Series Review / Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

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...

Published:     Series began in 2007
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Books 1 to 6, Mortal Instruments
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

Now this was a fun series to read!   I have started this series before, many moons ago, but never got around to continuing with it.  What I liked the most about this series has to be the world building.  As the story goes on from one book to the other, the world just gets bigger and bigger.  Now I have not yet picked up The Shadowhunder's Codex but I have picked up most of the rules with this world, with the Shadowhunters and Downworlders etc.  I was really surprised by a certain plot line that involved Clary and two other individuals which I think crossed a certain moral line but it was very interesting to see that moral line played out.   

That said, there were a couple of things I was not too fond of with this series.  One thing I would have wished there was was more of a cliff hanger ending to each novel.  Yes, they are open ended, leads to the next story and always left me wanting to keep reading but there was never, for me, a shock ending or a shock twist in the story that made me stand up and really pay attention.  The other thing was Clary.  She is meant to be the main character, the one that you want to wish wins the day but I really didn't.  She came across as a stereotypical bad teenager from a bad movie - whiny and always doing what she wants, not thinking about the consequences and irrespective of what anyone else asks her to go.  Yes, that may work out for the best in some cases but I just found this really irritating.  

Despite the couple of problems I had with the series, I took it for what it is just a bit of fun to read and enjoyed it for what it was.  I have to say that there were two characters in this series that really made it for me and that has to be Magnus Bane and Simon, Clary's best friend.  Magnus with his amazingly addictive personality and Simon with his loyalty and flexibility given all the different plot lines he appears in.