dramastef's Full Review: Cassandra Clare - City of Bones
I was randomly pulling books out of the YA shelves at my library when I noticed a quote on the front cover of one by Holly Black (author of urban fantasy books I've loved, Tithe and Ironside), proclaiming the book in my hands to be "Funny, Dark and Sexy." Plus, the title sounded intriguing and the picture on the cover showed a young man's torso fully tattooed with intricate runes and tribal swirls. Those three things were enough to get me to rent the book.
City of Bones is the first book in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments trilogy. In it, fifteen-year-old Clary (Clarissa) Fray is every bit as interesting a heroine as Holly Black's Kaye. Clary is a New York City girl but even with everything she's seen in the city she's taken aback when she witnesses three teenagers murdering a blue haired boy, and even more so when the bouncers and her best friend Simon can't see the trio. Oh, and the blue haired boy turns out to be an actual demon.
Soon after returning home to find her mother missing and a greater demon waiting to devour her, Clary learns that the three teens, Jace, Alec and Isabelle are Shadowhunters, humans who have angel blood which allows them special abilities they use to hunt demons and keep peace on Earth. The further Clary follows the Shadowhunters down the rabbit hole, the more interesting the book became. She simultaneously learns more about her own life and unearths far more questions about it than she ever knew existed. Clary learns that her mother had been taking her to Magnus Bane every two years to put a block on her Sight, which forced her to forget any otherworldly thing she saw immediately after seeing it.
City of Bones is a fast paced book that surprised me by living up to Holly Black's three word promise: Funny. Dark. Sexy. It has its darker moments but is lightened by the moments of humor and the believability of the characters, even those of the non-human variety. There are werewolves, angels, vampires, fairies and more found within the book, but none of those elements overpower the story. It is Clary's story and she's well worth following. As to the sexy aspect? It's not over the top. There isn't anything in this book that I would worry about my teen daughter reading. Simon has been in love with Clary since the second grade, though Clary is quite oblivious to it and Simon's awkward attempts to woo her or make her jealous are so real feeling that I cringed once or twice with embarrassment and sympathy. Clary instantly finds herself attracted to the beautiful and sarcastic Jace, which makes for a painful triangle.
A lot happens in a short time during the course of City of Bones. The Mortal Instrument referred to in the name of the series is the Mortal Cup in this installment. The once Shadowhunter-turned-villain Valentine Morgenstern is searching for the Cup in order to amass an army that he will use to destroy the Clave (sort of the High Council of the Shadowhunters) and unleash demons galore.
A wonderfully eclectic cast of characters and very good writing that throws twists and turns kept my attention from cover to cover and had me lining up at the library for the second book, City of Ashes, the very next day. I recommend this book to anyone who is even half interested in the genre. This is the crème of the YA urban fantasy crop (what? I'm sure there is such a thing).
5 stars.
Read all about it at the series website: http://www.mortalinstruments.com/
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