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376 reviews for:
The Mortal Instruments Boxed Set: City of Bones; City of Ashes; City of Glass
Cassandra Clare
4.07 AVERAGE
376 reviews for:
The Mortal Instruments Boxed Set: City of Bones; City of Ashes; City of Glass
Cassandra Clare
4.07 AVERAGE
I know I'm definitely going to have an unpopular opinion on this one but... I really didn't enjoy this book as much as I would have hoped. Everyone had built it up so much for me. Some girls at school loved it and I had heard a lot of good reviews online. I can say that it was an easy read for me and I did enjoy it at first, but honestly it didn't flow well. I couldn't get fully into it and I found myself jumping paragraphs that described things and skipping to the dialogue. It was an okay book, don't get me wrong, but it would not be one of the first books on my list to read again!
I had originally not planned on reading this series because I was content to watch the movie. I've actually had a free copy of the novel sitting on my shelf for well over a year, but I did finally decide to pick it up and give it a go. I was really looking forward to the movie, and though it ended up being a bit disappointing, I still enjoyed it more than the novel.
Clary goes to a club to celebrate her sixteenth birthday and witnesses a murder that no one else can see. When her mother disappears and her apartment is destroyed, Clary discovers that her mother has been hiding many things from her, not least of which is the spell blocking most of Clary's memories. As Clary begins to put together the puzzles – her Shadow Hunter mother, a hidden world of demons, angels and runes and her real parentage – Clary becomes involved in the centuries old battles of the Shadow Hunters and a race to find the Mortal Cup before her enemies do.
While fantasy is normally my favourite genre, I failed to connect with this book and the characters. I found that while Clare's writing is pleasant, it lacked the excitement and adventure that discovering a new world and having multiple battles ought to inspire. Mind you, I felt that there was a lot more that could have been discovered about this world that was not included in the book and I found it disappointing not to get more world building details and information about the Shadow Hunters and their history. While there was definitely plenty of detail about Valentine and his Circle, this mostly came in big slabs of conversation right at the end of the novel which became a bit overwhelming.
One of the things I really love about the fantasy genre is that there's usually some pretty awesome characters with great reserves of courage and determination. I found Clary to have neither of these qualities and in the end I was quite disappointed in her character. Clary enters this underground world of demons and Shadow Hunters and magic as a complete outsider who has no idea about any of it. What was disappointing to me is that Clary shows very little initiative in discovering more about this world, especially since she displays some of the powers of a Shadow Hunter, and relies solely on what Jace and Hodge tell her. She also shows very little interest in ensuring her own safety; again relying on Jace to fight for her and always be there to protect her. Even though Jace does give her a knife, he doesn't teach her to use it and I think it's a shame because it forced Clary out of any control over her own story. I liked the Clary of the movie much better, who saves the day with a well cast rune (though admittedly she did it by instinct rather than any training).
While I knew about whole 'almost, but not really, incest' between Jace and Clary, I found it very hard to buy into their relationship and to see them as a couple. I did not warm to Jace as a character at all and I was surprised to find that this was the person that people seemed so enthralled by. Jace spends most of his time being surly and withdrawn; emitting the occasional humorous line when the situation called for it. I recognise that Jace has had a fairly cold upbringing and that this has had a severe effect on his character, but I could not point to one person that I truly felt Jace had affection for – not even Clary. While it was clear that Jace appreciated Clary in a short skirt, I found very little to determine anything more than a fleeting interest for her, even by the time they get to the kiss scene on he roof.
I also struggled to find much feeling behind Jace's relationships with Isabelle or Alec. Jace is considered head of his trio of fighters, and part of a warrior brotherhood (parabatai) with Alec, his closest friend, yet Jace sees himself as a one man crew and certainly believes that while Alec and Isabelle need him, he doesn't need them. I would have liked to see him treat them with a bit more respect, as they live and die by his decisions and vice versa. While Isabelle and Alec clearly have a great deal of affection for Jace and see him as a member of the family, it is often hard to see those feelings returned when Jace is so convinced of his own talents and total independence.
The one character in the story I did actually like was Luke, who seemed to be a nice, dependable sort of person and I found his back story with Valentine to be quite sad. I can see that the Shadow Hunter prejudice against werewolves is going to be challenged because of Luke, but I would have liked to see him rally the werewolves against Valentine, rather than kill the leader to get allies. I would have thought considering how much Valentine opposes them, it woudn't take much convincing to try and stop Valentine from getting more power.
