City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Series)

by Cassandra Clare

Summary:
When Clary went to Pandemonium that night, she expected to have a fun night out with her friend Simon. Instead, she sees two Shadowhunters destroy a demon. Not that she knows what a Shadowhunter is. When her mother is kidnapped by unknown forces, Clary finds herself thrust into a world she knows nothing about. A world where demons and vampires, werewolves and fairies exist. As do Shadowhunters, people who have sworn to keep humans safe from these creatures.  With Simon at her side, and the incredibly handsome Shadowhunter Jace always there when she needs her, she's about to learn that nothing she grew up knowing about her family was true.

Review:
While I had a hard time liking the love story between Jace and Clary (the possibly brother/sister plot line is a bit hard to digest), overall the first book in the Mortal Instruments was well written and interesting. By the end of the book I couldn't wait to get my hands on the second.  Clary is a pretty strong character who doesn't simply rely on the men in her life to do everything for her.  In the romance department her character is fairly predictable (flipping back and forth between the 2 boys), but that's not the be all and end all to the story. Definitely a good book for teens who like paranormal romances.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Series: City of Bones (Book 1), City of Ashes (Book 2), City of Glass (Book 3), City of Fallen Angels (Book 4), City of Lost Souls (Book 5), City of Heavenly Fire (Book 6, comes out April 2014)

Prequel (Infernal Devices Series): Clockwork Angel (Book 1), Clockwork Prince (Book 2), Clockwork Princess (Book 3, comes out March 2013)