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kiranmm's review against another edition
3.0
3.5*
objectively speaking not really peak literature but it was really entertaining and i really enjoyed myself at least until the last chapter.. bc girl wtf why. like. just why
also i didn’t want to add this at first bc kinda spoilers?? but whatever bc WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABT THE INCEST
anyway so bc of that now im like
objectively speaking not really peak literature but it was really entertaining and i really enjoyed myself at least until the last chapter.. bc girl wtf why. like. just why
also i didn’t want to add this at first bc kinda spoilers?? but whatever bc WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABT THE INCEST
anyway so bc of that now im like
shreeb's review against another edition
3.0
So, I’m starting this a little late, but I’ve heard about Shadowhunters for my entire life and when I joined book-related social media, I was incredibly exposed to this world and finally decided to give it a shot. People warned me that this first series (TMI) was not good and that it gets better either in The Infernal Devices or The Dark Artifices (people had really different opinions for that), but I decided to start with this and read in publication order instead of chronologically.
My expectations were very low for this book which is why I was pleasantly surprised with it once I finished the book. I found the similarities to other media (lots of Harry Potter and Star Wars vibes) actually quite fun to read, apart from the incest plotline, which I’ll continue talking about in my review of books 2 and 3. However, because I had so much spoiled about this series, I let that slide.
First of all, I actually didn’t have a problem with Clary. A lot of people made her out to be a really bad protagonist, but maybe I’ve read so many bad protagonists that she didn’t really irk me in any way. Sure, she could get a little annoying and maybe was a little bland, but she wasn’t boring or obnoxious.
Jace, on the other hand, I grew to have problems with. I first though his character was interesting, maybe a bit cliche but the very standout-ish personality he has was engaging to read. Of course, I became less and less of a fan as I continued the series but I didn’t have too big of a problem with him in this one.
However, I do wish the side characters were more fleshed out. Isabelle and Alec has great potential to be engaging right from the start but I just wasn’t interested in their characters. Even Magnus, who is definitely an engaging character, still felt very sidelined. And I do have bigger problems with these books but they’ll make more sense in future reviews.
The story itself was actually pretty solid, and maybe it was because it was a quick/easy read for me that I enjoyed it more. I love how immersed I am in this world and I can’t wait to read more!
My expectations were very low for this book which is why I was pleasantly surprised with it once I finished the book. I found the similarities to other media (lots of Harry Potter and Star Wars vibes) actually quite fun to read, apart from the incest plotline, which I’ll continue talking about in my review of books 2 and 3. However, because I had so much spoiled about this series, I let that slide.
First of all, I actually didn’t have a problem with Clary. A lot of people made her out to be a really bad protagonist, but maybe I’ve read so many bad protagonists that she didn’t really irk me in any way. Sure, she could get a little annoying and maybe was a little bland, but she wasn’t boring or obnoxious.
Jace, on the other hand, I grew to have problems with. I first though his character was interesting, maybe a bit cliche but the very standout-ish personality he has was engaging to read. Of course, I became less and less of a fan as I continued the series but I didn’t have too big of a problem with him in this one.
However, I do wish the side characters were more fleshed out. Isabelle and Alec has great potential to be engaging right from the start but I just wasn’t interested in their characters. Even Magnus, who is definitely an engaging character, still felt very sidelined. And I do have bigger problems with these books but they’ll make more sense in future reviews.
The story itself was actually pretty solid, and maybe it was because it was a quick/easy read for me that I enjoyed it more. I love how immersed I am in this world and I can’t wait to read more!
vjlp22_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
boman_parker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
johanneyey's review against another edition
5.0
Something about Cassandra Clare that I love is how she manages to shock me. She dares to take risks in her writing that brings her story to a higher level above any other. With every twist the story takes, the more I am taken aback by the sheer audacity of this writer.
I read this book as if it were a race. I quite literally could not put it down. It fought me, it struggled, the book practically jumped in my hands whenever I got in proximity of it. Why all this? Because Cassandra Clare shapes her story to the shape of a hand, a hand that at the end of the book has you in a chokehold.
I surrender to the cult of the Shadowhunters fandom. I wave the white flag with the sequel in my hands.
I read this book as if it were a race. I quite literally could not put it down. It fought me, it struggled, the book practically jumped in my hands whenever I got in proximity of it. Why all this? Because Cassandra Clare shapes her story to the shape of a hand, a hand that at the end of the book has you in a chokehold.
I surrender to the cult of the Shadowhunters fandom. I wave the white flag with the sequel in my hands.
cassandra72's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
At the end of the day, besides Clary not being a girl's girl, the world building is awesome, the writing is solid (for the first YA book in a series and better than some books nowaday)and I had fun all through
aliciawalton's review against another edition
5.0
I started reading this book because the movie interested me and I love it. I love the story line and the details of the story. I can not read the next book! Worth reading if you have only watched the movie.