Overall I thought the story had a lot of potential, but I felt there was a lot of detail lacking. As I said earlier, I would have liked some more history about the Shadow Hunter world and some of the tools of their trade. Clare makes several references to weapons that look like they're made of glass – what was that material, why was it so important that they be made of it rather than traditional metal – and to steles which seemed to be a cross between a wand and a Sonic Screwdriver, but again, what did they do, how were they made, what was their purpose? More importantly I would really like to know what it was that suddenly inspired Valentine to strike out against her mother and begin his crusade again? Was he trapped by magic? Locked in another dimension? Did he escape? Was he set free? While I really would like answers to these questions, I'm not tempted to read the next book to find out.
Clary goes to a club to celebrate her sixteenth birthday and witnesses a murder that no one else can see. When her mother disappears and her apartment is destroyed, Clary discovers that her mother has been hiding many things from her, not least of which is the spell blocking most of Clary's memories. As Clary begins to put together the puzzles – her Shadow Hunter mother, a hidden world of demons, angels and runes and her real parentage – Clary becomes involved in the centuries old battles of the Shadow Hunters and a race to find the Mortal Cup before her enemies do.
While fantasy is normally my favourite genre, I failed to connect with this book and the characters. I found that while Clare's writing is pleasant, it lacked the excitement and adventure that discovering a new world and having multiple battles ought to inspire. Mind you, I felt that there was a lot more that could have been discovered about this world that was not included in the book and I found it disappointing not to get more world building details and information about the Shadow Hunters and their history. While there was definitely plenty of detail about Valentine and his Circle, this mostly came in big slabs of conversation right at the end of the novel which became a bit overwhelming.
One of the things I really love about the fantasy genre is that there's usually some pretty awesome characters with great reserves of courage and determination. I found Clary to have neither of these qualities and in the end I was quite disappointed in her character. Clary enters this underground world of demons and Shadow Hunters and magic as a complete outsider who has no idea about any of it. What was disappointing to me is that Clary shows very little initiative in discovering more about this world, especially since she displays some of the powers of a Shadow Hunter, and relies solely on what Jace and Hodge tell her. She also shows very little interest in ensuring her own safety; again relying on Jace to fight for her and always be there to protect her. Even though Jace does give her a knife, he doesn't teach her to use it and I think it's a shame because it forced Clary out of any control over her own story. I liked the Clary of the movie much better, who saves the day with a well cast rune (though admittedly she did it by instinct rather than any training).
While I knew about whole 'almost, but not really, incest' between Jace and Clary, I found it very hard to buy into their relationship and to see them as a couple. I did not warm to Jace as a character at all and I was surprised to find that this was the person that people seemed so enthralled by. Jace spends most of his time being surly and withdrawn; emitting the occasional humorous line when the situation called for it. I recognise that Jace has had a fairly cold upbringing and that this has had a severe effect on his character, but I could not point to one person that I truly felt Jace had affection for – not even Clary. While it was clear that Jace appreciated Clary in a short skirt, I found very little to determine anything more than a fleeting interest for her, even by the time they get to the kiss scene on he roof.
I also struggled to find much feeling behind Jace's relationships with Isabelle or Alec. Jace is considered head of his trio of fighters, and part of a warrior brotherhood (parabatai) with Alec, his closest friend, yet Jace sees himself as a one man crew and certainly believes that while Alec and Isabelle need him, he doesn't need them. I would have liked to see him treat them with a bit more respect, as they live and die by his decisions and vice versa. While Isabelle and Alec clearly have a great deal of affection for Jace and see him as a member of the family, it is often hard to see those feelings returned when Jace is so convinced of his own talents and total independence.
The one character in the story I did actually like was Luke, who seemed to be a nice, dependable sort of person and I found his back story with Valentine to be quite sad. I can see that the Shadow Hunter prejudice against werewolves is going to be challenged because of Luke, but I would have liked to see him rally the werewolves against Valentine, rather than kill the leader to get allies. I would have thought considering how much Valentine opposes them, it woudn't take much convincing to try and stop Valentine from getting more power.
Overall I thought the story had a lot of potential, but I felt there was a lot of detail lacking. As I said earlier, I would have liked some more history about the Shadow Hunter world and some of the tools of their trade. Clare makes several references to weapons that look like they're made of glass – what was that material, why was it so important that they be made of it rather than traditional metal – and to steles which seemed to be a cross between a wand and a Sonic Screwdriver, but again, what did they do, how were they made, what was their purpose? More importantly I would really like to know what it was that suddenly inspired Valentine to strike out against her mother and begin his crusade again? Was he trapped by magic? Locked in another dimension? Did he escape? Was he set free? While I really would like answers to these questions, I'm not tempted to read the next book to find out.
