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teddyloves2read's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
gussurireads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As a fellow adult teenager, this is the kind of series I needed for my second adolescence (I'm LGBT and therefore my first adolescence does not count)
It was cheesy at times, overtly dramatic at others, the banter between Jace and Clary was funny and Isabelle is an underrated queen that deserved more "screentime". I was afraid she and Clary would've stayed "enemies" just for the sake of girl drama but I'm glad I got them being friendly at the end (they should've been lesbians, just saying).
Still it took me longer than I expected to get through this because for a looooong time, the plot just didn't progress at all. I felt we were just being dragged along to all these different little adventures set up purposefully for Clary to find out more about the Shadow World. I'm hoping that the second book, having more of the world set up and explained, will feel a bit faster on the pacing.
Act III was kind of wild with all the reveals and the ENTIRE CHAPTER dedicated to Luke just infodumping his entire backstory to us. At one point, I was having such a hard time keeping up with all the surnames for Clary's family! And the confrontation with Valentine felt so goofy and over the top, only missing out on a villainous monologue as he explained all his plans.
Can't wait to see how Cassandra Clare is going to work out the "sibling” conundrum (as I said above, just make Clary and Isabelle a couple, I promise it'll be so much better!)
It was cheesy at times, overtly dramatic at others, the banter between Jace and Clary was funny and Isabelle is an underrated queen that deserved more "screentime". I was afraid she and Clary would've stayed "enemies" just for the sake of girl drama but I'm glad I got them being friendly at the end (they should've been lesbians, just saying).
Still it took me longer than I expected to get through this because for a looooong time, the plot just didn't progress at all. I felt we were just being dragged along to all these different little adventures set up purposefully for Clary to find out more about the Shadow World. I'm hoping that the second book, having more of the world set up and explained, will feel a bit faster on the pacing.
Act III was kind of wild with all the reveals and the ENTIRE CHAPTER dedicated to Luke just infodumping his entire backstory to us. At one point, I was having such a hard time keeping up with all the surnames for Clary's family! And the confrontation with Valentine felt so goofy and over the top, only missing out on a villainous monologue as he explained all his plans.
Can't wait to see how Cassandra Clare is going to work out the "sibling” conundrum (as I said above, just make Clary and Isabelle a couple, I promise it'll be so much better!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Blood
Minor: Homophobia and Incest
emilywemily6's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Holy plot twists Batman. The last 50-100 pages were crazy full of twists and turns. Lots of betrayal, misrepresentations of the past, etc. Overall, this book felt a little more YA than I typically like. Clary is clearly 15 and while the shadowhunter teens are older it is not by much. Some of the things they said or did were stupid honestly, but not overly so (it was only sometimes). I like these characters, they are very distinct and I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes. Though with a title like City of Bones I would have thought that this book would spend more than 2 chapters in the actual City of Bones. Clary was kind of dense when it came to catching on to the plot twists too lol. This book is a bit shallow in terms of world building, etc. but I’m hoping I get more throughout the books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Racism
Minor: Homophobia, Incest, and Sexual content
singalana's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I wonder if I'm getting too old for these kinds of books. But despite its flaws, I kind of enjoyed it anyway.
The main character, Clary, gives off a “not like the other girls”-vibe and seems hostile towards other girls in this book.
What I liked: The banter was pretty good at places. The audiobook had a good narrator, but at times, she sounded very posh.
What I didn't like: The author has a case of thesaurus madness, sometimes, the word choices don't quite fit the context, in my opinion. Also, she likes adverbs very much. And the word ‘hard’ (e.g. “She hit the ground, HARD.”)... And there were a few throwaway comments that were quite insensitive.
About the ending…
Spoilers!
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
lilo000's review against another edition
adventurous
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Minor: Homophobia, Incest, and Injury/Injury detail
vr_alyssa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
2013 review
There is only one reason I wanted to read this book, because the trailer of the movie interested me and I wanted to read it before I saw it. Just because I like picturing things before they are mapped out for me. I like comparing my imagination with those of others. Same reason I read Beautiful Creatures (though that movie sucked and I'm hoping this one won't).
