WE PLAYED CHESS, HE AND I[...] HE WOULD LOSE EVERY GAME.
AND STILL HE INSISTED ON PLAYING.
I WONDERED AT THE FUTILITY OF IT. IF IT IS THE DEFINITION OF
INSANITY TO REPEAT THE SAME PROCESS AND EXPECT A DIFFERENT
OUTCOME, MOST OF HUMANITY MUST BE INSANE.
― AIDAN ―
“The choices we make, make us.”
― Diana Wayburn ―
"Life won't just happen to you boy, You have to happen to it. Remember : the spirit grow sluggish when you neglect the passion."
― Master Hyrrokin ―
“I was as unburdened as a piece of dandelion fluff, and he was the wind that stirred me about the world.”
"One of your eye is lighter than the other"
"One Of your eyes is black" She shot back.
― Kell and Lila ―
“I’m so tired, so tired.” [...]
“Tired of what, sweetmeat?” it asks me.
I sigh and answer honestly for once. “Of being powerless.”
― Jude Duarte ―
Welcome to the Shadowhunter world! That's what my first impression for whole works of Cassandra Clare. As a famous author her works somehow feels a bit intimidating that i tend to postpone to read them although i have her books for years in my shelf.
This is gonna be a series in my blog about me reading a hype books and what i think about it. So i'm planning to post it in "chapters". I think i rate myself as a late person for the hype, first because i have some anxiety that made me can't start an ongoing series, so i start reading them when the series is ended, which in some people is kind of late to the game. And i usually binge read them too because i just can't stand wait to the stories end. But nonetheless i'm still always late in the game. Apart from that, i also think that i have quite unique taste? Somehow i just love books that doesn't really hype for others. I love controversial books that have mix review, i took it as a challenge to read it and judge after that am i in the mostly people vote for or am i the odd one (both the result, i don't really mind). So here we are! A series of me the "odd" reading for Hype books and give honest review about it
Again, talking about Cassie's book is a bit big deal since i know how big her shadowhunter fandom in readers wolrd, I saw almost every booktuber talk about her books, and adores her works even have tattoos because of shadowhunter books that they read. I know that Cassie released 4 series already (three completed series, one new ongoing), and all her works are based on this shadowhunter world that she created.
A bit background of me reading her works, i read TID (The Internal Devices) Series first because of the timeline in the story was earlier than TMI (The Mortal Instrument) altho she wrote TMI first. I did it because i want to avoid spoilers but in the end i got it anyway. I'll do the TID and TMI comparison later after i finished all the TMI books (so far i finished 3 first book ) but that would be another series in my blog to tell!
So, enough for foreword, which is so long already, let's get to the honest review part!
A bit Introduction to the Hype Book
City of Bones is an urban fantasy book, if you don't know about the term "Urban Fantasy", it's a subgenre of fantasy that focus on paranormal or supernatural element that set in contemporary, real world. In simple word is that the character's adventure in our real world but with supernatural element added in it. It's not totally different world.
This story starts with Clary Fray a fifteen year old girl visit Pandemonium club in New York with her friend Simon. She got attracted to a guy in there, witness that guy got murdered by three other teenagers and later she discover that guy wasn't exactly a human but a demon. Human (or Mundane, that's what they call it) wasn't suppose to be able to see shadowhunters that turns out the identity of the three teenager that killed the demon, that's mean Clary suppose to be unable to see them. But she actually did, unlike Simon who didn't see a thing (or a person). That's the beginning of Clary's adventure for shadowhunter world.
Long story short, Clary got introduced to Shadowhunter world, where shadowhunter is warrior that is descendant of nephilim (half angel) that they job is hunting the demon. Turns out the world that Clary currently living is full of Demons, and downworlders, a supernatural creature, classified into 4 group, Vampire, Fairy, Warewolf and Warlock (or in simple term Witch). Shadowhunter believe that Downworlder is damned because unlike Shadowhunter that half angel half human, Downworlders are half demon.
So, Clary met the three shadowhunters, lead by Jace, the charming one but a jerk one. Then she got called from her mom to not return to home, but because she's stubborn she went home anyway just to find that her mom is not there but a demon there trying to eat her, she killed it, Jace came help her to escape from police-look-alike that turns out also a demon, go to the institute then boom! Welcome to shadowhunter world Clary!
This book goal is Clary to find her lost mom, and shadowhunters to stop Valentine, the famous shadowhunter gone bad because he created the Circle (a group of shadowhunter lead by himself) that the goal of the circle was to "purify" the world from demon, and that includes Downworlders (which in "fragile" peace with shadowhunter) and planned to slaughter them all but failed and then was believed dead, found in his home burned to death along with his wife and his son. Valentine turns out... *drum roll please* is still alive! And looking for the Mortal Cup, the one that can turns human to shadowhunter, so he can make army out of it and try again to "purify" the world with his army, that he believes Clary's mom stole it and hid it somewhere.
This is gonna be a series in my blog about me reading a hype books and what i think about it. So i'm planning to post it in "chapters". I think i rate myself as a late person for the hype, first because i have some anxiety that made me can't start an ongoing series, so i start reading them when the series is ended, which in some people is kind of late to the game. And i usually binge read them too because i just can't stand wait to the stories end. But nonetheless i'm still always late in the game. Apart from that, i also think that i have quite unique taste? Somehow i just love books that doesn't really hype for others. I love controversial books that have mix review, i took it as a challenge to read it and judge after that am i in the mostly people vote for or am i the odd one (both the result, i don't really mind). So here we are! A series of me the "odd" reading for Hype books and give honest review about it
Again, talking about Cassie's book is a bit big deal since i know how big her shadowhunter fandom in readers wolrd, I saw almost every booktuber talk about her books, and adores her works even have tattoos because of shadowhunter books that they read. I know that Cassie released 4 series already (three completed series, one new ongoing), and all her works are based on this shadowhunter world that she created.
