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The Mortal Instruments #1-6
The Mortal Instruments, the Complete Collection (Boxed Set): City of Bones; City of Ashes; City of Glass; City of Fallen Angels; City of Lost Souls; City of Heavenly Fire
All six books in the #1 New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series, now available in a collectible hardcover boxed set.
Enter the secret world of the Shadowhunters with this handsomely packaged boxed set that includes City of Bones , City of Ashes , City of Glass , City of Fallen Angels , City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire . The Mortal Instruments books have more than five million copies in print, and this collectible set of six hardcover volumes is a perfect gift for newcomers to the series and for loyal fans alike.
Enter the secret world of the Shadowhunters with this handsomely packaged boxed set that includes City of Bones , City of Ashes , City of Glass , City of Fallen Angels , City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire . The Mortal Instruments books have more than five million copies in print, and this collectible set of six hardcover volumes is a perfect gift for newcomers to the series and for loyal fans alike.
3248 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 2014
481 people are currently reading
13967 people want to read
About the author
Cassandra Clare
197 books277k followersCassandra Clare was born to American parents in Tehran, Iran and spent much of her childhood travelling the world with her family, including one trek through the Himalayas as a toddler where she spent a month living in her father’s backpack. She lived in France, England and Switzerland before she was ten years old.
Since her family moved around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book under her arm. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles where she used to write stories to amuse her classmates, including an epic novel called “The Beautiful Cassandra” based on a Jane Austen short story of the same name (and which later inspired her current pen name).
After college, Cassie lived in Los Angeles and New York where she worked at various entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids where she reported on Brad and Angelina’s world travels and Britney Spears’ wardrobe malfunctions. She started working on her YA novel, City of Bones, in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favourite city. She turned to writing fantasy fiction full time in 2006 and hopes never to have to write about Paris Hilton again.
Cassie’s first professional writing sale was a short story called “The Girl’s Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord” in a Baen anthology of humor fantasy. Cassie hates working at home alone because she always gets distracted by reality TV shows and the antics of her cats, so she usually sets out to write in local coffee shops and restaurants. She likes to work in the company of her friends, who see that she sticks to her deadlines.
City of Bones was her first novel. Sword Catcher is her most recent novel.
Since her family moved around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book under her arm. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles where she used to write stories to amuse her classmates, including an epic novel called “The Beautiful Cassandra” based on a Jane Austen short story of the same name (and which later inspired her current pen name).
After college, Cassie lived in Los Angeles and New York where she worked at various entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids where she reported on Brad and Angelina’s world travels and Britney Spears’ wardrobe malfunctions. She started working on her YA novel, City of Bones, in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favourite city. She turned to writing fantasy fiction full time in 2006 and hopes never to have to write about Paris Hilton again.
Cassie’s first professional writing sale was a short story called “The Girl’s Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord” in a Baen anthology of humor fantasy. Cassie hates working at home alone because she always gets distracted by reality TV shows and the antics of her cats, so she usually sets out to write in local coffee shops and restaurants. She likes to work in the company of her friends, who see that she sticks to her deadlines.
City of Bones was her first novel. Sword Catcher is her most recent novel.
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November 23, 2014
5+ SHADOWHUNTER SERIES STARS! ★★★★★
“We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.”
Oh. My. Gawd. It's been almost 2 weeks since I read the last book in this series and at that point, I was left cuddling on my bed till my parents summoned me out of my room and saw me sniffling. Needless to say, I was beyond wrecked and felt like I was going through a 5-stage grief process throughout this entire time.
I couldn't even bring myself to write a review back then because doing so felt like I was making a definite decision to say goodbye to my favorite Shadowhunters and frankly I'm still not ready to *sniffs*.
**This will be a consolidated review of the ENTIRE series.**
Being an avid YA fantasy/dystopia reader back in 2012, I couldn't bring myself to pick up this series as it was still ongoing and wasn't sure if I wanted to invest my emotional being into such a long series. At that point, I was deeply invested into The Hunger Games trilogy and wasn't ready to just move on yet. So even after watching City of Bones in cinemas and loving it, I still hesitated to pick it up. But as of recent after needing to shift out from my romance contemporary reads and with the added incentive from one of my trusted reading buddies, I decided to finally give this a go.
I'll just say that I have absolutely zero regrets of dedicating an entire week for this read. My only regret was probably not picking this up back in 2012.
From Day 1 of CC week, I was immediately sucked into this Shadowhunter world and with the days in between, I felt like I was fighting alongside their battles and growing up with them. Up till the last day of me reading the final book, just as every character has fought till their very last drop of sweat, tears and blood; it was as overwhelming for me as for them too once we finally reach that finish line.
As a reader, I was no longer on the outside looking in; but somewhere along the way, I was a part of their world. I grieved alongside them, I revelled in their victory. For every high and for every low moment, there was just so much to take away from them all.
Every single thing in this series from the world-building to the character development and down to the plot details; they were done so intricately with so many rich details woven in slowly along the way and ultimately led up to a more complex world that we first imagined. There were always twists that you won't see coming in every book and characters that will make you have a change of heart as they slowly weasel into it.
Character development was definitely evident throughout the series and the one thing that evoked so much powerful emotions in me as I read the final books were how much these characters have come along since the very first one. Gone were the reckless young teenage Shadowhunters and in came the mature, bolder version of these young warriors.
There will be moments of love and trust but also betrayal and heartbreak. Moments that will make your heart flutter, moments that will shatter your heart beyond repair. There was a point in the final book that left me sobbing uncontrollably as I watched it unravelled because I've grown so attached to these people. The emotions evoked were almost as real as it could possibly be.
The ending of the entire series may have not been the most ideal one, but in a way it was also perfect. It left an aching feel in my heart not just because it marked the end of the series and having to bid goodbye to my beloved Shadowhunters, but it was a good kind of ache because after everything that these characters have endured throughout, they ended up in such a good place in the end. Ultimately, that's the best thing a reader could possibly ask for :')
Overall this was truly an amazing series and one that everyone should attempt to read whether you're an avid reader of the fantasy genre. After being immersed into the wizardy world back during my HP days, I never thought I would find another world like the Shadowhunter world to lose myself in. Honestly, it will be a long while before I can fully recover from this series but moving on, these characters will have a sure place in my heart now ♥♥.
Well it won't be too long till you see me picking up The Infernal Devices trilogy ;)
“We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.”
