Now, please keep in mind there is more to this book than the hunky torso on the cover! Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is the first installment of a trilogy, all of which is written, published and out in the world. I cannot tell you how much I love when that happens! Nothing makes me crazier than getting sucked into a great book only to find it has absolutely no ending because it is the first book of a trilogy! Drives me crazy! But when I stumble upon an already finished trilogy/series? So exciting!
City of Bones starts off with Clary, a normal girl raised by her mother, who does normal things, forgets homework, hangs out with her friends, and occasionally finds herself in a spot of trouble. But one night, at a club with her friend Simon, she sees something sketchy going on- a guy being lured into a janitor's closet by a girl and two tattooed, scary guys. When she breaks into the room, she quickly discovers the guy being attacked isn't so innocent after all- actually he is a demon and the others are Shadowhunters- a group of humans, also known as Nephilim, who are sworn by blood and genealogy to kill all demons and any Underworlders who break the rules of the Accords. Underworlders are all the half-human creatures like vampires, werewolves and faeries who have created a life of peace (sort of) and harmony with the rest of the world. The Accords are a peace treaty the Shadowhunters struck with the Underworlders to stop hunting them if they continue to leave mortal humans (known as mundies or mundanes) alone in their ignorance.
But when her mother calls and frantically tells Clary not to come home, Clary goes anyway and finds herself face to face with a Ravener demon, but her mother is mysteriously gone. Jace, the huge blond Shadowhunter, finds Clary with the Ravener dead, but her in desperate need of mystical medical attention. He takes her back to the Institute, where Hodge, the Institute's leader, makes sure she is healed and fully restored. It is with the Institute and the Shadowhunters that Clary finds the true nature of who she is, who her mother is, and even who her "uncle" Luke really is: all with Shadowhunter blood. But now Valentine, a rogue Shadowhunter determined to kill all Downworlders despite the Accords, is back from the dead and ready to start his plan with the Mortal Cup- the only thing that can make more Shadowhunters from mortals- but at a steep price. Clary, Jace, and the two other Shadowhunters, Alec and Isabelle, must find the Mortal Cup while also finding out how Clary came to be immersed in the mundie world with no recollection of her Shadowhunter heritage.
This book is very, very interesting and I am thanking the writing and publishing Gods for pushing the other two books out before I found this one, because it certainly does not end with any semblance of closure- it was meant to keep you waiting for the rest of the trilogy. Clare's take on the mythical world of faeries and vampires is really interesting, and different from other stories of the same genre, while not changing their backgrounds too much. The Shadowhunters are a great addition to these time honored horror tales, and they are wrapped up in their own wars, disagreements, and factions. The writing isn't terribly complicated, the vocabulary is average, but the book is large- almost 500 pages. If you had a kid who made it through Harry and Twilight, this would be a great next step to keep them hooked! Give the Mortal Instruments series a chance, but don't be surprised if you start seeing faeries and pixies in the shrubs after you do!
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