SUMMARY
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…
Image and summary from Goodreads.
REVIEW
I’ve finally started my Cassandra Clare journey!
City of Bones has been sitting on my TBR for years and with so many people recommending The Mortal Instruments series, I figured it was about time I saw what all the hype was about. I ended up listening to it as an audiobook through my Spotify Premium subscription, which made it really easy to chip away at while I was out, driving or doing jobs around the house.
Going into this book, I honestly knew a little about the story as I watched the movie with a friend when it first came out in cinemas however, its been quite a few years since the movie so I didn’t really remember much about it going in. I know that since the movie was released, there was also a TV show that came out revolving around the Shadowhunters however I never watched it. I think that not having much of a memory on the plot of the book actually worked in my favour because I got to discover the world alongside Clary and there was something really fun about slowly piecing together how everything worked.
Cassandra Clare has created a huge fantasy world filled with Shadowhunters, Downworlders, demons, vampires, werewolves, warlocks and all kinds of magical creatures. It definitely feels like the beginning of something much bigger and I can already see why so many readers become invested in this universe.
One thing I really enjoyed was the world-building. Even though there was a lot of information to take in, it never felt completely overwhelming. I liked learning about the different runes, the Institute and the history behind the Shadowhunters. You can tell there’s so much more to uncover and it definitely made me curious about where the series is heading.
As for the characters, I liked them, but I didn’t completely fall in love with them just yet. Clary was an interesting main character, and I enjoyed watching her discover this hidden world she’d never known existed. Jace was exactly the kind of sarcastic, confident character and I did enjoy his banter. Simon was probably one of my favourites because he brought a sense of normality and humour to everything that was happening.
The reason this landed at three stars for me is that I found parts of the story a little slow, especially during the first half while the world was being established. There were also times where I felt like I was more interested in learning about the Shadowhunter world than I was in the actual plot itself. I kept waiting for that moment where everything would completely hook me and while there were some exciting twists towards the end, I never quite reached that “I can’t stop reading” feeling.
I will say that listening to it as an audiobook definitely helped. The narration kept me engaged and because I was able to listen while doing other things, it made getting through the slower sections much easier. It’s the kind of fantasy I think works really well in audio format because you’re immersed in the world without feeling like you’re sitting down to tackle a big fantasy novel.
Overall, I’m glad I’ve finally started this series. Even though City of Bones wasn’t an instant favourite, I can appreciate that it’s laying the foundation for a much larger story and I’m interested enough to keep going. I’ve heard from so many other readers that the books only get better from here, so I’m excited to continue my Cassandra Clare journey and see where Clary and the rest of the characters end up.
This was a solid 3-star read for me. While it didn’t completely live up to the years of hype surrounding it, I’m still looking forward to continuing the series and exploring more of the Shadowhunter world.
-Rachelle
I’m on Instagram at @rachellesbookshelf
