toastyghosty13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
i read this book back in middle school originally and remembered enjoying it. i recently watched brittany broskis show “the broski report” on youtube which was talking about enemies to lovers books and she mentioned being obsessed with this series when she was younger. this made me decide to reread it, since i never finished the series the first time around.
i enjoyed this book as much as i remember enjoying it the first time. it’s a very interesting world with characters that you care about and want to learn more of. the magic system is cool, plus there is the potential for world building outside of new york city which is where this book takes place. i vaguely recall one of the books taking place in the country Idris that is mentioned, which will be fun to read about again.
everyone who has read this book has probably had the same complaint about. it’s weird and i feel like it was totally unnecessary for this to be a part of the plot. obviously,
i enjoyed this book as much as i remember enjoying it the first time. it’s a very interesting world with characters that you care about and want to learn more of. the magic system is cool, plus there is the potential for world building outside of new york city which is where this book takes place. i vaguely recall one of the books taking place in the country Idris that is mentioned, which will be fun to read about again.
everyone who has read this book has probably had the same complaint about
Spoiler
clary and jace being siblings. i am pretty sure this is why i stopped midway through the series initially way back, besides the fact that it hadn’t been completed by that point.Spoiler
i know it isn’t true now so the ick factor on it isn’t as bad and i will continue the rest of the books. i just hope there isn’t anything else like that in the future of this mega series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Incest and Toxic relationship
chrstnlvly's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
We all see what we want to see.
I didn't read The Mortal Instruments series when I was younger, but I'm glad that one of the Fable book clubs I joined will be reading the whole series in the next couple of months.
City of Bones was funny, mainly because of Jace's sarcasm. I was engrossed in the story because it was action-packed. However, there were times when I felt that everything was an info dump, and the dialogue was cringe-worthy. Nevertheless, I heard that the writing improves as the series progresses.
Despite these issues, I really enjoyed reading it and can't wait to read the rest of the series and become addicted to the Shadowhunters world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Incest, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment and Animal death
miranda_lynn1234's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Just a warning there is some language that’s out dated and offensive. Honestly it’s an easy read but there are just some major flaws and that’s the reason I rated it so low.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Incest, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, and Murder
hannahjane451's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic relationship
dosxhime's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Given that the Mortal Instruments series is rife with lore, world building, and characters, it makes sense that Clare stretches this series out. It was kinda a drag to read this and it makes me feel like we go from one event to another without pause.
It feels like a lot of details are just dumped onto you, without letting all this new information soak in. I would be normally fine with this, since I'm mostly into the characters for a good ol YA novel.
However, I felt that they fell flat and I really couldn't care what happened to any of them. It just felt meh. I can see the potential in the MI world and I love how Clare builds them up. So points for potential.
3.5 / 5 C-
It feels like a lot of details are just dumped onto you, without letting all this new information soak in. I would be normally fine with this, since I'm mostly into the characters for a good ol YA novel.
However, I felt that they fell flat and I really couldn't care what happened to any of them. It just felt meh. I can see the potential in the MI world and I love how Clare builds them up. So points for potential.
3.5 / 5 C-
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Murder, Violence, and War
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Child death, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
lim's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Homophobia and Kidnapping
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