Read It With A Buddy #1 - City of Bones

Hello to all you blog readers!!

This is something that our guest today actually came up with for our group blog, and I figured we could post it on here as well.

Let me introduce, the wonderful, almighty Elyssa!!! Elyssa has been blogging longer than me, but she's still somewhat new to the blogging world. Elyssa, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?

I enjoy good writing. Lately I've been diving into fantasy/sci-fi books. Erotica is a guilty pleasure. Shh... don't tell. LOL!

Well we're definitely glad to have you here with us today. Now, down to business: Read It With A Buddy is a spin-off of a feature we started on Goodreads, called the Buddy Read. People who are interested in the same book can decide on a date to start reading it together, and they discuss as they go, answering questions or just talking. Elyssa and I recently finished a Buddy Read for City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. We will provide you with general book info and the product of our combined reviews for the book. Hope you enjoy our united efforts,

--Zakiya, the walking butterfly

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City of Bones (Mortal Instruments, #1)
By Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2007
485 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 6/?/2010 (Elyssa) , 6/28/2010 (Zakiya)
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Young Adult, Coming of Age

First Line of Book: " 'You've got to be kidding me,' the bouncer said, folding his arms across his massive chest."

Notice: In this review, the blue writing is Elyssa (aka Twisted Book Junkie), while the green is moi (me).

Review: First off, I think I need to make it clear that this book is full of tons of witty humor, and if you had a highlighter for great quotes, most of the book would be covered in bright yellow!

Clare's first book for The Mortal Instruments Series just pulled me in deep. Her words spun a fantasy world that had me loving the characters, caring about them. I stayed up late New Year's Eve reading this book early into the morning. Yup, this Twisted Book Junkie spent New Year's with Jace, Clary & Simon. (I recently re-read this book for a challenge.)

**I should mention that Elyssa and I had a little difference in our main characters. We both agree, as can anyone else who has read this book, that Clary and Jace are automatically into focus. Twisted decided to close up on Simon, while I focused more on Isabelle and Alec.**

Cassandra Clare did an excellent job of starting the Mortal Instruments series. From the moment Clary saw Jace, Isabelle, and Alec killing that demon in Pandemonium, the book got even more interesting. A great book . . .

Clary Fray's mother disappears, and soon, Clary befriends local Shadowhunters Jace, Isabelle, and her brother Alec. Together, they recover the Mortal Cup (and unfortunately end up giving it to the enemy) and Clary's mother. They fight against vampires, fight with werewolves, and visit a wizard in hiding. Everything Clary thought was just stories is really apart of her world, and she didn't even know it.

This book starts off with normal teenager Clary Fray who grew up in NYC with her mom, who is a painter. Of course, like a normal teenager, Clary got into a fight with her mother. However, when she came back home she did not get grounded. She got the shock of her life! The apartment was torn up, her mother was no where to be seen, and a hideous black thing attacked her.

Jace is introduced into this story. He is the bad boy that just has steamy good looks. Picture that, now toss in a darkly dressed attitude, and add weapons that help the boy kick butt at killing demons. *Drool* He helps Clary learn about the world that Calry's mom tried so hard to keep hidden from her. Soon Clary's geeky-in-a-cute-way best friend Simon camping out at her Uncle Luke's. Here Jace, Clary, and Simon end up breaking in to his apartment... to find out that he knows about the world of demons, Shadowhunters, and downworlders.

This book really was a great start to the series. It was recommended to me by Elyssa, actually. I was glad that this was another action / adventure book; Clare provided us with action around every corner, and Clary was always getting to visit new places in the world she never knew about. It was thrilling to read everything, although I found myself skipping half a page sometimes, trying to find out what was about to happen. Then, of course, I had to go back and read what I skipped :). Sometimes, I didn't even bother going back!

This book was very thrilling. There were so many twists and turns, but Clare definitely wove her words perfectly throughout the whole book. For me there was never ever a down point. Can we say ORIGINAL!?! I Loved this book. IT was such a great start to a series, and I highly recommend this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was one of those that I would recommend to anyone who wasn't too picky about what they read.

~WARNING~ There is a big huge twist at the end of the book that will totally floor you! I figured out what was going to happen, but I was still very floored to see it in ink!

Look For:

City of Ashes: The Mortal Instruments #2

City of Glass: The Mortal Instruments #3

City of Fallen Angels: The Mortal Instruments #4 (Not Released Yet)

Clockwork Angel... COMING SOON! (So excited!)

Rating:

Quotes from the Book:

" 'Is this the part where you start tearing off strips of your shirt to bind my wounds?'
'If you wanted me to rip my clothes off, you should have just asked.' "

" 'If you were half as funny as you think you are, you'd be twice as funny as you are now.' "

" 'Just because you call an electric eel a rubber duck doesn't make it a rubber duck, does it? And God help the poor b----rd who decides they want to take a bath with the duckie.' "

" 'The meek may inherit the earth, but at the moment it belongs to the conceited. Like me.' "

" 'Don't.' Clary raised a warning hand. 'I'm not really in the mood right now.'
'That's got to be the first time a girl's ever said that to me,' Jace mused."

" 'Also, I'm sleeping with your mom. Just thought you should know.' "

" 'You hate the Silent Brothers,' protested Isabelle.
'I dohn't hate them,' Jace said candidly. 'I'm afraid of them. It's not the same thing.'
'I thought you said they were librarians,' said Clary.
'They are librarians.'
Simon whistled. 'Those must be some killer late fees.' "

" 'It's so . . . dark,' she said lamely.
'You want me to hold your hand?'
Clary put both her hands behind her back like a small child. 'Don't talk down to me.'
'Well, I could barely talk up to you. You're too short.' "

" 'You shouldn't remember me,' he said. 'I threw up a glamour as hard as a wall as soon as I saw you. You should have run right into it face-first -- psychically speaking.'
If you run into a psychic wall face-first, do you wind up with psychic bruises?"

" 'I was expecting something . . . you know.' He gestured with his hands, indicating something roughly the size of a house cat.
'It's the Mortal Cup, Jace, not the Mortal Toilet Bowl,' said Isabelle."

" 'I should have guessed you were Jace's sister,' he said. 'You both have the same srtistic talent.'
Clary paused, her foot on the lowest stair. She was taken aback. 'Jace can draw?'
'Nah. I was just kidding. He can't draw a straight line.' "