City of Bones

Clare, Cassandra. 2007. City of Bones.

You might not think that witnessing a murder would lead a young teen, Clary Fray, onto an unforgettable journey of self-discovery, but, you'd be wrong. When she witnesses three teens--oddly dressed and strangely beautiful teens--murder a fellow clubber, she is shocked, terrified, and confused. Understandably so. But not for the same reasons you might be thinking. The body? The blood? They disappeared instantly. The murderers? Invisible to the rest of the world. And as one of the 'murderers' pointed out, the police can't arrest people they can't see and charge them with a murder when there is no body and no blood and no 'evidence' or sign of a struggle. These murderers--whom we later learn to be Jace, Alec, and Isabelle--are just as surprised that Clary can see them. Why? They're ShadowHunters. Descendants of the Nephilim, offspring of angels and humans. Their mission? To track down demon infiltrations around the world and eliminate these fiends. All this happens within the first chapter. It was quite an exciting start to what turned out to be a very fast-paced adventure.

Clary, seemingly normal teen, can witness things no 'mundie' (mundane human) should have been able to see. The weirdness continues through the next few days and escalates when her mother disappears with only one frantic phone call to warn her daughter of the danger that lurks in her home. Jace, one of the ShadowHunters, just happens to be chatting with her when that phone call comes in. So the two rush home together to face the threat of Darkness that turns Clary's world upside down.

One thing is known, Clary's life will never be "normal" again after seeing the unexplainable, fighting her own demon, and discovering the "truth" about her parents.

City of Bones is perfect for readers looking for a fast, action-packed read. There are all sorts of supernatural creatures--vampires, werewolves, demons, warlocks, wizards, etc--to fill the pages and add suspense.

The book reminds me of many things: Scott Westerfelds' Midnighter series, Holly Black's Faerie series, Melissa de la Cruz Blue Bloods series, Charmed, and Star Wars.

The book, by the way, is the first in the Mortal Instruments series. The next book will be City of Ashes.

http://www.mortalinstruments.com/