City of Bones
core novel 2007 The Shadowhunter Chronicles
Record
| First published | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.07 (2,025,001 ratings, collected 2026-08-27) |
| Page count | 485 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781416914280 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
City of Bones opens in modern-day New York City, where sixteen-year-old artist Clary Fray witnesses a murder at a nightclub that, to her bewilderment, no one else present seems to notice. She soon discovers she has always possessed the Sight, a latent ability to perceive hidden supernatural beings, and is drawn into the concealed world of Shadowhunters, warriors descended partly from angels who hunt demons. When her mother disappears, abducted by a mysterious figure connected to that world, Clary must navigate Shadowhunter society for the first time while searching for her. Her efforts to find her mother uncover long-hidden truths about her own family and lead her toward Valentine, a powerful Shadowhunter pursuing an ancient artifact called the Mortal Cup for his own ends.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Shadowhunter Chronicles
- Series: The Mortal Instruments core; position 1 of 6 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Cassandra Clare
Notes
- From the series record (The Mortal Instruments): The original six-book series that introduced the Shadowhunters.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series The Mortal Instruments: position 1 of 6: next City of Ashes (2008)
Sources
← The Shadowhunter Chronicles dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.