City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 485
Release Date: March 27th 2007
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Review: So it took me a while to find this series. I had heard time and time again from my cousins, my aunt, my friends, that this was a series that I would love. For some reason when someone tells me I'll love something it makes me not want to read it! I always fear disappointment after a big build up.
I can honestly say, that I was in no way disappointed by this book, except that it wrecked my emotions. At the end of the book, I was throwing the book across the room literally screaming NOOOOOOOO! In a style only fit for Darth Vader.
I called every single person who recommended this book to me with demands that they revealed whether or not would remedy itself in the second, third book etc. They refused to tell me and advised me to keep reading. Then, because it's only fair that I didn't suffer alone, I recommend the series to a friend so she too could feel my literary pain ( I can be evil that way). I was hooked.
If you do not have time to read the second and third book in this series in quick succession to finishing the first DO NOT START. I am warning you now, you will need to continue reading and you will not be satisfied until you have your answers.
Do not read spoilers for this book because otherwise, the book becomes quite lackluster. The whole appeal of the story is the shock and devastation of the ending and the fact that it drives you to continue.
The Story: Why was I so drawn in by this book? The answer is simple, it was unique. While the plot itself is something we have seen again and again, the world of Shadowhunters was something new. The idea of them existing hidden within our own reality was not only intriguing but fascinating and everything they embodied was new. (Although again this concept is not new, Harry Potter plays with the same idea). The concept that there were groups of people, demons and downworlders that went completely unnoticed by our 'Mundane' selves drew me in.
When Clary Fray so quickly witnessed something unbelievable that no one else could see had me hooked. I needed to know what exactly it was she had witnessed, why could no one else see it, who were these mysterious people she had seen.
Cassandra Clare constructed a vivid and believable alternate world existing parallel with our own. While I read, I truly believed in it, I was immersed.
Favorite Quotes:
Jace Said, "Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself."..."At least," she said, "you don't have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland.""Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.”"And the boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he'd learned; that to love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed.""Jesus!" Luke exclaimed."Actually, it's just me," said Simon "Although I've been told the resemblance is startling."Recommendation: Read this if you like urban fantasy stories with a lot of wit and sarcasm, but like I said, not if you don't have time to keep reading because this series is notorious for its cliffhangers.
