City of Bones (Mortal Instruments) [Paperback]

Clary Fray's life changes forever after going to a nightclub one evening and sees a boy murder another - who's body disappears. Then when her mother disappears, and she finds a monster in her house, Clary is thrown into a world of demons and Shadow Hunters, those who hunt them. Everything she knows is turned upside down, and with the return of th Shadow Hunter's worst enemy, Valentine, and the search to find an ancient relic of great power, the Mortal Cup, before he does, Clary discovers she is more than just an average girl.

I've seen reviews for the Mortal Instruments series for a fair while, and thought I would give City of Bones a go even though it didn't really appeal to me. This book has been sitting in my TBR pie for a few months now, and finally made my way to it. And you know what? I so wish I picked this up sooner!

As I hand write this review (I'm on holiday, and can't get to a computer right now), I've literally jus finished City of Bone and I am BUZZING! There aren't really any words I am capable of using right now to describe how good it is, but the fact that I feel the urge to shout and scream and jump about should give you the idea. City of Bones is that good! Someone pass me City of Ashes now!

It may sound odd, but this book reminds me of Doctor Who's tardis in a way; you know how it's bigger on the inside? Well it's kind of opposite with this book. City of Bones is a fair sized book at 442 pages, and the font is fairly small, yet it was such a quick read! And although a lot happens, it looks like I should have at least half the book still to read. My point is, I thought I'd be reading this book for quite a while (I'm not the fastest reader going), and that it may be a little tedious, but it took just two days, and was so exciting. I got through the book much faster than I thought possible for me - while on holiday!

The storyline at it's very, very basic isn't all that original; a group of teenagers fighting against an evil adult antagonist, one of said teenagers finding their life isn't what they thought. Sound familiar? Of course it does, you could apply this to any number of YA novels out right now, but this is just the bare bones of the novel. It's the meat of the book that makes this book so fantastic, and stand out from the rest!

Like the characters for example. Clary herself is awesome, funny, and strong when she's forced to be, but she is fairly ordinary as a person that any girl could relate to her. The other characters are also amazing! Jace, one of the Shadow Hunters, with his golden angelic good looks, arrogance and humour make him irresistible, even if he is a git at times; Simon, Clary's best friend, the most hilarious nerd I've ever seen read, you just wantto give him a big hug; Isabelle, another Shadow Hunter, beautiful and a right cow, and her brother Alec, just as good looking, but not the nicest bloke around. All of these characters and their individual sub-plots intertwine and ovelap with th main thread to creae a brilliant, and at times beautifully heartbreaking, story.

There are so many romantic threads weaving through this book, you're continually switching back and forth over who you're rooting for. The action in City of Bones is incredible, ad it really gets the heart pumping and the adrenalin rushing. Definitely edge-of-your-seat stuff. Simply amazing!

This book has jumped right up there with my favourites! Anyone who is umming and ahhing about reading this book like I was, stop hesitating and pick it up now. You won't reget it! I'll leave you with an image that should seal the deal: beautiful, gorgeous Jace, with a cocky smile, sitting astride a flying motorbike. Oh my.

This is a strange book, a study in contrasts. And it's one I've been thinking a lot about how I'll write this review.

It's clearly aimed at mid-teen age, mostly girls. I believe the author started out in fan-fiction, but this is her first published novel, and is set to be one of three in a trilogy. It is very much a cross between Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl, with a pinch of Buffy The Vampire Slayer thrown in for good measure.

I have good and bad things to say about this book. I think I'll start with the bad and get it out the way.

My first comment is that the book is not very well written in parts, although it gets a bit better as it progresses. The first thing that jumped out at me was the use (particularly early in the book) of very cheesy and/or odd metaphors and similes, which reminded me of something one would write in English at school where the teacher has tried to get you to use various similes and metaphors just for the sake of it. They jarred every time, which was unfortunate. For example:

"He turned to follow her, tasting the phantom sizzle of her death on his lips." [pg. 11]

"A small flower of apprehension began to open inside her chest." [pg. 13]

These sort of things crop up not infrequently, more so in the earlier sections of the book.

