by Cassandra Clare
First sentence: “It began with a crime.”
Content: Not sure – there’s violence and some on-screen sex. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

There’s something about an orphan who is raised to be the body double of the prince. And a young woman/magician (I kept thinking the similarities to Jews in the 1930s were remarkable) who lives in the city’s restricted part. Somehow the Ragpicker King (who is he? No idea.) is involved.

I read 264 pages of this book. Two Hundred and Sixty Four. The two main characters didn’t meet until page 200. There was so much exposition. So much “World Building.” So. Many. Words. I couldn’t find the plot. I didn’t care about the characters. I couldn’t keep a handle on the politics. There’s a good way to do fantasy, and then there’s those bloated fantasy books where there are so many words that you lose sight of what’s supposed to be happening.

I bailed. I don’t regret it. There’s a reason why I don’t usually read books over 500 pages. This absolutely reinforces that rule. It’s a hard nope from me.