annikenr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Violence, and Animal death
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
bookthief's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I had read the infernal devices first which I know is not recommended to read before the mortal instruments, but it helped with my understanding of the world. I was able to get into the story quicker since I knew of the shadowhunter verse and understand the different species and laws. At the beginning of the book the plot felt a bit rocky and it was putting the main plot on the side for half of the book. But the plot was very interesting since Clary had her sight taken away by her Magnus due to her mum. Valentine was a good villian as he was name dropped throughout and no one really knew who he was an art from Luke and Jocelyn, making the ending intense when he appeared for the first time.
Clary was a curious and strong female main character, always wanting to follow the adventure to save those she loves even though she can get hurt. I was surprised when she discovered the mortal cup in the painting and she was the only one who could reach it. I would want her and Jace to be together if they weren’t siblings ( I already knew this plot twist and I already know they aren’t actually ).
Jace was a mysterious character, since he kept lots of things secret and his family is also very secretive. He was very brave risking his own life to save Simon when he was a rat and he always tried to rescue Clary no matter the risks.
I wasn’t to give a special mention to Luke. Even though he wasn’t a main character he was still incredible. I thought he was going to die at the end and I’m so grateful he didn’t because he is such a great character.
Overall I loved this book and I can’t wait to read the rest!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, Incest, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
augustinedreams'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Grief, and Murder
mindins's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Incest
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child abuse
Estuvo entretenido, pero un poco predecible y las cosas se resolvieron de una manera muy simple para lo complejo que supuestamente era. Se nota que está dirigido a una audiencia más adolescente, pero estuvo bien. Leeré la continuación.breedawnwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Yes. I love it. This book is everything to me. I will not accept slander or negative comments at this time.
Please give me 5-7 business days to fully process and write a real review. 🫡
Please give me 5-7 business days to fully process and write a real review. 🫡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Cursing, Murder, Death, Incest, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Abandonment, Child abuse, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
lilo000's review against another edition
adventurous
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Blood, Violence, War, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Incest
annaae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, Animal death, Child death, Death, Incest, Torture, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
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
lenarthoe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood