The Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones [Kindle Edition]

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.

Having already read the first book in the new prequel trilogy to this series, The Infernal Devices, I starting reading this book with some preconceived notions. Cassandra Clare blew them completely out of the water. The world was familiar, the weapons, the battles and the environment. Humans, werewolves, vampires, warlocks, Shadow Hunters, down worlders and mundane all mixed up in events together. But being set in our time was an amazing new twist on something I was familiar with. And yet something so new and unique I found myself picking up the book again and again when I should have been doing other things, and saying to myself just one more page, or till the end of this section or chapter but could literally not make myself put the book down.

The characters are amazing and the world creation so complete, so seamless, and so believable, that, as a reader, you feel as if it might not be fiction but a clearer view of reality than most of us have in our day-to-day life. The books in this series are so well-written that you will read the books back to back and maybe even read them again and again. This book was the first one published by Cassandra Clare and the skill shown, and mastery of the writing craft, is amazing for a first novel.

It is set in a world with a battle between light and darkness, and a group of humans who try to keep that which is evil from destroying our world. These shadow hunters are humans who have been blessed with the blood of an angel. They have claves around the world and work to keep the peace between other species and with each other, and to protect humans. The major players seem to be warlocks, vampires, werewolves, fairies and the shadow hunters, also known as Nephilim. Our main character is Clary Fray, a young girl who finds herself mixed up in a world that she never knew existed, but that she was destined to be a part of. She is a strong character who is learning who she really is and what she will do with her life.

This world by Cassandra Clare is one I will visit again and again, as new books come out and rereading the ones I have read over and over, and I cannot give books a higher recommendation than that. They made my to-be-read-again list.