Review: City of Bones

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) by Cassandra Clare 
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 485
Source: Borders 
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★★★★☆

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. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a 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. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

This is one of those situations where I’m upset that I read reviews for this book before reading it myself… Being one of the last people on the planet to actually pick up this series didn’t help! Unfortunately, The City of Bones just didn’t live up to the hype for me! Was it a great book? Yes, most definitely. It just moved very slow for me, whether it was the pacing of the story or my own issues, I’m not sure.

Clare created an innovative, dangerous, and beautiful world in The City of Bones. It’s a world where so much happens behind the scenes: Where demons, shadowhunters, and downworlders exist without the notice of mundanes. She must have put enormous thought into developing this expansive world! And that, I can definitely appreciate.

I found the story and characters engaging and the ending satisfying. I do, however, hope that the relationship twist at the end is falsified in The City of Ashes! Overall this was a great read and I would recommend this to any YA paranormal fans!