Scan barcode
bibliobrandie's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fine YA fantasy novel. Nothing really blew me away or compels me to read further in the series, but I was entertained while I was reading it.
jenny_mts's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
aceinit's review against another edition
1.0
This is one of those books I picked up due solely to its poularity. I've had mixed results when I pick a YA book this way. Pros: Harry Potter and Hunger Games. Cons: Twilight. This book is definitely a con.
I'm not going to go off on the plot itself, because it's decent enough and, in the right hands, would make for an excellent story. These are not the right hands. The entire manuscript reads like a first draft, complete with highly repetitive prose and glaring character inconsistencies (one character even changes names during the story. No, seriously. Aren't editors supposed to catch these things?) These are what made the book difficult.
The repetitive prose had to be the biggest obstacle. "She was leaning against a closed door. NO ADMITTANCE-STORAGE was scrawled across it in red paint.... A storage room." and "A wave of dizziness came over her, a strong sensation that she was going to faint.... 'Are you all right? You look like you're going to faint.'" These are just in the first 30 pages. There are more. So many more. Everything is spelled out entirely too plainly, which leads to my second problem:
Suspense? Forget about it. The author gives all her major twists away in her setup and, when she doesn't, the overly-chatty characters (all of whom hail from the school of personal oversharing) do. For characters whose survival depends on secrecy, Alec, Isabelle and Jace are all entirely too chatty, leaving almost nothing about them to figure out. The are practically lining up to tell Clary, a stranger who has brought danger to their doorstep, everything about one another. The bad guys also have a major case of "reveal your evil plan to anyone who might be listeing" syndrome. No one, no one, in this book can keep a secret. How are we supposed to have twists and suspense if all the cards are always out on the table?
Characterization was another problem for me: none of the central characters have fully formed, individual personalities. They can all be described as "the snarky one who's really a good person underneath." Clary talks exactly like Jace who talks exactly like Simon who talks exactly like Isabelle and, well, you get the point. There is no individuality to speak of between them, which makes it difficult to relate to anyone and even harder to distinguish speaking voices during lengthy dialogue. Thankfully, we're saved from having to by the author interjecting too many adjectives during conversations to remind us of who is speaking and just how huffy they're being at the moment.
However, for characters who speak so consistently alike, there is a gross inconsistency of behaviour among most of them, the Shadowhunters especially. One insteance that really stands out to me is how the Shadowhunters react to Simon. After going on and on about how the "mundies" (us normal human types) must not know the Shadowhunters exist, Clary fills him in anyway, then brings him along to Shadowhunter headquarters. Rather than the severe punishments that were implied earlier (ad nauseum), everyone sits down to Chinese takeout to discuss the situation (and recent personal revelations I'm not sure any sane person would share with a total stranger) as though everything was normal and they're all old friends. Apparently, Isabelle's cooking was torture enough? And just moments after deciding on secrecy at a restaurant due to potential prying ears, they again blurt out vital information.
There are other problems as well. Almost every major player in the book has unresolved daddy issues. Almost everyone is secretly in angsty love with someone else. There is the flying motorbike that reeks of a J. K. Rowling rip-off. A character whose every movement can't be described without mentioning how much glitter (yes, glitter) he throws off just by the most simple gesture. There was also a pair of huge and blatant Star Wars rip offs which, quite frankly, were done far better by Star Wars.
It's a shame, because, plot-wise, the series has potential. If the writing wasn't so unbearably amateurish I would be interested in exploring this world further. As things stand, I don't think I'll be delving further into the Mortal Instruments.
I'm not going to go off on the plot itself, because it's decent enough and, in the right hands, would make for an excellent story. These are not the right hands. The entire manuscript reads like a first draft, complete with highly repetitive prose and glaring character inconsistencies (one character even changes names during the story. No, seriously. Aren't editors supposed to catch these things?) These are what made the book difficult.
