Review: City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

Clary Fray is just a normal 15-year-old, that is, until she witnesses three armed teens murder a demon. She is quickly catapulted into the dark world of shadowhunters, vampires, warlocks and demons that her mother has tried so hard to keep her away from. To top it all off, a name is being whispered in the city, a person who should be dead, who is feared above all by shadowhunters; Valentine.

The book jumps straight into the plot, and smacks you in the face with new ideas. I had a thought as I was reading; would I actually understand nay of this if I hadn't seen the film first? No.. probably not. I would have been confused and bewildered by everything up until it's all kind-of-explained a couple of chapters later. At that point 'Mundie' means nothing to me. Other than that, the plot was interesting, fast-paced and kept throwing obstacles in Clary's way. You very slowly find out everything, which would make it a tantalising read for people who had not seen the film. As it was, I was just left wondering how the differences would play out.

If you're looking for a film comparison, here it is: *Spoiler Alert*  Most things were pretty much exact to the book, like the love quadrangle, the fact that Simon is quite good-looking (what? Robert Sheehan is very nice to look at), the fact that Jace is a moody so-and-so. All of it is pretty much the same, apart from that Dorothea isn't actually a demon (she was possessed) and that it was only Clary and Jace who go to Hotel Dumort for Simon, and there wasn't quite so much fighting there. Oh, and Simon gets turned into a rat, which was kind of funny. Then, near the end, the stories split quite dramatically. The film goes for the all-out action face-off between Valentine and his cronies against everyone who is able to fight, and it is set in the Institute, with the wolves turning up as a surprise. In the book, Valentine turns up twice, once in the institute and then again when Clary goes to look for Jace. Here, the wolves have teamed up with Clary and are the ones fighting, and there are zombie-type things!

So in all the book was very different from the film in terms of the ending, and though it didn't pack quite as much of a punch, at least it didn't leak a major plotline. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, where I hope my experience won't be marred by the film (Note to self: watch the film after you've read the book, not before).

A nice enough read, but Clockwork Angel definitely trumps it for a first novel in a series.

City of Bones on Goodreads

Kyra_x

Wednesday Wishlist #4

The week's wishlist is entirely devoted to everything Cassandra Clare-related. I have seen Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and I have read Clockwork Angel, but now is the time to read all the rest:


The Mortal Instruments Series

I was introduced to Clary and Jace by way of film, and I really enjoyed it. But with most films adaptations, I know that something will be missing to make the series even better for me. Some aspects of books simply don' translate into films, and sometimes side plots distract too much from the central action, so I would love to know all the side plots that will come out of this series, and what they put in or missed out. Comparing books to their film adaptations has always been a bit of a hobby for me, so I'm looking forward to reading these books.

The Infernal Devices Trilogy

Apparently this is the best trilogy out of the lot, and it doesn't matter which order you read it all in. Naturally, I went chronologically by date and started with Clockwork Angel. I loved it, and now I am craving more steam-punk to add to my steadily growing collection.

The Bane Chronicles

Sometimes you just want a bit of context, and this series of short stories based on warlock Magnus Bane (the character that really links the two series up) promises to deliver that. They're not so important to me as the other two series, but as a point of interest I would like to read them at some point.

Have you read these series? What did you think of them?

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare

Tessa has just lost her Aunt, who she has been staying with, and now she is on a journey to England to live with her brother, who has promised to support her. What she doesn't know is that she is about to be captured and learn about abilities that she never knew she had. She will be pulled into a shadow world that is more dangerous than she ever expected, and she will do things she never thought she would.

Commonly thought of as the prequel series to The Mortal Instruments, this was my first encounter into the Shadowhunter Chronicles and I loved this steampunk turn of events. I understood the Shadowhunter world quite well thanks to the recent film adaptation of The City of Bones, but nothing could have prepared me for the amazing way that Clare captures each setting and each character. The human elements that are weaved into this very clever story are wonderful, but really the action and the way the tension builds in the story are the best parts.

Tessa, the protagonist, is a feisty American in a thoroughly British setting, and it shows, with rather amusing consequences. She grows unimaginably as a character, and I will adore seeing her start to fight more and to use her power in ways much like in the climax of the book. Clare has a knack for making her male leads quite unlikeable, and this can easily be said for Will. I hope he will redeem himself soon because at the moment he's making a pig's ear out of it, and giving no explanation (something I can't wait to find out about). And that is the thing about Clare's writing. There are so many questions you want answered and she doesn't give them to you at once, she has played out the story and left room for it all to flow into another two books, where the stakes will get even higher.

I cannot wait to get reading the next book, and to finish the series so that I can also read the Mortal Instruments. I've been told that the world that Clare creates gets even better!

9 out of 10

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The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - Film

Ever had one of those weird thoughts that maybe you can see something that everyone else can't? Like a certain shade of pink, or maybe you've got some kind of synesthesia like on Heroes where you can see music? Well, imagine being able to see an entire person that other people can't, and imagine that you saw that person murder someone else. That's exactly what happens to Clary Fray (Lily Collins) when she enters a nightclub with her friend Simon (Robert Sheehan). Soon Clary is immersed in a world where half-angels with strange rune tattoos are at war with demons, often disguised as ordinary people (or dogs). Oh, and the killer part? She's apparently half-angel, and her mother has been taken away by the enemy.

I haven't read the books, so unfortunately I can't decide whether it does them any justice, but I can say with confidence that the plot is a good one with some good twists. Yes, perhaps for an adult the twists were a little bit predictable, but this movie is for teens and I think it plays to them perfectly. A lot of the plot is made up of relationships, whether that's a love quadrangle or the bond between mother and daughter. it really adds to the immersion into Clary's life as you leave the film feeling like you have to know what happens to all these complex relationships. There is one big old love story, as per usual, but I have to say that this is the first time I have ever found Jamie Campbell Bower kind of hot (sorry, Jamie, I'm sure I'd melt in person). However, there is a beautiful twist nearing the end which makes the whole thing go to pot (by the way Cassandra Clare, well done on that plot point, it adds so much confusion!)

The film has a few action sequences, but surprisingly it focused a lot more on he growing tensions between the characters than the storyline. In the end the story was a pretty solid one. Again, there were parts which were quite obvious (such as how the baddie is got rid of), but there was lots of confusion as to who was really the enemy and I suspect that City of Ashes will build on this (as well as a few other elements that were left open-ended. Personally I want to keep my eye on what becomes of Simon).

There are quite a few actors too look out for here; Lily Collins does a far better job of portraying Clary than she did of Snow White, but I'm letting her off as that entire film didn't do that well so it probably wasn't her fault. Jamie Campbell Bower is the mysterious and quite-good-looking Jace, and he does a pretty good job of acting like a tough guy. Robert Sheehan's (Misfits) talents at acting like an arsehole (but we loved Nathan anyway) were entirely wasted as he was playing Simon the lovely best friend, but he gave it a good go. No-one really stood out. It was a level playing field in which the scenes were never hogged by one actor. You can judge for yourself whether that's a good thing or not.

Having seen the film I definitely want to read the books and find out what happens.. I don't think I could wait, which is always a good sign! The whole concept of a secret world hidden inside our own is a captivating one, and it certainly makes an entertaining film, just maybe not one that will set the world alight.

7 out of 10

Chicagonow.com