City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) 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. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque 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....
 
I was instantly enchanted when I first read City of Bones, and that enchantment still holds three years, and at least half a dozen re-reads later. I've also read countless reviews, both adoring and loathing and have come to the conclusion that this book does not garner any type of middle ground, you either love it or you hate it.




Those readers who hate it often mention the similarities between this series and that of Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc. They are right of course, there are similarities. They will mention the fact that nearly all the characters are sarcastic and a bit over-intelligent for their written age, and again, they are probably right. Regardless, I can't help but feel a little sad for these readers. It's inevitable, that if you only scratch the surface of something, the surface is the only thing you will see. If you allow yourself to become disillusioned with an entire story, simply because it has similarities to bits and pieces of something you have encountered before, and if you write off a character because they use the term exsanguinated, and at the age of 25, you have to look the word up (You know you did), you will inevitably find the story and it's characters flat and meaningless. And I can’t help but feel that these readers are somehow missing out on something.



For me, this book shines, and to those of you who loved it, I imagine you are a bit like me. You found yourself immersed in a world where demons roam the night, weres run a bar, vamps occupy abandoned hotels, warlocks cast spells while rockin glitter in their hip hugging jeans, fey wait tables at the best mom and pop restaurant in NYC, and the law is upheld by Shadowhunters, a race of humans blessed by the angel Raziel. Even the setting, NYC, was so palpable; it became another character in this vibrant story. I thought the Shadowhunter world was funny, sleek, dark, sexy and hopeful. More importantly, the characters came so alive for me that they jumped off the pages. I felt as though I were in the story with them as opposed to merely following along in their journey.



Regardless of the types of books you prefer to read, or the characters that endear themselves to your heart, I think we all read to become inspired. That inspiration can take shape in various forms, from writing, to making a playlist, picking up a sketchpad so that the images in your mind can take shape, or simply reading a new book in hopes of falling in love with yet another story. City of Bones inspired me and continues to inspire me, even though the pages of my copy are becoming a little worn, the jokes are the same jokes I’ve read countless times, and in spite of the fact that I know how the story ends. To me, that is the mark of a fantastic book.