“The City of Bones” by Cassandra Clare is the first installment to “The Mortal Instrument” Series. In my opinion, “City of Bones” is one of the best works of fiction I have ever read. The story starts with fifteen-year-old Clary Fray and her best friend Simon Lewis going into a club called the Pandemonium Club in New York City. There she witnesses a “murder.”
The murder was committed by three teenagers covered in weird tattoos and strange weapons. Aas soon as one of them plunges the blade into the boy his body disappears. However, she is the only one that can see them. Both the teenagers and Clary are surprised that she can see them. Jace Wayland, one of the teenagers , tells her that they are Shadowhunters, a race of hybrid warriors that is dedicated to ridding the earth of demons.
This was the first of many encounters that Clary had with the Shadow world, and Jace, a Shadowhunter, which Clary claims has the face of an angel, but is arrogant and a jerk. Within twenty-four hours, Clary is attacked by a demon and loses her mother, who was kidnapped. She turns to the Shadowhunters to help her find her mother and find out why demons took interest in her and her mother, who both are ordinary mundanes. Or so they think. Clary knows how to write a fast paced book and still leave out enough information to write six books, and have them all as excited and action-filled as the first. when I first read this I was completely shocked that so much could happen in just one book. Clare had so many things happening all at once. One would think that it would be too overwhelming, but it wasn’t. it was really easy to keep track of everything that was happening with Clary, Jace, Simon, and the rest of the Shadowhunters.
I was really intrigued with Jace Wayland. He is one of the best Shadowhunters there is, and a jerk to almost everybody, but especially to Clary. At first I didn’t know why but then as the book went on it explain why. My favorite quote, which was said by Jace is “ To love is to destroy, and to be loved is to be destroyed.” That is why he behaved that way with Clary. He didn’t want to get hurt because he had truly fallen in love with her.
The main issue started when Clary’s mother was kidnapped. This led to have Clary being taken to the Institute, which is where the Shadowhunters live. There she learns that she is a Shadowhunter and the daughter of, Valentine Morgenstern. He is an evil Shadowhunter that wants to exterminate all Downworlders. He was thought to be dead but reappears when it was the least expected.
All in all, “City of Bones” is a novel full of secrets, betrayals, forbidden passions, and things that any mundane would have never thought existed.
““City of Bones” is one of the best works of fiction I have ever read." -Catalina
8