A bit background of me reading her works, i read TID (The Internal Devices) Series first because of the timeline in the story was earlier than TMI (The Mortal Instrument) altho she wrote TMI first. I did it because i want to avoid spoilers but in the end i got it anyway. I'll do the TID and TMI comparison later after i finished all the TMI books (so far i finished 3 first book ) but that would be another series in my blog to tell!
So, enough for foreword, which is so long already, let's get to the honest review part!
A bit Introduction to the Hype Book
City of Bones is an urban fantasy book, if you don't know about the term "Urban Fantasy", it's a subgenre of fantasy that focus on paranormal or supernatural element that set in contemporary, real world. In simple word is that the character's adventure in our real world but with supernatural element added in it. It's not totally different world. How this book classified as a hype books? So far, as i'm writing this blog, In Goodreads (which is gonna be our barometer for this whole series of hype books) said 92% people liked it, got 4.1 stars in average rating out of 1573358 people rating it and the list goes on, you can see it in the picture above, so yeah it's a hype book.
Synopsis
So, Clary met the three shadowhunters, lead by Jace, the charming one but a jerk one. Then she got called from her mom to not return to home, but because she's stubborn she went home anyway just to find that her mom is not there but a demon there trying to eat her, she killed it, Jace came help her to escape from police-look-alike that turns out also a demon, go to the institute then boom! Welcome to shadowhunter world Clary!
This book goal is Clary to find her lost mom, and shadowhunters to stop Valentine, the famous shadowhunter gone bad because he created the Circle (a group of shadowhunter lead by himself) that the goal of the circle was to "purify" the world from demon, and that includes Downworlders (which in "fragile" peace with shadowhunter) and planned to slaughter them all but failed and then was believed dead, found in his home burned to death along with his wife and his son. Valentine turns out... *drum roll please* is still alive! And looking for the Mortal Cup, the one that can turns human to shadowhunter, so he can make army out of it and try again to "purify" the world with his army, that he believes Clary's mom stole it and hid it somewhere.
Things i don't like
1. Jace's character
I don't like his character. A lot! He's so inconsistent, at first he's cynical, but sometimes kind, then the last few chapter he just stupid. I try to understand his character because he never met her mom, died. Got raised by strict dad, then his dad is dead, got murdered in front of him. So yeah he got some issues, but being stupid when you seems to be the leader of the group and reckless because of some new girl? okay that's a teenager issues, i'll do okay with it, but again being stupid and change of character in last few chapter just because he met his dad?? He's just a slave for love. Turn side just for love without thinking clearly. His dad is literally using Forsaken (the human that turns into some kind of creature, slave for the one that made them like that) as his army and yet he's okay with it. That's so stupid.2. Clary's character
I know she's 15, but she's just stubborn more than 5 y.o child could be. She doesn't know a thing, she only knows what she want it and she got to have it no matter what other people think about it. She's too childish for 15 yo girl. But somehow she act too old in term of love stuff for her age. She's too cruel to Simon who just confess his love to him and knowing she doesn't love him back, he's heart broken, yet she take advantage of him anyway, asking for help for the sake of, like i said, what she wants she has to get it no matter what.3. A scenes that doesn't make sense
So in order to find the cup, they must back to clary home for the third time, this time not actually the home but her tenant that lives downstairs, turns out to be not human anymore but a greater demon, then Jace, Izzy, Alec try to fight him, clarry running here and there, of course because she's not trained, then that demon got beat by an arrow that simon aim to it. I mean, 3 trained shadowhunters failed miserably, yet demon dead by simply an arrow aimed by a human. What???Things I like
1. Simon's Character
I think Simon is one of my fave character in this series, so far i've read 3 books of TMI and i love how loving person he is, his compassion to art (this time his rock band), anime, and Clary. Tho i can't say the last one is a good one for him. He's surprisingly observant, how he knows what to say and to do, to stay away when he has to or stay close when he needed. Surprisingly talented, i'd say i do for simon than jace.i don't want to spoil for the whole series, but he indeed meet my expectation for the character growth through the series, or maybe i'm being bias because i haven't truly finished the whole series i might hate him in the end? who knows?!
2. Valentine's Character
I gotta say that Cassie is probably got talent in creating a villain character. I got the vibe, the deep of the character developed here is in another level. What he believes, what he want and his plan, yes man, the wicked man to the root. Good man gone bad is one of the interesting thing to read, a mastermind is always a interesting man to me.My Honest Review
I gave it 3.5 for this book. And for fantasy books, that's a low rate for me.If I gave 3.5 stars for contemporary books means it's okay, but so so. But if it's Fantasy, that's mean a loooow rate for me. Honestly i gotta say that i love the plot of the book, the highlight of it, the main purpose of the goal of the first book. But i don't really like the main characters in it. Not Jace, not Clary, not even Alec and Izzy in this book. I prefer the sidekicks like Simon and Magnus Bane, even Valentine.
I'd say if it's not because of TID series that i read before it and my curiosity about what happened to Jem, i probably won't suggest people to read this book. But because this is also related, probably yeah, maybe you should. or maybe not? because it's not realted at all for the first three? i probably will say different things after i finished the whole series. We'll see.
So, my Verdict for this book : It's not as good as the hype.
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