Customer Reviews
Well, Lets See 
2008-07-09
Well, I actually picked up the sequel to this one on the bestseller table, and I didn't realize it was the second in a series until after I bought it. So, after reading it and enjoying it, I bought the first one, which I thought was worse.
*SPOILERS*
The beginning is intriguing. Clary, a slightly geeky teenager, is at a club with her best bud Simon when she meets a group of mysterious 'Shadowhunters' whom only she can see. It then lags a bit, going on about her personal life, which would have been better at the beginning, so that the action doesn't plunge. She then sees one of them again, in a coffee shop. They talk, and Clary is interrupted by an anxious phone call from her mother who tells her not to come home. So, being a teenager, Clary races home, followed by the Shadowhunter, Jace, who wants to take her back to Headquarters. She meets demon, the things the Shadowhunters are supposed to be slaying. It attacks her, and she kills it buy luck. She passes out and is taken back to HQ by Jace. Well. Suspenseful, plenty of action, and a foreshadowing of a love triangle. Not a bad start, though it could have been written better.
At Shadowhunter Headquarters, things get murky. Jace's adoptive family is quirky and interesting. The books never really become clear on Clary's feelings for Isabelle or Alec Jace's adoptive siblings. One minute she hates them, then she likes them, then she's neutral, then she hates them again. Isabelle and Alec are have far more engaging personalities than Jace, who switches between the victim and angsty teenager and the all-powerful golden boy. It soon becomes clear that Clary's mom was involved Shadowhunter politics and walking the line between following the law and being a criminal. She stole the Mortal Cup from diabolical Shadowhunter gone bad Valentine, who happens to be her husband and Clary's father. He kidnapped her and is holding her hostage for information. The Lightwood's (Alec and Isabelle and Jace) tutor, Hodge, a man with a shady past also linked to Valentine, tries to help Clary by taking her to the Silent Brothers, a powerful, cult-like, brother hood who delve more into the 'magic' part of the Shadowhunter world that the fighting part in which the Shadowhunters take part. This part should be fast-paced and exciting yet it meanders around, almost lagging, to make the reader frustrated.
Poor Clary finds out that a lot of things in her world aren't quite what they seem. Her mother's almost-boyfriend and Clary's 'Uncle' is also linked to Valentine. Simon, meanwhile, hops back into the picture rather unexpectedly and is used by the Shadowhunters. He never actually takes part in the plans or makes decisions, though he tries. His anger doesn't quite hit the spot, though. Clary meanwhile, is a Shadowhunter, did I mention? Something that could have been suspenseful and made the romance between her and Jace and Simon more interesting is simply handed out at the beginning of the book. Tsk, tsk. Readers should be on the edge of their seats, waiting for suspicions to be confirmed, not quite sure, with plenty to argue pro and con. They shouldn't be handed things that are already obvious.
Clary and Jace (sometimes accompanied by Alec, Isabelle, or Simon) race around New York looking for clues and getting into sticky situations. The go to a party by a funky and clearly gay warlock named Magnus Bane, who was the one who blocked Clary's memories (It turns out that Alec is gay. Magnus is gay. So...can anyone see something, just maybe?) Simon gets turned into a rat. Jace and Clary run off to rescue him from a houseful of vampires. Alec, meanwhile, is fuming because of Clary. He thinks Clary is putting Jace in danger, and told her that she is ruining the Lightwood's lives. Clary shoots back with the fact that he has a crush on Jace. Alec loses it temporarily. This was one of my favorite scenes because Clary doesn't need things explained and is on almost equal ground with Alec. Tension, tension.
This book is full of witty dialogue, mostly from Jace, Isabelle and Simon. The balance between the characters is all wrong, but seperate and in small groups they are funny and exciting. The arguments are fast-paced and and in some cases almost debate-like.
Clary, though she has been a Shadowhunter only for a couple of days, practices her magic and finds out where her mother has hidden the mortal cup. Can they get to it on time? I liked the actual ending, but the way it was phrased and written was awful. The plotlines, characters, and the settings were all in place, but needed to be written differently. It is written in third person. I think it would have been better written in first person, with chapters from different peoples perspectives. This happens with the third person, but would have been cleaner and more description in the way mentioned earlier. A good non-fiction for those who love fantasy. Unexpected twist.
good but... 
2008-07-03
I really found that i liked this book a lot but there were things about the plot line that just reminded me of Harry Potter written by another prespective. I found it a little back and forth between charaters, but i still highly recomend it exsepcially if you havn't read the Harry Potter series.
o_o Soooo GOOD! 
2008-07-01
This book left me speechless and dumbified! I felt like an addict counting the hours until I could get my fix everyday! The only downside is that now I have to wait until March 2009 for Book 3 *sniffles*
A bookseller at Border's recommended this book... and now I'm going to go to her every time I need a good suggestion!
