City of Bones

by Cassandra Clare

"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. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a 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...

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end."

The humor in the dialogue of this book was fantastic. I'm a fan of sarcasm, and there was plenty of that in here, and though there seemed to be several O.K. moments of actions of City of Bones, the places in which characters interacted with one another compensated for them. Furthermore, the relationships were fleshed out and I enjoyed reading about them - Clary and her mother, Clary and Luke, Clary and Simon... Speaking of Simon, did I enjoy his character! Dorky, sweet, loyal, funny. I'm glad Clary didn't take him for granted throughout the novel.

The twist at the end caught me off guard and seemed to require a very complicated explanation. I'm not sure how it's going to develop in the books that are to come, and I'm intrigued, but also concerned. Valentine was quite disturbing to me, as he spoke condescendingly all the time and seemed to be very cold, detached, inhumane. I guess he's supposed to be that way.
And as for Jace... He almost fell for it all there, during those last few scenes. He did the right thing in the end, but I still worry about him.

The City of Bones had its highlights, and though I was bored at times with certain aspects of the plot, I am looking forward to reading the next books, accompanying its characters, laughing at all the sarcasm, and discovering more about this world.

3/5 stars.