City of Bones Theme of Versions of Reality

Sometimes the shadows in the alleyway are just shadows. And sometimes the sexy creepy guy (you know the one we're talking about, the one that looks like Wes Bentley) in the club is just an anti-social wallflower. But sometimes the shadows are demons and that sexy creepy guy is a vampire, one who wants to kill you instead of seduce you. Yikes. The New York City that Clary Fray lives in is like that—a magical mix of mystery and danger. The City of Bones is a nice place to visit, but we're not sure if we'd want to live there.

Questions About Versions of Reality

  1. Clary's Sight allows her to see the beauty and horror in the world. What is beautiful? What is horrific? What makes it so?
  2. Do you agree with Simon that we all see what we want to see?
  3. In what ways does Clary take real-life locations and transform them into something different?
  4. If mundies can't see the Institute and all those other magical places, how can they be real?