If you enjoy "Twilight," you'll love "City of Bones." 2008-06-30
I felt it was unfortunate to see some of the poor reviews this book was recently given. I teach seventh grade English and enjoy reading YA literature for my own enjoyment. I actually picked up this novel when I was at a local store, and the cover of "City of Ashes" caught my eye. After reading a short blip about the first book, I figured I better pick it up. It took several weeks for me to get the book because they couldn't keep them on the shelves here. I read this book in one day, and then ran out and bought the second book, which I also read in one day...couldn't put them down! The only other book I have enjoyed to that extent was "Twilight." If you enjoy books that are a little on the darker side, I would tell you to pick this one up!
Didn't live up to the hype 2008-06-22
The book takes too long to get going and then ends completely uninterestingly. It takes Cassandra Clare a little too long to find her characters (and the in-jokes are kind of hit or miss), but she has created a pretty interesting world. A lot of these problems get dealt with in the next book though, so I still think this is worth a read. Just try not to expect an instant classic or you'll be disappointed.
Awesome book for adults 2008-08-06
I found this book interesting from page one and it continued to keep me reading. I was glad that the author explained people in the book the way she did and had some surprises for the reader. I think I sat down and read the whole thing in one day.
The only thing that I did't like was that sometimes I was confused as to which character was in a situation before their name was mentioned.
something positive 2008-08-02
I keep reading all these negative reviews so I feel I need to add something positive. I loved this book; I love this series so far (of course, I already was a big fan of Cassie Claire long before this series was published.) I do agree that this book is intended for an older audience, or a really mature teenager. For those already familiar with her work, Cassandra's style really comes through in this series. It is exciting, gripping and full of heart-wrenching twists (thanks to some of you who have already spoiled those twists). I, for one, would never take someone else's word for it. If you like the genre, you will like the book. And of course, you should never give anything to your child to read without first reading it yourself. I say this as an elementary school teacher who never puts anything on her bookshelves without reading it first.
FUN FUN FUN 2008-07-31
City of Bones is the sort of book you pick up with only a vague sense of what to expect, and put down only after devouring every page, reading and re-reading your favourite paragraphs. I read and re-read this book, never growing tired of the smart, real characters and amazing world.
This is not a book you will put down exhausted; you will slam the cover shut feeling like you've just drank about five espressos and tap your foot impatiently until you can get your hands on book 2 in the trilogy.
Like with any book, some people don't like City of Bones. But it's a fun book, and one you definitely want to at least give a try.
What do you get when you cross Buffy with Harry Potter? 2008-07-18
In this case, you get something that's actually fairly original. The influence of Buffy comes through often (Clare used to write fan fiction about the show), such as when one of the characters gets turned into a rat (she couldn't even pick a different animal?) or simply the fact that the core characters in the book are high school kids with an older mentor, all of whom, except for one, are Shadowhunters (Scoobies, anyone?). There are hints of Harry Potter as well, as the non-talented are called scorned by a group who wants to wipe them out (although non-Shadowhunters are called mundanes, rather than Muggles) the leader of which was thought to be dead, but apparently isn't... There's even some Star Wars thrown in, with a modified "Luke, I am your father" moment, which, by the way, I saw coming from miles away.
So, yes, lots of similarities, some of them fairly glaring. And yet, Clare does make a new story out of it all. There's unexpected bravery, betrayal (unexpected and expected), and even a hint of gallantry. In short, it's a pretty good fantasy story. But I think I'll go watch some Buffy now.
Interesting, but too over-the-top to be completely engrossing 2008-07-14
I found the book City of Bones, the first in the Mortal Instruments Series, to be fascinating on many levels, but not completely engrossing. I think a lot of history, legend, and myth study went into the creation of this book. I loved reading about the runes and the use of weaponry, but I couldn't completely sink myself into the work because it often felt too over-the-top. Unlike Stephanie Meyer's books, which dealt with one fictional realm at a time, and really held to that one thing, Clare's book took on a whole fictional realm at once. This leaves two different problems in its wake. One is that the book tends to just lightly touch on many aspects of the world, and not get really deep into any of them (for instance, the Silent Brother's self-mutilation rituals or Izzy's temporary and firey fascination with Simon). Also, covering an entire world at once meant that the characters spent a lot of time explaining things to Clary instead of Clary learning things for herself. A lot of the rules and details of Shadow World were dictated to Clary instead of the reader experiencing it through Clary, first-hand. When that happens, the book can feel more technical rather than emotional.
Still, I would say that I was interested in the world of the book enough to buy the sequel and see where it goes.
