Review: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

Title: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 485
Challenge: YA Serires Challenge

My Rating:

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.... -Summary from goodreads.com

This is a must read for urban fantasy and paranormal romance fans! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and was hopelessly sucked in. I had heard soooo many things about this book, both good and bad; but I’m super glad I picked it up and now have an opinion of my own... 3 words: I Loved It!

First let’s begin with the basics; in this story we follow Clary; 15 soon to be 16 years old, who has an extremely overprotective mom and she soon discovers that it’s for good reason. Clary’s different from other ordinary teenage girls, she see’s things other people can't see. When her mother is taken, Clary is thrust into the awesome kick ass world of shadowhunters, demons, vampires, and other creatures. Clary, along with some help from her best friend Simon, must quickly seek the truth to her heritage and past, if she is to have any hope in rescuing her mother as well as any hope for her own survival.

As a character, I really liked Clary; she is a take-charge person. She made a fine heroine because she was believable. Sometimes she was a bit of a weakling, she required protection, she craved comfort and attention, but those are the things that make a teenage girl real. At the end, all loose ends came together; Clary proved to us that she was brave, loyal and moral.

Simon and Jace are wonderful, with Jace being especially captivating. There are just so many things that make him stand out. Jace is insanely witty and sarcastic, courageous to the point of being fearless, strong, and unapologetic. His upbringing is his strength and his weakness. He's such a complex character, who’s been through so much and lost even more, so he shuts everyone out, refusing to let himself care. Well, that is until Clary comes along. Something about the two of them together… they really bring out the best and worst in each other.

The attraction between the Clary and Jace began innocently and it evolved to a natural point. I loved the scenes that Jace and Clary had together! I would literally find myself laughing out loud to the one-liners Jace would say. Gosh, that boy is great… I seriously found myself thinking (more than once), “Damn, he’s made of Ink and Paper!”

Overall, City of Bones is an action packed, character driven novel of friendship, love, loyalty, and betrayal and the consequences of knowing the truth. This fabulous book is filled with paranormal creatures, endearing characters, hot romance and unexpected twists that will leave you gasping for more! The only "bad" thing I can say about the book would be the shocking twist at the end. Its one of those endings that leaves you just hoping it’s all a trick because you don't believe the author could really be that cruel. Hopefully future books will resolve this issue, but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see :) but I’d still recommended this book to everyone!