Oh. My. Gawd. It's been almost 2 weeks since I read the last book in this series and at that point, I was left cuddling on my bed till my parents summoned me out of my room and saw me sniffling. Needless to say, I was beyond wrecked and felt like I was going through a 5-stage grief process throughout this entire time.
I couldn't even bring myself to write a review back then because doing so felt like I was making a definite decision to say goodbye to my favorite Shadowhunters and frankly I'm still not ready to *sniffs*.
**This will be a consolidated review of the ENTIRE series.**
Being an avid YA fantasy/dystopia reader back in 2012, I couldn't bring myself to pick up this series as it was still ongoing and wasn't sure if I wanted to invest my emotional being into such a long series. At that point, I was deeply invested into The Hunger Games trilogy and wasn't ready to just move on yet. So even after watching City of Bones in cinemas and loving it, I still hesitated to pick it up. But as of recent after needing to shift out from my romance contemporary reads and with the added incentive from one of my trusted reading buddies, I decided to finally give this a go.
I'll just say that I have absolutely zero regrets of dedicating an entire week for this read. My only regret was probably not picking this up back in 2012.
From Day 1 of CC week, I was immediately sucked into this Shadowhunter world and with the days in between, I felt like I was fighting alongside their battles and growing up with them. Up till the last day of me reading the final book, just as every character has fought till their very last drop of sweat, tears and blood; it was as overwhelming for me as for them too once we finally reach that finish line.
As a reader, I was no longer on the outside looking in; but somewhere along the way, I was a part of their world. I grieved alongside them, I revelled in their victory. For every high and for every low moment, there was just so much to take away from them all.
Every single thing in this series from the world-building to the character development and down to the plot details; they were done so intricately with so many rich details woven in slowly along the way and ultimately led up to a more complex world that we first imagined. There were always twists that you won't see coming in every book and characters that will make you have a change of heart as they slowly weasel into it.
Character development was definitely evident throughout the series and the one thing that evoked so much powerful emotions in me as I read the final books were how much these characters have come along since the very first one. Gone were the reckless young teenage Shadowhunters and in came the mature, bolder version of these young warriors.
There will be moments of love and trust but also betrayal and heartbreak. Moments that will make your heart flutter, moments that will shatter your heart beyond repair. There was a point in the final book that left me sobbing uncontrollably as I watched it unravelled because I've grown so attached to these people. The emotions evoked were almost as real as it could possibly be.
The ending of the entire series may have not been the most ideal one, but in a way it was also perfect. It left an aching feel in my heart not just because it marked the end of the series and having to bid goodbye to my beloved Shadowhunters, but it was a good kind of ache because after everything that these characters have endured throughout, they ended up in such a good place in the end. Ultimately, that's the best thing a reader could possibly ask for :')
Overall this was truly an amazing series and one that everyone should attempt to read whether you're an avid reader of the fantasy genre. After being immersed into the wizardy world back during my HP days, I never thought I would find another world like the Shadowhunter world to lose myself in. Honestly, it will be a long while before I can fully recover from this series but moving on, these characters will have a sure place in my heart now ♥♥.
Well it won't be too long till you see me picking up The Infernal Devices trilogy ;)
January 14, 2020
So here’s the thing. After reading the things that crop up on wordpress.com from time to time concerning Cassandra Clare and her notorious history as a “Big Name Fan” on the very permanent interwebz, I don’t have much respect for her as a writer. That being said, the trailer for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones looks pretty good and I’m a huge sucker for young adult urban fantasy centered around female protagonists. Combine these factors with my good friend Lottie’s recent description of the pseudo-incest plot in The Mortal Instruments, as well as her insistence that I’d love some of the queer characters in the novels (which was reiterated by my best friend), and I caved in spite of my dislike for the books’ author.
In the last week, I’ve busted through all five books that have been published thus far in The Mortal Instruments series and made plans to read the series prequel, The Infernal Devices. I can say with conviction that I have never in my life been more torn about my feelings for a book series, most especially a fun and easy-to-read young adult series.
The basic plot of The Mortal Instruments is that within the human world, there is another world that contains demons, greater demons, vampires, werewolves and other “downworlders” (known to Buffy fans as “baddies”), as well as shadowhunters. Shadowhunters were created when a mortal man drank the blood of an angel. (Or something. I’ve actually lost that thread somewhere along the way because I’ve been too busy tearing my hear out over the romantic drama in these books. That part is definitely riveting.) Shadowhunters are meant to protect humankind from demons and downworlders, which of course gets complicated. Enter some sycophants hellbent on destroying either the human world or the shadowhunter world (or both) and a girl named Clary Fray who was born a shadowhunter but never known life as anything other than a mundane (a “muggle,” for the Potterheads out there), and boom! You have a book series. As this book series progresses, you follow Clary and her friends as they fight evil and avoid death (some more successfully than others) and watch them all fall in love with each other.
From a writer’s standpoint? The Mortal Instruments is a mess of overused metaphors and flowery language that’s too heavy even for the incredibly dramatic plot. Add in the fact that Clare has been accused of plagiarism and the writer side of me has to check out every time I open one of these books. From a reader’s standpoint? Well… that’s complicated. Clare has really interesting characters. I’m completely drawn to every single one of her major players, most especially the romantic and platonic ties between all of them. I constantly want to read more about the dramatic interplay between Clary and Jace, between Alec and Magnus, between Simon and Isabelle…
Clare’s writing feels like fanfiction, which means that it’s incredibly easy and fast to read and that it keeps me interested, even when elements of it make me squirm or feel utterly ridiculous. I am so attached to her characters that I keep reading, despite the fact that overall, the books in this series are not that great. They aren’t worth the attachment. But the characters, as well as certain moments between the characters, make all of my irritation and frustration ultimately worth it. I have every intention of reading the sixth book in this series when it’s released, as well as the prequel series, The Infernal Devices. I have tweeted about and shouted about and updated people about my progress in the books, as well as my feelings throughout. I have gotten entirely too involved in this series, despite my lack of respect for Cassandra Clare, and I totally blame my friends for it. Will I be seeing the movie? Yes. Will I hate the casting? Most definitely. Will I see all of the movies after that? Probably.
For now, I’m taking a break from this series (which in the fourth and fifth books has gotten way too cracky for my taste, but is still riveting enough to keep reading — you can read my individual reviews of the books on GoodReads [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]) to read other young adult books that I am also only interested in because of the upcoming film adaptations… But I know I’m going to get just as attached to the characters in The Infernal Devices. I have prepared myself for this downfall.
