I may be a little late to the game with this one. But that's OKAY. A good book still deserves a good mention. And with that mention, I would like to take a moment for the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass novels written by Cassandra Clare.
I believe it was shear fate that I read these books. You see, it started a few weeks ago while on vacation in Florida. Those pesky flights can be somewhat underwhelming. Waiting in airport terminals is boring. Airplane seats are very uncomfortable. And there is something just simply unnerving about being 32,000 feet in the air in a rocking tube. I'm not a bird. That scares me. So, I try my best to divert my attention. With my nifty smart phone in hand before take off, I reached out to the closest E-book store armed with Starbucks in hand. And thus the adventure began.
BARNES AND NOBLE TEXTBOOK STORE NYC
All three books are on all sorts of recommended reading lists. I've seen them before while browsing through Barnes and Noble. Certainly the covers all look great. I know, I know... You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover. But these really looked NEAT! None the less my interest was peeked, so I downloaded the first book.
What the Books Are About:
I don't want to give too much of the storyline away. It's hard not to. The plot line has been done before. Let's face it, nothing is original anymore. Boy meets girl. Boy has super powers. Girl has super powers. Insert struggle here. There are a few fights here and there. Good wins triumphantly. That's about the most I'm going to give away.
But what makes this series so interesting? What's so special? The little tweaks in the plot line are all sorts of fun. Every time something starts to go right, someone just has to go in and throw that monkey wrench in the works, fouling everything up again. The author has the story line suspense twisted in such a way that it draws the reader in, forcing them to want to keep going, to see what happens next. Her use of foreshadow and imagery keep the story alive and the imaginations running free. The details and emotions are done so well, I often felt like I was watching a soap opera produced by Stephen Spielberg mixed with a blockbuster action movie. That sounds like a weird combination, but it's true.
And then there is the content. This is considered a young adult book. The vocabulary isn't outstanding. But that's perfect for me. Reading all three books is more akin to sitting and watching a good movie. Everything flows naturally. It's a simple and entertaining read.
So far I've been a little vague. Like I said, I don't want to give too much of the story lines away. But let's use this example. If Harry Potter, Twilight, Underworld, and True Blood all got together and had a massive literary orgy, this series would be the result of that love fest. I mean really, these books have a little bit of everything. The characters consist of vampires, werewolves, warlocks, fairies, shadowhunters, demons, satin, god, heaven, hell, and angels. The scenery takes place in diverse places like New York City, grave yards, under-earth dungeons, to fairy palaces, and to mystical and whimsical cities. Mighty battles happens. Little personal struggles take place. A surprise gay twist is thrown in for good measure. That ever pesky love triangle exists. Some people die and some characters live. Sudden family ties are discovered and quickly regretted, in more than one dynamic way. And other family ties are broken. The stories are very enticing. And they do contain a little bit of everything. And by the time it's all done you will miss the characters.
Did I mention there is now a 4th book in the Mortal Instruments Series called City of Fallen Angels?! Guess who just purchased it through Amazon.com? Me!
Would I Recommend These Books?
Yes! Yes! Yes! By all means, please go out and buy this series. You won't be sorry. These are one of those few series I truly wish Hollywood would make a movie from. It's deserving of that. The entertainment value is high. The story line is thrilling. I found it so difficult to put these books down. And I would love to know what happened to that character at the end after that thing!? Ms. Clare, I do believe you owe me another book explaining that situation (oh that's right there IS another book!)
But none the less, please purchase this series. They are wonderful fantasy novels good for any age group from sixteen on up. I really do promise that this purchase will not be met with buyer's remorse.
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 1520 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (October 19, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442409525
ISBN-13: 978-1442409521
The Mortal Instruments Review by Cassandra Clare BARNES AND NOBLE TEXTBOOK STORE NYC
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