The repetitive prose had to be the biggest obstacle. "She was leaning against a closed door. NO ADMITTANCE-STORAGE was scrawled across it in red paint.... A storage room." and "A wave of dizziness came over her, a strong sensation that she was going to faint.... 'Are you all right? You look like you're going to faint.'" These are just in the first 30 pages. There are more. So many more. Everything is spelled out entirely too plainly, which leads to my second problem:
Suspense? Forget about it. The author gives all her major twists away in her setup and, when she doesn't, the overly-chatty characters (all of whom hail from the school of personal oversharing) do. For characters whose survival depends on secrecy, Alec, Isabelle and Jace are all entirely too chatty, leaving almost nothing about them to figure out. The are practically lining up to tell Clary, a stranger who has brought danger to their doorstep, everything about one another. The bad guys also have a major case of "reveal your evil plan to anyone who might be listeing" syndrome. No one, no one, in this book can keep a secret. How are we supposed to have twists and suspense if all the cards are always out on the table?
Characterization was another problem for me: none of the central characters have fully formed, individual personalities. They can all be described as "the snarky one who's really a good person underneath." Clary talks exactly like Jace who talks exactly like Simon who talks exactly like Isabelle and, well, you get the point. There is no individuality to speak of between them, which makes it difficult to relate to anyone and even harder to distinguish speaking voices during lengthy dialogue. Thankfully, we're saved from having to by the author interjecting too many adjectives during conversations to remind us of who is speaking and just how huffy they're being at the moment.
However, for characters who speak so consistently alike, there is a gross inconsistency of behaviour among most of them, the Shadowhunters especially. One insteance that really stands out to me is how the Shadowhunters react to Simon. After going on and on about how the "mundies" (us normal human types) must not know the Shadowhunters exist, Clary fills him in anyway, then brings him along to Shadowhunter headquarters. Rather than the severe punishments that were implied earlier (ad nauseum), everyone sits down to Chinese takeout to discuss the situation (and recent personal revelations I'm not sure any sane person would share with a total stranger) as though everything was normal and they're all old friends. Apparently, Isabelle's cooking was torture enough? And just moments after deciding on secrecy at a restaurant due to potential prying ears, they again blurt out vital information.
There are other problems as well. Almost every major player in the book has unresolved daddy issues. Almost everyone is secretly in angsty love with someone else. There is the flying motorbike that reeks of a J. K. Rowling rip-off. A character whose every movement can't be described without mentioning how much glitter (yes, glitter) he throws off just by the most simple gesture. There was also a pair of huge and blatant Star Wars rip offs which, quite frankly, were done far better by Star Wars.
It's a shame, because, plot-wise, the series has potential. If the writing wasn't so unbearably amateurish I would be interested in exploring this world further. As things stand, I don't think I'll be delving further into the Mortal Instruments.
mahovina's review against another edition
29th May 2011: first read
9th September 2012: second time
9th September 2012: second time
orneela's review against another edition
3.0
3,5⭐️
Estoy releyendo esta saga porque quiero terminarla después de casi 12 años.
Me gusta la escritura de Cassandra. Siempre esta pasando algo entonces no te aburrís. Pero en sí pobre piba, Clary, le paso de todo en una sola semana. Porque este libro esta contado en el transcurso de una sola semana. Esta entretenido para pasar los viajes largos en transporte.
Ahora si, spoiler, aunque este libro salio hace millones de años.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Voy a dejar mención que sigue siendo algo raro que hayan puesto ese gancho incestuoso al terminar el libro. Y creó que más ahora que tengo 24 años, antes en el verano en que lo leí estaba pasando de 12 a 13. Uno pensaba, "rari, pero no creo que sean hermanos", y sigo pensando que es raro. Más sabiendo que es una fanfic de Harry potter específicamente, Jace es Draco y Clary es Ginny.
Estoy releyendo esta saga porque quiero terminarla después de casi 12 años.
Me gusta la escritura de Cassandra. Siempre esta pasando algo entonces no te aburrís. Pero en sí pobre piba, Clary, le paso de todo en una sola semana. Porque este libro esta contado en el transcurso de una sola semana. Esta entretenido para pasar los viajes largos en transporte.
Ahora si, spoiler, aunque este libro salio hace millones de años.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Voy a dejar mención que sigue siendo algo raro que hayan puesto ese gancho incestuoso al terminar el libro. Y creó que más ahora que tengo 24 años, antes en el verano en que lo leí estaba pasando de 12 a 13. Uno pensaba, "rari, pero no creo que sean hermanos", y sigo pensando que es raro. Más sabiendo que es una fanfic de Harry potter específicamente, Jace es Draco y Clary es Ginny.
shanayaareads's review against another edition
5.0
The Mortal Instruments was the first complete series of books I ever read. And I loved it wholeheartedly the first go round.
