I said I want to do more diverse posts but that doesn't
seem to be happening. Being inspired to write something, anything, seems so
hard these days. I think I would need deadlines and concequences. I think those
are the only things that make me do anything. Fucked up world we live in when
punishment is louder than motivation. Why would you inspire someone if you can
threathen them instead huh?
Either way I've had this in my drafts for a while. It's
time I edit and post. It's not a book for wider audience as I promised next
review will be but then again what's a wide audience book anyways? A classic?
Let's be honest not everyone likes those they just like the idea of looking
smart saying they read that. A romantic novel? Yuck, no thank you and also there's
gotta be a lot of people agreeing with me here. Fantasy? My personal favourite
but that doesn't mean the rest of the world fancies it too. Erotica? Why not
every now and then but the problem is a good author is hard to find they all
sound like 50 shades of gray. Trash. Please murder me in 50 ways if I ever read
something simmilar again. Crime novels are great tho, I love Scandinavian
authors, best writers out there but once again, not everyone is into blood,
murder and gory details. So I suppose a healthy mix, dose if you will of
everything is just the way to go.
''To love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be destroyed.''
( City of bones / Book 1 of the Mortal Instruments series / Cassandra Clare / Fantasy, fiction, romance, adventure )
The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare are one
of my favourite fantasy series. Kinda like I really loved Lord of the rings and
''Game of thrones'' and Harry Potter and also despite all the crap it's been
getting the Twilight series. Yeah I say I'm not into romance but also read a
ton of fantasy love novels. Like the Fallen series or Hush Hush series.
Forbidden love, angels and demons, vampires, shadowhunters. Sign me up for that
ride. I love series that involve a whole new world you can get lost inside for
hours and forget all about the hell going on in real life, especially fitting
right now, when I want nothing more than an escape from my own life. Books like
these offer an escape and that's why I love them so much.
So obviously this book is not something I read recently.
Only re read it recently because let's be honest here, I love it. Hated the
movie they made based on it though. Seriously if you saw the movie don't judge the book by it (or any book for that
matter). Casting is all wrong and the movie is just…stupid. Watch the TV show
(Shadowhunters) instead. That one is perfect.
Now the book ''City of bones''. It's the first one in the
series of six books and it was of course a New York times bestseller. The series follow the lives of several
different characters although the main character in these books is Clary. Just
a ''normal'' fifteen yearold artist, trying to get into art school, trying to
fit in, living a normal life with her best friend Simon. Yeah. Okay we all want
that no? Smooth sailing, finding our place under the sun. Be happy. But does it
ever happen? Rarely. And to those it does, bless you, you're the lucky ones.
Just like I stated above that's what Clary thought, that
she's just a regular girl and her biggest issue is whether or not is she getting
accepted to the school she wanted so bad. That is till she runs into Jace
Wayland and Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, who in front of her kill a demon in a
club. That demon in turn melts into a puddle on the floor. Gross. Of course
what Clary didn't expect was that she'll witness a murder that nobody else
could see even if it was happening right next to them, nor that the ''body''
will disappear into thin air. Clary is a brilliant character though. She's
smart, she's sort of innocent and naiive and as time goes on and we watch her
character grow she turns into this really badass boss babe that you just got to
love.
Complications begin when Clary is thrown into the world
of unknown when her mother goes missing and she gets attacked by a demon who
normally shouldn't be interested into ''normal'' mundanes, never mind ''the
Sight'' she suddenly develops which only leads to find out that there's been a
whole part of her life she's been lied about in order to be protected. In the
middle of this mess Clary learns she's a shadowhunter herself. An elite race of
warriors sworn to protect the world and the people in it from demons. They were
created from the blood of the angel Raziel which makes them half human, half
angel – nephilim.
During this whole discovery of a world so new and so
different from what Clary was used to, she realises that there are things in
her own and her mother's past that were better left buried. But along with
revelations and regaining memories Clary starts developing feelings for Jace.
Let's be honest here for one quick minute. Who, seriously, WHO wouldn't develop
feelings for Jace? Strong, sassy, handsome, blond, very inteligent, the best
fighter, funny, cocky, brave, loyal, fearless, perfect Jace. What is there not
to love about him? Even his ''fear'' of ducks is totally adorable. Though his
character also evolves and from this cocky guy who literally thinks the world
starts and ends with him you get this more cold, closed of type, but that fits
with everything we learn about Jace and his family.
