In urban New York City, fifteen year-old Clary Fray learns that her world is not what it seems when she sees a group of teenagers like herself; kill a boy in the middle of a crowded club. Here is the tricky part; no one else saw it but her.

This Young Adult fiction novel by Cassandra Claire takes Clary through a wild adventure with the same group of teenagers that had murdered the boy- whom was really a demon-called Shadowhunters. Clary learns that the Shadowhunters job is demon-killing. Yes, those scary things that comes from your closet or under your bed in bedtime stories. And in this story, true loves kiss doesn’t make them go away.  As Clary pays more attention to her surroundings, she sees faeries in Central Park, vampires in hotels, werewolves at the police station, and Shadowhunters in an abandoned Cathedral.

At first, Clary wants nothing to do with these dangerous people-with their runes , which are marks made by a stele, to protect them from different things  that is until she learns that the Shadowhunters biggest enemy, Valentine Morgenstern, has captured her mother and won’t give her back unless he gets what he wants. Clary sees no other option but than to swallow her fear and find her mother with the Shadowhunters; Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, and Clary are joined by Clary’s best friend a human or mundane as the Shadowhunters call him, in the search for Clary’s mother as well as defeating Valentine.

The story itself has many twists and turns, yet lags in many places that could be spent on pushing towards how Clary can see all of these things when no other mundane can. The big reveal at the end is highly predictable in the middle of the story yet you still find yourself captured at the action that occurs. This story, like most other young adult fiction books, contains a love triangle that will leave you picking the boy you want to win –Remember Team Edward and Team Jacob- and wanting to cry when the side you picked, lost.

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, is a great read if are into fantasy, action, and a little romance on the side. This book does contain violence and minor use of language. City of Bones is the first of six books in the Mortal Instruments series and it’s movie was released into theatres August, 2013.