Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 5))
This urban-fantasy series opener spices its fight against evil with sexual tension. Fifteen-year-old geek hipster Clary thought she was just a normal kid, but normal kids don’t see invisible people, and normal kids’ mothers don’t suddenly disappear, seemingly captured by horrific monsters. But like many fantasy heroines, Clary isn’t normal, and she’s got all the secret parentage, dramatic revelations and amazing magic powers to prove it. Clary is a Shadowhunter, brought up as a mundane but born to fight demons. She and her mundane friend Simon fall in with a trio of Shadowhunter teens, and are soon embroiled in a quest to understand Clary’s past—and incidentally save the world. Rich descriptions occasionally devolve into purple prose, but 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. Complicated romantic triangles keep the excitement high even when the dramatic revelations tend toward the ridiculous. Lush and fun. 2007, McElderry, 496p, $17.99. Category: Fantasy. Ages 13 up. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Karolinde Young, (The ALAN Review, Fall 2007 (Vol. 35, No. 1))
When Clary Fray witnesses a murder at a popular teen club, her life turns completely upside down. One of the murderers, the very handsome Jace, starts following Clary, and her mother disappears. Clary finds herself joining forces with Jace and the mysterious Shadow Hunters in a race against time. The evil Valentine is seeking a powerful talisman, and demons are trying to destroy Clary. Slowly, Clary discovers that everything she once believed about herself and her mother may be completely wrong. The surprising revelations will captivate and astound readers. City of Bones is a suspenseful and captivating fantasy. Clare creates a vivid and descriptive world of wonder and mystery that exists beside our own. The plot twist will surprise even the most astute reader. This book is recommended for ages 14 and up. Category: Fantasy. YA--Young Adult. 2007, Margaret K. McElderry Books, 485 pp., $17.99. Ages young adult.Manhattan, KS

April Spisak (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 2007 (Vol. 60, No. 10))
A typical evening at a New York club takes an irrevocable turn for the weird and dangerous when fifteen-year-old Clary witnesses a murder committed by three teens who are invisible to everyone else. Less than a day later, Clary’s mother disappears, and Clary is herself brutally attacked in their apartment. On top of that, there is the handsome but obnoxious Jace to deal with, one of the Shadowhunter (demon-killing) teens that Clary saw in the club. Clary slowly learns that her ordinary life was a cover and that her mother has been having Clary’s memories expunged so that she doesn’t remember her power-hungry father, who became evil, or even the small signs of magic that she sees everyday. A budding romance between Jace and Clary doesn’t get far, thankfully, before the two discover that they are actually brother and sister (Clary’s mother was certain Jace was dead when she made her escape from all things magical years ago). As this is the first installment in the Mortal Instruments series, there are many unresolved threads, but the author is careful to provide enough closure to make this a satisfying, albeit open-ended, standalone novel. Readers looking to the future will note that Clary successfully harnesses her rediscovered supernatural powers and forms several new, intense friendships that she will desperately need as she tries to save her still-comatose mother, discover her own complex and often dark familial roots, and determine her destiny, both in the magical world and in her own everyday life. Indeed, with the strong plot, brilliant heroine, and surrounding cast of intriguing and well-developed side characters (including the sexy and tortured Jace), fantasy buffs will be eagerly anticipating the next volume. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, McElderry, 485p., $17.99. Grades 9-12.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2007)
Fifteen-year-old Clary Fray's ordinary life turns upside down when she begins seeing demons, her mother is kidnapped, and Clary is taken in by Shadowhunters, demon-fighters as astonished by her newfound abilities as she is. Despite recycled material and purple prose, the snappy dialogue and striking details in this hip, sprawling urban fantasy keep the convoluted series opener entertaining. (Mortal Instruments series). Category: Older Fiction. 2007, McElderry, 485pp, 17.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Sara Squires (VOYA, April 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 1))
Fifteen-year-old Clary Fray visits her favorite New York City night club late one evening and watches attractive teenagers follow a blue-haired boy into a storage room. Next thing Clary knows, the boy is dead and the body disappears. Clary is not your typical mundie-she can see Shadowhunters and the demons that they hunt. Clary's mother is kidnapped, their home is ransacked, and Clary kills an evil Ravener in her home. She is then temporarily adopted into the Shadowhunter clan and begins to learn their ways. For some reason, Clary has the Sight and must use her powers and her new friends to find and rescue her mother. Along the way, she is burdened by the love of her best friend, Simon, and the complicated feelings she has towards Jace, a Shadowhunter. This fast-paced fantastic thriller will keep readers on the edge of their seats. It includes everything from werewolves and mind-sucking librarians to vampires and a brother unknowingly kissing his sister-just what teenagers love to read. Clary is an independent, saucy female character who adapts to her newfound powers easily and thinks nothing of throwing a weapon at a werewolf. The dialogue is awkward at times, leading to the 3Q rating. Clary makes some trite remarks that interrupt the narrative flow. The author is in a writing group with Holly Black, author of dark fantasies similar to this one. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P J S (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2007, Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster, 496p., $17.99. Ages 12 to 18.