Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
City of Bones
by Cassandra Clare
Book One in The Mortal Instruments Trilogy
Clary Fray’s world is shaken forever when she witnesses a murder at the Pandemonium Club; no one else seems to notice the killing of a boy by three teenagers covered in tattoos. But that’s almost nothing compared to the next twenty-four hours, in which Clare is attacked by a demon, her mother disappears and she is irrevocably thrust into the world of the Shadowhunters, men and women who preserve the balance of power between the mundane/human world and the supernatural world of demons, vampires and werewolves. Gorgeous Jace serves as her guide to this new world, but even as Clary’s attraction to him grows her childhood friend Simon is trying to take their friendship to the next level.
The very first thing I noticed when I started listening to this book (yup, I enjoyed this story in audio format) was Clary? The main character’s name is Clary? Isn’t that the author’s name, too? It’s a little weird to have the main character have virtually the same name as the author in her very first novel. A little Mary Sue, don’t you think? Clarissa “Clary” Fray and Cassandra Clare? Hmmm.
The second thing was that golly, this book sure reminded me of the Twilight series. It wasn’t just because of the vampires and werewolves. It was due to the author’s writing style. Cassandra Clare relies on dialogue to offload vast quantities of exposition, and constantly needs to tell tell tell the reader that her characters are gorgeous. She tends to over-describe action scenes and slip in some truly atrocious similes. All in all, her prose is readable but unpolished and frankly, could have used some judicious editing.
Man, the more I listened the more I thought that editor could have come in handy. One character, Alec, had eyes that constantly changed color. I don’t think this was a unique characteristic of his physiognomy; I think the author was just incredibly sloppy. At one point, Clary’s mother is described as “compact”, but a few sentences later, “willowy and tall”. Huh? Later, a fire is described that was so hot it melted metal but left skeletons and bits of fabric intact. What? These are the sorts of things a good editor should catch and help the author correct. Someone was asleep at the wheel.
It’s not a horrible book. I mean, OK, I thought Jace was absolutely obnoxious and that things went a little too easily for Clary, and the ending (especially the big plot twist) was complete crap…but I was entertained, too. I thought some of the conversations were funny, and there was enough action (implausible action, I grant you) to keep me interested in the story. But at other times, I just rolled my eyes, like during this conversation:
It took a moment for Clary to realize he was done speaking, and another to find her voice. “I’m so sorry, Jace.”
His eyes gleamed in the darkness. “I don’t understand why mundane always apologize for things that aren’t their fault.”
“I’m not apologizing. It’s a way of-empathizing. Of saying that I’m sorry you’re unhappy.”
“I’m not unhappy,” he said. “Only people with no purpose are unhappy. I’ve got a purpose.”
“Do you mean killing demons, or getting revenge for your father’s death?”
“Both.”
I’m sorry, that dialogue was just clunky.
I can’t say that I’ll never read more of the series; I’m just intrigued enough that I might do it. But I’ll be kicking myself with every page, wondering why I’m subjecting myself to bad writing and mediocre plotting.
2.5 out of 5 stars
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