Hey, everyone! Welcome to our City of Bones Book Discussion! We’re so glad you could join us! Over the next nine weeks, we’re bringing on some awesome-ness to spice up your life! That’s right, we’re about to get the party started, but we have to set a few ground rules first (*trying to make a stern face*). This is how each week will play out:

• Each week we will do a detailed discussion of the plot of that week’s chapters (every Monday!). We will also highlight characterization, quotes, favorite parts, random scenes, and ask/answer questions.

• Argh, thar be spoilers ahead, matey!! While each week will be spoiler-free for the next chapters in the book, all of the previous chapters we’ve read will become free game. So to keep this discussion fun for readers who have not read the amazing series try to keep your comments spoiler-free, from the next chapters, as possible.

• At the end of each post, questions will be asked. Feel free to participate every week! We’d love to hear your opinion but you don’t have to answer everything. The questions are only there as guidelines but we’d love to read your tangents on that week’s chapters. And if you feel totally inspired about this book, as much as we are, you could always discuss your own opinion in a guest post: just fill out the form HERE.

For an entire schedule of our discussion (or just in case you’ve missed a post), you can go HERE. And we’re also giving away a copy of City of Bones, to enter the contest, go HERE. Finally, on to the moment you’ve all been waiting for. *drumroll*

Chapter 9: The Circle and the Brotherhood

Clary, Jace, and Simon left Luke's place rather quickly after Luke left.  Jace was still seething over seeing his father's murderers.  He was "scary calm" (132).

Clary and Jace bring Simon back to the Institute, "You'll be the first mundane who has ever been inside the Institute" (133).  Church, the cat, leads the way to the kitchen where they introduce Simon to Isabelle.  Isabelle only smirks to find that Simon barely say a word when he watches her.  Clary feels a bit hurt and jealous by Simon's sudden change of interest. 

Clary and Jace find Hodge in the greenhouse.  "The greenhouse was laid out in what seemed to Clary's untrained eye no particular pattern, but everywhere she looked was a roit of color" (143).  Jace catches Hodge up on what they've discovered at Luke's and Clary's house.  Hodge believes it is time to tell Jace about the Circle.  He shows Jace and Clary the Circle's oath-- the Circle of Raziel was "dedicated to wiping out all Downworlders and returning the world to a 'purer' state" (145).  Hodge surprises them both that he was part of the Circle (the group was led by Valentine), as was the Lightwoods (Isabelle and Alec's parents).  And, an even bigger surprise, Clary's mother was in this group as well, because "she was Valentine's wife" (146).

Chapter 10: City of Bones

The news of Jocelyn shocks both Jace and Clary.  But Hodge clarifies that Luke, Jocelyn, and Jace's father, Michael Wayland all escaped the Circle after they realized Valentine's intent.  Hodge and the Lightwoods did not, and the Clave restricted Hodge from leaving the Institute forever.  "The Law is hard, but it is the Law" (151). 

Alec and Isabelle are filled in about the Circle over dinner.  They all believe that Valentine wants the Mortal Cup to make an army of Shadowhunters.  Hodge acts as though he has said too much when he speaks figuratively, Valentine "would have sacrificed his own son for the cause" (155).  Hodge tells the others that they will do nothing, this problem is for the Clave. 

Clary is still worried about her mother but doesn't know where to start looking for her.  Jace insists that they must go through Clary's mind to discover what they want to know.  The Silent Brothers, "they are among the most feared of all demon hunters" (158), are coming and Jace wants to hand Clary over to them.  The Silent Brothers would be able to go through Clary's mind and retreive memories.  She's hesitant about the Brothers going through her head but decides not to ponder about it now when she just wants to sleep.

Clary has a dream of the "Glass City" (161), where she dances with Simon and Jace.  In the dream, Jace claims that Simon may be more than he has let on with, "this place is for the living" (161). 

Jace wakes her up to take her to Brother Jeremiah, one of the Silent Brothers.  "The archivist's head was bald... darkly indented where his eyes had been.  They were gone now.  His lips were crisscrossed with a pattern of dark lines that resembled surgical stitches" (166-167).  The Brothers seem to be made of nightmares, at least, in appearance.  The Brother tries to go through Clary's mind, but "there is a block in your mind" (168).  He insists that Clary should come to the City of Bones with him to get the help of the other Brothers as well.  With a short ride through the city in a horse-drawn carriage, a walk in a cemetary, Jace, Clary, and Brother Jeremiah go to the City of Bones.  The sign, labeling the entrance to the city, leaves Clary cold and frightened; the sign depicts, "The descent into Hell is easy" (179). 

She is introduced to the Silent Brothers.  The Brothers uncover the name Magnus Bane from Clary's memories.  The Brothers let her leave by saying that the block in her mind, "can be safely undone only by the one who put it there" (186).  Clary and Jace are somewhat glad to be out of the Brothers' presense, when they leave the City of Bones, contemplating what to do next.