Listen free for 30 days

  • City of Bones

  • The Mortal Instruments
  • Written by: Cassandra Clare
  • Narrated by: Mae Whitman
  • Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (196 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
City of Bones cover art

City of Bones

Written by: Cassandra Clare
Narrated by: Mae Whitman
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $23.30

Buy Now for $23.30

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Don’t miss The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, now a major motion picture. Discover this first installment of the internationally best-selling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly).

When 15-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...

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

©2007 Cassandra Claire, LLC. All rights reserved. (P)2007 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights resevered.

Featured Article: The 18 Best Audiobook Series of All Time

Finding your next favourite book can be tricky. How do you know which is a winner, or which will fall flat? And then, when you do find an audiobook you love, it's over before you know it. That is why a good series is so important. From fantasy series to trilogies, young adult fiction or a classic mystery series, knowing which set of tales to invest time and sink yourself into is a tricky task. We've curated a list of the best book series of all time, in a variety of genres. Whether you are revisiting old favourites or discovering something new, there is something here for everyone to enjoy.

What listeners say about City of Bones

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    118
  • 4 Stars
    47
  • 3 Stars
    25
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    101
  • 4 Stars
    27
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    101
  • 4 Stars
    36
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Somewhat disappointing

Maybe it's because I watched the show first, but none of the characters really stood out to me at all. I really had to struggle through this one to finish it, I'm sure other people will love this series but I wont be continuing with it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

amazing voice actor, annoying main character

the performance from the voice actress was amazing I was disappointed by the story though clary was very annoying and b**chy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, terrible accents

The narrator uses a thick and kind of irritating accent for most of the characters. It kills a lot of the humor in the writing, especially Jace's wit, which is the best part of the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Odd accents

This is one of my favorite series so I decided to get the audio books to listen to on my commute to work. I have no idea why the narrator chose to give the characters all these weird accents. It also makes Clary sound like she's 8 and overly bratty.
Really wish this would get redone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

I recommend this book and this series to my friends... often. I really enjoy this story and have read the series several times and am now enjoying it being read to me. #Audible1

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Love this book but....

I've read City of Bones before, so it was interesting to listen for a change. I really enjoyed it, but Mae Whitman uses the weirdest, refined/affected accent for anyone who isn't Clary or Simon. It doesn't suit the characters at all, especially Jace because it's hard for the sarcasm to come through... and who is Jace without sarcasm?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Strange choice of accents

Great book. Not sure why the narrator decided to give all the shadowhunters British accents when they were all born in New York.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

#Audible1

My first review, I never knew how awesome an audible book would be! I have a half hour commute to and from work that I now look forward to instead of dreading because I can listen to my books!!

This is a series that I’ve kept putting off, now I don’t have too and I was really impressed with the performance. I really liked her voice, easy listening AND she’s the voice of Tinkerbell! Win-win I’d say.

Definitely going to continue the series, need to find out what happens next.


Oh! And #Audible1

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good story, reading had its issues.

Great story, good listen. While I only have two criticisms for the narrator, they were big ones for me, given how frequently they occurred: It may be present in a New York accent, but no one outside of the US eastern seaboard pronounces foyer with a hard R (present in all of her "British" accents). And, there's a difference between sarcastic and pretentious. Jace read like a self centered brat.
#Audible1

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The story is awesome

I love this story and have read it before. This is my first time listening to an audiobook and I am sad that Mae used such odd voices to bring some of these beloved characters to life. I have no idea where she got the idea that all Shadowhunters have to sound so strange.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!