Review - City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Alright. I finished City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Over all I enjoyed it.

"Luke, I am your father."

Anyways.

I liked the book. It was pretty decent. There were definitely some descriptive parts that I skipped over (and when I say that I mean just way too much description for ONE thing, and I could just NOT read it and it wouldn't detract anything from the story) and some things that I felt needed more description. We all heard about Jace's hair and his scars and what he wore etc, but what about Clary... she's a redhead. That's about all I remember of her description.

I steered away from the Jace/Clary train. Simon was supposedly her best friend for such a long time, her Dawson if you will (as in... Dawson's Creek), and yet, she just completely FORGOT HE EXISTED several times. And Cassandra made a point of pointing that out... several times. I felt bad for him. She had gotten a shiny new toy so who cares about the old classics right?

The whole "City of Bones" angle wasn't really all that memorable. The book could have just as easily been titled something else and it wouldn't have really made a difference.

BUT... that being said. I loved Luke. Even when he was being a complete jerk I knew there had to be a reason behind it. And Madam Dorothea? I kept picturing her as Zelda Rubinstein. You know, from Poltergeist and Teen Witch? I'd bet money that if she were still alive she'd be first pick to play that part in the movie. Too funny. And Magnus. I did like him. He reminded me of someone and I just can't put my finger on it right now. But when I was reading I had a picture of someone who could pass for him in my head. Maybe Meshach Taylor (Hollywood from the movie Mannequin back in 1987). I also loved how Jace was so snarky. He always had a witty comeback and was completely arrogant and uber confident.

There were definitely some interesting twists in the story. That I won't reveal because I know there are people who read here who haven't read the books. It was those twists that kept the story good for me. Even though there wasn't much (I thought) to do in fleshing out the characters, I'm assuming (since there are more books after this one) that I'll learn more later. The end kind of weirded me out though. Not sure I'll be able to get over that one.

I am definitely intrigued enough to continue on with the series. I wouldn't recommend this to someone looking for something incredibly fast paced (like The Hunger Games for instance), but it is a good read. I'd give it maybe a 3.5 out of 5. Ya know?

Next up.... Tower of Change.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Ok, so this week I'm going to post teasers for more than one book. The book I'm reading. The book I won on GoodReads which is on deck. And MockingJay which is in the hole.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is up first.

"If you wanted me to rip my clothes off you should have just asked." He dug into his pocket and brought out his stele. "It would have been a lot less painful." p 187

On deck is The Keys of Fate novel number 1: Tower of Change by Tina M.Randolph.

Suddenly there was an outpouring of melodramatic opposition, and one of the wizards roared, "Maybe we shouldn't allow them to co-exist. Maybe we should use our magic to make them extinct!" p 36

Last not least comes the batter in the hole,

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The last in the Hunger Games trilogy!!!!! Happy birthday to me!! Hehe.

"Oh no. It costs a lot more than your life. To murder innocent people?" says Peeta. "It costs everything you are." p 23

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristy at The Story Siren.

1. The first novel in the stack is one that was given to me to read. It's Montana Sky by Nora Roberts. I've read a few other novels by Nora. Namely her Sign of Seven series which is set around my area.

Summary from GoodReads: Jack Mercy's three daughters are strangers to each other. Now they must learn to live as a family-in order to gain an inheritance worth 20 million dollars...

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is not something I normally would have picked out for myself (again, I'm a cover hater) but I've seen so many good reviews and so many other people say that they absolutely love it, I couldn't not read it.

Summary from GoodReads: Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

3. Cassandra Clare's novel City of Bones IS something I've been looking forward to reading. I would have gotten it from the library on my last trip but that was the ONLY one in the series that the library didn't have. So of course I had to run to Borders the first chance I got and pick it up for myself.

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....

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