City of Bones

Please consider that I am in my mid-thirties and just read the book for the first time.

Somewhat of an interesting story with a very hard to like protagonist. And I don't mean hard to relate to. I mean hard to like.

The story: Ignoring some minor inconsistencies, the story was good. I liked the setting and the lore. I believe it will get even better when the world “opens up” more in following books.
The characters: There have been books where a young protagonist will actually entice me to read, as they are generally more eager and openminded. Not in this book. Eagerness was replaced by moody stupidity. Open-mindedness was replaced by stubbornness and being judgemental. Nothing and no one was ever good enough for Clary (the main character) and she treated absolutely everyone horribly. Tantrum after tantrum, showing no gratitude or empathy, being vindictive, being openly hostile to a girl just for being pretty, consciously using her so called “best friend”, slapping people for actually saving her life... The list goes on. There is a difference between being a badass independent young woman, and being an ignorant entitled edge-lord douche. Clary, sadly, belongs to the latter.
The rest of the cast was somewhat okay, though Simon was also rather unlikeable at times. I did like the Lightwood siblings. At some point towards the end of the book I started liking Jace as well. And I simply loved Magnus Bane.
The romance: Lukewarm at best. I detected no chemistry between Clary and either of the boys. Maybe there was a bit of it with Jace at some point (which is why I found the plot-twist at the end rather annoying), but honestly, all of it kind of bored me. And I don't mean that I wanted “steam” in this YA novel. I mean, I wanted to see bonding, connection of some sorts. I got pretty much none of that.
The writing style: I am no expert in writing, so anything I say here take with a grain of salt. I didn't mind it much, with the exception of the abundance of obscure adjectives and adverbs utilised in casual conversations between teenagers (assiduously, stringent, inimical, etc.).

In conclusion, had it not been for the main character, I would've liked this book way more.

2.5 - 3 stars, mainly for the story.