Thoughts on Books

Two years ago, while sitting on a bunk bed in a hostel in Mexico City, I saw one of my fellow travellers reading a book with a topless (possibly naked) guy on the cover. This book has been highly memorable to me, and since then I've seen it a number of times. My sister read it. Our friends read it. They all talked about it, but nothing really inspired me to read it.

I know it's not really fair to turn your back on an entire genre. I'm just not naturally disposed to like fantasy novels. Harry Potter being an exception. Dragons and fairies and magic just doesn't excite me as a reader.
It was probably because of this that I halted reading City of Bones for so long. My idea of the book was so off. I had judged it too harshly. The picture I had in my head was of demon hunter people (true enough), on some sort of quest to save the world. If you've read the book, you know that my image of it was a little askew. Yes they hunt demons, and yes they sort of in a very vague way, go on a quest, but I had envision it wrong. Bad Alex. No more judging books based on genre again.

But the thing is, it's nearly impossible for me not to judge a book based on genre. As much as I try to be open minded, I can't just pick up a sci-fi novel and start reading. It's different.

I'm just going to give me thoughts on the trilogy now. I'm trying to be spoiler free.

City of Bones
The first book in the Mortal Instruments certainly had a gripping start. You are introduced to Clary and Simon, who are immediately endearing and relatable. Slowly and carefully the author informs the reader of Shadowhunters, mysterious demon hunters and everything starts to fit together, with tons of missing pieces to keep you reading. You meet Jace, sexy, cynical, sarcastic and charming, and watch the emotional and physical stuggles of Clary slowly discovering her past.

I'm usually weary of any person who thinks that you have to know who your parents are to know who YOU are. I just don't believe you have to know who your father is to truly discover yourself. However, I was not irritated by Clary's want for information. I loved this book; it was so full of plot twists and secrets, it kept your interest throughout. Plus there are tons of hilarious lines, worth reading again and again.

City of Ashes
The second installment in the Mortal Instruments trilogy was equally intriguing. Unfortunately I read all the books extremely fast, and therefore they all blend together in my mind to an extent. I remember it was an emotional roller coaster with tons of twists and turns and unexpected drops (sorry for that cheesy metaphor, but it's true). The series itself is filled with so many secrets that the reader can't help but devour the book chapters at a time.

City of Glass
At this point in my reading frenzy, I just wanted to get to the end of the book so I could finally see all the secrets unravelled. I regret reading it a little too fast, but I'll just have to read it a second time to get more out of the experience a little later.

A few charming new characters are introduced as Clary continues to struggle to save her mother and discover the secrets of her past (some things can't NOT be corny). Her battle against her feelings is startleingly realistic. The end of this series was nail-biting, tense, and satisfying. It was fulfilling to finally discover the truth about everything, and see how it all ended.
***
After you've read something like Twilight, it's a relief to grab onto something with round and believable characters. I thought Clary was a beautiful, understandable, complex character. It marks an incredible romance when you can actually understand why the characters fell in love with each other. It makes it so much more real when you can see the attraction and believe it.

I loved these books. They were page turning, intriguing, well written and comical. Some of the lines are just so funny, and the dialogue is intensely realistic. I don't know how much more I can rave about the series without exploding so I'll end here. I would recommend these books to anyone, regardless of past relations with the genre. You won't be disapointed.