Hey all, I've been a lurker on Deleterius for a couple years now. I'm pretty sure this is my first time to post, although I've commented here and there. Anyway, I've been going through my email from the past week and discovered this gem of a book review from Teen Ink, a magazine that publishes teens' writing and art. Having been published in 10th grade, I get periodic emails in them that I rarely read, but for some reason, I looked at this one. It's so beautifully spork-worthy, I felt I just had to post it here.
Extra Ink now brings you the first in a series of book, music, movie and tech reviews, all sprinkled in with your usual dose of advice and website recommendations. Check out TeenInk.com for teen-written reviews of all your favorite things. Enjoy!
Sometimes I choose to read a book because it has been recommended to me by friends or received positive reviews, and sometimes I choose to read one simply because it has a shiny cover. City of Bones, the first novel in Cassandra Clare's Moral Instruments trilogy, fell into both categories.
Fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is a mundane, which means she doesn't know anything about demons or Shadowhunters -- until she stumbles into the middle of a confrontation between them in a dance club. At first, she is reluctant to admit that she saw anything at all. Then her mother vanishes, she gets attacked by a demon, and a group of teenage Shadowhunters shows her that magic, werewolves, and vampires are real. Soon Clary is swept up in their quest to find the Mortal Cup (a powerful object that can be used to make more Shadowhunters) and rescue her mother -- the only person who knows where it is -- before errant Shadowhunter Valentine can use it for his own ends.
All in all, the world of City of Bones (Manhattan, but with subtle alterations that mundane humans cannot see) is innovative and engrossing, with clever details -- like bat sandwiches and flying motorcycles that work on demon energies -- and plenty of action sequences to keep readers engaged. While City of Bones avoids the worn teen-girl-meets-hot-supernatural-boy trope, there is a hint of romance between Clary and both her childhood friend, Simon, and the sarcastic, distant Shadowhunter, Jace, which adds a welcome dimension to the plot.
Like any novel, however, City of Bones has its flaws. In their eagerness to share the details of their world with Clary (and the reader), the Shadowhunters have a tendency to launch into long speeches that reveal far more than is necessary for the plot and slow down the pace of the story to the point where vital tension is lost. While the main teen characters all have believable voices, the adults begin to blend together, becoming either evil minions or clueless and overprotective guardians. There seem to be few moral shades of grey -- people are either good or evil, even if they turn out to have a different allegiance than we were originally led to believe (something that happens with dizzying frequency). Though other characters are hurt, Clary rarely seems to be in any real danger -- solutions to problems come to her with little or no effort on her part.
Despite these weaker areas, I found City of Bones to be a quick and mostly satisfying read. I have heard that Cassandra Clare truly finds her "voice" in the later books of the trilogy, and I am excited to see how she continues to flesh out the unique and quirky world she has created.
Since it's rather late, I'll let it speak for itself.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
a bit surprised
amused
indescribable
nauseated
bitchy
cranky
nervous
blah
having fun
silly
devious
