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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
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.
-From GoodReads
Ok so this book. Hm. This book.
After I read The Infernal Devices which is going on my favourite books of the year list, I was super excited to read this. And I have to admit: although I gave it a high rating, I was a little disappointed.
Firstly, Clary was so young. I felt it hard to take her seriously (aside from the serious stuff that did happen). Like, with Jace, for example. Clary is fifteen. Like a get that girls have boyfriends at a young age, I do, honest. But I don't know. Something about her age put me off and made it really hard to read because the whole way through I was like SOMEONE PROTECT HER AND ALSO SEPARATE HER FROM JACE. I know. Hindsight and age are terrible things.
Secondly: Luke. Luke. I love Luke. I loved Woolsey Scott in The Infernal Devices too. I also love Remus Lupin. Maybe it's a thing about werewolves. But Luke was just so lovely. Okay so I thought he was evil to start with. But I love it when characters change! I loved the relationship between him and Clary, his bravery, and basically LUKE.
However: Jace. I'm sorry to Jace lovers out there... but I did not like Jace! I don't know why, but something about his personality and my personality were ridiculously abrasive and we just did not get on. So. Sorry. I'll admit that he was kind of growing on my by the end, though, so maybe in book 2 I'll start to like him better.
Overall, the plot was interesting, unique and with loads of twists which I really enjoyed reading about! (I guessed the Jace one.) I was kind of disappointed that, despite what the back cover says, Clary Fray was not in fact seeing werewolves in Manhatten and vampires downtown. THE BOOK JACKET LIED. However, it was an interesting read and I did whizz through it.
The writing was really funny - it made me giggle like TID! Some of the quips the characters say are just brilliant and it's so quoteable.
Despite what I've written here, I am really looking forward to book two, City of Ashes and finally being able to fangirl about the Shadowhunters along with everyone else.
“It means 'Shadowhunters: Looking Better in Black Than the Widows of our Enemies Since 1234'.”
this is one of those books. One of those books that, when you pick it up, suddenly there's a shit storm of people saying it's bad and insisting you don't read it. Suddenly pages and pages of book related controversy are brought up. With this book ? Totally get it.
I'm not gonna say I don't agree with the controversy because in alot of respects I do
Straight up: Cassandra Clare is not one of my favourite authors - and I hate to make it personal but it IS on a personal level because it's due to some of the things she's said and done - to readers, other authors, other writers. (and if you wanna read about this I suggest hitting up google because there's alot written about it. google if your friend)
I know what you're thinking: BITCH ! if you don't like the author and agree with the shit talked about it why do you like it so much ?!!?!?!
one. simple. word. --- nostalgia
“The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he'd learned: that to love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed.”
Throwback to like, 2010. I walk into the library. I walk out the library, holding this book for the first time. The next few weeks for 14 year old me are a downward spiral of binge reading. I took this book in the car and on the bus, I read it in class, I read it late at night with a torch because bedtime was past and I was hiding from my mum. THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST SERIES I REMEMBER DEVOURING ON THE SAME LEVEL I DID HARRY POTTER.
it is hard for me to rate this book subjectively. I KNOW it's not the best book ever written. But I also know this series does get genuinely better then this first book. Like, can I rate this higherbecause I know what it leads to ? And even if I look at it now and think: the characters are a little one dimensional, and the plot is slow and there's some problematic elements - does that take away from how much I LOVED IT the first time I read this?
Like, this series did things for me. The first time I understood why I liked girls and boys and had a name for that was because of Magnus. MAGNUS GAVE ME THAT. This book was the one that made me go out and find more books because I needed to recapture that magic of being totally immersed in a book again. The first book I ever bought with my own money was City of Lost Souls.
SO YEAH I HAD A SHITTON OF TROUBLE RATING THIS. And I kinda struggle with copping criticism on it too. There are SO MANY criticisms of this book, and half of them I just ,,, # same. But also shut up this is my childhood you're dissing.
