Reviews

City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare

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yavanna95's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

ruinpeach's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I've read this book so many times and I still love it as much as I did the first time I read it. I was about 14/15 years old and I was in love. Now I’m 20 years old and this has become of one my favorite books and series. This will always have a special place in my heart.

thelittle_seokmin's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

melc1996's review against another edition

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3.0

Loved this book!!!

circesbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

WHAT

yvo_about_books's review

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4.0

Finished reading: September 20th 2014

“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.”

Spoiler

Somehow I feel like I'm about the last person on earth to have finished reading City Of Bones. Cassandra Clare is a very popular YA author, and I don't now why I have been putting off reading one of her books for so long. I guess I was afraid of the hype around her work and the mixed reviews out there... But now I've read the first book of The Mortal Instruments series, I can see why she is so popular. While City Of Bones might not have the perfect prose, the story itself just worked for me. And although the start was a bit slow, I was sucked into the story soon enough. It was hard to lay the book down and I probably could have finished this book days before I did if it weren't for non-reading activities. Sure, the actions of Clary, Jace and especially Isabelle were annoying sometimes, as was the prose. But I just couldn't get enough of it anyway; the story itself is highly entertaining. To give an indication of how much I enjoyed this book: immediately after finishing City Of Bones, I went and got book number two, three and four as well. I will be reading the next three books in The Mortal Instruments series VERY soon...

When Clary entered the Pandemonium Club with her friend Simon, she thought she was having a great time. But things change drastically when she witnesses a murder. The worst part: the killers with strange markings on their bodies cannot be seen by others... Soon her world as she knows it turns upside down as her mother is attacked by demons and she is let to the Institute where some of the so-called Shadowhunters live. It turns out she has 'the sight' and she isn't just another 'mundane'; unfortunately her memory seems to be blocked and she cannot remember anything that will help her understanding her past.

Her mother wasn't just another normal human being as she thought, and her father turns out to be someone completely unexpected. The leader of the bad guys, Valentine, is not dead as they all thought and he is looking for a cup Clary's mother has hidden from him to build himself a new army. The Shadowhunters are trying to stop Valentine, but Valentine is holding her mother as a hostage, and has some very interesting secrets of his own to reveal... Will Clary discover the truth and save the world by preventing Valentine's rise to power?

I have to admit the characters of The Mortal Instruments series bare a lot of similarities to those in the Harry Potter series. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Draco and even Voldemort; they all sound similar to the characters in City Of Bones. I myself wasn't as bothered with that as some others, but it does make you wonder about the originality of Clare's story. The overkill in similes did affect my reading pleasure, and I know that a lot of people have had similar problems with this. I don't mind the use of similes as long as they are used properly and not too often. Unfortunately Clare seems to think similes are as necessary in life as air and water... Still, I think the storyline in general makes up for those annoyances, and I'm definitely going to read the rest of this series. It is an entertaining read as long as you don't expect too much of the prose itself.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.