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A review by olivera420
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
1.0
This was not good.
I didn't like the writing, I didn't like the characters, and the pacing was just terrible.
Characters
Clary is so petite and beautiful but she doesn't know it (I hate that trope), and she is very stupid and she treats everyone like shit. Simon is a pointless character who is only in the book to ask stupid questions that serve as prompts for boring info-dumps and to be a part of the love triangle. Jace is the sarcastic bad boy with the heart of gold, because of course he is. Isabelle is the beautiful girl that Clary hates for most of the book for no reason other than Isabelle being beautiful. Alec is the obligatory gay character. Magnus is the only character I liked and is the reason for the extra star this book got. Too bad he was only in one chapter.
Plot and worldbuilding
This book was just one info-dump after another and one big plot twist after another, and none of the plot twists were earned, they were just inserted into the story in yet another info-dump instead of being introduced into the story organically. The romance was very badly executed. Very insta-lovey and unbelievable.
That is not something that happens in real life and I don't find that romantic at all. If I had an electric shock every time I touched someone I would not want to touch that person anymore.
And there were a few things I found problematic:
Is that really a message that the book wants to send to teenage girls who are the target demographic? If you're ugly or fat you're not worthy? Teenagers have a lot of self esteem issues, at least I did when I was that age, and they really shouldn't read something like this.
Alec is almost like a brother to him, or so he says, and he's known Clary for a few days. Those are some interesting priorities.
In conclusion, this book was better that ACOTAR, and that is the highest praise I can give it.
I didn't like the writing, I didn't like the characters, and the pacing was just terrible.
Characters
Clary is so petite and beautiful but she doesn't know it (I hate that trope), and she is very stupid and she treats everyone like shit. Simon is a pointless character who is only in the book to ask stupid questions that serve as prompts for boring info-dumps and to be a part of the love triangle. Jace is the sarcastic bad boy with the heart of gold, because of course he is. Isabelle is the beautiful girl that Clary hates for most of the book for no reason other than Isabelle being beautiful. Alec is the obligatory gay character
Spoiler
- he is in love with Jace and that is all we find out about him in this book and he serves no purpose so farPlot and worldbuilding
This book was just one info-dump after another and one big plot twist after another, and none of the plot twists were earned, they were just inserted into the story in yet another info-dump instead of being introduced into the story organically.
Spoiler
First Valentine is dead, then he is alive, then he's Clary's father, then he is Jace's father and Clary and Jace are siblings (which I'm pretty sure will turn out to be a mistake). Luke is good, then they think he's evil, then he is a warewolf. Dorothea is good, then she is evil, and then she is a demon. Literally one big reveal every other chapter and the characters are caught by surprise every time and I don't see how that could be since everything was mostly very predictable.Spoiler
Why does every other YA book have this:Jace kept her hand in his, sending tiny electrical shocks travelling up and down her veins from every point where he touched her: her fingers, her wrist, the palm of her hand.
That is not something that happens in real life and I don't find that romantic at all. If I had an electric shock every time I touched someone I would not want to touch that person anymore.
And there were a few things I found problematic:
"Clary wondered if there were any ugly vampires, or maybe any fat ones. Maybe they didn’t make vampires out of ugly people. Or maybe ugly people just didn’t want to live forever."
Is that really a message that the book wants to send to teenage girls who are the target demographic? If you're ugly or fat you're not worthy? Teenagers have a lot of self esteem issues, at least I did when I was that age, and they really shouldn't read something like this.
Spoiler
Also, after a fight with a demon Jace says this:"...why is it that the first thought in my mind when I saw Abbadon wasn't for my fellow warriors but for you?"..."I know- I knew- Alec wasn't acting like himself. I knew something was wrong. But all I could think about was you..."
Alec is almost like a brother to him, or so he says, and he's known Clary for a few days. Those are some interesting priorities.
In conclusion, this book was better that ACOTAR, and that is the highest praise I can give it.