Speaking of the book itself
I don't think it's awful or great. I genuinely like the world, I think really well developed and has so many elements of worldbuilding that I like. I like that it has a developed government, religious system, rules, culture and custom. The integration of so many paranormal elements: werewolves, vampires, shadowhunters, faeries - all in one never felt cliche to me, even in the reread. I like that each segment of the downworld has strong politics and complex relationships within themselves and externally. It feels like a moving world. Even thought you focus on the shadowhunters, you know there are things doing on in the downworld - that it's not sitting stagnant even if it's off-screen.
I struggle to rate the characters because they are not the best in this book. BUt I know they get much better Alec is so mean ! BUT HE GETS SO BETTER. Izzy is a bitch - but she becomes such a good friend and so supportive. Jace is an asshole ! - he learns to drop the huge walls around him and makes genuine effort to apologise and make up for past behaviour. Clary is annoying !! lmao ok true tho.
Oh, and Cassandra Clare's writing. It's not the GREATEST, but I mean, it's got soo much better. In the years she's been writing her style has really developed and I think it's important we see this so we know where she's come from and where she is now.
“What's this?" he demanded, looking from Clary to his companions, as if they might know what she was doing there.
"It's a girl," Jace said,recovering his composure. "Surely you've seen girls before, Alec. Your sister Isabelle is one.”
Look, it comes down to this. City of Bones, and even TMI is not the best series ever. But something about it is still so important to me. I love these characters, and I love this world. We all have pleasures that are a little guilty - I suppose this is mine.
I would rate this a 3.5* but honestly sentimentality forces me to bump it up to a 4*. This series will always be important - even if I pick this up in a few years and hate it with a passion I won't be able to change the fact it was important to me when I first read it.
All I know for sure is Alec Lightwood is a precious, beautiful human and he must be protected at all costs and I love him
I wanted to do it. I wanted to love this book, recommended as it was by two of my best and oldest reading buddies. I requested the audiobook from the library, who went so far as to *buy* a copy so that I could listen to it.
Boy do I hope someone else loves this audiobook and makes it worthwhile to the library to have spent that money.
This series would be fantastic if I were fourteen. Mother/daughter tension, broody and attractive otherworldly people, a strong(?) and angsty female lead? I would be all over that if I were fourteen. There's just enough mix of black and white to question who the "good guy" is (something I salivated over at 14), but just not enough complexity to characters' personalities and motivations to make this 29-year-old actually get invested.
Boy do I hope someone else loves this audiobook and makes it worthwhile to the library to have spent that money.
This series would be fantastic if I were fourteen. Mother/daughter tension, broody and attractive otherworldly people, a strong(?) and angsty female lead? I would be all over that if I were fourteen. There's just enough mix of black and white to question who the "good guy" is (something I salivated over at 14), but just not enough complexity to characters' personalities and motivations to make this 29-year-old actually get invested.
So yes, I finally read a Cassandra Clare book. I’ve finally begun my shadow hunter journey. Literally everyone and their grandma was screaming at me to read this series and I’VE DONE IT!
WHAT I LOVED:
-I was so intrigued by this vibrant, enchanting world will completely swept me off my feet. I was fascinated by the mythical creatures and it felt like I was living with the shadow hunter world which felt absolutely thrilling.
-The plot was just so enthralling, and I was gripped the whole time!! I think having Clary as the main character was great because I had the same questions as her and my curiosity made me want to keep reading!
-clary and jace...i shipped them,...and then i didn't (eW)
-I was laughing out loud at so many dialogue scenes!
-I love Jace. He’s literally the most stereotypical character to ever exist – cool, mysterious dude who acts like has no emotions and is the definition of a YA baD BoY BUT I LOVE HIM STILL!! i am trash, i know.
-I want to know more about all the characters and the shadow hunter world? like excuse me i need a whole biography on Alec.
-IT WAS JUST SO ENJOYABLE AND COMPLEX AND INTENSE!!! SCREAM.
CONS:
Valentine, the villain, was so stereotypical and boring.
This book has a lot of tropes, which I get. This is 2007 YA. Of course, it’s going to be filled with love triangles and other things.
Clary and Jace? Are siblings? I know they have a relationship in future books and,,, how?? I know the incest plot line will somehow get solved but i don’t want… I just don’t. it’s disgusting and ew and No.
