Review: City of Bones, Part II
So yesterday, after I posted Part I on here, I received a few emails from some Harry Potter fans informing me that Cassandra Clare actually wrote a FF entitled "The Draco Trilogy," and that it is the predecessor of City of Bones. I haven't read the fan fic, so I can't really say whether or not I find it similar to The Mortal Instruments series, but once I have read it I promise to let you all know my thoughts.
Also, just a quick note before I begin. You can now add me as a friend on Myspace! For your convenience, I've added a button to the right of this entry (just below the Facebook one). It will lead you straight to my page. Right now it's kind of bare, but I'll be adding the artwork I couldn't fit into the posts (but I still found cool) + all the play lists + extra goodies and cool stuff soon! So befriend me!
Now let's get down to business.
City of Bones, Part II: Easy is the Descent
Things I love
- Like I said in my last entry, I think it's a pretty interesting twist in the story that by the end of Part I: Dark Descent, Clary finds out Valentine was (is?) Jocelyn's husband. I liked the whole explanation about The Circle and as I said before, as much as you want to hate all of the members you find that you just can't!
- P. 152
"Dinnertime!" It was Isabelle, standing framed in the door of the library. She still had the spoon in her hand, though her hair had escaped from its bun and was straggling down her neck.- This episode was followed by this very funny antidote from Jace when discussing Valentine wanting to get Jocelyn back:
"Sorry if I'm interrupting," she added, as an afterthought.
"Dear God," said Jace, "the dread hour is nigh."
Hodge looked alarmed. "I-I-I had a very filling breakfast," he stammered. "I mean lunch. A filling lunch. I couldn't possibly eat -"
"I threw out the soup," Isabelle said. "And ordered Chinese from that place downtown."
Jace unhitched himself from the desk and stretched. "Great. I'm starved."
- The Mortal Cup makes more shadow hunters? It's kind of like the idea of living forever with the Holy Grail, but spread out over many decades of shadow hunters. It's not immortality for one solitary human being, but immortality in the sense that the race never dies out. I kind of like it.
"I kind of doubt he sent a Ravener demon to her house because he wants to 'get back together,'" said Alec, who had turned up when the food was served.....
"It wouldn't be my move," Jace agreed. "First the candy and flowers, then the apology letters, then the ravenous demon hordes. In that order."
As a side note: an idea just popped in my head as I was typing the whole Mortal Cup thing. Since you guys mentioned the Draco Trilogy (and I can't get it out of my head), I started to think about Dumbledore and his "Greater Good" slogan, which holds a resemblance to the idea behind The Circle. The idea of a "purer greater race of people rising above those below them." Hmmm... coincidence?
- When I read the "dream" on page P. 161 I literally went, "what the hell?" It's not until I finished the book, and went back to read a second time, that I realized what Clare was talking about. She's giving us a total heads up about Simon and City of Glass. Things I love now about the passage:
A) Love the little nod to City of Glass
B) Love that even before the Simon-rat-Dumort-vampire-bite (which I'll be getting to) incident, we get the line: "This place is for the Living." I'm sure you know what I mean and if you don't you will soon.
C) Idris. Idris. Idris!
D) Does Clary have some precognitive powers we don't know about yet? Ones that perhaps she can't control? Or perhaps this is just part of what she is(again see City of Ashes review when I post it)? If so, is this why she fell asleep in the hall and doesn't even recall doing so? Because otherwise, it kind of weird that she spontaneously fell asleep while walking to her room.
- Love that Jace reads poetry, not to mention quotes it. Yes, Jace. You are sexy. Oh, yes you are.
- Love that Clary can spot out Blake when it's quoted, not to mention realizes a line by The Doors.
- When Jace and Clary talk about how the Mortal Cup produces more shadow hunters, Clary wonders why they would need the cup in the first place. She asks, "Aren't you, uh...reproducing?" Jace's response: "Sure, we love reproducing. It's one of our favorite things." haha.
- Bone City is creeeepy, but in an awesome kind of way. I really like that the ashes of the fallen shadow hunters are used in order to build the city. The idea of being productive even in death is kind of intriguing.
- Favorite scene in bone city... Clary hurts her arm whilst trying to recover her memories and asks Jace, "Is this when you start tearing strips off your T-shirt to bind up my wound? Jace's reply:
Well actually, the line is "If you wanted me to rip my clothes off, you should have just asked." Cheeky and amazing. Also, tell me, how attractive is that guy in the picture? Umm, super?
- Taki's. Two things:
- "Now we're detectives? Maybe we should have code names."... "Good idea," said Jace. "I shall be Baron Hotschaft Von Hugenstein." lol
- Now this should actually bother me since I do 'ship Jace/Clary, but I find confidence sexy so when Jace mosey on ups to the waitress (who he obviously had been involved with at some point) and puts an arm around her, I can't help but be that much more attracted to him. Again, confidence is supremely sexy.
- Now, for those of us who have read Twilight, I think I can safely assume that one of our favorite scenes is when Edward sang to Bella for the first time. So, while this isn't romantic the way the lullaby is, I still like that Jace is telling Clary a bedtime story (even if the story is really quite horrible). I also really like the banter between them at the beginning. "Once there was a boy," said Jace. Clary interrupted immediately. "A shadowhunter boy?" "Of course." For a moment a bleak amusement colored his voice."
