City of Bones Theme of Love

Love is complicated. We can't even begin to try to explain it. Feelings can get really tangled up, like when the person you love doesn't know you exist, or that hot boy you're falling for turns out to be your brother (oops!). The characters in City of Bones have all sorts of complicated relationships. Both Simon and Alec are in the throes of unrequited love. Clary has that uncomfortable fraternal revelation we mentioned up there. And for good measure, there's a bunch of complicated family love and deep bonds between friends just to mix things up even more. Trying to make sense of these relationships is half the fun of the book, though you may find your head spinning by the end.

1. How does Clary love Simon? Do these feelings change during the course of the book?
2. What examples of unconditional love can you find in the book?
3. Does Valentine love Jace as a son?