City of Bones

The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is a book about Clary Fray and Jace Wayland who have a lot to uncover about their past and the dangers of their future… 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….

Summary

Clary fray is just an ordinary human girl who likes the feeling of going to the Pandemonium night club with her best friend, Simon. How when in the club one night, Clary catches a glimpse of an unexpected murder of a seemingly ordinary boy. But the strangest thing was, he didn’t leave a smear of blood behind, that is after he vanished into thin air! After ordering Simon to call the authority, she sees nobody else seemed to witness what she just did; not even Simon.

Then she meets Jace; the boy, along with his adoptive siblings (Isabelle and Alec) murdered the boy in the first place. They are as well as shocked as she is when they find out she can see them. Clary is too weirded out by the whole incident and decides to heads home. Here she has a hot-headed argument with her mother and their close family friend, Luke. She later goes to a café with Simon to cool things off, only to find Jace there too, spying on her.

She pulls him out and confronts him about the events of the past few hours and why only she can see him. Jace tries to convince her to come with him to the Institute, and that he will explain everything. When all of a sudden, Clary gets a phone call from her mother, telling her not to come home and the line goes silent. Clary, in a rush of emotions, runs towards their apartment, despite her mother’s warning, and finds it wrecked head to toe. As she walks through, she sees all her mother’s paintings have been torn and strewn across the floor.

She hears a noise from the kitchen and runs there, in hopes to find her mother. Instead, she finds a Ravener demon, its teeth bared. After some initial struggle, she manages to kill it with help from a metallic object she grabbed from Jace, thinking it’s a phone. But it’s no use, as she’d already been struck with demon poison. She sees Jace drawing something on her wrist and carrying her with her last few moments of consciousness. The sound of sirens is drowned out in the background, followed by silence… Is Jace taking her to the institute? Why is she able to see him, when nobody could? What did he draw on her wrist and why? What has happened to her mother? Is Clary Fray ready for the truth about the world and use it to uncover her past, which lies buried in her own mind…?

Review

The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is definitely on the top of my favourite list, with its unexpected storylines, and ever-turning plot. City of Bones starts off with a mysterious plot, which definitely had me hooked from page one, and leads onto a climactic story. However, the thing that separates this book from all the others has to be the changing action.

The main foundation of the book is built upon the idea of there being these warriors which protect normal humans from demons and send them back to the realm in which they came from. I have relished the ideas and possibilities that this new universe has to offer.

However, it’s only when Clary gets introduced to the “darker side” of New York City when things start to go downhill. She has always had a complicated relationship with her mother, but the two have always loved each other.

Clary has always respected Jocelyn, her mum, and knew she kept a few odd secrets as any person does. Nevertheless, when she discovers that her mother has been hiding a whole other world from, she has the right to be a little more than mad.

Regardless, Clary still goes forth and dives into this new world, and tries to embrace it as part of herself, bit by bit. The only problem is a block on her mind which is fading but still preventing her from remembering anything about the shadow world. And time is ticking out for her. If she doesn’t remember something important, and quickly than her time is sure to run out along with the rest of the Shadowhunters.

“The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he’d learned: that to love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed.”

-Jace Wayland, (City of Bones)

When I read the book, there was always some suspense in the background, as well as the pressure being put on Clary. I have loved that feeling, and you can feel every character’s emotion leading up to the biggest plot twist in the book. The city of bones is so well written that I am left speechless at the end. I could not have brought myself to write this review without praising Cassandra’s writing style and the language she uses. This new world that she wove in the mind fits together like a jigsaw puzzle and has left me wanting to read more. I was thrilled when I found out the Mortal instrument series is made up of 6 books.

Not only is this book action-packed with thrill and adventure, but it is also a frustrating romance, with thorns and pricks. Clary and Jace are made for each other, but destiny didn’t plan a straight path for the two. The biggest plot twist comes at the end, where it all seems to go downhill. I’d be lying if I didn’t say this bit made me scream in frustration when reading it.

In conclusion, I adore this book from start to finish and hope to love the rest in the series just as much, I give City of Bones by Cassandra Clare a five out of five!

About the Author

Cassandra Clare is Judith Rumelt’s pen name. She was born in Tehran, Iran to American parents and spent most of her childhood travelling the world. She often found comfort to books this way, as well as familiarity. Cassie spent most of her high school years in Los Angeles and moved to New York after college. There she worked for many magazines and tabloids before writing her first book, City of bones. Which is inspired by the Urban landscape of the big city; New York.