I have developed a very love/hate relationship with The Mortal Instruments. I love the characters and the relationships. I hate the writing. I keep finding gaping holes in the plot. I can’t picture hardly anyone in the film cast properly filling the shoes of their roles (though my dream cast is quite lovely, I must say). I don’t respect Cassandra Clare or her writing. But I love Jace Wayland (Lightwood? spoiler alert!) and I love Alec Lightwood and I love Magnus Bane. I love Clary Fray. I love Isabelle Lightwood. I hate myself and my friends for convincing me to read this series.
Remember when I said I was torn? I really, really meant it.
In the last week, I’ve busted through all five books that have been published thus far in The Mortal Instruments series and made plans to read the series prequel, The Infernal Devices. I can say with conviction that I have never in my life been more torn about my feelings for a book series, most especially a fun and easy-to-read young adult series.
The basic plot of The Mortal Instruments is that within the human world, there is another world that contains demons, greater demons, vampires, werewolves and other “downworlders” (known to Buffy fans as “baddies”), as well as shadowhunters. Shadowhunters were created when a mortal man drank the blood of an angel. (Or something. I’ve actually lost that thread somewhere along the way because I’ve been too busy tearing my hear out over the romantic drama in these books. That part is definitely riveting.) Shadowhunters are meant to protect humankind from demons and downworlders, which of course gets complicated. Enter some sycophants hellbent on destroying either the human world or the shadowhunter world (or both) and a girl named Clary Fray who was born a shadowhunter but never known life as anything other than a mundane (a “muggle,” for the Potterheads out there), and boom! You have a book series. As this book series progresses, you follow Clary and her friends as they fight evil and avoid death (some more successfully than others) and watch them all fall in love with each other.
From a writer’s standpoint? The Mortal Instruments is a mess of overused metaphors and flowery language that’s too heavy even for the incredibly dramatic plot. Add in the fact that Clare has been accused of plagiarism and the writer side of me has to check out every time I open one of these books. From a reader’s standpoint? Well… that’s complicated. Clare has really interesting characters. I’m completely drawn to every single one of her major players, most especially the romantic and platonic ties between all of them. I constantly want to read more about the dramatic interplay between Clary and Jace, between Alec and Magnus, between Simon and Isabelle…
Clare’s writing feels like fanfiction, which means that it’s incredibly easy and fast to read and that it keeps me interested, even when elements of it make me squirm or feel utterly ridiculous. I am so attached to her characters that I keep reading, despite the fact that overall, the books in this series are not that great. They aren’t worth the attachment. But the characters, as well as certain moments between the characters, make all of my irritation and frustration ultimately worth it. I have every intention of reading the sixth book in this series when it’s released, as well as the prequel series, The Infernal Devices. I have tweeted about and shouted about and updated people about my progress in the books, as well as my feelings throughout. I have gotten entirely too involved in this series, despite my lack of respect for Cassandra Clare, and I totally blame my friends for it. Will I be seeing the movie? Yes. Will I hate the casting? Most definitely. Will I see all of the movies after that? Probably.
For now, I’m taking a break from this series (which in the fourth and fifth books has gotten way too cracky for my taste, but is still riveting enough to keep reading — you can read my individual reviews of the books on GoodReads [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]) to read other young adult books that I am also only interested in because of the upcoming film adaptations… But I know I’m going to get just as attached to the characters in The Infernal Devices. I have prepared myself for this downfall.
I have developed a very love/hate relationship with The Mortal Instruments. I love the characters and the relationships. I hate the writing. I keep finding gaping holes in the plot. I can’t picture hardly anyone in the film cast properly filling the shoes of their roles (though my dream cast is quite lovely, I must say). I don’t respect Cassandra Clare or her writing. But I love Jace Wayland (Lightwood? spoiler alert!) and I love Alec Lightwood and I love Magnus Bane. I love Clary Fray. I love Isabelle Lightwood. I hate myself and my friends for convincing me to read this series.
Remember when I said I was torn? I really, really meant it.
January 4, 2015
there is so much wrong with these books i dont know where to begin????
but, like...kids, dont have sex in dirty demon caves. ever. dont even bring a condom with you to hell because who does that? who? why?
and thats not even touching on the sexualization and almost fetishistic approach to her canon queer characters (magnus and alec, those very minor female characters if you want to count them). like, i was so uncomfortable? i binge read through the books at first and didnt fully notice until i looked back on it but. dont do that?
honestly i could keep going i could fill this box with text and then some but its not worth it. final verdict: good concept and potential for world building, absolutely shit execution.
but, like...kids, dont have sex in dirty demon caves. ever. dont even bring a condom with you to hell because who does that? who? why?
and thats not even touching on the sexualization and almost fetishistic approach to her canon queer characters (magnus and alec, those very minor female characters if you want to count them). like, i was so uncomfortable? i binge read through the books at first and didnt fully notice until i looked back on it but. dont do that?
honestly i could keep going i could fill this box with text and then some but its not worth it. final verdict: good concept and potential for world building, absolutely shit execution.
October 19, 2021
City of Bones: 5 stars
City of Ashes: 5 stars
City of Glass: 5 stars
City of Fallen Angels: 4 stars
City of Lost Souls: 3 stars
City of Heavenly Fire: 2 stars
City of Ashes: 5 stars
City of Glass: 5 stars
City of Fallen Angels: 4 stars
City of Lost Souls: 3 stars
City of Heavenly Fire: 2 stars
January 1, 2021
City of Bones
I really enjoyed my reread of this book. There were smaller details that I forgot which were interesting to read about again such as Izzy's horrible cooking, Simon saving the gang, and the motorcycles fueled by demon energies. I also forgot how mean Alec was to Clary in the beginning. The introductions to Magnus and Raphael were great even though we don't get to learn much about them. This book has much simpler writing and plot than the rest of Cassandra Clare's books but is still enjoyable.
City of Ashes
I liked my reread of this book the same amount as my first read through. Jace is really annoying in this one but his character definitely improves over time and as you get to know him better. Maia was introduced in this one and it was interesting to see how quickly Simon and she started becoming friends. I wish there was more of Izzy in this book.
City of Glass
It was nice to reread this book as it allowed me to catch a lot of details, I missed the first time around. I simultaneously hated, felt bad for, and liked Jace in this one. There were a lot of backstories given about several of the past circle members given. Magnus was only there for a few moments but the entire time he was there I was excited to see what he was doing. I really liked Simon’s character in this book as he was there for his friends and willing to sacrifice himself to save everyone.
