Series Title: The Mortal Instruments
Author: Cassandra Clare
Number of Books: 6 (See the full list here)
Prequel: The Infernal Devices
Sequel: The Dark Artifices, The Last Hours
Spin-Off(s): The Shadowhunter’s Codex, The Bane Chronicles, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
Publication Dates: March 2007 to May 2014
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Action, Young Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Synopsis for City of Bones:

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…

Personal Thoughts:

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wow, OK, where do I start? This is my first time reviewing a whole series and to be perfectly honest, I am really afraid of writing a review for this series because I’m scared of not giving it justice. It seriously took me a month to finally decide to do a review and three weeks to write the review itself. I revisited the ratings that I gave for all the books in this series and was surprised to notice that I gave each of the books a solid 5-star rating.

The first book in the series, City of Bones, was published in 2007 and I didn’t read it until my first year in college (2010). By then, the first three books in the series had been released. Here’s a fun fact for those who do not know yet, the series was supposed to be a trilogy, so reading it in 2010 was the perfect time for me as I didn’t have to wait for the rest of the trilogy to be released. After some time, it was announced that a spin-off will be released. It started with City of Fallen Angels and ended with City of Heavenly Fire, which we now know as the fourth, fifth, and sixth installment in The Mortal Instruments series. So if you have noticed, there is a solid story arc that builds from City of Bones to City of Glass. At first, I was afraid of the spin-off series as it might ruin the first three books for me but Cassandra Clare proved me wrong by doing an awesome job at creating another solid story arc.

Here’s a confession: I purchased City of Heavenly Fire as soon as it was available in stores during its release year in 2014, but I kept it on hold as I felt like I am not ready to end the story just yet. It literally sat on my shelf for six whole years before I decided to finally pick it up, so I can start with the other Shadowhunter series like The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices which I have also purchased during their corresponding release dates but have been sitting on my shelf since.

Anyway, so much for an introduction, let’s get on with my actual thoughts on the series. I adore this series so much and has always been one of the fantasy series very close to my heart. What amazed me most about this series is how Cassandra Clare managed to squeeze in so many paranormal creatures (e.g., werewolves, warlocks, vampires, faeries etc). Also, there are creative and twisting plots all throughout the series that will keep you drawn into the story. The POV is in third person, but shifts among multiple characters which has multiple plots going on, but it’s not as hard to follow as you might think.

There is just so much in this series that you will come to love as you read into it. It’s really one hell of a journey and I am so excited to read more of the Shadow World. I highly recommend this series to everyone and since all the books in this series are out, I suggest you buy the whole series because finishing each book will make you want to read the next one.