I wasn't totally blown away like a lot of others seemed to be but this was still a really fun read! Started off slowly but it got pretty interesting toward the middle/end. I can't wait to read the next book to find out what happens next!
I made up my mind about the Mortal Instruments series back when the first trailer for the movie came out and I was exposed to the story for the first time. I read a bunch of Goodreads reviews on [b:City of Bones|256683|City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432730315s/256683.jpg|2267189] and fixated on the negative ones. I decided that I didn't like Cassandra Clare or her books. They're plagiarized, Jace is annoying, and the writing is subpar.
Years later, though, I like the series, mostly because of the world of the Shadowhunters. The Institute is like a boarding school to learn how to fight demons and I loved spending time in it. After re-reading City of Ashes, I've come to terms with how much I enjoy TMI. I'll be continuing my rereads; [b:City of Glass|3777732|City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3)|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369452339s/3777732.jpg|3443248] is up next.
I still maintain that the writing is not as strong as it should be. Many have pointed out the metaphors teeming off the pages, but I was ready to bang my head against the wall with how much the word "fished" was used and how many times "gold" or "golden" was used to describe Jace. You'd think he's not flesh and blood like the rest of us.
Years later, though, I like the series, mostly because of the world of the Shadowhunters. The Institute is like a boarding school to learn how to fight demons and I loved spending time in it. After re-reading City of Ashes, I've come to terms with how much I enjoy TMI. I'll be continuing my rereads; [b:City of Glass|3777732|City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3)|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369452339s/3777732.jpg|3443248] is up next.
I still maintain that the writing is not as strong as it should be. Many have pointed out the metaphors teeming off the pages, but I was ready to bang my head against the wall with how much the word "fished" was used and how many times "gold" or "golden" was used to describe Jace. You'd think he's not flesh and blood like the rest of us.
This is the third time of reading this book in writing this review. I am re-reading the series before I read the last of them, City of Heavenly Fire.
I have no qualms about this book really. Mrs. Clare's witty, charming, and funny characters are still great. The plotline from the first two is wrapped up without too many glaring holes. There are more books afterwards that wrap up more side character plot points (which is really nice, as this was originally a trilogy and it makes me happy that it was expanded. The book is a good ending of itself but as a fan you want more and there definitely could be more for Simon, in particular.)
One slight problem I have with the book is the cover. yes, I know, don't judge a book by its cover, but I KNOW you didn't pick up this series/book without drooling over its gorgeous covers. The character on the cover is not Simon. Or Isabelle. Or Alec. Or Magnus. Or any character mentioned in the first two novels. The character pictured is Sebastian. There is no bigger spoiler than the fact that a character on the cover not previously mentioned is a large plot point. It just frustrates me. I really wish Simon was on the cover. Sometimes I pretend it is Simon. Even though Simon would probably never use a sword. Whatever.
Simon is also my favorite character, if you haven't picked up on that by now. I know Jace is supposed to be the dangerous romantic interest you fangirl over, but as the first book said, I fangirl over the guy who comes over to pick you up on a date and is polite to your parents and nice to your pets. To be fair to some extent, it is a good description of my long term boyfriend. But I liked Simon before I ever started dating him. Anyway, even though this is unrelated to the book in anyway, my boyfriend came over the other day and saw that the pet turtle was out of hibernation, so he was excited and ran over to pet her. This was after he said hello and petted the dog and tried to pet the parrot. Like, isn't that great? It is just so adorable! How could you not like Simon????? xxD
I have no qualms about this book really. Mrs. Clare's witty, charming, and funny characters are still great. The plotline from the first two is wrapped up without too many glaring holes. There are more books afterwards that wrap up more side character plot points (which is really nice, as this was originally a trilogy and it makes me happy that it was expanded. The book is a good ending of itself but as a fan you want more and there definitely could be more for Simon, in particular.)
One slight problem I have with the book is the cover. yes, I know, don't judge a book by its cover, but I KNOW you didn't pick up this series/book without drooling over its gorgeous covers. The character on the cover is not Simon. Or Isabelle. Or Alec. Or Magnus. Or any character mentioned in the first two novels. The character pictured is Sebastian. There is no bigger spoiler than the fact that a character on the cover not previously mentioned is a large plot point. It just frustrates me. I really wish Simon was on the cover. Sometimes I pretend it is Simon. Even though Simon would probably never use a sword. Whatever.
