City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)
Discover the world of the Shadowhunters in the first installment of the New York Times and internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly). City of Bones is a Shadowhunters novel.
A simple night out with her best friend, Simon, transforms into a nightmare when fifteen-year-old Clary Fray witnesses a murder at the Pandemonium Club. The culprits are three teenagers covered in strange tattoos and brandishing weapons no one else seems to notice. In fact, Clary is the only one to see the violent display. The next day, more impossible sights make Clary wonder if she’s going crazy.
When a desperate phone call from her mom brings Clary home to a scene of destruction and a grotesque monster that almost kills her, Clary finally gets some answers. One of the teens from the club—Jace, who looks like an angel but acts like a jerk—rescues her and introduces himself as a Shadowhunter, part of a secret cadre of warriors dedicated to driving demons out of the mundane world and back to their own. Jace and his friends Alec and Isabelle hunt their prey on the streets of New York City, unseen by humans…except for Clary.
The Shadowhunters want to know how Clary can perceive the paranormal and Clary wants their help finding her missing mom. Their tentative alliance brings Clary deeper into the world of Nephilim, werewolves, vampires, and demons, where she adapts better than anyone expected. Could this be where she’s belonged all along?
A simple night out with her best friend, Simon, transforms into a nightmare when fifteen-year-old Clary Fray witnesses a murder at the Pandemonium Club. The culprits are three teenagers covered in strange tattoos and brandishing weapons no one else seems to notice. In fact, Clary is the only one to see the violent display. The next day, more impossible sights make Clary wonder if she’s going crazy.
When a desperate phone call from her mom brings Clary home to a scene of destruction and a grotesque monster that almost kills her, Clary finally gets some answers. One of the teens from the club—Jace, who looks like an angel but acts like a jerk—rescues her and introduces himself as a Shadowhunter, part of a secret cadre of warriors dedicated to driving demons out of the mundane world and back to their own. Jace and his friends Alec and Isabelle hunt their prey on the streets of New York City, unseen by humans…except for Clary.
The Shadowhunters want to know how Clary can perceive the paranormal and Clary wants their help finding her missing mom. Their tentative alliance brings Clary deeper into the world of Nephilim, werewolves, vampires, and demons, where she adapts better than anyone expected. Could this be where she’s belonged all along?
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Readers say *City of Bones* delivers an engaging urban fantasy adventure with likable characters like Clary and Simon, set in a vividly imagined world...
City of Bones was alright. I will probably read the other books in series at some point. Honestly, I had read it once before and I had forgotten about it so I had to reread it. I do like the way she uses the description in her stories because to me it really helps the reader image what she is writing about.
Clary Fray and her friend Simon arrive one evening at a club called Pandemonium only for Clary to come across something strange, something new, something indescribable in the form of Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood, and Isabelle Lightwood. Three Shadowhunters who quickly dispatch a demon in a storage closet. Which begs to question - how can Clary, a mundane, see them when glamor is supposed to keep them hidden from the "regular world"? So starts a journey of discovery for Clary and her best friend, Simon. It's a journey to discover who her mother - attacked and taken from their apartment - really is, what has been kept from Clary all her life, and how the new group of friends fit together. Clary Fray struggles to recover the memories that have been kept from her via spell blocking her mind from remembering, kept her from seeing the world as it really is. While I can definitely see the parallels between this story and a certain other fantasy series that will remain nameless, I found myself rather enjoying this tale (minus the ickiness of certain revelations. If you know, you know). So far, I think the fantasy aspect that is built around the mundane world is interesting and I look forward to how it is expanded upon in the rest of the series. Favorite characters so far? Simon, Clary's friend, and Magnus Bane, a warlock. Points to Alec, as well!
I read this as a kid, so this was just a reread. Kind of a comfort read. Something I can go back to and know it's good.
The writing was weak. I remember feeling like there was too much world-building just thrown at me rather than being exposed to me slowly over time. I barely finished this just to get it done.
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