City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 485
Overall: 3.8/5
Setting: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot and Themes: 3.5/5
Cheers Factor: 4/5
Pairing: The Plot Said What?

This one is strong enough that if you have enough you forget that this book ends the way it does. If you haven’t read it…google exists, but just know I warned you so maybe have two of these first then come back.



Ingredients
1.5 oz vodka
2 oz El Guapos Lemon Drop Mixer

---

Instructions
-Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice
-Shake well and strain into chilled glass
-Enjoy responsibly

"The descent into hell is easy."

Take a Shot
Clary Fray is a mundane living a mundane life, but is she? One night when out at a club she witnesses something only she can see which in turn opens her up to a world of Shadow Hunters, Demons, Warlocks and Vampires. Clary quickly finds herself immersed in the world when her mother is kidnapped and rumors are swirling of Valentine’s return and it turns out her mom might be more connected to Valentine than many thought.


"I've always needed you more than you needed me."


Setting
I think it’s very fun to have a fantasy book that’s grounded in real life. They drive cars, have cell phones, take taxis, go to clubs, etc. I think it’s a fun way to be in a fantasy world that makes you feel as though it might actually be real life instead of a fully developed world. I also like that it takes place in New York, it’s cliche but I still enjoy when stories are set there especially fantasy stories.

Characters
I really like the characters, but their character development is just somewhat lacking in my opinion. I think it’s hard to feel really connected to a character when they don’t feel as well rounded as you want. The hardest part being they are quite close to being stellar characters it’s almost as though they needed some more depth and I would have truly loved them. It’s possible we clearly get that in the remainder of the 6 book series, but you have to hook someone book one by really showcasing your characters for who they are especially given that we aren’t world building as much given so much can be grounded in reality. 


Plots and Themes
It’s a really overdone trope to have the main character thrust into a fantasy world they know nothing about. Take for example Harry Potter where he has no idea he is a wizard then is literally shipped off to Hogwarts only to find himself in the middle of a war? Yeah well same thing here Clary has no idea about the world only to realize there’s an impending war and she’s finding herself at the center of it. I understand the trop and don’t have an issue with it, but it’s been done before and happens a lot. I’m also going to mention that I hate a very specific plot point. I’m not even going to write the word here, but you can google it and it will likely be easy to find. I just don’t really see the point in that kind of addition in a mainstream novel. I don’t really like it even in fan fiction, but I believe it should stay in that genre if it’s going to be in literature even at all and I will avoid it like the plague.


"Half of your attention is better than all of anyone else's."

Overall
I do like this series, but it’s not my favorite from this era. It’s a good enough first book that hooks you into the story and makes you want to read more, but it’s an overall very YA novel series from the 2010’s so take that for what it’s worth.

Reasons to Raise a Glass: There’s a movie adaptation with Lily Collins (it does lowkey suck, but I just love her if you couldn’t already tell), nostalgic for 2010’s YA lit
Too Strong: YUCKY PLOT POINT (I will never not die on this hill that’s all)


​
Warning spoilers ahead if you click read more. Proceed at your own risk.

I read this originally back many years ago because of the movies. I love Lily Collins and really liked Jamie Campbell Bower (shoutout Vecna), but I also want to recognize that Collins had written about her abusive relationship around this era heavily implied to be with Bower. However, the hype of the movie still really drew me in and I read the book. Only made it through the first three so I have decided to finally finish the books as I own them all. I think the first book has me and the story strictly because I see Collins and Campbell Bower as the characters faces. However, I get really annoyed that we even have an in**st plot line. Like it’s irrelevant and as you may know it’s actually not true as is discovered in later books. (Also that’s not a spoiler, go on booktok or the internet and you’ll find this. The books have been out long enough that I don’t care about clarifying that that plot line is not real. Also thank god it is.). Especially since we still have sexual tension between the characters. And it’s easy as a reader to disassociate that tid bit of information because it’s truly so irrelevant and should never have been introduced at all. Like it’s actually absurd this plato line was greenlit in mainstream media in this kind of representation. Nonetheless I can confirm that it’s not real so it’s not as bad, but just an irrelevant addition that seems really silly.