Fantasy lovers worldwide have been aware of The Mortal Instruments book series for a while. Unfortunately, the books came into the spotlight for wider audiences only after the failed movie adaptation, which starred Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower. Although the motion picture flop gave the series a bad reputation, the books have much more to offer, as is often the case.
This article will review The Mortal Instruments and explain what makes the novels so beloved among loyal fans.
About the author
The Mortal Instruments was written by Cassandra Clare, the author’s pen name. Born to an American family living in Iran, Clare’s actual name is Judith Rumelt.
Clare used to travel a lot with her family and often found a sense of stability in literature. After a globe-trekking childhood, she settled in Los Angeles to attend high school. During those early days, Clare was inspired to take up a pen name based on The Beautiful Casandra, a short story by Jane Austen.
Initially, Clare worked as a journalist, notably for The Hollywood Reporter. She also wrote fanfiction, particularly based on The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. After her works became popular with fans, Clare decided to commit to writing more seriously. Her first publication was in a fantasy anthology with the short story The Girl’s Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord.
Clare’s first novel was City of Bones, which also marked the beginning of The Mortal Instruments series. The book turned out to be an astounding success, becoming a New York Times bestseller. Encouraged by the novel’s reception, Clare immediately continued her work on the series, which proceeded to grow in popularity.
Today, The Mortal Instruments is part of a larger narrative called The Shadowhunter Chronicles, an expansive universe with numerous fans awaiting future entries. Clare’s young adult novels have been adapted into graphic novels, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie, and a television series starring, among others, Robert Sheehan. The Mortal Instruments novels are also sold in a collectible boxed set.
The Mortal Instruments series overview
The Mortal Instruments series consists of six titles split into trilogies. The first trilogy consists of City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass, while the second includes City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire.
The entire series follows Clary Fray, a Shadowhunter, i.e., demon slayer. While Clary is born with special abilities, she isn’t aware of them initially and discovers her dormant talents throughout the story. Clary’s adventures take place in the contemporary setting of New York City. However, the facade of normalcy slowly dissipates, revealing a world of angels, demons, warlocks, werewolves, and faeries.
City of Bones
Opening the series, City of Bones (number one bestseller in the Children’s Books category) introduces us to the setting, our protagonist, and her first outing into a world of fantasy. Clary meets her mentor and love interest Jace Wayland (aka Lightwood). Meeting Jace creates a conflict within Clary since she also develops feelings for her best friend, Simon.
Clary and Jace’s relationship launches a romantic subplot that will last until the series’ final book. Simultaneously with the romance, Clary meets other characters who will play a significant role in her adventures. Jace’s siblings, Alec and Isabelle, and the High Warlock Magnus Bane are among the pivotal players.
City of Ashes
The second novel focuses on Clary’s conflict with the main antagonist, Valentine. As the group around Clary fends off demon attacks, they start discovering new talents and ways to stop evil forces in their tracks.
While Clary explores the fantastical new world, she struggles with the overwhelming desire to return to her previous life. However, the supernatural dangers give Clary nothing option but to press forward. Luckily, she finds great support from her friends.
City of Glass
Clary needs to help her mother get out of a magically-induced coma. The new Shadowhunter discovers that she can only do so by traveling to Idris, the homeland of her species. There, Clary learns even more about the mystical world that lies beyond the borders of the commonly accepted reality.
City of Glass concludes the first book trilogy.
City of Fallen Angels
The subsequent trilogy launches by introducing new conflict and exploring the characters we’ve met in the previous three novels. Besides Clary and Jace, Simon gets a more prominent role in the story.
City of Fallen Angels concludes with the introduction of a new, powerful villain who will serve as the antagonist throughout the trilogy.
City of Lost Souls
Jace is taken by Sebastian, the elusive threat and Valentine’s successor who turns out to be even more sinister. Clary searches for Jace in a desperate attempt to save his soul. At the same time, Sebastian’s plans threaten all of existence.
City of Heavenly Fire
The book series finale sees Sebastian rampaging through the world, eliminating Shadowhunters everywhere. Clary and the rest of her crew must find a way to find and defeat him at any cost.
While City of Heavenly Fire concludes the series in a satisfying way, The Mortal Instruments sets up an expansive universe, which includes the prequel The Infernal Devices and the sequels The Dark Artifices and The Last Hours. In addition, the companion book The Shadowhunter’s Codex explores the lore further.
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FAQ
Why did The Mortal Instruments movie flop?
Based on the first book, the movie City of Bones was universally panned by critics. According to some professional reviewers, the movie was a poor adaptation due to the lack of identity – it tried too hard to look like other popular franchises of the time, particularly Twilight.
Will there be a 2nd Mortal Instruments movie?
A sequel to City of Bones was planned for production immediately after the first movie. However, since City of Bones underperformed at the box office and with critics, the sequel production was canceled. Instead, the story was adapted into a TV show.
Is The Mortal Instruments a spin-off of Shadowhunters?
The Mortal Instruments is a series within the larger narrative of The Shadowhunters Chronicles. As a vital element of the universe, the series isn’t a spin-off but one of the crucial building blocks of the overarching storyline.