City of Bones was just as good as I remembered it being the first time I read it in 2014. Maybe even better now. The nostalgia of it all make my heart aches.
I was literally on the edge of my seat at every turn, as if I didn’t already know what would happen…but it felt so good to dive back into this world with my favorite characters. Cassandra’s immersion of the real world and this fantasy word is just as impeccable as it was. The drama, the romance…I did not realize how much I missed this world and these characters.
Jace? Still my absolute favorite sarcastic king ever to be put down an a page. No other character will ever compare to him.
I love Clary, always have. But she was an absolute pain in this first novel, and all these years later that assessment has not changed. But I look forward to re-reading the other novels in this series and watching these characters grow into themselves.
I was 13 or 14 when I first read these novels and I don’t think I appreciated the full scope of creativity or Jace’s hilarious wit, but at 22 I have a deeper appreciation and understanding of them and I’m so glad that I decided to undergo this reread, it’s so nostalgic and so necessary.
City of Bones was just as good as I remembered it being the first time I read it in 2014. Maybe even better now. The nostalgia of it all make my heart aches.
I was literally on the edge of my seat at every turn, as if I didn’t already know what would happen…but it felt so good to dive back into this world with my favorite characters. Cassandra’s immersion of the real world and this fantasy word is just as impeccable as it was. The drama, the romance…I did not realize how much I missed this world and these characters.
Jace? Still my absolute favorite sarcastic king ever to be put down an a page. No other character will ever compare to him.
I love Clary, always have. But she was an absolute pain in this first novel, and all these years later that assessment has not changed. But I look forward to re-reading the other novels in this series and watching these characters grow into themselves.
I was 13 or 14 when I first read these novels and I don’t think I appreciated the full scope of creativity or Jace’s hilarious wit, but at 22 I have a deeper appreciation and understanding of them and I’m so glad that I decided to undergo this reread, it’s so nostalgic and so necessary.
pernillesoe96's review against another edition
4.0
3.7 stars. So i finally finished 'City of Bones'. I had high expectations for this book, but sadly my high expectations weren't met. I really liked the book though, but i found Clary a bit annoying at times, and sometimes i was confused. But the main reason why i didn't like this book, was probably because i had already seen the movie before reading it, so i knew the plot twists and how it was going to end. It was basically my own fault, that my expectations weren't met.
I am still pretty excited to read 'City of Ashes' though!
I am still pretty excited to read 'City of Ashes' though!
readwithkit's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lenaoknihach's review against another edition
4.0
Konečně jsem se pustila do tvorby Cassandry Clare. Doopravdy jsem si už připadala jako ten úplně poslední člověk na světě, který ještě nečetl Nástroje smrti a další její série. A zatímco tohle píšu, mám už dávno rozečtené Město z popela.
Jsem strašně moc ráda, že mi styl Cassandry sedl, protože mi celý příběh neskutečně rychle utekl. A možná tak letos ještě tuto sérii přečíst stihnu, což by bylo skvělý, protože jsem to měla jako jeden z letošních čtecích cílů.
Co se týče příběhu samotného, tak mě nic moc nepřekvapilo. Viděla jsem film, tak jsem nějak věděla, jak to tam vše funguje a co bych měla čekat.
Ale bavilo mě to a s chutí jsem se pustila do dalšího dílu, což je důležitý.
Jsem strašně moc ráda, že mi styl Cassandry sedl, protože mi celý příběh neskutečně rychle utekl. A možná tak letos ještě tuto sérii přečíst stihnu, což by bylo skvělý, protože jsem to měla jako jeden z letošních čtecích cílů.
Co se týče příběhu samotného, tak mě nic moc nepřekvapilo. Viděla jsem film, tak jsem nějak věděla, jak to tam vše funguje a co bych měla čekat.
Ale bavilo mě to a s chutí jsem se pustila do dalšího dílu, což je důležitý.