City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know... 

So this book series gets such high praise from everyone I know and with every recommendation comes a warning:  suffer through the first book.  I never really understood how the first book in such a beloved series could be so bad but after completing City of Bones I can understand the frustration.  The first 100 or so pages are not bad; classic backstory and character building, so naturally a little dull, but the story still had potential.  Then the action comes to a stand still and we have to go on a side adventure which has nothing to do with the main plot at all.  Had those 100 pages been cut out I feel like this book would have been SO much better.  Yes, we were introduced into the 'world of darkness' and those that inhabit it, but I feel like that will happen in future books anyway so it was completely unnecessary here in book 1.

If that mini-adventure had been cut out I would really have no major complaints about this book.  Clary was only annoying in that part (at all other times she was manageable) and the Institute was interesting...to a point.  Jace got a little whiny at the end but I could understand where he was coming from.  Actually the only character who really irked me was Simon.  I can officially say I greatly dislike him, especially because the mini-adventure was his fault and he didn't even have a good reason for causing all the trouble!!!

Unfortunately the way book 1 left it, I can only assume Simon gets a more major role in the upcoming books but I sincerely hope not.  I honestly think he should have died - it would have provided much better character development for Clary and then he would finally be out of the picture.

Overall I will continue to read the series but I do not plan on re-reading this book any time soon.  3 stars