Anyhow, I present to you Jace's story (compliments of Drenched in Cyanide on Deviantart). Click to enlarge:
- Love the whole Clary in a mini dress - Jace scene, especially:
She looked up from closing it to find Jace watching her through hooded eyes. "And one last thing, he said. He reached over and pulled the sparkling pins out of her hair, so that it fell in warm and heavy curls down her neck. The sensation of hair tickling her bare skin was unfamiliar and oddly pleasant. "Much better," he said, and she thought this time that maybe his voice was slightly uneven too.
- Love that Clary called Isabelle a bitch. *applause*
- The whole Hotel Dumort scene was pretty exciting.
- P. 296, I love this whole exchange:
- Love the conversation between Clary and Jace when he asks her to have a picnic with him.
"Do you remember back a the hotel when you promised that if we lived, you'd get dressed up in a nurse's outfit and give me a sponge bath?"
"Actually, I think you misheard," Clary said. "It was Simon who promised you the sponge bath." Jace looked involuntarily over at Simon, who smiled at him widely.
"As soon as I'm back on my feet, handsome."
- Jace and his bathtub of spaghetti. Greatest birthday wish ever.
- "You know, when most girls say they want a big rock, they don't mean, you know, literally a big rock." Hilarious.
- At last, Jace and Clary kiss!
His mouth was hard on hers, unyielding; then he put both arms around her and pulled her against him. His lips softened. She could feel the rapid beat of his heart, taste the sweetness of apples still on his mouth. She wound her hands into his hair, as she'd wanted to do since the first time she'd seen him. His hair curled around her fingers, silky and fine. Her heart was hammering, and there was a rushing sound in her ears, like beating wings...
- And very possibly my favorite lines from the whole book:
"In the future Clarissa," he said, "it might be wise to mention that you already have a man in your bed, to avoid such tedious situations."Jace, you're SUCH an asshole....and I love it.
"You invited him into bed?" Simon demanded, looking shaken.
"Ridiculous, isn't it?" said Jace. "We would never have all fit."
- I still have a soft spot for Simon, so his confession of love to Clary kind of broke my heart. Still loved it though.
- Speaking of Jace and funny quotes:
"Don't tell me," he said, drawing his words out in that way he knew she hated. "Simon's turned himself into an ocelot and you want me to do something about it before Isabelle makes him into a stole. Well, you'll have to wait till tomorrow. I'm out of commission." He pointed to himself- he was wearing blue pajamas with a hole in the sleeve. "Look. Jammies."
- Love that Clary can draw extremely powerful runes and even realizes where her mother has hidden the Mortal Cup.
- The whole Mortal cup- apartment scene, especially the fact that Simon saved the day.
- Love that Luke redeemed himself. Love that he's a werewolf. Love that he saved Clary. Love Luke. Period.
Things out of place
- Alright, here's the thing. I knew since this quote:
"...He would have sacrificed his own son for the cause and could not understand how anyone else would not."That Jace was Valentine's son. That coupled with the fact that he didn't want Jace to see the photo of The Circle (I assume because he would recognize his father). I just wonder why in the world he didn't tell Jace for so many years. Why did he allow Jace to think he was Wayland's son? I really don't get it. I mean I know he ended up using Jace, but c'mon. Letting a kid that you supposedly care about believe they are something totally different for years upon years? Cruel? Demented? Just a little.
"He had a son?" said Alec.
"I was speaking figuratively," said Hodge, reaching for his handkerchief.
- I definitely didn't see the whole Alec being gay thing coming. I mean, I like the fact that he is because it adds dimension to his character, but I just thought it was so random. I don't think that sitting next to Jace a lot qualifies as a hint that he's gay. Sorry, but no. It wasn't until Clary points it out that I actually felt it was played up.
- Flying motorcycles? Sirius? What?
- I don't like that Jocelyn went to a warlock to get Clary's memories blocked. I mean, I understand why and I know we wouldn't have half the story if she hadn't, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. I just find it meddlesome that she would tamper with her child's thoughts.
- Illogicalness: The silent brothers can't help Clary, but Magnus Bane, a mere warlock, shows little Clary a few runes from a book and BOOM! Clary suddenly remembers! Now, please tell me why the Silent Brothers, the "librarians" of the shadow hunter world, didn't think of showing her the Gray book? They obviously have a copy, so why didn't they think to do that back like 50 pages ago! Doesn't. make.sense.
-Speaking of Magnus Bane, let's play up how gay he is by giving him rainbow hair! Again. No. Just no. I have plenty of gay friends and last I checked none of them display their pride through their hair. (Side note: I actually really love Magnus as a character and I love his dynamics with Alec... just really hate the hair.)
- Hate the portrayal of the vampire, Raphael. What is with the super stereotypical hispanic? Do not like. At all. Like that he's hispanic, but just hate how he's so over the top.
- Witchlight. Does that remind you of something? Lord of the Rings, perhaps?
- Why doesn't the institute have cars at their disposal? Why must they bother Simon for one? You would think that a place that is supposed to be able to host so many shadowhunters would at least have some mode of private transportation available to them in case they needed to get around...
- Hate that Hodge betrayed Clary and Jace. I do think that he will come back and redeem himself in City of Glass, however.
Well, this concludes Part II of City of Bones. I'm really sorry for any and all grammar errors there are, but I am entirely too exhausted to correct them at the moment. I will tomorrow though. As promised, here's my play list! Hope you enjoyed my latest installment!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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