City of Bones Chapter 11 Summary

How It All Goes Down

Magnus Bane

  • Instead of heading back to the Institute as planned, Jace takes Clary to Taki's, "the greatest restaurant in New York" (11.4).
  • Um, guys, now is not the time for a first date. But alas, since when do teenagers listen?
  • The whole gang—Alec, Isabelle, even Simon—gathers there to eat delicious food.
  • On the menu: apricot-plum smoothies, coconut pancakes, locusts, animal blood, and a toasted bat sandwich. Yum!
  • Conveniently, Isabelle has received a party invitation held at the apartment of one Magnus the Magnificent Warlock.
  • But Clary's got quite a while until the party, which starts at midnight, so she wanders aimlessly around the Institute in the meantime.
  • Snooping through the library, she discovers a photo tucked into the pages of a book. It's of her mother and Valentine and a few other Circle members when they were younger.
  • Hodge comes in and waxes nostalgic about the glory days of the Circle (oh, how much fun they must have had plotting genocide!) and talking about the glitz and glamour of Alicante, the Glass City.
  • Clary connects some dots, realizing that the strange dream she had must have been about Alicante. Maybe she's been there before? Or she's channeling her mother's memories? We're not sure, and she keeps the thoughts to herself.
  • Hodge gives Clary a sleep potion—she's been up for a long time, and she was poisoned, after all—and sends her back to her room.
  • When she enters, she finds Jace on her bed. Startled, she drops the sleeping potion before she can drink a single drop. Well there goes that idea.
  • To help Clary sleep, Jace tells her a lovely little bedroom story. About his abusive father. Click over to Jace's character page for all the sad details.
  • Somehow Clary manages to go to sleep and not have nightmares.
  • When she wakes up, it's time to get dressed to par-tay!
  • Isabelle picks out some clothes for Clary and gives her a little makeover.
  • While she's getting eyelinered, Clary asks Isabelle if her brother Alec is gay. Nosy, much?
  • He is, but he's too ashamed to talk about it. They're afraid his parents will disown him and expel him from the Clave.
  • Not too surprisingly, Alec is also secretly in love with Jace. He's blonde, sexy, cocky, and conceited. Who wouldn't be attracted to that?
  • All right, gossip girls, time to party. Let's do a quick run-down. Short sexy dress? Check. Great makeup? Check. Weapons? Ch—wait, weapons?
  • Jace gives Clary a dagger, which she slips into her purse before letting down her hair and stepping out the door.
  • Every style maven needs a dagger to complete her ensemble.