City of Bones by Cassandra Clare book review

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

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. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque 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....

I missed the movie in cinemas earlier this year and to be honest, I usually always prefer the books to the films, so I bought The Mortal Instruments set and made a start with book one, City of Bones.

I was drawn in straight away by the beautiful world that Cassandra Clare has imagined and enjoyed the arrogance of Jace, the main Shadowhunter.  He contrasted nicely with the self-doubt of the main protagonist Clary, a mundane who knows little about her mother and even less about why she can suddenly see a world around her that she never knew was there.  Clary’s best friend Simon cannot see them and when she needs him most, Luke, her mother’s closest friend abandons her.

The creatures in the new world she encounters are dangerous and Jace’s friends Isabelle and Alec do not seem to want to help her, but she must find answers.

I have to admit I saw the twist coming well ahead of time and was disappointed with the ‘Star Wars-y-ness’ of it.  Also, I am surprised that the author did not settle the Simon situation before the end of the book, but maybe this is an arc she will settle in the next book.

I am hoping to get the film version for either my birthday or Christmas, so think I will view this before moving onto the second book in the series and will be interested to see how the book translates to the big screen.

A lush fantasy world.                                         8/10

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