With so many troubles this last week, I let myself be swept away by reading.  And I chose City of Bones. Did you guess right?

Title: City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)

DESCRIPTION:

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Review:

I’ve only read a handful of Young Adult books. I select them very carefully. Unless I’m half in love with them, I usually pass. I’ve heard wonderful things about this series and purchased the first three books in a box set. I loved the worldbuilding of this book. Everything was filtered through the teenage characters in a way that drew me closer to them.

The story had a mystery that kept growing, twisting about and changing, keeping me guessing. I fell into the world feet first and took off running to keep up with the characters. There is a semblance of the normal world in the book, but there is nothing normal about these kids. They grew up in a world where they protect humans from demons and worse…their own kind.

I enjoyed the tension between the characters, the increased drama, but the surprise twist at the end threw me. It’s the only reason why the story didn’t get a full five stars. I would’ve preferred any other type of ending than…that. If you want to read about characters that seem as real as you or me, life and death, and unrequited teenage love, this is a great series.