City of Fallen Angels
This book was a fun read even though all of the characters were having some rough times. Pretty much every single character was going through some hard things during this book and I contently felt bad for them. I listened to this book as an audiobook and for some reason, the voice actor of Simon was hard to listen to. Other than that this was a great reread. I'm excited to continue with the rest of the series.
City of Lost Souls
This book had a lot of good memories that I had forgotten about. I went much slower with this reread and was really able to notice all of the small details which made the reading experience much better. Can't wait to finish the series!
City of Heavenly Fire
What an ending to the series!! I loved all of the references and foreshadowing to The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices series respectively. Looking forward to starting The Infernal Devices series!
I really enjoyed my reread of this book. There were smaller details that I forgot which were interesting to read about again such as Izzy's horrible cooking, Simon saving the gang, and the motorcycles fueled by demon energies. I also forgot how mean Alec was to Clary in the beginning. The introductions to Magnus and Raphael were great even though we don't get to learn much about them. This book has much simpler writing and plot than the rest of Cassandra Clare's books but is still enjoyable.
City of Ashes
I liked my reread of this book the same amount as my first read through. Jace is really annoying in this one but his character definitely improves over time and as you get to know him better. Maia was introduced in this one and it was interesting to see how quickly Simon and she started becoming friends. I wish there was more of Izzy in this book.
City of Glass
It was nice to reread this book as it allowed me to catch a lot of details, I missed the first time around. I simultaneously hated, felt bad for, and liked Jace in this one. There were a lot of backstories given about several of the past circle members given. Magnus was only there for a few moments but the entire time he was there I was excited to see what he was doing. I really liked Simon’s character in this book as he was there for his friends and willing to sacrifice himself to save everyone.
City of Fallen Angels
This book was a fun read even though all of the characters were having some rough times. Pretty much every single character was going through some hard things during this book and I contently felt bad for them. I listened to this book as an audiobook and for some reason, the voice actor of Simon was hard to listen to. Other than that this was a great reread. I'm excited to continue with the rest of the series.
City of Lost Souls
This book had a lot of good memories that I had forgotten about. I went much slower with this reread and was really able to notice all of the small details which made the reading experience much better. Can't wait to finish the series!
City of Heavenly Fire
What an ending to the series!! I loved all of the references and foreshadowing to The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices series respectively. Looking forward to starting The Infernal Devices series!
September 3, 2020
This series starts out a bit slow but the pacing changes as the series progresses. Some books are better than the others but most of the books are action packed. Third book in the series is my favorite and Isabella is my favorite character in the series. I also love Magnus, Alec and Simon.
City of Bones - 3 stars
City of Ashes - 3.5 stars
City of Glass - 4 stars
City of Fallen Angels - 2-2.5 stars
City of Lost Souls - 3.5 stars
City of Heavenly Fire - 3 stars
City of Bones - 3 stars
City of Ashes - 3.5 stars
City of Glass - 4 stars
City of Fallen Angels - 2-2.5 stars
City of Lost Souls - 3.5 stars
City of Heavenly Fire - 3 stars
October 3, 2014
A very good series one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES!!!!!!!
July 12, 2021
city of bones - 4.5/5
city of ashes - 4/5
city of glass - 5/5
city of fallen angels - 3.5/5
city of lost souls - 5/5
city of heavenly fire - 5/5
city of ashes - 4/5
city of glass - 5/5
city of fallen angels - 3.5/5
city of lost souls - 5/5
city of heavenly fire - 5/5
November 27, 2016
City of Bones 5 stelline
Iniziato 15/05/16 - Finito 22/05/16
Rilettura in inglese. Fantastica Clare. Qui getta le base per la sua splendida saga.
City of Ashes 5 stelline
Iniziato 17/06/16 - Finito 20/06/16
Finita anche questa seconda rilettura in inglese.
La parte dove ho avuto più difficoltà è quella della battaglia con i demoni.
Per il resto *.*
Insomma il tormento di Jace, la lotta di Clary contro i propri sentimenti, le manipolazioni di Valentine, l'evoluzione (finalmente) di Simon, Magnus e Alec (sempre in sottofondo ma presenza solida e importante).
Non manca niente, c'è il tormento, la gioia (poca), il lutto, la rabbia, la comicità (voglio dire, parliamo di tutta la scena della runa Fearless a casa di Luke! XD), il dolore.
La Clare in questo è bravissima.
Bello! Nonostante conosco già tutti gli avvenimenti, non vedo l'ora di proseguire la lettura.
City of Glass 5 stelline
Iniziato 14/07/16 – Finito 22/07/16
Ecco la Clare all’ennesima potenza! Qui c’è tutta la sua bravura nel dare profondità ai personaggi e nell’alternare storie tristissime (una su tutte la fine del piccolo Max), storie serie e quelle divertenti.
Adoro i dialoghi tra Clary e Jace, sia le sfuriate del tormentato Jace, sia quelli che mi riducono gli occhi a ♥♥
"There is no pretending," Jace said with absolute clarity. "I love you, and i will love you until i die, and if there's a life after that, i'll love you then."
“And now i’m looking at you,” he said, “and you’re asking me if I still want you, as if I could stop loving you. As if I would want to give up the thing that makes me stronger than anything else ever has. I never dared give much of my self to anyone before – bits of myself to the Lightwoods, to Isabelle and Alec, but it took years to do it- but, Clary, since the first time I saw you, I have belonged to you completely. I still do, if you want me.”
E non posso non ricordare anche i confronti tra Clary e Isabelle, tra Clary e Simon e Clary e la mamma.
Bellissimo anche lo scambio tra Jace e Luke al funerale di Valentine.
Ogni volta che rileggo, mi piace sempre più Alec, sempre nell'ombra ma sempre fondamentale. E che dire della guerriera Isabelle?
Bella la strana amicizia che alla fine si è instaurata tra Jace e Simon.
Il Conclave continua a non imparare dai suoi errori, e li ripete all'infinito.
E finalmente è stato introdotto Sebastian/Jonathan!
La prima parte di questa serie è terminata, adesso inizia una nuova storia.
City of Fallen Angels 5 stelline
Iniziato 13/09/16 – Finito 18/09/16
Rilettura in inglese del primo capitolo della seconda parte di TMI.
