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A review by shreeb
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
3.0
So, I’m starting this a little late, but I’ve heard about Shadowhunters for my entire life and when I joined book-related social media, I was incredibly exposed to this world and finally decided to give it a shot. People warned me that this first series (TMI) was not good and that it gets better either in The Infernal Devices or The Dark Artifices (people had really different opinions for that), but I decided to start with this and read in publication order instead of chronologically.
My expectations were very low for this book which is why I was pleasantly surprised with it once I finished the book. I found the similarities to other media (lots of Harry Potter and Star Wars vibes) actually quite fun to read, apart from the incest plotline, which I’ll continue talking about in my review of books 2 and 3. However, because I had so much spoiled about this series, I let that slide.
First of all, I actually didn’t have a problem with Clary. A lot of people made her out to be a really bad protagonist, but maybe I’ve read so many bad protagonists that she didn’t really irk me in any way. Sure, she could get a little annoying and maybe was a little bland, but she wasn’t boring or obnoxious.
Jace, on the other hand, I grew to have problems with. I first though his character was interesting, maybe a bit cliche but the very standout-ish personality he has was engaging to read. Of course, I became less and less of a fan as I continued the series but I didn’t have too big of a problem with him in this one.
However, I do wish the side characters were more fleshed out. Isabelle and Alec has great potential to be engaging right from the start but I just wasn’t interested in their characters. Even Magnus, who is definitely an engaging character, still felt very sidelined. And I do have bigger problems with these books but they’ll make more sense in future reviews.
The story itself was actually pretty solid, and maybe it was because it was a quick/easy read for me that I enjoyed it more. I love how immersed I am in this world and I can’t wait to read more!
My expectations were very low for this book which is why I was pleasantly surprised with it once I finished the book. I found the similarities to other media (lots of Harry Potter and Star Wars vibes) actually quite fun to read, apart from the incest plotline, which I’ll continue talking about in my review of books 2 and 3. However, because I had so much spoiled about this series, I let that slide.
First of all, I actually didn’t have a problem with Clary. A lot of people made her out to be a really bad protagonist, but maybe I’ve read so many bad protagonists that she didn’t really irk me in any way. Sure, she could get a little annoying and maybe was a little bland, but she wasn’t boring or obnoxious.
Jace, on the other hand, I grew to have problems with. I first though his character was interesting, maybe a bit cliche but the very standout-ish personality he has was engaging to read. Of course, I became less and less of a fan as I continued the series but I didn’t have too big of a problem with him in this one.
However, I do wish the side characters were more fleshed out. Isabelle and Alec has great potential to be engaging right from the start but I just wasn’t interested in their characters. Even Magnus, who is definitely an engaging character, still felt very sidelined. And I do have bigger problems with these books but they’ll make more sense in future reviews.
The story itself was actually pretty solid, and maybe it was because it was a quick/easy read for me that I enjoyed it more. I love how immersed I am in this world and I can’t wait to read more!