace actually was to her. I kinda already guessed that somewhere along the lines, Jocyln, Clary's mother, was lying to her about her father and already had this inclin that it was Valentine, but I never expected the whole plot with the story which I am sure is what made it interesting and sort of unique. The chapters flowed smoothly with its rich vibrant imagery that just captivates you from the beginning. In the end, your not just reading the story, you are experiencing it and living it. you find yourself becoming the characters. In fact, I found myself visioning the demons and feeling little shivers of fear down my spine, which for me allowed me to connect to the characters more to understand what it was that they were going through and having to deal with.
The characters in this sense, were just very well presented. They were given life, identity and personality. Each character was different, none of them the same, which merely showed this sense of reality. Isabella was fun, merely for the fact that she reminded me of people that I know. People who like to dress you up in what they assume looks much better. But I also loved her vulnerable tough girl side that wanted to fight, to protect and to get things right because in many senses that reminded me of well... me. The idea behind the story was original and fresh. Its something that has been written about in novels before, but it was also done in a way that made the novel its own. There was adventure, emotions and drama. Mystery after mystery unfolded adn I just found myself not wanting to put it down, I wanted to get to the end. I just had to know what was going to happen.
Its just a very captivating novel that is truly well written. Im not sure that I can say anything negative about it. There was no slow bits and it certainly was not rushed through. It had the right tone and pace to it to keep the reader interacted with the words and the story. I just totally loved this series and really want to own my own copies of the series now, merely so that I can reread them over and over again. Perhaps this is the new and better harry potter, less magic, but so much more adventure.
Great review! I have not read these yet but I am so excited to! Thanks for the add! Added you back. =)
ReplyDeleteJennifer @ A Librarian's Library