Rispetto alla mia recensione del 2011
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
ho ben poco da aggiungere.
The world, the city, and all its lights and life seemed to have narrowed down to this, just her and Jace, the burning heart of a frozen world
Ci sono decine e decine di citazione come questa che si possono riportare, tanto è l’intensità dei sentimenti espressi dalla Clare.
Belli e pertinenti i riferimenti a Dante
L’amor che move il sole e le l’altre stelle
Spettacolare il cliffhanger finale (anche se so cosa succede :P), sa come stuzzicare i lettori ^^
L’altro giorno stavo riguardando alcuni episodi di Full Metal Alchemist - The Brotherhood, e stavo pensando al principio dello scambio, legge base dell’alchimia e il controvalore della resurrezione di Jace.
Considerando che la Clare è un’appassionata di manga e anime, chissà se è stata ispirata dall’opera di Hiromu Arakawa.
City of Lost Souls 5 stelline
Iniziato il 17/10/16 – Finito il 23/10/16
Rilettura in inglese del quinto capitolo di TMI.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ribadisco che quello che mi è particolarmente piaciuto di questo libro, è che parla soprattutto di rapporti fraterni: quelli di sangue, quelli acquisiti, quelli imposti.
Iniziamo dal rapporto tra Izzy e Jace, i ricordi di lei sul Jace di 10 anni, sui suoi sentimenti, su come si è formato il loro legame, sono una piccola perla.
La gelosia di Alec nei confronti di Sebastian che gli ha rubato il suo fratello parabatai e sul fatto che, per certi versi il legame tra Jace e Sebastian è più profondo del loro, è toccante.
Alec che consola una incredibilmente vulnerabile Izzy, che prende forza dalla sorella minore perché hanno bisogno di lei.
Il rapporto fraterno tra Clary e Simon. Lui è sempre quello a cui lei si rivolge quando ha problemi, quello sui conta che sa che mai la tradirà, suscitando la gelosia e l'invida di Izzy.
E Simon, per l’amicizia che lo lega a Clary è disposto a sacrificare tutto.
Fantastico, però, il modo in cui lui molla tutto appena legge il biglietto di Izzy, la raggiunge e le racconta una stupenda storia della buona notte! Star Wars ^^ Questo è un rapporto in continua evoluzione e che cresce e matura pagina dopo pagina.
Unico è anche il rapporto che lega Jace e Simon, entrambi non sanno che ognuno di loro considera l’altro un vero amico.
Poi ci sono i fratelli che si odiano, Clary e Sebastian.
Sebastian, un cattivo veramente ben fatto, sicuramente più crudele e spietato di Valentine, ma ci sono dei momenti che mi fa anche pena.
Come Clary, ci sono stati dei momenti in cui volevo credere che lui fosse cambiato, perché in definitiva, il suo essere cattivo non è stata una sua scelta, è il padre che l'ha creato così.
E c'è sempre quell'immensa solitudine. I discorsi fatti con Clary sulla famiglia, sull'appartenenza a qualcosa/ qualcuno, non penso facessero parte dell'imbroglio, secondo me erano veri.
Poi c’è quella sorta di fratellanza imposta che è quella tra Jace e Sebastian, due ragazzi senza sangue comune, cresciuti dalla stesso perfido padre, imposta da parte di uno e subita inconsciamente da parte dell'altro.
La cosa più forte che esce dal libro è l’assenza di Jace, perché davvero quello non era il vero Jace e si è sentita la sua mancanza. Capibili i dubbi di Clary, vedendolo più rilassato, sul fatto che lui possa essere più felice così.
Now that, Clary thought, was a clear and absolute difference between this Jace and hers.
Her Jace had a ferociouss and all-consuming curiosity about everything. He would never shrug and go along with someone else's plan. He was like the ocean ceaselessly throwing itself against a rocky shore, and this Jace was ... a calm river shining in the sun.
Io adoro Chairman Meow! mi piace molto più di Church; e vedere Jace con il libro di Will non ha prezzo!
City of Heavenly Fire 5 stelline
Iniziato il 15/11/16 - 27/11/2016
Rilettura in inglese del sesto capitolo di TMI.
Oltre a quanto già detto nella recensione della lettura in italiano, ho ben poco da dire.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
La Clare ha tratteggiato uno splendido personaggio che può piacere (difficile) o no (probabile), ma che a me è molto piaciuto; Sebastian è uno dei cattivi più ben fatti di cui ho letto, complicato e dalle tante sfaccettature.
Ci sono stati tanti passaggi tristi, ma anche tante parti divertenti che ne hanno sdrammatizzato l’atmosfera.
I pezzi che mi avevano innervosito la prima volta, hanno continuato ad innervosirmi: Jem e Tessa! Non c’è niente da fare, la loro storia non riuscirò mai a digerirla, e la Clare continua, imperterrita, a rigirare il coltello nella ferita. Perché non ce li leviamo più dai piedi, anche se i riferimenti a Will, agli Herondale in generale sia attuali che del passato, sono emozionanti e non vedo l’ora di poter leggere The Last Hours.
E poi ci sono tutti i dialoghi che colpiscono il cuore, Alec e Magnus, Isabelle e Simon e soprattutto Clary e Jace *.*
Ogni piccolo dettaglio piantato in TMI e in TID trova soluzione e di nuovi ne sono stati piantati per TDA: la storia dei Blackthorne ed Emma Castairs mi è già entrata sotto pelle; soprattutto voglio leggere di Mark, che so già, sarà il mio personaggio preferito di TDA.
Questa volta il finale è stato perfetto, meglio di così non poteva essere.
Ed è un arrivederci! ^^
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2021
I absolutely loved this series! It takes you on a journey of amazing characters and make you think about what is all around us that we can't see.
November 14, 2015
Things The Series Did Right
-Worldbuilding
-Descriptions
I could picture the characters and surroundings quite well. It all seemed very real to me, which is not always easy to do, but I rarely struggled with the writing and with imagining things in the books. Even during boring parts I would be able to read through it smoothly because the writing always flowed very well for me, and rarely left me confused or having to go back and re-read something. Sometimes certain parts even felt like how I myself would write something.
