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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
4⭐️
i was obsessed with the tv show growing up but this was my first time reading it and it did feel like a different book with the same main plot lines
i stand by it the book is always better
i was obsessed with the tv show growing up but this was my first time reading it and it did feel like a different book with the same main plot lines
i stand by it the book is always better
So fun!!! But I’m holding out hope that the thing that was hinted at the end is actually true bc otherwise I’m annoyed, you feel me?
I really enjoyed the story, but the writing style threw me off a little bit. I thought it was kind of basic, and I was kind of confused why her writing style is so hyped up? It’s same thing with some of the plot elements too? I don’t know, it just wasn’t the most complex story out there.
However, I still enjoyed the story nonetheless, but that’s just some small things I noticed that made initially struggle to like the story.
However, I still enjoyed the story nonetheless, but that’s just some small things I noticed that made initially struggle to like the story.
“He was a boy she was a girl can I make it anymore obvious they kissed and it was hot…but their brother and sister oh shit that’s messed up”
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So I liked the beginning of this book then it seemed to become a demon and demon killer episode of we're related on Jerry Springer. I might read the next book because I liked the first part of this book well enough and I want to see what is in store for Simon. But then again I'm so weird when it comes to series...if the first one leaves me disappointed I don't waste my time on the others.
i read this whole book in one day bc i was too nauseous to look at a screen and this was better than being trapped in my own consciousness . not sure if i’ll be reading agaun
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Rereading this in 2024 (after having read it the first time in 2016) was not the experience I was hoping for. I started this book planning to reread all of TMI, TID, and read the additional spinoffs - TDA and TLH, but now I am glad I didn't buy the boxed sets.
TMI was not my favorite YA series the first time I read it, but having LOVED TID, I remember this book seeming better than it was. I am a firm believer that a book marketed as YA does not inherently diminish its quality, but going back to read City of Bones again as an adult, the writing feels juvenile - there's too much rambling, stilted dialogues that feel unnatural coming from a teenager but too naive to be spoken from an adult, and the plot itself feels too contrived. The best part of the fantasy genre is feeling that the plot and characters are realistic for their setting; while a certain amount of suspended disbelief is expected in any urban fantasy, everything in City of Bones just felt like plot armor to the point where it took me out of the story. Furthermore, my main focus in a fantasy novel are the characters - I really couldn't care less about the plot if the characters feel real. While Clare writes teenagers well (many of the interactions were cringy but still feel true to form for a band of 16-year-olds), the character development is too fast, likely resulting from the deep tropes each member of the team fell into.
Unfortunately, I think I am going to need to end my reread before it really even begins. I loved the books as a kid, and I was looking forward to a nostalgic/comfortable activity to distract me from everyday life. But now, I am worried that if reread these books, if think a bit too critically about their content, my perception of them will completely collapse. Ultimately, this series was perfect in my memory, and I would much rather leave it that way.
Linking a review that sums up a more realistic review of the series: https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/nov/08/mortal-instruments-cassandra-clare-review (moral of the story: better than Twilight, but that bar is low)
TMI was not my favorite YA series the first time I read it, but having LOVED TID, I remember this book seeming better than it was. I am a firm believer that a book marketed as YA does not inherently diminish its quality, but going back to read City of Bones again as an adult, the writing feels juvenile - there's too much rambling, stilted dialogues that feel unnatural coming from a teenager but too naive to be spoken from an adult, and the plot itself feels too contrived. The best part of the fantasy genre is feeling that the plot and characters are realistic for their setting; while a certain amount of suspended disbelief is expected in any urban fantasy, everything in City of Bones just felt like plot armor to the point where it took me out of the story. Furthermore, my main focus in a fantasy novel are the characters - I really couldn't care less about the plot if the characters feel real. While Clare writes teenagers well (many of the interactions were cringy but still feel true to form for a band of 16-year-olds), the character development is too fast, likely resulting from the deep tropes each member of the team fell into.
Unfortunately, I think I am going to need to end my reread before it really even begins. I loved the books as a kid, and I was looking forward to a nostalgic/comfortable activity to distract me from everyday life. But now, I am worried that if reread these books, if think a bit too critically about their content, my perception of them will completely collapse. Ultimately, this series was perfect in my memory, and I would much rather leave it that way.
Linking a review that sums up a more realistic review of the series: https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/nov/08/mortal-instruments-cassandra-clare-review (moral of the story: better than Twilight, but that bar is low)