July 3, 2011

Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, book 1) by Cassandra Clare

Genre: Paranormal Young Adult

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.


Review:

This book is whacked. Plane and simple, but trust me it's a good kind of whacked.  The kind that has fans as thick as the Harry Potter books—or dare I say even more then the Twilight Saga.  There's nothing off limits in Clare’s Immortal Instruments series, and a reader can appreciate that.  

Clary is our leading lady, who is soon to realize that vampires, werewolves, and faye are just the tip of the iceberg.  She's plunged into the scary reality of monsters when her mother is kidnapped by the evil Valentine (much like the evil Lord Voldemort).  Jace is the awesome man candy. Clare's writing proves that there can be more to the brooding male types.  Jace has had a hard life and behind that rude mask he throws up, he's hurt and damaged.  It's appreciated to get a male lead in a YA series that just doesn't stare and stalk people.

Each page is dripping in snarky wit and my favorite kind of sarcastic commentary.  It helps that most of the smart-alec talk comes from Jace,—yummy and witty is a lethal combination.  The other members of the cast have their own sharp tongues to add to the memorable one liners.  Speaking of the cast, if you want one that comes this diverse you can't ask for a better book.

Every character is so well done that each one finds a way into the readers heart, even if they turn out to be unsavory sorts. Your in for the inside jokes, subtle hints or actions is all you need to know that something profound has just happened.  My heart was running rampant with fear, adrenaline, anger, hope, joy, and love.  This is the one series that always makes my heart ache with emotion. 

Even after many re-reads and all of the other books in between nothing comes close to the City of Bones.  This book is a legend, and it has every right to be.  With a non-stop plot that makes you stay up all night to finish the book—no matter how many times you've read it—this is one title you will not want to say no to.  Some readers may not like the turn of events between Clary and Jace's relationship towards the end of the book, but it's good in a shocking way that only Cassandra Clare would dare.   Who can say no to a good dare?

Sexual Content:  Kisses and making out, light amounts of homosexual themes.  And a dash of incest.


Rating: 5/5- Fabulous, a beautiful obsession!


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Amazon: City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)

Goodreads: City of Bones

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