Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

41 reviews

dosxhime's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Given that the Mortal Instruments series is rife with lore, world building, and characters, it makes sense that Clare stretches this series out. It was kinda a drag to read this and it makes me feel like we go from one event to another without pause. 

It feels like a lot of details are just dumped onto you, without letting all this new  information soak in. I would be normally fine with this, since I'm mostly into the characters for a good ol YA novel. 

However, I felt that they fell flat and I really couldn't care what happened to any of them. It just felt meh. I can see the potential in the MI world and I love how Clare builds them up. So points for potential. 

3.5 / 5 C-


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rosegoldrose's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The relief that filled me when I closed this book for the last time is immeasurable. I swear I started to believe I'd never finish it during my lifetime.

I bought it three years ago because I suddenly remembered my friends being obsessed with the Shadowhunters franchise and wanted to learn what the fuss was about. 

I had to have read the first half of the book at least three times at this point, so it went a bit easier. The world-building parts, however, felt like trudging through mud and sometimes made me put the book down for days. The chapters I enjoyed the most were definitely the ones focused on the characters and their interactions, but the pace picked up toward the end, too. 

I also cannot fail to mention how annoying I found Clary in the early chapters. While I appreciate the diversity of main character personalities, she was the shining example of the "not like other girls" trope and I found myself rolling my eyes every time she'd want to slap someone for merely existing.

I figured out the plot twist midway through the book, but in a way, it helped fuel me because I just had to see if I was right.

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tiana_king's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

You really hit the ground running with this book. An exciting story start to finish with an intriguing “other” world that exists within our own. The characters could have been fleshed out more but it is only the first book. I’m interested to know more about this bad guy and the plot twist at the end is a bit heartbreaking.

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_polly's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious relaxing sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

chapter 23 is not it imo

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capriqueen's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Decided to embark on a reread of the series, as it’s been many years

The characters are still dear to my heart, and the plot/world are still really good. I love the wit that Clare gives to her characters and writing, there’s so many quips and moments that make me laugh

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michalie's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

3.0


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saturnpersonified's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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irisvdn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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readwithria's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read these books years ago, and upon a reread they do NOT disappoint. The relationships move a bit more quickly than I would typically like, but with all the other worldbuilding aspects going on at the same time it balances out the fantasy with moments more grounded in reality. I'm looking forward to revisiting the rest of these books and finally finishing the series.

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sudatot's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25


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