My second negative point is that there are occasionally inconsistencies from one paragraph to the next, things I would have expected an editor to pick up right away. For example, there's one instance where the sound of someone's heels are described as clacking on a polished wooden floor, but in the next paragraph the person is described as wearing old hiking boots. In another situation, a knife is held to someone's back where it can easily piece their heart, but in the next paragraph it is described how the blade nicks the skin on their throat. These small continuity errors crop up not infrequently.

My third and final negative point is the derivative nature of certain plot and background elements. To my mind, there are some striking similarities to Harry Potter (I won't go into detail here, to avoid spoilers).

But enough of the negative. I have some positive comments too.

Firstly, the book is very addictive. I don't know how or why, but it's something I've noticed with fanfic writing as well (although I admit I've read very little), and perhaps this is not coincidental, since I hear the author comes from a strong fanfic background. I wish I could put my finger on what causes this addictiveness. It's very easy reading - perhaps that's part of it. It requires little or not mental effort, much like a "disengage brain" blockbuster film. The characters and story were bouncing off the inside of my head for about an hour after I went to bed every time I read it last thing at night, wanting to know what happened next, thinking over what had passed. Very annoying, actually, when I'm trying to sleep!

Secondly, the author writes romantic scenes very well, another trait I believe is particularly noticeable in fanfic (perhaps because that is the point of a lot of it...)

Thirdly, there are quite a few decent plot twists that I didn't see coming. It was not a straightforward story in that respect I enjoyed that aspect of it. It is well rounded off, but also well set up for the following two books in the series.

So overall, I'd say with this book you get the good with the bad. The writing quality is not in the same league as most published novels I've read, but it does improve throughout the book. Aspects of the plot are derivative of already existing material, but it is very enjoyable nonetheless, and quite addictive. The world the author has created is interesting and fun to explore.

I don't know if I'll read later books in the series. I won't buy them, but I may borrow them if someone offers.

I love the idea of the Mortal Instruments series and I think it has huge potential. Sadly, after it tempts you with magical creatures that live unknown amongst the residents of New York City, dangles a good-looking hero in front of your eyes, and starts you off with a fast-paced incident that changes the life of the heroine and leaves you intrigued for the rest of the story, it doesn't give you anything else. Once I discovered that Clare first made her mark writing fan fiction, it explained a lot because clearly her writing hasn't progressed since then.

Let me explain... When you write fan fiction, your characters are already developed. Someone has already done the hard work for you. So now all you have to do is find a storyline for the characters you already have. That explains why Clare puts little effort into forming and developing her characters, but comes up with some really imaginative storylines. This applies to every book of hers I've read, which sadly is most. Another thing that annoyed me is how much the narrative switches point of view, and how sometimes a completely new perspective is introduced mid-book. It makes the whole book feel completely unplanned, which again is something you don't have to do when writing fan fiction. Also, you could make A LOT of comparisons to Harry Potter and Twilight, leaving certain aspects of the book feeling thoroughly unoriginal.

Finally, I was really irritated by the descriptions. The similes and metaphors are overused and unnatural; they don't fit seamlessly into the story to bring places and people to life as they should. Clare's adjectives could also do with some work: her descriptions feel very repetitive and it makes me want to throw a thesaurus at her.

I love the concept of the series, as I've mentioned (although let's try not to draw comparisons to the mortal instruments and horcruxes...) so I can't help but feel thoroughly let down by Clare's poor attempt at writing it. I bought the first 3 books all in one go back when they were a trilogy, so once I got past the first chapter of the first book, I was left feeling completely ripped off. It's great for budding writers to practice by writing fan fiction, but it's important to note the differences in writing fan fiction and original fiction. Perhaps if Clare had made a little more effort I wouldn't have felt so disappointed.