Thalia @ Pictures in the Words

The second review I ever wrote, way back in 2011 and (metaphorically) high off the Cassandra Clare signing I’d just come from (where I had a met a reviewer and made the decision to start a blog of my own), was for City of Bones. As the first five star review I’d ever written, it was…fangirly and raving and…well, honestly, gross. Reviews are meant to convey the opinion of the reviewer and, to a certain degree, convince the reader that the opinion presented is valid. There are lots of people who don’t like the Mortal Instruments (most of my reviewing friends don’t), and I always shooed people away from reading my own review because it was less than professional. With the movie about the come out, I wanted to reread the book since I hadn’t done so in two years. And, luckily, it was also the perfect opportunity to rewrite my review and give my readers something more…well, bearable, hahah.I used to be obsessed with the Mortal Instruments. When I first picked up City of Bones, I was only a freshman, and I read all three in one week (making several trips to Borders to get the next books). I told all my friends to read them, because I didn’t know anybody else who had. My best friend got obsessed, and we were basically walking TMI fan-spazzes. The story tore me apart and I stayed up nights crying over it. When Cassandra Clare came to town, we both made it our life goal to be there and shake her hand and say hello. I mean, come on. She was our idol. We loved her. And yeah, we almost passed out when we got up there and she wrote in our books—my signed copies are some of my most cherished items. Sketchy and less-than-savory background aside, I was worried about my reread for various reasons. I mean, after entering the reviewing world and seeing so many one-star reviews and snarky comments about a book I loved, I was afraid that I would feel the same—that my love for the book and the series was adolescent and I would have grown out of it. But, much like my reread of Twilight, I was pleasantly surprised. I saw more flaws than I did the first time around, of course, but I still loved it. I still cried, I still laughed, and it still tore me apart, even though I knew it was coming. I still admire Clare’s ability to tear emotion from me and manipulate my feelings. And I’ve yet to encounter a story that makes me question everything and I’m stuck, unable to guess even a single plot point, because I’ve been torn in so many directions. It had flaws, yes. Books always do, no matter how much we love them. But they didn’t matter to me. And that’s what’s really important, at the end of everything—at least to me.Read more?http://thaliasbooks.tumblr.com/post/60003874456/city-of-bones-review