Review: CITY OF BONES by Cassandra Clare

While at an all-ages club with her best friend Simon, sixteen year old Clary stumbles upon three tattooed teenagers murdering another teen and finds herself mixed up in the world of Shadowhunters, Nephilim who are charged with ridding the earth of demons and other dark creatures.  The fact that Clary can see them at all is a signal that she is no ordinary human girl.  When Clary’s mother goes missing, it is the Shadowhunters who take her under their wing and teach her about her mother’s past.  She learns that her mother was taken by an evil rogue Shadowhunter, Valentine, because she knows where the precious Mortal Cup is.  But Clary’s mother isn’t the only one who knows where the cup is…with the help of a warlock’s magic, her mother buried clues into her memory.  Clary and her Shadowhunter friends fight to reach it before Valentine does.

My favorite part of this book was the snappy dialogue.  Jace and Clary both wield sarcasm like swords.  I really hope that if they ever make a movie of this series that they will use Cassie Clare’s actual lines and allow her to have a hand in writing the script. 

The world that Clare has created here is fun, scary and full of wonder.  Her descriptions of fairies, vampires, werewolves, warlocks and Nephilim existing in the modern world around us, made me long for it to be real.  I also love that her nasty Valentine character is so calm and psychotic.  The way he can justify and turn things around in ways to influence people into thinking he is right is almost scarier than a typical villain. 

There is also a love triangle which starts out typical, but ends up being really interesting.  Clary & Simon have been best friends since they were kids.  It is obvious that he is completely infatuated with her and she has no idea.  (There are actually several examples of unrequited love in this book.)  When the incredibly hot Shadowhunter, Jace, enters the picture, it’s clear pretty quickly that Clary’s heart lies in another direction, putting her in between the two guys who don’t care for each other.  Jace has an exterior that is tough as leather.  Even thought you know that Clary is getting to him, he is not quick to relinquish his hold on his emotions.  He flat out tells her that love makes people weak, something that a Shadowhunter cannot afford to be.  No spoilers here or anything ,but there is a plot twist at the end of this book that completely broke my heart.  Can’t wait to read the next book!

Overall, I give City of Bones…

Plot – 4 ½ bookmarks

Character Development – 4 bookmarks

World Building – 4 ½ bookmarks

Love Story – 3 ½ bookmarks, but I think it will get more interesting in the coming books)

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Rachel Hurd-Wood (Clary), Alex Pettyfer (Jace), Luke Pasqualino (Simon), Zac Efron (Alec), Christopher Backus (Magnus Bane), Christian Serratos (Isabelle)