So first of all, you guys should know I have never been into fantasy stories. Yes. It's true. The thing is, whenever a fantasy/sci fi movie would come on TV, my parents would start making fun of all the funny costums and gadgets and you name it. So, naturally, I grew up to hate movies with what I should call now imagination. I wasn't one to watch disney movies, and I still haven't watched Star Wars till this day. There I said it! But anyway, fast forward a few years, and I start getting into YA books and I come across this book, and for a girl who up until recent years couldn't tell the difference between a vampire and a zombie, I was hooked to the story! It was much more believable than I thought and the world building was really good.
The story begins with Clary and her friend, Simon in The Pandemonium Club. Clary witnesses a murder commited by a group of teenagers only she could see. The next day her mother dissapears, and she is attacked by a demon. Thus begins her story in a world of Shadowhunters, and demons and she starts exploring things about herself she never knew.
I should get it out now, that I don't fancy Clary, the main character all that much. I mean, I don't hate her. It's just that at some points in the story, all I wanted to say to her was Oh, honey, can't you be just a bit more observant? Oh, honey, can't you just SHUT UP? I can hardly label her as annoying, what with all what she was going through, she had a right to be confused. But I found her a bit immature. I don't think though, that this would be a problem as the series continues. She is fifteen, and there's always time for her character to develop.
Jace, one of the murderers at Pandemonium, is the kind of character that makes you think twice about reading this book at Starbucks, for the fear of being regarded as a lunatic who laughs while reading a book. I love him. I LOVE him. Did I mention I love him? He's a miserable asshole, but he tells it like it is. This results in a number of scenes that will make you laugh out loud. He has a great sense of humor, one that ofcourse could be traced back to the author herself. And don't worry, this isn't one of those good-girl-changes-bad-guy-into-a-good-guy kind of stories. But I should point out how much I disliked the drastc change is his character toward the end of the book. (view spoiler) It just didn't feel like Jace. I hope he will back to his rude-humurous-witty self in the next book, because honestly, he's a big part of why I loved this book.
While there is a romantic aspect in the novel, I think it is handled gracefully. I wouldn't call it the focus of the story. The world building and the information you learn as you go with the story is neatly paced aswell.
According to the reviews here on Goodreads, you either adore this story, or you hate the very existence of it. There's no middle ground. And you can't really tell beforehand if you are going to enjoy this book or not. You just have to read and find out. I think wether some people find this book boring depends entirely on the reader. I am one of the readers who lose interest easily, yet I sat for 8 hours straight untill I finished this book. I was overwhelmed by the sotry itself and felt like the world Cassandra created was real.
This was also the kind of book that really got me into the fantasy genre, where every author creates his own worlds with his own set of rules. You can read a book where vampires are hot sparkly boyfriends, or if you get lucky, you can read one where vampires are fierce, ass kicking creatures.
Another thing I liked about this book where the secondary characters. They had a character and charisma and you could tell alot of thought was put into writing them. From Alec to Isabelle, Hodge and Valentine, I loved each and every one of them. Also, why do bad-ass girls in novels (In this case Isabelle) have to be black-haired? Not that I mind. As I have black hair myself, I should be expecting my Badass Club membership card anytime soon now.
I'd recomemend this book to anyone who likes the genre in particular, and for those like me, who were new to it. This story is filled with twists and turns that will keeps you and at the edge of your seat and dizzy. No, no. A disney movie has twists and turns that will leave you dizzy. This book leaves you with a 12-back-to-back-rounds-on-mary-go-round kind of dizziness.
The story begins with Clary and her friend, Simon in The Pandemonium Club. Clary witnesses a murder commited by a group of teenagers only she could see. The next day her mother dissapears, and she is attacked by a demon. Thus begins her story in a world of Shadowhunters, and demons and she starts exploring things about herself she never knew.
I should get it out now, that I don't fancy Clary, the main character all that much. I mean, I don't hate her. It's just that at some points in the story, all I wanted to say to her was Oh, honey, can't you be just a bit more observant? Oh, honey, can't you just SHUT UP? I can hardly label her as annoying, what with all what she was going through, she had a right to be confused. But I found her a bit immature. I don't think though, that this would be a problem as the series continues. She is fifteen, and there's always time for her character to develop.
Jace, one of the murderers at Pandemonium, is the kind of character that makes you think twice about reading this book at Starbucks, for the fear of being regarded as a lunatic who laughs while reading a book. I love him. I LOVE him. Did I mention I love him? He's a miserable asshole, but he tells it like it is. This results in a number of scenes that will make you laugh out loud. He has a great sense of humor, one that ofcourse could be traced back to the author herself. And don't worry, this isn't one of those good-girl-changes-bad-guy-into-a-good-guy kind of stories. But I should point out how much I disliked the drastc change is his character toward the end of the book. (view spoiler) It just didn't feel like Jace. I hope he will back to his rude-humurous-witty self in the next book, because honestly, he's a big part of why I loved this book.
While there is a romantic aspect in the novel, I think it is handled gracefully. I wouldn't call it the focus of the story. The world building and the information you learn as you go with the story is neatly paced aswell.
According to the reviews here on Goodreads, you either adore this story, or you hate the very existence of it. There's no middle ground. And you can't really tell beforehand if you are going to enjoy this book or not. You just have to read and find out. I think wether some people find this book boring depends entirely on the reader. I am one of the readers who lose interest easily, yet I sat for 8 hours straight untill I finished this book. I was overwhelmed by the sotry itself and felt like the world Cassandra created was real.
This was also the kind of book that really got me into the fantasy genre, where every author creates his own worlds with his own set of rules. You can read a book where vampires are hot sparkly boyfriends, or if you get lucky, you can read one where vampires are fierce, ass kicking creatures.
Another thing I liked about this book where the secondary characters. They had a character and charisma and you could tell alot of thought was put into writing them. From Alec to Isabelle, Hodge and Valentine, I loved each and every one of them. Also, why do bad-ass girls in novels (In this case Isabelle) have to be black-haired? Not that I mind. As I have black hair myself, I should be expecting my Badass Club membership card anytime soon now.
I'd recomemend this book to anyone who likes the genre in particular, and for those like me, who were new to it. This story is filled with twists and turns that will keeps you and at the edge of your seat and dizzy. No, no. A disney movie has twists and turns that will leave you dizzy. This book leaves you with a 12-back-to-back-rounds-on-mary-go-round kind of dizziness.
