Wednesday 30 March 2016

The Mortal Instruments - A Series Review

The Mortal Instruments (TMI)

Books in series:
- City of Bones
- City of Ashes
- City of Glass
- City of Fallen Angels 
- City of Lost Souls
- City of Heavenly Fire
Author: Cassandra Clare 
Dates of Publication: From March 27, 2007 onwards, last book in TMI series was published on May 27, 2014. However there are many other books in this world, featured in different spin-off series. 
Tags: YA, science fiction and fantasy, teens


THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS is a series of books that I started reading as a teenager. At 17 years of age, diving into a world like this that Cassandra Clare brought to us, was akin to diving into other favorite childhood reads - such as Harry Potter. The characters, as they were set at roughly my own age, were very relatable to me and therefore I looked forward to each and every installment so I could follow these characters through this incredible journey.

True to my word - I always give an honest opinion about what I think of stories. When I first read City of Bones, I blew through it in a very short period of time, and was loving it... until I reached the end. I won't add spoilers, however most people would know to what I refer when I first and foremost threw my book down and shouted "WHAT! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME CASSIE?!? WHYYY!?" Buuut... I still picked up a copy of City of Ashes, and I sort of slogged my way through this one. It still had it's interesting story and characters, which I enjoyed - but there was such an undertone of awkwardness and (ickiness) that I just didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did the first book. Then came the godsend - City of Glass. What a miracle this book was! It was such an amazing story, with a very relieving end to a few plots which were very heart-warming. The success as a set of stories (in my eyes) grew from City of Glass, and only got better through the rest of the series up until its finale in City of Heavenly Fire - which was epic.

SO... to back track a tiny tad - I will give you a few details about this series if you've never read them. However this post is more for the already present fandom, so I can share my thoughts (given I actually only FINALLY read City of Heavenly fire a few months ago to be ready for Lady Midnight - but more on that later), and allow others to share theirs. Because, I mean really... if you haven't read or heard of the Shadowhunter world, that is just odd, and clearly you've been avoiding most popular reading holes. OR you're like a lot of others and think it's too old of a series to get into now, the fandoms too big and I'm too behind. BS! You can always marathon a stunning series like this and get straight onto that band wagon - trust me - it's worth it. It's a fantastical world with many great characters that will stay with you forever.

Oh right... about the book. The TMI series is set in New York City, largely following a 16 year old teenager by the name of Clarissa (Clary) Fray. She is normal human being, up until the point where she discovers she... well, isn't. She stumbles upon a race of people who are called shadowhunters, half human, half angel who are sworn to protect humans (mundanes) from the shadow world i,e evil icky slimy demons that roam the cities reaping havoc. It is after this that she learns she has a most interesting heritage that she had grown up being magically modified to forget by her own mother - who is now missing. Clary joins with the group of New York shadowhunters, sullen and closeted Alec who is the brother of feisty and beautiful Isabelle, and the snarky and sexy god-like warrior Jace - all with her best friend and mundane Simon. Clary is determine to find her mother and will stop at nothing until she figures out how to save her, and how to get all of her memories back and discover the true nature of her past.

Also City of Bones was made into a film - which I've reviewed here ... it was alriiiight. It has also been made into a show call Shadowhunters, which I'm honestly not liking at all. Sorry if you like it - I wholeheartedly want it to be successful and have high hopes they'll find their feet and become great, but the differences are too much and I don't enjoy it right now.

FAVORITE CHARACTER 

Easy - Simon. He's the best friend anyone could ever ask for, he's always straight up, loyal, funny and he's also cute as a button.

FAVORITE SHIP

Also easy - Sizzy (Simon and Isabelle).

FAVORITE QUOTE

Now that's too hard, as I'm reviewing SIX books here, but if I had to pick one it'd be: "To love is to destroy, and to be loved is the one to be destroyed" - only because this transformation of mindsets and past experiences is mind-blowing.

MY RATING


4/5 stars - it's a great world, and I would highly recommend it to others.

DESCRIPTION: (as at Amazon.com)

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.


OTHER BOOKS IN THIS WORLD: 

The infernal devices (set in the past prior to the TMI series)
- Clockwork Angel
- Clockwork Prince
- Clockwork Princess

The Dark Artifices
- Lady Midnight

Stand-alone
- Bane Chronicles

Shadowhunters Academy

Pick up your own copy of the first book, City of Bones here

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