City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)
Cassandra Clare
Clary is normal, as far as she knows. She’s a typical 15 year old, albeit one who goes out to exciting bars like Pandemonium. Once there, she witnesses things that she had never seen before – and she can’t work out who are the bad guys, as her mother is taken away and her best friend is suddenly smitten with someone else.
I liked Clary. She was spunky, but still believable when she showed fear at other times. The typical teenage contrariness was there too, and she didn’t seem able to follow orders. Pretty hormonal and emotional at times too. Flawed, and so accessible. Not sure how young males are going to go with a novel like this one, but Clary’s good.
The ending was unbelievable. I couldn’t see it coming, even though I’m sure the hints were there. It’s weird about the attraction though. I hated how it left Jace exposed and uncomfortable though – I didn’t mind his sarcastic humour, and I hated to think how he had been treated.
This novel seems to set up that the Clave is a bad thing. Sure, it thinks it is promoting peace, but it seems like it’s doomed. They can’t even keep things safe, like the Mortal Cup! I guess, Hodge did make a mess of things, but at the same time…
When you’re reading, take nothing for granted. The people you think are enemies, the people you think are entirely trustworthy? They aren’t. People lie. The author has crafted something really masterful that reads well, and doesn’t allow the reader to get bored.
This seems to have become a cult novel. And possibly a film? Anyway, I didn’t have any preconceived notions going in to this anyway, never having read any reviews. I listened to this as an audio book, the only audio book I could find at the time. The reader was great, although sometimes I thought her male voices were a bit stupid. The breathy tones she used for Clary actually sat well with me. Sometimes Clary did seem a bit stupid.
Just as you think the novel must be ending (but you still have 6 CDs to listen to), another thing bounces out of the plot and demands to be read. I was lucky I had it in the car to read, or I never would have been able to put it down.
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The beginning of this novel filled me with a little apprehension. I didn’t love the opening paragraphs, and didn’t immediately connect with the protagonist. A few pages in though, and I was hooked, not wanting to step away from my desk. I loved that Triinu developed as a character, entirely intertwined through the novel. There were no moments of uncertainty, where I wondered how the text had gotten to this point. This is marketed as a coming-of-age story, and I have to say it is.
There’s never really an explanation for Eleanor’s clothing choices. Is it something she does to annoy her step-father? I could not believe Eleanor’s mother. Why on earth would she put up with a guy like that? Where was the income even coming from? I know that domestic violence is something that is tangible and real, but also that there are safe-guards put in place, and that help is available.
They meet various people along the way, and each one seems like they have a story, a background, something important to add. Even as at the same time you want to fit them into stereotypes, you just can’t. We don’t see much character development in my opinion for the 3 girls. Bev seems just as mean, and although we hear about the major events in their lives, and how they affected their person in the past, we don’t see that development in the future/present.
