CITY OF BONES
By Cassandra Clare
485 Pages
2007
Published by Margaret K. McElderry
Synopsis taken from Goodreads:
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .
My thoughts:
I really wanted to read this book before I see the movie. And I have always loved the covers of the entire series. Family and friends have long raved about these books so I admit I went in with high expectations and well.....City of Bones just fell flat for me.
It's not very often that I do a bad review on a book. In fact I can count on one hand how many time I have.
But maybe just maybe it's me not you, Cassandra Clare. Sometimes you just pick the wrong book when your in the wrong mood. And this could have very well happened in this case.
The first and only problem I had with City of Bones was I had absolutely no connection to the characters.
None. Zero. Zip.
Main character Clary, is an unremarkable and slightly annoying girl-she ran around mostly in a confused state almost the entire book. I got tired of the-Who am I, what am I doing and where am I suppose to be? Oh, and the "I want to scream but I have no air! Over and over and over......
But it wasn't just Clary that failed to get my attention-I also had a problem with Jace-Clary's love interest. He's angry and filled with inner turmoil. But wait, he's just a sensitive boy trapped in a rude boy's body!
Most of the book has our main characters running from place to place looking for a cup. Yup, a cup. When the super villian, Valentine is finally tracked down he's a downright laughable bad guy. His ruthlessness has been built up throughout the entire book and what do we get-evil laughter and sneers. Really?
But I guess the thing that just made me want to beg for my week of night time reading back was the BIG reveal at the end.....RELAX peeps, there will be no spoiler from me. It just made me gag a little and then throw the book on the floor.
So, let's sum CITY OF BONES up in one word-DISAPPOINTING.
Parental heads up-The main characters are fighting demons so of course it's going to get good and gory.
So I'm curious, did you think it was a good book and please tell me why. I have the second one in the series on my Nook. At this point I'm ready to delete it and move on. Or should I give Cassandra Clare one more chance?
