Mandy Reviews: Cassandra Clare—"The Mortal Instruments" series

The Mortal Instruments series

By Cassandra Clare

I’m just going to come right out with it. I’m a sucker for a pretty cover. I’ll buy a book just for the cover art. I mean, just take a peek around this page. How irresistible is Burn Bright? How could you not possibly gravitate toward it in a bookshop, need to hold it, stroke it, own it? (Um, yeah. Okay. Too much information…) These were my thoughts exactly when I spied the first book in The Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones, way back in 2007.

Back then, I’d never heard of The Mortal Instruments or the author, Cassandra Clare. I hadn’t read a review, had it recommended to me, or heard any Internet buzz. I was a Mortal Instruments virgin. So it was with some trepidation I gently cracked open the beautiful cover. Would it be one of those books – you know, the ones that are all show and no substance? Thankfully not. I devoured the story of Clary and the uber cool Shadowhunters in a little over a day. To put it bluntly, all three of the Mortal Instruments books are Awesome. Note the capital A. And yes, I’ll admit right up front I’m biased these days. Cassandra Clare has become one of my all-time favourite authors.

It’s in City of Bones that we first meet the seemingly average Clary Fray who lives with her ‘widowed’ mother, Jocelyn. Along with her best friend, Simon, Clary is a loveable geek – in the coolest sense of the word. One night, Clary witnesses a murder in a Brooklyn (NY) nightclub, and is shocked to find only she can see the culprit (a very nice looking boy called Jace) and the victim. Jace claims it was a demon he murdered, and is intrigued that Clary can see him and his two cohorts: a beautiful girl named Isabelle who can turn some lethal tricks with her silver whip, and Alec, Isabelle’s quiet and protective older brother.

Clary is then thrust into a bizarre world-within-a-world – that of the Shadowhunters and Downworlders. When her own mother is attacked by a demon, Jace takes Clary under his wing, and back to the place he and the other Shadowhunters call home – The Institute. Invisible to ‘Mundanes’ (those pesky human folk) and ‘Downworlders’ (demons, vampires etc), The Institute is an old gothic cathedral protected by a glamour and multiple protection charms. There, Clary meets Hodge, guardian of Jace and gets a proper introduction to his adoptive siblings, Isabelle and Alec Lightwood.

She also learns the mysterious truth as to why she can see them.

City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass, the first three books in the series, have everything a speculative fiction fan could want. There are warriors, demons, warlocks and vampires; werewolves, faeries and angels; numerous love triangles, missing parents and a mysterious bad guy named Valentine. Politics, monks, runes and tattoos – it’s all here. The action is non-stop, and the world is to die for (literally). The Mortal Instruments is epic urban fantasy at its crazy best, the ride heart-stoppingly fast with pages that turn themselves. The relationship between Clary and Jace will have you cheering, then horrified, then cautiously whooping again.

Cassie Clare is writing buddies with another well-known author: Holly Black, author of the Spiderwick Chronicles, and more recently, White Cat. Fans of Black will enjoy seeing some of her characters cross over into the Shadowhunter’s world, especially when Clary and co visit the Faerie Realm. I’m also told it works the other way – apparently Jace makes an appearance in White Cat. I’ll let you know soon – that one’s on my TBR pile.

Book four, City of Fallen Angels is due for release in April this year, and will be followed by City of Lost Souls in 2012 and City of Heavenly Fire in 2013. And last year, the first of Clare’s prequel series, The Infernal Devices was released. Clockwork Angel will soon be followed up by Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess. Set 130 years ago in a steampunked Victorian London, we get to meet the family this time round. Descendants of the Lightwoods and other notable characters from The Mortal Instruments series are all here… as well as a couple of err, long-living characters we’ve met in the modern world. Again, Clare does an amazing job of making London her own – just as she does with New York. The steampunkery of zombie-demonbots is shear genius. But really, The Infernal Devices deserves its own post, so I’ll stop that right here.

The other huge news in the Shadowhunting world, is that The Mortal Instruments has been optioned for a movie, with a director (Scott Charles Stewart), screenwriter (Jessica Postigo) on the job, and casting is underway (with Lily Collins confirmed to play Clary).

The Mortal Instruments is one of those series that do need to be read in chronological order to get the most out of the storyline. The Infernal Devices could be read completely independently, but I’d recommend waiting until you’ve read at least the first three Mortal Instruments first – even if it’s just to get some of the ‘in’ jokes and the a-ha moments when a familiar name or character  pops up.

So for now, I’m hanging out for April and looking forward to catching up with some old fictional friends. Apparently, City of Fallen Angels delves a little deeper into the Downworlder’s side of things… namely that of a recently turned Vampire…