I expected myself to like this book because it involves love between teenagers, maybe a love triangle and a lot of hate, confusion and frustration.
And I was right. I loved this book. More than I expected, but that's only a good thing. I adore the way Clary is. She's feisty, determined, loving and a fighter even though she's just a young girl. She wants her mom back no matter what. Lily Collins (she plays Clary in the movie) talks about it in an interview, she said: "You're cute and all but I have to find my mom!" Clary likes Jace but her mom still is the priority, she's not getting distracted from her goal.
She's introduced to a whole new world. Her world is turned upside down. Everything she thought she knew wasn't the truth. Her mom wasn't who she said she was. Clary's handling that really well. She's scared and confused but focused. She's a good set of eyes to see the story through.
I like the other characters too. How they surprise you, in good and bad ways. The story is unpredictable, unlike I expected. I thought I got the essence of the story before I read it. But I was wrong. I like being surprised.
Jace is also a very interesting character. He's an asshole. He might have a good reason to be the way he is, but it's no excuse. He doesn't listen to others. He is suicidal and doesn't think about what might happen. I was very irritated by this character. I fell in love with him, because Clary does. But aside from that I was very annoyed by his ways. Luckily he's a good match for Clary and vice versa. If it wasn't for Clary he would have been a lot worse.
I feel for his character. He seems lost because ever since he was ten, he didn't know where he belonged, and now that he does know he still feels lost because everything he thought he was, he isn't anymore. Nothing seems to make sense to him. I'm scared what might happen to his character later on.
There a few downsides to this story though. I read it a second time just to be able to see how it is without my blind love for the story and I was a little disappointed. A few aspects of the story remind me of another story I used to love. Namely, Harry Potter. The library, the uses of steles the fact that they are all teenagers trying to solve something that should be handled by adults. It was very Harry, Hermione, Ron -like. I loved it but it's just so familiar. At the end when they figure out who Valentine is, it's all a bit too confusing. You get a lot of information in a little time. And it annoyed me that no one seemed to listen, but me.
I was also very irritated by Simon. He's a nice guy and all but it irritated me to read about a love triangle again. Certainly because he could have done something about it before she had met Jace, now he only made her situation worse. Like she didn't already lost her mom and Luke before he walked out. I got why he felt that why but it just was cruel. I was very annoyed by the way Simon was in the story.
There is only one reason I wanted to read this book, because the trailer of the movie interested me and I wanted to read it before I saw it. Just because I like picturing things before they are mapped out for me. I like comparing my imagination with those of others. Same reason I read Beautiful Creatures (though that movie sucked and I'm hoping this one won't).
I expected myself to like this book because it involves love between teenagers, maybe a love triangle and a lot of hate, confusion and frustration.
And I was right. I loved this book. More than I expected, but that's only a good thing. I adore the way Clary is. She's feisty, determined, loving and a fighter even though she's just a young girl. She wants her mom back no matter what. Lily Collins (she plays Clary in the movie) talks about it in an interview, she said: "You're cute and all but I have to find my mom!" Clary likes Jace but her mom still is the priority, she's not getting distracted from her goal.
She's introduced to a whole new world. Her world is turned upside down. Everything she thought she knew wasn't the truth. Her mom wasn't who she said she was. Clary's handling that really well. She's scared and confused but focused. She's a good set of eyes to see the story through.
I like the other characters too. How they surprise you, in good and bad ways. The story is unpredictable, unlike I expected. I thought I got the essence of the story before I read it. But I was wrong. I like being surprised.
Jace is also a very interesting character. He's an asshole. He might have a good reason to be the way he is, but it's no excuse. He doesn't listen to others. He is suicidal and doesn't think about what might happen. I was very irritated by this character. I fell in love with him, because Clary does. But aside from that I was very annoyed by his ways. Luckily he's a good match for Clary and vice versa. If it wasn't for Clary he would have been a lot worse.
I feel for his character. He seems lost because ever since he was ten, he didn't know where he belonged, and now that he does know he still feels lost because everything he thought he was, he isn't anymore. Nothing seems to make sense to him. I'm scared what might happen to his character later on.
