City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

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.

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Sigh. This series is absolutely one of my favorites, and since I've read quite a few reviews recently, I decided to re-read the books and write reviews on here. Some books I've loved, then re-read and wondered what I saw in them the first time; this was definitely not the case with City of Bones. If it was anything, this novel was fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat action. From the prologue to the last page, this book was action-packed, and when it wasn't biting-your-fingernails fast, it was beautifully written. Clare has really created a gorgeous, complicated world that readers are sucked into immediately. It begins with Clary noticing a boy no one else seems to notice; after following him, she discovers Jace, Alec, and Isabelle, three Shadowhunters. The Shadowhunter world revolves around them killing demons escaped from other dimensions. Okay, so I know I said that I'm tired of the whole seeing-invisible-faeries/other-mythical-creatures, but it was extremely well-done, and Clare is great at explaining things slowly, making it easy to follow. The information about this new invisible world is presented in a readable way, not overcrowding or leaving too much to the imagination. The characters were some of my favorites all time; Clary was great: the perfect amount of sweet, naive, and holding her own. Jace... Oh, Jace, what can I say about you? He's got to be in my top five fictional characters that should be real. He's an arrogant, smart-ass, sensitive, gorgeous blonde. What more can you ask for? I loved Simon, Clary's best friend (was I the only one who realized where their conversation in the peotry cafe was going before Jace pointed it out?), mostly because he reminded me so much of myself. Isabelle was too snotty in my opinion, since she took a really, really long time to warm up slightly to Clary. Alec was my second favorite; he was so adorable, and I, honestly, was surprised by the twist in his love story. Made me sad, but I'm a Jace/Clary fan all the way. The story line was great, as I said before, and even though in my opinion it was a character-driven novel, it's easy to see why it could be considered a plot-driven book. Lastly, I loved how the world Clare created had demons, angels, werewolves, faeries, vampires, and creatures of her own creation. I wish I lived in this world.

5 stars and a recommendation to action/romance fans and any teen readers. I've recommended this book series to just about all of my friends, even non-readers.