City of Bones
Ratings944
Average rating3.6
Unlike Clockwork Angel, which I read thinking I'd hate it and imagining that ripping into it would be fun (which, even though I liked the book, it still was fun to pick at) I read City of Bones because I thought I'd like it.
Sigh Yeah.
Anyway, I didn't hate the book. There was enough times I laughed or chuckled to keep me from hating it - and enough people that I thought were likable or interesting.
My problem came from a totally unexpected source: Clary.
Now, I'll be honest with you, I can't help comparing this book to The Infernal Devices. Which means I compare the people. I didn't love Tessa, but I liked her. In spite of the Mary Sue-ness that was her personality and abilities, I found myself liking her.
Clary, on the other hand, is exactly the kind of person I can't stand. She's absolutely insufferable.
She's violent.
“But I need to call the police!”“Tell me what happened first.” She tried to yank her wrist back, but his grip was incredibly strong. “I can help you.”Rage flooded through Clary, a hot tide through her veins. Without even thinking about it, she struck out at his face, her nails raking his cheek.
She hates when guys give attention to other, prettier girls - or at least, the guy that only ever gave attention to her before.
Isabelle was exactly Simon's type - tall, glamorous, and beautiful. Come to think of it, maybe that was everyone's type. Clary stopped wondering about the peanut-fish-olive-tomato soup and started wondering what would happen if she dumped the contents of the pot on Isabelle's head.
She's childish.
“I'm not a child. And I don't want to hear any more.”“You keep saying that,” Clary said crossly. “I don't see why I must understand anything.”
The girl is really just a horrible, horrible person.
Isabelle was wiping at her eyes, and Clary felt a wave of irrational anger - Isabelle barely knew Simon. This wasn't her disaster.
The simple fact is that I can't understand why anyone would be her friend, much less fall in love with her.
She'd never hit anyone, let alone stabbed them. She'd even skipped gym class the day they'd learned how to ward off muggers and rapists with ordinary objects like car keys and pencils.
Yeah, because, really, who'd want to learn how to ward off muggers and rapists? I'd totally skip that day too. And, Clary, if you find yourself unable to attack a vampire determined to kill you, just imagine it's Jace. After all, you've already slapped him twice and tried to hit him with your backpack.
(And, Simon is kind of a jackass. I mean, I get it, but he's still kind of a jackass.)
Pertama membaca urban fantasi juga membaca karya Cassie. Walau kurang suka dengan kedua tokoh utamanya, namun pembuka seri ini cukup menjanjikan, yang membuatku melanjutkan ke buku keduanya.
Comecei a leitura com o pensamento totalmente voltado para as lembranças que eu tinha do filme (que não são nada boas, diga-se de passagem!). A história foi se desenrolando e fui aos poucos lembrando das cenas que tinham alguma semelhança, mas... gente! Não tem nada a ver. Não sei o que pensaram fazendo aquele filme, mas uma coisa não tem nada a ver com a outra, foi uma inspiração que pegaram bem longe e fizeram a maior besteira. O livro é ótimo, os personagens são super divertidos (exceto Clary, que achei a maior chatinha na maior parte do tempo). Certamente (espero que) serão mais desenvolvidos ao longo dos próximos volumes, mas talvez tenha gostado muito da história. Não vejo a hora de continuar a série para saber no que vai dar tudo isso. Gosto de séries de fantasia que tenham conteúdo a ser desvendado, uma “cultura” nova, com simbologias, seres diferentes e ambientes onde a gente se sinta imerso, como no caso do Instituto, das cidades citadas no livro, as práticas dos seres fantásticos e tudo mais. Até agora não se tornou um favorito, mas estou bem ansioso pela continuação.
I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time I read it, so the rating is still 5 stars.
The only thing that irks me more now is the sister-brother thing.
I really loved this book even when I saw the movie first. I wanted to know how it looks like in the book and if there are some differences. And of course I can't wait for the tv series coming out next January. Definitely in the future I will continue with this series, cause Mortal Instruments deserve it!
Not bad, but seemed to be a shallower version of Harry Potter. I did love Simon though.
THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS
I don't understand some of the negative reviews on this book. I guess I must start out by saying that I saw the movie before I read the book so my view was a little skewed, but that was two years before I read the book. The main characters seem more like they have personality issues than anything else. It is also important to observe that the story is about a few already emotionally disturbed teenagers.
