City of Bones

I have recently read this book for a second time, several years after I initially read it and following a very enjoyable journey through their companion series, The Infernal Devices over the past month. At the time I first read it the movie had just been released and it's fair to say that things have moved on quite a bit since then, with Clare having completed the series and gone on to release several companion books and another companion series and with Freeform having produced a television show focused on Clare's world of the Shadowhunters and based on this series.

When I first read this book I didn't have any background really on the Shadowhunter world and I was relying on this book to set it all out for me and draw me in and whilst it did that what it didn't do was stay with me in a way that drove me to the other books. It has taken reading the Infernal Devices trilogy to bring me to a stage where I feel I'm now ready to delve into this book again and follow it on further into The Mortal Instruments series. It might be my preferred time setting of Victorian London in which The Infernal Devices was based that drew me in more and which I found more atmospheric which helped me do this. I think that having read City of Bones again I found that the New York contemporary setting made it all seem a bit too Twilight meets Anne Rice and I can understand why some readers have found this put them off.

I also believe that the book doesn't deliver as much of an adventurous ride as some readers may have expected but this could again be because in publication order this is the very first time Clare wrote about her magical world of Shadowhunters and therefore this book has to lay out all the facets of the Nephilim and their world and introduce all the characters of Downworld and how the two interact as well as setting up the story arc that will follow through the series. This means much of the book is focused on this and so whilst we introduce lots of characters we don't get much time to have them develop in this book but I am assured this is something that moves on immensely as the series progresses.

Having returned to the book now with a much wider awareness of the Victorian Shadowhunters, the prominent families in the Clave and a love of Warlock Magnus Bane I did gain more from this book. There were moments where I would give a little nod of understanding, for example understanding that Hodge was part of the Starkweather family and relation to Aloysius. I'm sure when I read City of Bones first time round there were moments I was thinking “What the heck is going on?” and didn't really understand significant moments.

I am now feeling more a part of Clare's world and have more enthusiasm for the world as a whole and feel I will now move on with the series, unlike last time where unfortunately I gave up.

I understand why the kids love it and her undoing of the romance triangle at the end made it a little less formulaic. And at least it wasn't as badly written as some of the other more popular book/movies my kids love (Divergent, I'm looking directly at you here), but I'd rather hype John Green and Rainbow Rowell and Benjamin Alire Saenz and the innumerable other great YA authors than this.

This is my first time reading a YA novel in years. Figured i should give this best-seller everyone raves about a chance. What a big mistake. The writing is just bad as bad the author of Twilight, but this time I won't make the same mistake I made in middle school where I would force myself to read an entire series once I started it, no matter how much I disliked it. I thought it was the only way my opinions or reviews could be valid.

The author also copied from a ton of popular stories, Harry Potter to name one of them. I know there's really no such thing as an original idea but the similarities were way to similar and literally everything was predictable. There just wasn't enough deviation from borrowed texts. Dropped hints were more like spoilers. JK Rowling did a much better job with this. Impressive, really. This book is once again proof that as long as you follow the common YA plot formula, it doesn't matter how poor the writing is and if the idea is original or not, you'll have a successful book. Anyone can become a published author at this point. At least I recognize I should leave the writing to other people.

I ended up skimming the last third of the book. Needless to say, I won't be finishing this series. The first book was a waste of time. I'll go back to the non YA fantasy books that tend to have far better writing, well developed worlds, and better plots (I recommend Wheel of Time, The Kingkiller Chronicles, and the Stormlight Archives). Seriously, once you try a fantasy novel, you will rarely go back to YA except for that diamond in the rough.

I have heard this author has improved significantly so I'm considering trying another novel from her but I'm honestly not sure if it's worth my time and effort. I would need to know someone with the same opinion I had of this book to actually likes her newer ones.

I had seen the movie before and really loved it. The movie and the book are definitely very different. Not only the plot but many of the characters. Not only that but many other aspects caused me not to like this. 

Mostly the fact that the possibility of incest is used as a plot device erks me. Not only that but the fact that Jace as a character is a horrible person who is a total dick the whole time and switches sides in two seconds when his adoptive dad tells him a bunch of lies. Even though this man was abusive as fuck. He is horrible to Clary for that entire sequence. It's so stupid and I hate it. It made me hate this book as well.  

Probably not going to read the other book. I googled enough about to plot to give up on this series. 

I loved and hated this book at the same time. I was drawn in really quickly and then things slowed down and then it got faster towards the end - which I hated if I'm being honest (the ending).

Clary is an easy to like character although I felt that she settled for things way too easily without a fight.

Jace was a pain in the arse all the way through, then he got likeable then he got annoying again. He was a bit of a douche.

I'll read the second book and hope that the characters develop a lot more. Especially the supporting characters Isabella and Alec. I thought they were both quite interesting but we don't really get to know them very well.

I came into it expecting a campy, silly fun read, and came out actually fully bought in. I loved this story! It exceeded all expectations. I was really invested in all the characters quickly–including minor ones–which for me is a sign of a series I want to stick with.
That ending though, for people who read it. I don't even have words.
Can't wait for the next one!

I must say, this wasn't as good as I expected. This is coming from someone who read Clockwork Angel, from the prequel series just released a few months ago, first. The writing was a lot better in Clockwork Angel than City of Bones.

Let me start by saying I still really liked the book. The characters were good. I liked how strong-willed Clary was and how witty and charming Jace was. I usually find myself annoyed by the “bitch” of the story but Isabelle was a very refreshing character (unlike jessamine) as was Simon. I felt the story dragged a little bit. There wasn't much action if you think about it. A lot of the story just focused on Jace and Clary, which is fine with me, but there just wasn't enough action mixed in.

Over all I enjoyed the book. I just didn't find myself flipping through the pages like a mad man like the way I had done for Clockwork Angel until the very baffling end. It is very strange and revolting storyline to have, in my opinion.

In comparison, I feel more drawn to the Infernal Devices characters. I feel like I know more about them, excluding Will, than I know about the Characters from The Mortal Instruments. I still have 2 more books to read at the moment, and i'm sure some of my opinions will change. But this is my first glance at the series based on the first books of both series.

Honestly, I expected to absolutely hate this, but I didn't! Was it good? Nope, but it was action-packed enough that I can say I had an okay time flying through it. Obviously it's cheesy and derivative (I think if you squint at the cover you can see Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker on the rough of middle building). The amount of girl hate is appalling. The MC is a bland, cardboard cutout and clearly written so the reader can insert themselves into the story. There's nothing wrong with those kinds of stories though if that's the kind of escapism you're looking for. Overall, not my cuppa but an easy read.