-Side characters
-Side characters getting development/multiple POVs
Some people don’t like the multiple POVs, but I personally do, just because it’s nice to get away from the main gang for a while. It also makes the story flow faster and more smoothly, for me anyway. HoN tries to do that, but fails miserably. Probably because I don’t care about ANY of the characters in that series, nor the plot or “writing” (if you can call it that). I think there were clear and distinct differences between the groups (Shadowhunters, the four Downworlder groups, mundanes, Silent Brothers, angels, demons, etc.) and I was able to get a sense of each of them. Obviously I wish that they’d focused on more than others, but that’s a different story.
-Humor
-Building up suspense
-Lots of action and fight scenes. I liked how some of them were especially violent.
-Names. Yes, I liked quite a lot of the nomenclature in here.
-Diversity (It’s not required, but it is nice when a series has it)
In fact, now that I think about it, pretty much all my favorite characters are nonwhite. Maia, Raphael, Magnus, Jem (I’m sure there are some dumbasses in the fandom who think those last two are white, even though it’s clearly stated that they’re not), and while I hate the term “whitewashing” for its overuse by abhorrent anti-white SJWs, I think it would probably be appropriate in the case of people wanting Magnus or Jem casted as white actors.
Things The Series Struggled Quite A Lot With
-Having the characters always be likeable or sympathize-able.
-Forced relationships. Everybody is in a relationship. Everybody.
-Repeated descriptions
-Loose ends.
The biggest one being that the Shadowhunters never learn from their bigotry. They, even some of the main characters, still think they’re better than Downworlders and mundanes, even after the sixth book. Which is really, really disappointing.
-Inconsistencies with the characters.
Something about these books that makes them so up –and-down for me is the fact that the characters just don’t seem consistent to me. Like let’s see—one minute, Alec is a raging asshole, the next, he’s this shy sensitive guy. I literally think he has two separate people living in him. That’s the only explanation. And Clary…the movie Clary and book Clary are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PEOPLE. In the movie I felt so bad for how she was treated, she was nice to everyone and the Lightwoods preyed on her and ripped her to shreds, but in the books…in the books everybody loves her, almost immediately, and she is high-and-mighty as a result (though she’s like that anyway). It’s just super freaky. It’s almost like I can’t decide on a final opinion about these people, because they are so contradictory in themselves.
-Double Standards
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the following are a disturbing amount of double standards in these books that I’d like to point out:
-Jocelyn makes ONE mistake (erasing her daughter’s memories to protect her) and she is set up on a cross and burned to death for it. Clary KEEPS making the SAME mistakes over and over and OVER again (being rash and impulsive, running off into danger, having no regard for who it affects whatsoever), yet is praised endlessly to the very end. The ONLY time somebody decides to call her out on her shit is when Luke scolds her for creating that stupid Portal in City of Glass, but then again, Luke is barely around after that, and we conveniently leave Clary being surrounded by all who love her.
-Jocelyn makes that mistake and no one can forgive her. Alec makes the mistake of considering taking Magnus’s immortality away, and we have a whole army raiding down on Magnus to forgive Alec and get back together with him immediately. How DARE Magnus be a little hurt by someone’s betrayal and therefore want some time away from them???
-Clary gets angry all the time, screams at people, and oftentimes gets violent. Yet we’re supposed to just accept this without complain, cuz you know, that’s Clary for ya! Jocelyn gets mad ONE time, justifiably, because her stupid selfish daughter goes running off and no one thought to tell Jocelyn this or even sympathize with her, after she went through the EFFORT to bring Clary somewhere safe, and we’re supposed to believe Jocelyn’s not allowed to get angry at all. She’s vilified for having the same human emotion that CLARY is always exhibiting.
-Clary arrives in the City of Glass completely shocked and appalled that no one wants to see her, and it’s a big old pityfest when Jace yells at her (even though he was right about what he said), and poor Clary, poor poor wittle Clary…when Jocelyn arrives in the City of Glass to see her daughter, after committing the unthinkable act of WAKING UP FROM A COMA, Clary fucking screams at her and RAILROADS her into the next town! But Clary is still treated like the victim, even though she’s the one who abused her mother, and acted EXACTLY the same way she didn’t want someone else acting towards her earlier on.
I mean goodness, there are enough double standards here to fill up a whole train station! It’s like unless you absolutely agree with every single thing the main group of characters are doing, and unless you absolutely love them, you’re just a bad person who deserves to be cast aside. No matter what they’re doing is stupid, and never mind how it may be affecting you…you don’t matter, they do, so you HAVE to agree with what they’re doing or else. I mean jeez…just because someone’s the main character doesn’t mean they’re perfect, always right, and exempt from criticism. A good writer knows this.
That’s why I’d started to have some faith in CoG when Luke, the closest anyone came in this entire series, actually called Clary out on her shit when she decided to go and create that stupid Portal, literally in the middle of Magnus and Luke yelling at her to stop it and explaining to her how it’s dangerous and why she shouldn’t do it. I would’ve thought Clary would’ve learned a huge lesson after that, that she would’ve grown and matured and developed as a character and been more thoughtful from that point forward when doing things. But no…she literally just keeps on doing the same thing over and over and OVER throughout the entire series, and people stop criticizing her and instead start praising her! She isn’t brave...she’s stupid. It’s as plain and simple as that.
This series has the exact opposite problem of Eona. In that series, the main character is mistreated horribly and she’s actually a great person who deserved a lot more credit and respect. In this series…you freaking hate the main character, she’s so unlikeable, but she’s a total Mary Sue because everybody loves her, and the people that ever criticize are the vilified for it immediately. And what is with the ageism in this books? Honestly, I love YA, but it really feels like all the teen characters in here are treated like speshul little snowflakes just because they’re young, and ALL of the adult characters—with the exception of Magnus—are treated as insignificant, annoying, ignorant people that just need to be pushed aside. And Jocelyn and Luke’s love is treated as “disgusting” while Clary and Jace’s “I love you after only a few months and will sacrifice everything for you at the cost of hurting my mother” is supposed to be sweet???
Also, Can I just say that some people would LOVE to have Jocelyn as a mother? I mean, ASIDE from not being allowed to watch anime/Disney movies (but then again, Clary probably did that at Simon’s house, or in secret, I mean how could Jocelyn actually know?), she actually let Clary have the freedom to socialize. When I was little, I wasn’t allowed to do ANYTHING. I wasn’t allowed to have friends come over, I wasn’t allowed to go to other friends’ houses, I wasn’t allowed to go out anywhere with them, even if there was adult supervision…hell I was barely allowed to talk on the phone or online. I wasn’t allowed to even trick-or-treat with my own friend who lived in the same neighborhood as me, I had to STRUGGLE just to do THAT for a LITTLE while. So to read about this little brat who got to have it all while she was growing up…it just pisses me the fuck off. And I don’t want ANYONE to try to tell me that Clary Fray was sheltered and treated like a prisoner and not allowed to have any freedom. Because if I’D walked out of the house to go somewhere with someone when I was her age, I’d have had the motherfucking cops called on me.