Simon is also my favorite character, if you haven't picked up on that by now. I know Jace is supposed to be the dangerous romantic interest you fangirl over, but as the first book said, I fangirl over the guy who comes over to pick you up on a date and is polite to your parents and nice to your pets. To be fair to some extent, it is a good description of my long term boyfriend. But I liked Simon before I ever started dating him. Anyway, even though this is unrelated to the book in anyway, my boyfriend came over the other day and saw that the pet turtle was out of hibernation, so he was excited and ran over to pet her. This was after he said hello and petted the dog and tried to pet the parrot. Like, isn't that great? It is just so adorable! How could you not like Simon????? xxD
This was a re-read and I must say I still really enjoy it! I'm excited to get through the rest of the series again.
Noting as before: I am not going to bother with tagging any spoilers. If you want my feelings about Cassandra Clare in regards to this series and her fanfiction days, see my review for City of Bones.
Okay!
This conclusion to the first arc of The Mortal Instruments (do most people view them as two consecutive trilogies? because I do) actually merited one more star from me than the previous two books. I am a little shocked by how emotional I got during the end scenes of this book, and that is what gave it four stars instead of three.
Mercifully, I forgot almost everything that happens in this book before I reread it. So I was surprised by things like Max's death and how the fight between Jace and Sebastian ended. I even forgot about Jace getting shanked by Valentine and than Clary paving the way for the angel to shank Valentine in turn. (That was a fun moment.) I'm glad I forgot these things. It made the twists in this book a little more surprising.
I am still bored by Simon. I am further bored by Isabelle's apparent interest in him. (Because MAIA. I LOVE HER.) I saw Hodge's death coming a mile off. At a predictable instant of "oh wait, I must tell you something--- and I'm dead." I'm glad we're FINALLY over the whole Jace and Clary being siblings thing. Honestly, that whole plot is just weird and kind of skeevy in my opinion, and I don't understand why she felt the need to drag it out for more than one book. As sources of drama in a relationship go, I did not feel this one suited well to the genre, but maybe that's just me.
Things I really liked: I really liked Clary's rune creations. I really liked the scene where Jace and Clary sleep beside each other. I really liked the angel in the basement. I really liked the angel who kills Valentine. And I really liked Magnus and Alec - although who doesn't??
This review is a mess. I apologize. I am planning to read Cassandra Clare's books in publication order from here, so my next review for The Infernal Devices and the rest of The Mortal Instruments series should be more coherent as I have not read them before.
Okay!
This conclusion to the first arc of The Mortal Instruments (do most people view them as two consecutive trilogies? because I do) actually merited one more star from me than the previous two books. I am a little shocked by how emotional I got during the end scenes of this book, and that is what gave it four stars instead of three.
Mercifully, I forgot almost everything that happens in this book before I reread it. So I was surprised by things like Max's death and how the fight between Jace and Sebastian ended. I even forgot about Jace getting shanked by Valentine and than Clary paving the way for the angel to shank Valentine in turn. (That was a fun moment.) I'm glad I forgot these things. It made the twists in this book a little more surprising.
I am still bored by Simon. I am further bored by Isabelle's apparent interest in him. (Because MAIA. I LOVE HER.) I saw Hodge's death coming a mile off. At a predictable instant of "oh wait, I must tell you something--- and I'm dead." I'm glad we're FINALLY over the whole Jace and Clary being siblings thing. Honestly, that whole plot is just weird and kind of skeevy in my opinion, and I don't understand why she felt the need to drag it out for more than one book. As sources of drama in a relationship go, I did not feel this one suited well to the genre, but maybe that's just me.
Things I really liked: I really liked Clary's rune creations. I really liked the scene where Jace and Clary sleep beside each other. I really liked the angel in the basement. I really liked the angel who kills Valentine. And I really liked Magnus and Alec - although who doesn't??
This review is a mess. I apologize. I am planning to read Cassandra Clare's books in publication order from here, so my next review for The Infernal Devices and the rest of The Mortal Instruments series should be more coherent as I have not read them before.
I reread this for Shadowhunters, and I honestly thought this was better the second time. Maybe just because I'm more in love with the characters at this point. But, on to the next one! I have yet to read any of the others so I'm excited.