Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publish Date: July 2, 2007
Pages: 485

Synopsis:
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.... 

From Goodreads

I definitely enjoyed this book. I admit it took me a little while to get into it. The beginning is slightly drawn out with random events happening, making you think "What on Earth is going on?" Of course, we eventually get to the part where there is a character who has all the answers and starts explaining things for our main character. But because Cassandra Clare has created such a wonderfully amazing and creative world, it does take a little while to explain which makes it feel drawn out once again.

Once everything's been explained, we jump into this new world with both feet. It seems like you're reading at the speed of light because so much is going on, but then you realize there's still so much to get through and you think "How is that still possible?", but then you're happy because you have more time to spend in this world than you thought.

As the pace continues as quickly as it has been, eventually the end comes to a near and then Cassandra does something unexpected to me: shakes everything up in ways you can't imagine until you read it. I can't believe what she did and being a romantic, she kind of lost some brownie points from me. Then she also left it off in a big cliff hanger.

In the end, this book has a wonderful story and Clare creates an amazing world that you are sad you can't be part of. I'm really excited to read City of Ashes and see what she will possibly do to wrap up what she left hanging before jumping into the next big adventure.


(This review was originally posted at my livejournal on September 10, 2010)