Review for City of Bones by Cassandra Clare!
Quick View Review
Overall Rating: **** (4.8/5)
Amazon Rating: **** (4.7/5)
One Sentence Review: If you want an action packed, romantic and intense page turner series with angels and demons and everything in between, then read this popular series.
Full Review
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. And she’s more than a little startled when the body disappears into thin air. Soon Clary is introduced to the world of the Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of warriors dedicated to driving demons out of our world and back to their own. And Clary is introduced with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque monster. How could a mere human survive such an attack and kill a demon? The Shadowhunters would like to know…. (Summary by Amazon).
This series was one of the first series I ever read, and I can honestly say it has had a huge impact on me (I don't promise it will have that same effect on you, but I guarantee you will fall in love with the characters, world, and story). I have reread this series many times, and each time brings the same feeling of love for the complexity of the world and its characters, although as I get older, I also perceive the story in different ways, like finding new meaning and inspiration every time. Even the evil characters you find intriguing and so complicated that you love them in the same way you love well written and thought out characters. The plot in itself is very tangled (in the best way), each single thread of emotion, each character, each event, is connected, and it makes it that much more real. The main characters are teenagers, so they are, of course, extremely relatable for most people, but what is also unforgettable are the lessons that are hidden within the plot, the parallels between their world and ours. I admire Cassandra Clare not only because her writing is beautiful and character and plot construction is brilliant, but also because she does her research. Cassandra Clare has written other series (namely the Infernal Devices, The Dark Artifices, Shadowhunter Academy, Shadowhunter’s Codex, the Bane Chronicles, and many more to come), that are all based in this same Shadowhunting world. So the Mortal Instruments is based in modern times, while the Infernal Devices is set in another past age, and you can bet the overlaps and connections between the people and the events. But that's not all. This isn't some made up (well, some of it is) world that springs up purely from imagination, but rather is based on stories from actual ancient texts, mostly the Bible. Even if you aren't a religious person, these references and connections are incredible. How much research went into this to make it factually (or rather factual meaning the legends actually exist) accurate is so mind blowing, that I think Cassandra Clare might just be a Shadowhunter herself (who really knows right?). Anyway, the research really shows, and you will notice it and appreciate what it gives to the world created. Suddenly, it doesn't seem so far away and untouchable, but right there in front of you, if only you look. As they say, all the stories are true.
Make sure to come back next Wednesday for a new review!
Happy reading!
Xoxo,
Zoe
