Review #22: It's super heroes without all the spandex.
Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Number of Pages: 485
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Where I Got It: Gift
Cost: $9.99
Rating: 9- This Was Pretty Fracking Fantastic
Back of Book:
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. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.
Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque 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....
Judging from what a lot of reviewers said (the ones who hated it), I expected this book to be a lot more annoying with a main female character that would be both weak and stupid. I didn't find this to be the case. Was it wonderfully written and deserving of awards? Nope. Was it a fun ride-along that I couldn't put down? You betcha.
I really like the plot of Nephilim as demon fighters. They have tattoos on their skin that make them, shall we say, elite, in combat. The tattoos are symbols for different things like keen eyesight, swiftness, and accuracy. One of my biggest pet peeves in literature/movies is when Angels and Nephilim are portrayed as sweet little faerie-like creatures that lead the travelers to the baby Jesus. Let's get it right, folks. The angels didn't lead them and I'm willing to bet that Mary was scared out of her gourd when that angel told her she was going to have God's baby. /sarcasm Just so we're clear: Jace, Isabelle, Alec, Hodge and Valentine are Nephilim.
I didn't really like the name Mundane for all non-angel/demon/downworlders. It was a bit cheesy easy for my taste but it could have been a lot worse. Clarifying: Clary and Simon are Mundanes... well Simon is. Clary finds out she's a Nephilim.
The Downworlders are what weres, magic users, vampires, etc are referred to as. Downworlders happen when mundanes mix with demons. The first mixing for the different ones were done long, long ago but all Downworlders carry demon blood in them that's passed to anyone the werewolves bite, vampires exchange blood with and so on. It's passed differently because the demons are all different. Again, sort out: Magnus Bane is a Downworlder.
I'd love to stop hearing how ridiculous it is that Clary and Simon, both fifteen, are in a club at the beginning. Honestly, when I was that age, there were a TON of teen clubs to go to where you had to be age 14 to 17 to get in. I'm willing to believe that Pandemonium is one of those clubs since, gee, alcohol is never mentioned.
Clary, our heroine, is decent to follow. I didn't particularly care for her in the beginning but she didn't annoy me. She wasn't weak like I was expecting her to be. She stood up for herself and her friend Simon and, more importantly, stood up TO Jace. I'm rather happy that she didn't automatically know how to fight demons and when she wins against the Ravener early on, it's because she was just fighting tooth and nail for her life. She's also not special in a just-because way. There isn't something 'special' about her but it's shared with someone else and it's not really something to be proud of.
Jace is a bratty, self-involved, jerk. If I had his history, I would be, too. Just saying. I liked his character after I learned a bit more about him. Unlike a lot of the 'bad boys' in YA literature, he has a whole list of reasons to be ticked off and say what he does. Some would say that having a sucky history doesn't make it okay for you to be a jerk but, let's face it, people aren't perfect and personalities are made, not given. I don't like people who act like this but as a character who I didn't personally have to deal with, I quite enjoyed him.
Simon was a bit of a pushover for me. True, he was a solid friend to Clary but I got a little sick of his mooning after her and being jealous of Jace. I really just wanted to ring his neck and yell "If you're not going to tell her that you like her, you really have no right to treat her like shit when she flirts with someone else!" He does act like a decent friend, however, and is solidly on the side of helping out no matter how many times Jace sneers at him for being a Mundane.
Hodge was a very interesting character. If you've ever seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he's a lot like Giles. ( Just for clarification, I really love Giles.) Hodge is the librarian and teacher to Jace, Isabelle and Alec and he has a very charming personality and a few dark secrets. Wasn't expecting him to go the way he did.
As for Alec and Isabelle, we don't learn a lot about them in this first book. They were interesting to me and I'm looking forward to learning more about them. I feel the need to add that, except for once, when Clary calls Isabelle a bitch, she's actually being a bitch. Isabelle turns out to be one of those girls who's nice but just doesn't know how to handle some situations so it comes out all wrong. I know; I have been one of these girls. Alec is an interesting study in that *SPOILERSPOILER*he's gay and living in a world where it's frowned upon... well, more than frowned upon.*END SPOILERENDSPOILER*
Magnus Bane! My favorite character so far. He's a warlock and FLAMBOYANT to the ninth degree. He's sarcastic and witty but good-hearted and means well... even if he does intend to get paid. Can't wait to read more of him.
The villain is Valentine. Not the typical villain in that he doesn't use a lot of force. He's a manipulator and a charmer and that's a lot creepier to me. He twists facts to suit his stories and is talented at being a false friend. Might I just say... the twist at the end... it really surprised me. Not because it was out of the blue, but because an author of popular young adult fiction WENT THERE.
The Mindless Rabble of Others?
Eh, not really. Some are mentioned but, as actual players go, it's pretty manageable.
No, I love YOU!!! *kissykissy*
Jace and Clary... not overdone but it IS there and they don't decide within a day and a half of meeting that they are MADE FOR EACH OTHER. The outcome?? Oh, dear...
I want more Alec and Magnus!!! XDXD
Dance, Magic, Dance!
Tons but I really love the concept of the tattoos.
Exactly Where Are You From?
They're running around New York City for all of this but the Nephilim are from a country called Idris. I want to know more about that place.
Leave me alone, I’m Plotting…
It only struck me after finishing that it was a go-here-do-this-then-off-to-a-new-place plot. I usually hate them but, then again, the characters actually have a POINT in going to the places they do in this story.
”Hey, what does this do?” “NO! DON’T TOUCH THAT!!”
The Nephilim weapons, the Mortal Cup, demons, Magnus Bane's bedroom...
Why? WHY? Oh, the AGONY!!!!!
Corniest last line EVER. Jebus.
Awesome excerpt:
Two, in fact, that I couldn't decide between.
"I don't want tea," said Clary, with muffled force. "I want to find my mother. And then I want to find out who took her in the first place, and I want to kill them."
"Unfortunately," said Hodge, "we're all out of bitter revenge at the moment, so it's either tea or nothing."
*~*~*~*
"Jace?"
"Yeah?"
"How did you know I had Shadowhunter blood? Was there some way you could tell?"
The elevator arrived with a final groan. Jace unlatched the gate and slid it open. The inside reminded Clary of a birdcage, all black metal and decorative bits of gilt.
"I guessed," he said, latching the door behind them. "It seemed like the most likely explanation."
"You guessed? You must have been pretty sure, considering you could have killed me."
He pressed a button in the wall, and the elevator lurched into action with a vibrating groan that she felt all through the bones in her feet. "I was ninety percent sure."
"I see," Clary said.
There must have been something in her voice, because he turned to look at her. Her hand cracked across his face, a slap that rocked him back on his heels. He put a hand to his cheek, more in surprise than pain. "What the hell was that for?"
"The other ten percent," she said, and they rode the rest of the way down to the street in silence.
Next Up:
Never Let Me Go- Kazuo Ishiguro
City of Ashes- Cassandra Clare