Well my biggest and only issue with the book is that there was ZERO suspense in it at all. I feel like the writer attempted to convey that there was and it didn't work. I was able to guess ever single thing that happened even those that weren't discussed in the movie. I felt that the plot was very generic. Also it kind of seems like Clare ripped off a good portion of the Star Wars plot when thinking about what she was going to write. The whole brother sister kiss thing, then find out they're related could've been totally avoided.
Aside from that I'm a huge fan of the book. I really did enjoy the whole idea of another take on the Eternal Conflict between angels and demons. The action scenes during the story were well placed and very entertaining. I am excited to read the next book and see wear the story goes. So happy there's not a movie to ruin it for me this time
Enjoyed reading but may not continue the series. I didn't connect that strongly with the story.
Ive been putting off reading this book, I dont know why but I liked it! Great paranormal/fantasy YA novel. The story was good and entertaining. Funny at times, little romance that overpower the story.
Very good first book of the series.
La historia es muy interesante pero la narración no me convence del todo. La primera mitad del libro no me enganchó, pero a partir de allí me comenzó a gustar. Ojalá que mejore con los demás libros.
loved the myths behind the story and sexy young Jace. Soooo much better than the movie, as expected. Hated the Mexican soap drama “who's my father?” I mean, it gets old after two characters or two pages, whatever comes first, and I feel it will be milked for way longer.
This was such a great reread (that i started in february and had on pause for literally 9 months) and so well-deserving of the four stars I gave it my previous reread.
It's fun and exciting, and I had forgotten so many small things that I'm so happy to be caught up on again! Can't wait to get into the next one soon. I just love this series and I hope everyone who reads it enjoys it as much as I do. Totally worth the reread, it's been four years and I was in desperate need to freshen up my knowledge on this book. Most of what I remembered came from the book or TV show and they can only get the big plot points in there. I just totally blocked out how rude Isabelle was to Clary for a big chunk of this book lmao. One of many things I had totally forgotten.
And honestly, I love Jace. I can never not love Jace. I just love him. He's awesome, he's funny, he's badass, and I love him.
I have recently read this book for a second time, several years after I initially read it and following a very enjoyable journey through their companion series, The Infernal Devices over the past month. At the time I first read it the movie had just been released and it's fair to say that things have moved on quite a bit since then, with Clare having completed the series and gone on to release several companion books and another companion series and with Freeform having produced a television show focused on Clare's world of the Shadowhunters and based on this series.
When I first read this book I didn't have any background really on the Shadowhunter world and I was relying on this book to set it all out for me and draw me in and whilst it did that what it didn't do was stay with me in a way that drove me to the other books. It has taken reading the Infernal Devices trilogy to bring me to a stage where I feel I'm now ready to delve into this book again and follow it on further into The Mortal Instruments series. It might be my preferred time setting of Victorian London in which The Infernal Devices was based that drew me in more and which I found more atmospheric which helped me do this. I think that having read City of Bones again I found that the New York contemporary setting made it all seem a bit too Twilight meets Anne Rice and I can understand why some readers have found this put them off.
I also believe that the book doesn't deliver as much of an adventurous ride as some readers may have expected but this could again be because in publication order this is the very first time Clare wrote about her magical world of Shadowhunters and therefore this book has to lay out all the facets of the Nephilim and their world and introduce all the characters of Downworld and how the two interact as well as setting up the story arc that will follow through the series. This means much of the book is focused on this and so whilst we introduce lots of characters we don't get much time to have them develop in this book but I am assured this is something that moves on immensely as the series progresses.
Having returned to the book now with a much wider awareness of the Victorian Shadowhunters, the prominent families in the Clave and a love of Warlock Magnus Bane I did gain more from this book. There were moments where I would give a little nod of understanding, for example understanding that Hodge was part of the Starkweather family and relation to Aloysius. I'm sure when I read City of Bones first time round there were moments I was thinking “What the heck is going on?” and didn't really understand significant moments.
I am now feeling more a part of Clare's world and have more enthusiasm for the world as a whole and feel I will now move on with the series, unlike last time where unfortunately I gave up.
I understand why the kids love it and her undoing of the romance triangle at the end made it a little less formulaic. And at least it wasn't as badly written as some of the other more popular book/movies my kids love (Divergent, I'm looking directly at you here), but I'd rather hype John Green and Rainbow Rowell and Benjamin Alire Saenz and the innumerable other great YA authors than this.
I FINALLY did it! I finished the freaking book! Someone give me an award!
There should be a review coming, but I'm not in a hurry.
Umm, hope there is a twist in the next few books. Not too keen on the whole incest thing.