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City of Bones cover art

City of Bones

By: Cassandra Clare
Narrated by: Ari Graynor
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Publisher's Summary

Clary Fray is seeing things: vampires in Brooklyn and werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistably drawn towards a group of sexy demon hunters, Clary encounters the dark side of New York City - and the dangers of forbidden love.

©2007 Cassandra Clare (P)2010 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic Reviews

"The Mortal Instruments series is a story world I love to live in. Beautiful." (Stephanie Meyer)
"The story's sensual flavor comes from the wealth of detail: demons with facial piercings, diners serving locusts and honey, pretty gay warlocks, and cameo appearances from other urban fantasies' characters....Lush and fun." ( Kirkus Review)

What listeners say about City of Bones

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

I did not realise you adult meant young teen..

I really should have read the intro better. An interesting story line using a great deal from many other books of this genre and even a plot twist from Star Wars. The writing is young, much younger than say the Harry Potter Novels. I can see why it would appeal to younger readers. The threads of teenage angst, romance and rebellion are the plot with the supernatural thrown in to bind it all together.

There is evidence of research in the making of this world and this, being the first in a series, I assume that the writing will develop. The plot is a little involved with some nice charachter study though not overly developed in this intro the world. There is mystery, magic, monsters, treachery and a few as yet unexplained developments.

The reader was very suited to the story line, sounding suitably young and handling the narrative well with few errors and a nice flow. Her charachter voices were reasonably good, especially for the girls and her voice pleasant to listen to.

The main charachter is 15 years old and her supporting cast around the same age. I probably would not have purchased this book if I'd known that. It is part of a series that continues the story into the next book.

Overall, it's a little young and raw for me. I shall fulfill my fantasy/supernatural addiction elsewhere.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best series of read/listened

This series is one of my favourites to reread and listen to.

This book was my first audible experience and I ended up listening to the whole series within my first month. Work, home, driving - I was hooked.

Shadow hunters is my go to series when I cannot decide what to listen to next and it’s enjoyable every time you dive back into the world this series has created.

If you have seen the movie or Netflix series then this book series is a must read as you are seriously missing out (but I still love both the movie and show for their interpretations).

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story don’t like the narration

Love this story have listened to lots of Cassandra Clare books. She always has someone different narrating done really like this over the top American voice. Not enjoyable to listen :(

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Ben
  • 20-11-2023

twilight light

this review probably isnt fair because im a middle aged man reviewing teenage bilge. i listened to it as my apprentice recommended it. i did read twilight at the peak of its popularity when i was a teenager and thought it was garbage so I feel I can be unbiased in how garbage it is.

its no worse than twilight would be the best review I could give it. there was supposed to be werewolves, demons, vampires but those conditions were all ancillary to the plot. the really important thing in this book is who likes who. which girls feel threatened by each other. what the characters are wearing. and unrequeted teenage love. there is also a love pentagon between the 5 main characters.

the story begins with th protagonists mother being abducted and her learning about the supernatural world she inhabited from a group of young adult demon hunters. she fairly quickly forgets about her mum and is plenty worried about if the cool guy of her new demon hunter group likes her back and what should she wear to a party that starts at midnight.

the characters conversations are melodramtic. my personal favourite is when the protagonists best friend confesses his secret love to her. 'that thing my mum always said about you to me. it was that one day you'd break my heart'. i was crying. but it wasnt tears of sadness.

this book will probably be enjoyable for young teenagers. im too old to remember what that felt like, but preferably anyone who doesnt understand clear communication, emotions and hasnt been exposed to a litany of cliches will enjoy it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Zoe
  • 04-11-2023

Fun story

An enjoyable story, despite being quite predictable. Still lots of fun and easy to listen to. Well read.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I really wanted to like it, but didn’t.

This was one of the first times in a book turned book-turned-movie situation where I preferred the movie and tv series. The book is about a 15/16 year old whereas the tv series was when clary turned 18. I liked the movie and tv series, and really wanted to like this book, but I found myself wanting the book to be shorter so I could move on to something else.

A few reviews spoke about the characters being juvenile, and unfortunately this was the case. It is not a young adult book, but rather a teenager book.

I also found the book lacking the works building and intrigue that more current books include. However it could also have something to do with the narrator. I found the narrator quite bland and she didn’t change her voice to different characters. I can see there is a different narrator for the second book which was a good call but I just don’t think I can persist with the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

Not a fan of the narrator. Gritted through because I love the story. Sense of relief when I found she does not narrate the other books. That would have made for a very long and frustrating experience. The creativeness of the book however stands out and I love it

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The story is interesting enough...

The narrator is alright, not great, definitely not the only suitable one, she sounds like she is acting in a high school play, very dramatic. She have limited voices available for different characters. The story is for very young adults, kids refusing to admit that they're kids, wanting to be the hero instead of seeking guidance from actual adults.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Love the book

I’ve always liked these books, I do find the reader slightly difficult to determine which character is talking as her voice sounds very similar with each character. Other then that I really enjoyed it :)

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great

It took awhile for me to sink into the world and understand but now I’m there I love it. Bring on book two

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