The Characters
Clary- Okay in the first book, then became a bitch. She snaps at everybody. I don’t like people who snap.
Jace- He goes back and forth between being funny to me, to being annoyingly boring, overdone, and the center of everything. I mean does he have to be loved by EVERYONE? The thing about the “bad boy” or the “anti-hero” or whatever is that they’re not supposed to be loved by the majority of the characters, and in fact, that’s what makes it so much more likely that the reader/viewer will like them. They’re not shoved down your throat. I thought he was pretty okay in the first three books, but the thing that just made me annoyed with him in the last three is that it still continued to be all about him—we have so many characters in here. Can’t we have the central plot focus on somebody else for a change? Like he is literally always at the center of everything—Valentine’s son, cursed, heavenly fire running through his veins, possessed—like wow. EVERYTHING happens to him. He never gets a break, does he? It’s just overkill to me.
Isabelle- Okay in the first book, then became a bitch. She snaps at everybody and has a massive victim complex.
Alec- He is really back-and-forth for me. Books 1, 5, and 6 he mostly annoyed me. Books 2 and 3 he was alright. I don’t really like how the fact that he’s gay and oppressed seems to be used as an excuse for his irrational anger towards people who haven’t done anything to him. I don’t tolerate those kind of people or that type of behavior. I am a very staunch believer in, “Judge a person on their character”, though I know that sadly many other people aren’t. Plus, you could easily argue that he’s also privileged in a way, since he’s a Shadowhunter, is part of a prestige family, has friends by his side all the time, and in the end, his father accepts him. And he’s got the delicious Magnus Bane in love with him, even after being whiny and difficult towards him.
I also don’t like how he’s always defending Isabelle. It’s like she’s allowed to be a mean and rude to everybody as much as she wants, yet no one’s ever allowed to be remotely smart to her back. Or even when they’re being NICE to her he still gets mad for some reason…
Simon- The only character who ends up changing for the better. In the first two books I did not like him because of the obnoxious , “I’m a nice guy and I’m being friendzoned” mentality. But once he dropped that, it was really nice. I don’t like how the ONLY reason the others seem to care about him after a while is because he’s a vampire and then potentially a Shadowhunter. They’re still stuck-up assholes towards mundanes, they still don’t really like Simon for Simon, they just like what he can do and provide for them. If he’d remained a mundane, they wouldn’t have given half a shit about him. And that makes me so mad. I mean it’s weird in a way, so many readers out there love Jace and Alec and Isabelle, but the truth is, they wouldn’t give two shits about you guys. At all. They really wouldn’t. Because you’re mundanes. I mean why would you like characters that you know for a fact would hate you if they were real???
Valentine and Sebastian— Valentine was a pretty good villain, Sebastian…eh. The only things I found fascinating about him were that A) he literally fooled everyone for an entire book that he was someone else completely, from his name and identity down to his looks, which in retrospect makes them all look stupid. So kudos to him for that. And B) his final moments in Heavenly Fire as Jonathan Morgenstern. That was pretty epic right there. Didn’t know that was going to happen.
Helen and Aline-Really wish there would’ve been more of them in here…they seemed a lot stronger and more likeable than our main heroines.
Jocelyn and Luke-One of the best couples in here, but they’re sadly shoved aside a lot, because there’s this weird anti-older people stigma going on in the books. Like anyone who’s over their teens or twenties suddenly don’t matter anymore, are “disgusting” for being in love, and deserve ridicule. Meanwhile we’re subjected to having “Clace” and “Sizzy” shoved down our throats like they’re the most important things ever. Get me a bucket.
I’ve already talked numerous times about how Jocelyn needs to do something about Clary’s attitude. If Clary were my child, I’d beat her. I’d beat her hard. There is literally not ONE book in this entire series where she is remotely respectful to her mother. Clary is so lucky I’m not her mother, or she’d be in for a whole different life.
By the way, Jocelyn’s a painter, and I would’ve loved more details about that. I mean in all the detail they go in about Shadowhunting, fighting demons, killing things, etc…it would be nice if they could talk about somebody else’s hobbies for a change. Something that was actually peaceful and didn’t involve so much stress or violence. But then, maybe that’s because I started re-watching Bob Ross when I started doing this review.
Maia (The REAL heroine)— Oh Maia….how I love you. You rock. Everything about you rocks. Stay you, keep doing you, don’t ever change. And truthfully speaking, you deserved Simon WAY more than Isabitch ever did.
Raphael and Magnus- My two faves!!!! I look forward to reading The Bane Chronicles, especially as one of the stories has Raphael in it too! They are both so awesome, and I love how they don’t hold back from mocking the Shadowhunters. I love how they look out for their own interests. I admire their self-preservation, rather than being guilt-tripped by other people and their silly “morals”. It’s nice when characters have backbones, ya know?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2025
Having read these books quite a number of years ago I was recently reminded why I loved them and Cassandra’s work so much after watching the TV series yet again. I thought I had left reviews for these books but alas I didn’t so now I am correcting this wrong.
This multilayered is a popular YA tale creates a dangerous web that will leave your heart racing. The story packs a punch, and I loved its originality, uniqueness, and vividly rich narrative. It is definitely a page-turner, filled with danger, action, adventure, and intrigue.
The writing is well-crafted, with a touch of darkness, sensuality, and emotional depth. With its secrets, lies, danger, suspense, and palpable tension, this story and its characters provide a captivating journey.
This is a must-read, and I won't give anything away because the joy of discovery is something you should experience for yourself.
It is an addictive and gripping paranormal tale. The storyline is well woven and is good read. It features mystery, tension, and anticipation that are truly well done.
The characters find themselves caught in a deadly game that they may not survive as they uncover deadly schemes, and hidden agendas.
This multilayered is a popular YA tale creates a dangerous web that will leave your heart racing. The story packs a punch, and I loved its originality, uniqueness, and vividly rich narrative. It is definitely a page-turner, filled with danger, action, adventure, and intrigue.