I think the entire ''plot'' of Shadowhunters is really
brilliantly put together. The runes! Wouldn't you want to draw a ''tattoo'' on your body that
would give you strength, stamina or healing powers? The weaponry, the
supernatural world, their own country and capital connected by portals. Guys
all the swords, daggers and chakrams! My martial arts senses are tingling each
time I read about swords with names.
Of course there has to be an ''evil presence''. Where
would we get if it was just a supernatural romance and an occasional demon to
be slayed. Boring. But this is not the case here. I was worried it's going to
be just another rouge vampire clan or demon but this is a completely different
story. Throught the book you get bits and pieces of Clary's past and people
that were somehow a part of her life, you actually see the puzzle coming
together and discover the story alongside with Clary. So the ''lord of the
evil'' is revealed through some twists and turns in the story.
We are also introduced to the point of the series ''the
mortal instruments''. There are three of them, one which is also what the story
also revolves around in City of bones is ''the mortal cup''. Three extremely
powerful relics that can transform any human into….you know what, read the book
I aint giving out all of the spoilers. Just this much, it's rather obvious that
something powerful in the wrong hands can be a disaster. As per usual. Humans
tend to destroy everything.
Besides the supernatural, the main sort of thematics I
think this book revolves around is the importance of family and friendships.
The conflict starts when Clary's mom goes missing and Clary does everything and
anything to save her. Same with her friends, Simon and later Shadowhunters. A
big supporting, loving family, as families should be. You know, there for
eachother when things get rough. I strongly believe that a family only has one
job really, and that is to love, mostly their children, else, if you can't do
that, don't have children at all. It must be nice, looking into someone's eyes,
someone you knew your whole life, and you don't see hatred inside them. Must be
nice, knowing what it's like when someone's got your back no matter what
because that's love and that's family. Must be nice to be loved and supported,
and have that safety net…
Another main message in this book is also love. What is
it that basically drives the characters to just free fall into danger to save
someone else? Surely not just because they are family on paper. It's love
obviously. I got family too, and I tell you as much I wouldn't even sacrifice
one single hair on my head for most of them. I don't love them. Love in this
book is what drives Jocelyn (Clary's mother) to sacrifice herself to keep her
daughter safe, it's the reason why she didn't run when she could, it's the
reason she lied to her all her life. Love is what keeps Jace, Alec and Isabelle
together, they may not be related by blood but they love eachother and they are
''family''. There also is obviously romantic love, between Clary and Jace as
the story progresses, between Luke and Jocelyn, as well as fatherly love
between Luke and Clary, who steps up to take care of Clary after Jocelyn
disappears.
What also came through for me was identity. I think that
many characters struggle to find their true ''selves''. Clary realises she's
not at all who she thought she is and her world is based on lies and not at all
as simple as she once thought it was. Jace struggles with his family, or lack
of that is, from being Wayland to Lightwood to something completely different
later on. And Alec struggles with his own feelings, being quite hard for him to
realise what he is and who he loves. Or god forbid addmiting to his family that
he's gay, because he has no idea how that would be accepted by the community
and the shadow world.
There's a lot of negative critisism surrounding this book
/ series. It appears people either love it or hate it. And a lot of critisism
around the author as well. Plagiarism and other accusations. You know the
works. As I heard it started with some fan fiction bullshit back in 2001. Which
seems ridiculous to me. Isn't fanfiction by definition plagiarism? Characters
and story lines already belong to someone else, it's not exactly original work
just because you write those two already existing characters a new story is it?
Sure, there will always be better books out there, better
stories, but nobody can really say about any book that it's the best and there's
no other better one, truth is people are different so are their tastes and
thank god for that, so you know, to me this series is perfect, to someone else
not so much…but you know negative critisism never really put me off reading a
book. I prefer to find out if it's really terrible on my own. If I'd listen to
critics I'd be over here binging on 50 shades of bullshit. It was literally on
every single most read and most popular list in this country. The day I knew
literature fucking died.
I suppose I am biased in writing these lines because I do
in fact love the series, and I also love a serie in general because it gives
characters more time to develop and grow and you really go on this journey with
them, you get to know them inside and out without it being rushed within a
single story or a single book. And it really is a good feeling when you finish
a book and you know the story goes on in part two, three, four,…that way you
get to live in that fantasy world for just a little longer.
So if you're into fantasy, if you liked the Harry Potter
series I reccomend you pick this up, you'll fall in love with the shadowhunters
instantly and enjoy a brief break from reality it offers.
Part two review next?
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