Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - City of Bones

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

53 reviews

yustawrites's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

2.25

I've read this book when I was about 14, and now that I am 24 I must say I didn't like it as much.

I disliked the main characters (Clary and Jace). Clary is rude unprovoked, a know-it-all when she knows nothing at all. She's too judgemental, commenting on other girls' appearances as if she knows them. Overconfident yet very weak. Why is she slapping Jace all the time? That's assault.

Their relationship was totally unnecessary. There was no chemistry AT ALL so they kissed only to find out later that they are siblings? Just why? It's gross and ineffective.

Not only that, but Clary is also... dumb. "Jocelyn... Could it be my mother??" - well, yes. How common is the name "Jocelyn"? (I'm guessing not really that common).

Her relationship with Simon, her best friend since childhood - she treats him like an afterthought after the plot begins. She lets others treat him like a non-human, yet she dares to question how friendships change and how Simon has changed. It took this girl 5 days to put him aside as if he meant nothing to her. It is Simon that - regardless of his nerdy, disbelieving and introverted nature - constantly comes back to help Clary with whatever ~~stupid~~ request she makes next.

Alec, who I remembered as a bit of a villain was actually the only normal person of the four, although he seemed a little underdeveloped as a character.

I found it weird to read about Isabelle (a 15-year old girl) being so sexualised and sexually provocative. Please - stop.

Further - chapters: 13, 14 and 15 could have been cut. We learn nothing new and we take away nothing forward to help the plot move forward. It made the story drag.

Towards the end I began to be a little sad because there were no strong female characters. Especially in the last chapter (not Epilogue) women were at t heir weakest and told to shut up all the time. Gave me very toxic vibes.

I'm bumping my review from 2.5 to 2.75 because of Luke's story. I did enjoy Clare's writing style and I am interested in reading a different, more recent book of hers.

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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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veganecurrywurst's review

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adventurous dark

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Cassandra Clare is one of the better authors of the ya-fantasy genre and if you overlook her ripping of another writer, you can actually enjoy this book. The characters and the storyline are fine and it's easy to read. But what is that awful "is it or isn't it incest" storyline. We definitely could have done without it, ma'am.

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