Review: City of Bones Cassandra Clare

I have been waffling between a three and a four star on this book. It wasn’t necessarily the most well written book, the most interesting book, or exciting. I’m also not sold on the plot, but what I am sold on is the characters and their relationships.

The world that this is set in is actually fairly interesting with the use of the stele and runes. The supernatural creatures that are in the book aren’t unique by any means, but the Shadowhunter take on nephilim is fairly creative.

Clary is fifteen, and I am hoping that she continues to not act that age. I have gotten to the age where I really don’t want to read about people that are early to mid teen range…..maybe because I need some spice in my life. I thought Clary was a little too okay with magic after having grown up with her mother beating into her head that there is no such thing, but maybe Luke saying that her artistic mind had more to do with her seeing things that aren’t there helped a little.

Our villain was just kind of meh. He didn’t really instill terror. I feel like he definitely should have since he was advocating basically genocide and segregation and all that, but he was just kind of like Disney villain level of scary? I didn’t feel there was enough build up to warrant any level of fear or concern on the reader’s part for the villain. Which is why I was low key frustrated that Jace went from being very outspoken, aggressive, kind of assholish to a passive, take information at face value character in his final scene with Valentine?????

What I, and other bookstagrammers that I’ve talked to, really found that Clare did well in this book was the level of attention to the little things within the character development and the relationships between the characters. It was the little things that I enjoyed through this books. The little interactions between Jace and Clary, or Simon, Isabelle, and Alec. Even adding in Lucian and Alaric (brb why am I crying over a side character we met like three times?).

I really liked the relationship between Clary and Luke. I will admit that I hated that I knew he was just being protective when he told Clary off originally. I am really hoping that their paternal relationship continues as we try to save Jocelyn, but even if she wakes up, I hope that this relationship continues to flourish.