There a few downsides to this story though. I read it a second time just to be able to see how it is without my blind love for the story and I was a little disappointed. A few aspects of the story remind me of another story I used to love. Namely, Harry Potter. The library, the uses of steles the fact that they are all teenagers trying to solve something that should be handled by adults. It was very Harry, Hermione, Ron -like. I loved it but it's just so familiar. At the end when they figure out who Valentine is, it's all a bit too confusing. You get a lot of information in a little time. And it annoyed me that no one seemed to listen, but me.
I was also very irritated by Simon. He's a nice guy and all but it irritated me to read about a love triangle again. Certainly because he could have done something about it before she had met Jace, now he only made her situation worse. Like she didn't already lost her mom and Luke before he walked out. I got why he felt that why but it just was cruel. I was very annoyed by the way Simon was in the story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
asahome's review against another edition
2.0
A selfish young woman ignores warnings from those around her to fall for an arrogant young man. People hurt themselves to try to save her, but she doesn't listen.
Content Warning added by City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - Book Trigger Warnings
Content Warning added by City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - Book Trigger Warnings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, and Kidnapping
lindsayerin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia and Kidnapping
booking_along's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Let’s start with the two things i didn’t love since that’s faster:
i disliked the trope of two boys being interested in the same girl and behaving in ways that makes me want to smash their heads together to make them stop with their jealous postering.
and the second thing is the “forbidden” love trope that is mostly added as a shock valued. the shock could have been there without it the “love” part since being friends would have been an easier option especially with the amount of time those two characters knew each other at that point.
i just really dislike that particular trope since i have not read one book we’re it was used were it could have been done differently without issues and left the ick factor out of the entire thing.
moving in!
i liked the tiring even if the descriptions are sometimes very out there but not too extreme so that it doesn’t make sense anymore.
the world is well developed and explained for book one and gives a nice overview of what’s out there on that world and that was interesting.
the characters and the behaviors where sometimes a bit stupid but honestly they are 15-17 so i can let it slide by for the main characters even if i have to say that the adults - beside Magnus! that character deserves an entire 12 book series just for giving stories about that character and his shinanagangs please!- they behaved quite often more childish than the actual kids.
the entire book was a bit drawn out for the amount of plot it told overall but it wasn’t too bad and it kept me entertained and i wanted to keep reading so clearly nothing too bad.
so all in all?
it’s a good book.
i can actually see why so many people love it even if i strongly dislike the love-tropes used. the reader want too bad and it was overall very entertaining and a quick read!
i disliked the trope of two boys being interested in the same girl and behaving in ways that makes me want to smash their heads together to make them stop with their jealous postering.
and the second thing is the “forbidden” love trope that is mostly added as a shock valued. the shock could have been there without it the “love” part since being friends would have been an easier option especially with the amount of time those two characters knew each other at that point.
i just really dislike that particular trope since i have not read one book we’re it was used were it could have been done differently without issues and left the ick factor out of the entire thing.
moving in!
i liked the tiring even if the descriptions are sometimes very out there but not too extreme so that it doesn’t make sense anymore.
the world is well developed and explained for book one and gives a nice overview of what’s out there on that world and that was interesting.
the characters and the behaviors where sometimes a bit stupid but honestly they are 15-17 so i can let it slide by for the main characters even if i have to say that the adults - beside Magnus! that character deserves an entire 12 book series just for giving stories about that character and his shinanagangs please!- they behaved quite often more childish than the actual kids.
the entire book was a bit drawn out for the amount of plot it told overall but it wasn’t too bad and it kept me entertained and i wanted to keep reading so clearly nothing too bad.
so all in all?
it’s a good book.
i can actually see why so many people love it even if i strongly dislike the love-tropes used. the reader want too bad and it was overall very entertaining and a quick read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Homophobia, and Gaslighting
psliz's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
idk. lots of info-dumping. weird dialogue for a bunch of teens. the pacing was fast yet slow at the same time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Medical content, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse, Suicide, and Blood