City of Bones

Title: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments Book One)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Pages: 485

Rating: *****

Summary (from Goodreads): 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....

Review: This book has become one of my all-time favorites. Full of action and suspense with just enough romance to keep my interest, Cassandra Clare has written one of the best books no one's heard of. It is really a shame how few people have even heard of this series! (City of Bones is the first of four--City of Ashes, City of Glass, and City of Fallen Angels--out May 2011--are the next three.)
Jace is a kick-butt, sexy, self-sacrificing love interest. From about...the second time we see him I was in love. He definitely gives Edward a run for his money. I'm not completely sure, but I believe there is movie talk for this book, if not series. Alex Pettyfer would be a freakin' amazing Jace. Just look at him! *swoons*

Clary, as a whole, is not the strongest female protagonist. In this first book, she is never really involved in the fighting or the problem-solving, but that kind of makes the book more real. If I suddenly stumbled across this world of demons and Shadowhunters, I know I wouldn't be much good in a fight either!
The supporting characters are strong, and add a lot to the story, including Magnus Bane, the glittery high-warlock of Brooklyn, and Alec and Isabelle, Jace's fellow Shadowhunters.
This story has a HUGE twist at the end that made me want to throw the book at the wall. But I didn't.
I read this book last summer ( I think) and I recently finished the audiobook. DEFINTELY READ THE BOOK! The audiobook isn't the best I've listened to--no offense to Ari, but her voice got a bit annoying with lack of emotion and verging-on-Valley-Girl intonations. So if you have to choose, I definitely recommend reading the book itself.
All in all an AMAZING book.

Recommended for: supernatural fans.

And don't forget the rest of the series!

AND Cassandra is writing a "prequel" series to The Mortal Instruments, the first of which is The Clockwork Angel, out September 7, 2010 (you can see the countdown on my sidebar)