A review by singalana
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

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! 
Oh boy, the ending knocked the rating down. First of all, I didn't understand the scene where Valentine came to retrieve the cup. How did she not see Clary, or did I miss something? And there was so much explaining, and the ending seemed to drag on forever. Also, I didn't like the way Jace behaved in the end, it didn't feel believable. I listened to this as an audiobook, and finally, when I heard the word “epilogue” and I checked the time, I noticed the epilogue was AN HOUR long! That's not an epilogue, that's 10 % of the book! (It turned out that there's a bonus chapter of one of the author’s other books. But still, the epilogue was like 30 minutes long.) 
 
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