This is the first novel in the Mortal Instruments series.

When Clary meets Jace, Isabelle and Alec in a club one night, her whole world suddenly gets turned upside down. See the thing is, Jace and his friends are Shadowhunters – an elite breed of humans created specifically to keep the population safe from demons and other unsavoury creatures. When on a mission, Shadowhunters should be invisible to the ordinary humans (termed “mundanes”) but much to everyone’s surprise, Clary can see them all perfectly well.

After a demon attacks her mother, Clary has no choice but to step inside the complex Shadowhunter world. Suddenly, everything she had always thought was fiction and fantasy becomes her reality. After only a short time in Jace, Isabelle and Alec’s company, Clary realises that perhaps, she’s more than just the regular human girl she always thought she was. Jace suspects it from the moment he sees her, but Clary isn’t sure. Is she a Shadowhunter? And if so, how on earth did she go through her entire life not knowing this?

The characters in this story are so colourful, so alive, that they could actually be real. I completely forgot I was reading a book; my experience with City of Bones was much more like watching a movie or listening to someone narrate a really vivid story. Clary is just so normal that she could literally be the girl next door. She’s dealing with friendships, love, relationships, and parental trouble. She’s a moral, upstanding citizen that values human life, family and friends above all else. I don’t think there is anyone anywhere that couldn’t relate to some aspect of her personality.

I was entirely unsurprised when Clary realises that she has feelings for Jace. He’s attractive, bold, fearless and a complete mystery. If this novel were set in a schoolyard, Clary would be the new, shy girl and Jace would be the all powerful, popular kid. Everyone looks up to Jace – and for good reason. He’s a brilliant, brave fighter and an asset to the Shadowhunting community. So when Valentine (the Big Bad in this series) rocks into town and pulls a Darth Vader, announcing that he’s Jace’s father, all hell breaks loose. Things get really interesting when its determined that Jace is not an only child, like he always thought…

City of Bones is narrated in third person, so the novel isn’t restricted to just one character’s version of events. Girls will be drawn into the romance, and the drama that unfolds within individual relationships. And boys will undoubtedly love all the action and suspense. The fantasy will appeal to all. City of Bones calls upon a wide variety of fantasy elements, showcasing vampires, faeries, werewolves, super-humans and more.

Cassandra Clare has the whole suspense thing down pat in this novel. Each page holds a new drama, a fresh revelation, a new jaw-dropping experience. It is completely unputdownable. You’ll be hooked after just the first chapter.

Rating: : ★★★★★

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