City of Bones - The Mortal Instruments Trilogy Book 1

WARNING: Spoiler Alerts

I recently finished Book 1 of the Mortal Instruments trilogy, and like the avid reader I am I have decided to write a review of it.
There's no doubt that this book has a well structured story line. The characters each have personalities that are developed individually, and the overall action is excellent. The one problem I had with this book, and to me this is a rather annoying point, is the overuse of adjectives and similes. The scenes, characters, everything in fact, are so over-described that little imagination is actually needed. In a work of fiction it is mostly the case that certain things are left up to the imagination of the reader, since people are very different their ideas about certain details vary. That makes things easier if a book were ever made into a movie, since they wouldn't have to adhere to a too specific idea of a character or scene. Obviously that is not the only, or main, reason for this point, rather the enjoyment of the reader in a new world should be the main point.

Here's an example:

"A slender man standing in the doorway regarded them curiously... The man blocking the doorway was as tall and thin as a rail, his hair a crown of dense black spikes. Clary guessed from the curve of his sleepy eyes and the gold tone of his evenly tanned skin that he was part Asian. He wore jeans and a black shirt covered with dozens of metal buckles. His eyes were crusted with a raccoon mask of charcoal glitter, his lips painted a dark shade of blue. He raked a ring-laden hand through his spiked hair and regarded them thoughtfully..." (page 204, City of Bones)

First he is described as "slender", then a few short lines later he is re-described as "tall and thin as a rail". The way he regards them is, at first, "curiously", then "thoughtfully". Here's an example of how I would write it (though by no means am I trying to present myself as a better writer than a popular published author. I have, however, read a lot of books in my life):

"Clary noticed that the thin man blocking the doorway was also surprisingly tall, which made the black spikes of his hair rather obsolete. She guessed him to be half Asian, judging by his evenly tanned skin and the fold of his eyes. He was wearing jeans and a black shirt covered in metal buckles, and his hands were laden with rings of varying sizes and designs. His facial makeup was slathered on thickly, his lips were a dark shade of blue, and his eyes were surrounded by a coating of charcoal glitter, giving Clary the distinct impression of a raccoon.
He pulled a hand through his hair as he continued to study them."

Now, in this case, the same basic descriptions have been used, but not always as descriptions. Sometimes a point is introduced as a part of the action, eg "which made the black spikes of his hair rather obsolete" (describing the spikes in relation to their effect on his height).

Having said that, I did like this book. It's hard for me to get past issues like those I've discussed, but the general storyline is good enough, and definitely well-structured enough that I was able to read it AND enjoy it.