And look, I’m so aware that while this series has it’s fans, a lot of people hate it because it’s deemed as Harry Potter fan fiction. To be honest, I don’t care, lol.
WHAT I LOVED:
-I was so intrigued by this vibrant, enchanting world will completely swept me off my feet. I was fascinated by the mythical creatures and it felt like I was living with the shadow hunter world which felt absolutely thrilling.
-The plot was just so enthralling, and I was gripped the whole time!! I think having Clary as the main character was great because I had the same questions as her and my curiosity made me want to keep reading!
-clary and jace...i shipped them,...and then i didn't (eW)
-I was laughing out loud at so many dialogue scenes!
-I love Jace. He’s literally the most stereotypical character to ever exist – cool, mysterious dude who acts like has no emotions and is the definition of a YA baD BoY BUT I LOVE HIM STILL!! i am trash, i know.
-I want to know more about all the characters and the shadow hunter world? like excuse me i need a whole biography on Alec.
-IT WAS JUST SO ENJOYABLE AND COMPLEX AND INTENSE!!! SCREAM.
CONS:
Valentine, the villain, was so stereotypical and boring.
This book has a lot of tropes, which I get. This is 2007 YA. Of course, it’s going to be filled with love triangles and other things.
And look, I’m so aware that while this series has it’s fans, a lot of people hate it because it’s deemed as Harry Potter fan fiction. To be honest, I don’t care, lol.
I remember reading this book in 2007-2008ish. I waited for the paperback to come out, but I can't remember exactly what time period that was. I will say that I have faithfully bought all of Cassie Clare's TMI books in paperback since then.
I don't remember much about this book, but I do remember this.
A) Incest. Straight out of Star Wars, too, right?
B) It read like a textbook. Seriously. I felt like everything was being spoon-fed to be by the archetypal 'mentors' in the story. Whole chapters of explanation. I do remember that. Vividly.
C) "HOBOKEN, NO JOKIN'" or something like that. It didn't make sense to me then. It doesn't make sense to me now.
Despite this, the series has been widely popular. I only recently discovered that Cassie Clare had a hate club, which I don't completely understand, but I guess it gives me even more of a reason to re-read this book, which I intend to do after I finish my required summer reading. (School starts in six days, and I have a book and a half to read. Awesome. It's completely my fault. I love to read, I've just been reading my library books and not my required reading. Bad move probably.)
Anyway. Another review will be coming. If I can stomach the re-read.
I don't remember much about this book, but I do remember this.
A) Incest. Straight out of Star Wars, too, right?
B) It read like a textbook. Seriously. I felt like everything was being spoon-fed to be by the archetypal 'mentors' in the story. Whole chapters of explanation. I do remember that. Vividly.
C) "HOBOKEN, NO JOKIN'" or something like that. It didn't make sense to me then. It doesn't make sense to me now.
Despite this, the series has been widely popular. I only recently discovered that Cassie Clare had a hate club, which I don't completely understand, but I guess it gives me even more of a reason to re-read this book, which I intend to do after I finish my required summer reading. (School starts in six days, and I have a book and a half to read. Awesome. It's completely my fault. I love to read, I've just been reading my library books and not my required reading. Bad move probably.)
Anyway. Another review will be coming. If I can stomach the re-read.
Hmm. Well, I like Simon/Luke/Maia/Magnus Bane and all the Lightwoods. But Jayce and Clary? <>
Still, I bought the whole series in a sale so will plough on to see what happens in the end. Heigh-ho!
Still, I bought the whole series in a sale so will plough on to see what happens in the end. Heigh-ho!
although city of bones is by far my least favourite shadowhunter chronicle book, i always enjoy the nostalgia i experience when reading it.
Would've been 4 stars but I felt myself getting a but bored during reading this one. Mostly during parts from Jace's point of view. Which is odd because I thoroughly enjoyed Clary/Jace interactions. Regardless, it certainly had a lot of the, "oooh what's gonna happen next factor," which definitely helped me binge read. Am continuing on with the series.
