#10 - City of Bones

City of Bones
By: Cassandra Clare
512 pages
Published: 2008
ISBN: 1416955070
My Copy: Borrowed from library

This book was recommended to me by my friend, Cassie, and I have already thanked her because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also promptly ordered the next two books in the series because it was that good.

Part of it might be that, when it comes to fantasy, I find I like the work of female authors better. Does that sound strange? Well, it's true. For some reason The Lord of the Rings bored me. The one Xanth book I read was okay. But, I consistently enjoy fantasy series written by women. Harry Potter. Twilight (yeah, I know, sorry). Inkworld. And now I think I love The Mortal Instruments series. I will have to get myself some Ursula Le Guin and Octavia Butler when I'm done to fill the void.

City of Bones tells the story of Clary Fray as she delves into the world of Shawdowhunters and learns about her own mysterious family connections. Though the book is over 500 pages, it was a very quick read and I was intensely interested the entire time. Most of the characters are very well done. Jace and Clary were very cute together (though the witty banter between them seemed a little odd in the beginning, it grew on me by the end of the story). Alec and Isabelle could have used a little more back story to make us more invested in their fate (but maybe that is to come in future books). The actions scenes are well done and suspenseful and the twists and turns the book took were surprising and satisfying. I, for example, did not see the end coming at all. Other readers assure me there's more surprises to come, so I'm looking forward to it.

Rating: B+