CITY OF BONES

Their hidden world is about to be revealed....

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. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque 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....

Wow, I was blown away by this book. This is the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy.

I've been interested in checking this out since I saw the cover for the second one, but no matter where I looked, couldn't find it. So, when I saw it at the library, I just had to borrow it. And boy, am I glad I did! It was terrific.

The story sucked me in right away. Actually, I got carried into Clary's emotional turmoil very early on, so as the story progressed, I found myself getting deeper and deeper into the thick of things. I was consumed with finding out how things were going to shape up because there was so much going on. But in a great way. Not once did I feel bombarded or lost in the weave of the main plot and subplot, I enjoyed every second of it.

It's a very clever and involved story, with many layers and memorable characters who get thrown into the very dangerous Shadow world around them. The growth of Clary - who starts out as a normal kid but matures in so many ways - was great. I look forward to finding out what else her quest will entail. There's also a heartbreaking twist towards the end that made me uncomfortable for a few seconds. But in hindsight, it all made perfect sense. :)

This is a novel that touched on a lot of the paranormal/supernatural stuff that I base my own stories on, so I wasn't surprised to see a few familiar terms in there. ;) Still, it was a fantastic ride that I really want to get back on soon. You should check it out!