Aug 18, 2009 17:27
I thought I was over the whole YA-fantasy-werewolves-vampires-demons thing. But a good friend of mine encouraged me to read the TMI series, and I spent a good portion of my weekend cramming City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass. And now I'm sad it's over! They were thoroughly enjoyable reads for me, because:
- The story is extremely fast-paced; something new happens or is realized in nearly every chapter (I could hardly pry my fingers off of the books)
- The plot is complex enough so your brain cells are engaged--though a tad predictable in parts (hello Star Wars and X-Men, among others), there's just enough to keep you wondering and thinking through the characters' relationships.
- I found the mythology of the Nephilim genuinely interesting. The idea that there are humans out there descended from angels to keep demons from earth...well, maybe that's my Catholicism getting piqued :). Or maybe I've had enough of werewolves and vampires, and Shadowhunters were a new breed of (somewhat more relatable) supernatural beings to get engrossed in. Runes, marking one's skin...I don't know, I liked those small details. Now I want to get me a tattoo, lol.
- I loved the central characters. Clary is a strong, kick-ass female heroine, and Jace the hero that has enough issues for him to be vulnerable and for you to feel sorry for him, too (even though he's also kick-ass). No one was perfect, but I understood where people were coming from.
- Epic adventure! Epic battles! And epic love (yay, yay, yay!)! Lol, this one seemed to have them all, and wrapped in lots of snarky dialogue and light-but-decent-not-Meyer-embarrassing-writing by Cassandra Clare.
I guess I couldn't help but compare the City of Glass with Breaking Dawn (sorry it had to go back to Twilight). CoG was just so much more satisfying and heartrending and...logical for me; the fitting closure and the "big red bow" that is promised at the end of every series. (Don't get me wrong--I liked Breaking Dawn well enough, but was left dissatisfied in several respects.) So my friend lent me her copies, but I liked it well enough to go out and buy my own. As you should if you haven't yet. :)
(Now part of me wishes they wouldn't make it into a movie...not sure why...)
the mortal instruments