Review Detail

Previously published on my blog: http://fictionfervor.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/review-city-of-bones-by-cassandra-clare/

Opening City of Bones is like a fantasy: first you’re engulfed by this strange new world of Shadowhunters and mundanes, angels and demons, vampires and werewolves, and fey and warlocks. Then as you get wrapped up in this unique world, you also get wrapped up in this equally unique story Cassandra Clare has intricately woven, with secrets and truths, romance and war …

Of course my favorite part of this book was the plot. I’m never one to turn down a good plot, and this one was no exception. Though this book was clearly only the beginning of Clary’s long journey into the world of Shadowhunters, I was nonetheless lured in by the mystery and the romance. A Shadowhunter — also known as Nephilim, the offspring of an angel and a human who hunts down demons — named Valentine had sought to destroy all Downworlders (the term used for vampires, werewolves, faeries, and warlocks collectively), and in the first installment of this series, he has supposedly risen from the dead again. And Clary? I know this is totally a spoiler, but she’s not a mundane. But she may just end up to be essential to destroying Valentine once and for all …

I love Clary. She’s honest and clever and artistic, and plus, she’s a natural redhead. Having her as the protagonist makes the world of Shadowhunters, well, less crazy. She’s a normal person — she could be my best friend or one of my classmates. But she’s a bit of a Mary Sue. As normal as she is, sometimes I find that she’s TOO pretty or that she’s made out to be TOO smart. She doesn’t have any bad qualities, and that puts a frown on my face, because as likable as she is, she’s not so realistic.

Jace … oh my. Jace is THE epitome of a “bad boy” in the YA universe. Hot, golden looks with a snarky attitude but an inner sweet-ness … He’s the kind of boy that will melt your insides. And though he seems so perfect, he certainly has his bad qualities, which actually DO make him more realistic. His romance with Clary? Fast and furious. A little too fast-paced for me, but I love them together. They’re a beautiful couple — one that seems to love each other so beautifully and purely that they put shame to other couples in the same room. Oh, but that ending!

To put my review into a nutshell, I adored this book. I really, really did, but it was lacking in a few areas — mainly how unrealistic it was. But would I read the sequel? Of course.

Source: copy borrowed from library