Cassandra Clare's City of Bones is the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy. The cover is stunning: It looks like a tattooed superman is lording over a huge city. And, in most ways, this is the basic plot of the book. The main character, Clary, is not aware that her reality in New Yoor City is not the only one to be had. She lives a pretty normal teen life. She has a best friend and a mother. One night, she goes out to a club with some friends and witnesses a murder. From here on, her whole life changes.
As it turns out, the "murder" she sees is not a human murder, but a group of good-doing "Shadowhunters" who take down an evil demon disguised as a human. Soon, Clary is completely immersed in the world of the Shadowhunters. She quickly learns the ins and outs of their existence. Her interest in their world is sped up by the strange disappearance of her mother and the appearance of a monster in her apartment. When this monster repeats the word "Valentine" over and over, the Shadowhunters are clued-in to a much larger conspiracy than they had bargained for.
Some of the characters and plot points in this novel are a little predictable, but it was an enjoyable and entertaining read nonetheless. It's a lengthy book at almost 500 pages, but I was able to read it quite quickly. There are a lot of unanswered questions at the end of this first book; I can't wait to find out how it all comes together in the next books!
