Reviews

City of Bones (Audio Version) - Novel

Quick Summary: I can't recommend City of Bones - it is derivative, predictable, and poorly written. But I can't tell you not to give it a try, either – it's enormously entertaining. As always, the comments here apply only to the edition reviewed, which in this case was the 2007 audio version of the book.

Title: City of Bones
Author: Clare, Cassandra
Read by: Graynor, Ari
Imprint: Simon & Schuster Audio
Date of Publication: 2007

I know, I know. You want a decisive, pithy review. You want a review that says either that reading this book will turn your humdrum life into a vale of delight, or that anyone who likes this book should be consigned to the outer darkness, where there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Unfortunately, with City of Bones, I find myself at an impasse. I can't recommend City of Bones - it is derivative, predictable, and poorly written. But I can't tell you not to give it a try, either – it's enormously entertaining.

City of Bones follows the adventures of stereotypically ordinary Clary Frey. Shortly before her 16th birthday, Clary finds herself meeting a trio of teenage"Shadowhunters".  Siblings Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, together with their friend Jace Wayland, hunt the demons that ordinary New Yorkers like Clary don't even know about. Through her interactions with the Shadowhunters and their world, Clary slowly begins to learn that she isn't the person she believes herself to be. Clary's adventures are wide-ranging, as she interacts with vampires, werewolves, secret societies, and, worst of all, her own family.

I am shocked to report that I actually enjoyed this book. Why am I shocked? The craftsmanship here is awful. Simply awful.

In terms of mechanics, the writing is among the worst I've seen in a published book. Characters think it's a dandy idea to interrupt a fight scene with a long discussion about their personal lives. The bad guys must be okay with this, because they just wait for the conversation to end before continuing to attack. Not that it's easy to tell who's the bad guy in a conversation. There are literally dozens of places where it's virtually impossible to identify which character is speaking in dialogue, though actress Ari Graynor, who reads the text for the audio version, does put in a valiant effort to give them different voices.

Poor grammar, wrong word choices, and illogical metaphors abound. I particularly liked the line where character's limbs 'ached and stung like raw meat'. I was not aware that raw meat could ache or sting. I also liked the part where 'noise' was accidentally used instead of'nose'. Graynor just kept right on going, talking about the shape of a character's 'noise'.

Oh, and apparently, arrows buzz loudly while flying through the air . . .

If the mechanics of the writing wasn't enough to turn me off, well, you'd think that the predictability of the plot would do it. It's obvious that Clare really enjoyed Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also really likes heavy-handed foreshadowing.

On the other hand, she doesn't like using words from Judaism and Christianity in the ways that, you know, several thousand years of Judeo-Christian thought have come to define them. In fact, in my opinion there are some borderline anti-Semitic moments, despite the inclusion of a supposedly Jewish character. There is also gratuitous misuse of the word 'stele', and some ungrammatical Latin (hint to Ms. Clare: 'nox' is feminine. It is not masculine. Correctly quoting Virgil doesn't give you a pass on getting the grammar right when you write your own Latin phrases). And the world-building to support all this misuse of real words? Painful. That's all I'm going to say. The world-building is painful.

Okay, so if all that is so bad, how did I come to enjoy the book? I admit that, despite the fact that the plot was derivative and predictable, it was also fun. There were lots of exciting events and rollicking action scenes. The main characters are fun as well. Not all of Cassandra Clare's dialogue works, but when it does work, it sings. Clary is impetuous and foolish; Jace is abrasive and witty. Both of them are a little lost, more than a little broken, and utterly loveable.

So, in the end, this story is fun and light and likeable – but the writing hurts my brain. Don't say I didn't warn you.