Clary Fray is at the Pandemonium nightclub when she sees something unexpected: the murder of a teenage boy with unnaturally green eyes and electric blue hair by three other teens covered in weird tattoos. Shadowhunters.
Shadowhunters are demon killers, and aren't exactly human. They are covered in Marks, which allow them to perform magic, or handle weapons that ordinary people can't. They also have the Sight, allowing them to see demons. Also, ordinary people can't see them unless they want them to. The first teen is Isabelle. She's armed with a whip and her stunning beauty. The second one is named Alec. He's Isabelle's brother and he has an attitude problem. The third one is Jace. He's Alec's and Isabelle's friend. He also has the slightly annoying tendency to tell sarcastic jokes.
The next day, Clary is hanging around in her apartment when her mom and her mom's friend, Luke, walk in. Clary's mom announces that they'll be going on vacation for the rest of the summer. But Clary doesn't want to leave, and she storms out of the building. At a local coffee shop with her best friend Simon, she recognizes Jace.
Jace begins to tell her about the Shadowhunters, but while Jace is talking, however, Clary gets a call from her mom, sounding panicked. Clary can hear the sound of things crashing around in the background: "Go to Simon's and call Luke... tell him that he's found me...!" That's the last thing Clary hears her mother say before the phone line cuts out.
Frightened, Clary runs home to find that the apartment has been ransacked: paintings off the wall and torn up, furniture destroyed. Clary begins to search the house, hoping to find her mother or at least some reassurance she is okay. Instead, when she goes into her mother's bedroom, she finds a snarling creature... a demon. The demon attacks viciously, stinging Clary and injecting poison into her veins. Clary is able to kill the demon, and she stumbles outside.
There, she finds Jace.
Jace brings Clary to the Institute, a place where young Shadowhunters are trained and educated. Clary meets Hodge, a mentor to Jace, Alec, and Isabelle. She tells him about the phone call from her mother and how she has been attacked by a demon, a Ravener, according to Jace. Hodge is concerned. Not only because of that, but because, in addition, there are rumors circulating about the return of a rogue Shadowhunter named Valentine, someone thought dead for sixteen years. Clary's mother gone missing, a demon attack, and the possible return of a powerful, evil being -- is it all connected somehow? Clary doesn't understand: Why does she seem to be at the center of this?
City of Bones is the thrilling first novel in a YA trilogy (actually, it has since been expanded to 6 books). Recommended for 11+ (some mild swear words).
The series seems kind of like The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Both stories go a little bit like this: Kid lives normal life. Kid suddenly loses mother to monster. Kid is attacked by same monster which leaves them sick for a few days. Kid discovers secret society of people who fight said monsters. Kid is trained to fight monsters. Kid goes on mission to save world and save mom. The end. But just because it's been done before does not mean that it's not done well! The basic plot is common enough, but the story weaves emotion alongside witty humor, making it a perfect read for adventurous younger readers, teenagers, or even adults.
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