The writing is well-crafted, with a touch of darkness, sensuality, and emotional depth. With its secrets, lies, danger, suspense, and palpable tension, this story and its characters provide a captivating journey.
This is a must-read, and I won't give anything away because the joy of discovery is something you should experience for yourself.
It is an addictive and gripping paranormal tale. The storyline is well woven and is good read. It features mystery, tension, and anticipation that are truly well done.
The characters find themselves caught in a deadly game that they may not survive as they uncover deadly schemes, and hidden agendas.
September 12, 2014
These books written by Cassie causes addiction to me! I started reading CoB last year and it was the first fantasy book that I've ever read. The sequels were not arrived in my country yet, so I waited and finally I've finished this book until CoHF! I went the adventures with Clary and Jace or in the other words, CLACE together with them. It was very fun and enjoyable spending my time with them. I love Simon the most! He has been a very good friend to Clary, which he finally gave his memories to Magnus's father just to save his friends. And of course, the tears were running down my cheeks accepting the fact that Simon could not remembered anything after a while. Isabelle Lightwood? In my eyes according to the book, she is a very beautiful, strong hearted and obviously brave. That's why I ship Simon and Isabelle so much! It looks like they are so meant to be. I have never liked gays partner before but since I met Magnus and Alec or MALEC, and now I love gays! (ignore my retardness) As for Jordan Kyle was one of my favorite boys in the book, I grief over his death. I can't stop my tears when he is dead, and Maia must have loved him so much. Luke? He is my favoritw too, I was imagining him being my father. He has been great to Clary and Jocelyn. Jocelyn? She has been a great mother of all, she even left the world of shadowhunters just to save Clary from Valentine. Through my POV, I never hated Sebastian & Valentine much as I hate President Snow in THG. I love them as much as I love Simon, as they were doing all kinds of bad things on a shucking purpose. (don't judge me, i love every characters there) So have I mentioned all of them? Oh there's a lot of them actually. As for Jace & Clary, after getting through their hard times, blamed as siblings by Valentine, they were strong back then. And finally the truth has revealed, I couldn't be much grateful. The love that was born in their hearts are very bound and strong. I love them so much!!!!!! Kbye that's for all. Read my next review on the other books!!!!!
October 8, 2020
| Reader Fox Blog |
This was...a go back and reread before I get read of all the copies I own on account of the plagiarism. I’ve had these books for a long while, before I ever knew about those issues and, while I cannot fully remove myself from the stain that comes with having given this woman money, I can at least rid myself of the copies in the hopes that someone else will be spared that. Full review to come.
EDIT: I've written a full review, though what is below has been heavily edited due to Goodreads' policies regarding commentary of author behavior within a review. In light of this, you can find the full review on my blog.
My past with City of Bones is actually somewhat of an amusing one at times, but also a rather dejecting one. I cannot even begin with how devastated I was when I first learned of all the issues surrounding these novels and the author who penned them. The interesting thing is that I really enjoyed the books when I first came across them as a teenager, so much so that my first-ever rating of the book was five stars. As I've grown up I find myself feeling more and more embarrassed and disgusted with the fact that I bought these books. Just as I did with Twilight a few months ago, I've decided to re-read Clare's work before ridding myself of the books I've had since high school. I haven't decided yet whether to donate or throw them out, honestly, since I don't know if I want to subject other young readers to them but I definitely don't want these books anymore. And in this sense, I've decided to review each of her books.
As for City of Bones, the fact of the matter is that the novel is largely based around ideas that were borrowed and pulled from a variety of other novels and altered in various, somewhat minute ways in order for the work to transform into Clare's own piece of fiction. Looking below the surface of it all, though, it becomes difficult for me to credit much of the story and the characters to Clare's writing ability as a result of my understanding of where it all came from. I find myself unable to ascertain whether the bits about the story that I enjoyed were actually a result of Clare's own imagination or whether they were borrowed from somewhere else. You really don't have to look far at other reviews to see where the ideas for her story and characters come from, though the majority does appear to be based around Harry Potter.
Clare also has a rather annoying habit of creating extensive love polygons that just become absolutely ridiculous. I've drawn some out before, but just taking a look at this book alone you can see an extensive intermingling of love relationships/pinings. We'll begin with Clary, who can be romantically linked in this novel to both Jace and Simon. Jace can be linked to Clary and Alec. Simon can be linked to Clary and Isabelle. Alec can be linked to Jace and Magnus. Isabelle can be linked to Simon and Meliorn. And that, my friends, is just the first book. It'll get worse later on. Frankly, it's just far too much drama for it to all be necessary.
I can see, at times, why I enjoyed reading this story all those years ago. And I recall becoming emotionally invested enough for this to be the first book I actually threw against a wall upon finishing--I too was thoroughly upset and disgusted with the news brought to light for Clary and Jace via Valentine--and had I not already bought the whole series (I was a little excessive when buying books back then, as I'd not come across the concept that it's perfectly okay to begin a series and not continue on with it) I don't know if I'd have kept reading enough to find out the resolution to this exceedingly disturbing reveal. But I also loved Twilight at this point in my life, to the point that I wasn't aware enough of consent to find the actions of Jacob Black as disgusting as they truly are, so really, can I credit much to the fact that I liked this series? I'm not sure.
Where I'll occasionally find myself rather endeared toward characters, particularly Simon, other characters are frustrating and quick to anger, all of which often ultimately leads to incredibly poor decision making. And I'm left wondering how I liked any of these characters to begin with. There are a lot of problematic pieces to the book as a whole, some of which stem from the blatant ways in which Jace will lash out at anyone, anytime he feels like, others that lie within the unfortunate girl-hate dynamic that exists between Isabelle and Clary, and more that comes from the servant-like roles the gay characters in this novel hold or the power dynamics between an older man in a relationship with a much younger man. I could go on and on about this, but the truth is that others have as well. And you don't have to look far to find it all.
Clare's writing, overall, is inconsistent in quality which often leads me to wonder how much of what I really liked was not her work. While enough was altered for Clare to avoid a plagiarism lawsuit--fair enough--it still leaves me feeling deeply unsure, almost to the point that I hope the parts I like are not hers. Ultimately, though, even I have noticed many grammatical errors and typos throughout the novel. The degree of information that is simply thrown at us rather than shown is immense and often I find that characters don't always act in realistic manners. I'll give her this, though; City of Bones is infinitely better written than Fifty Shades of Gray, so at least she has that merit. All in all, while I was once quite a fan of these books, I'm not as much any longer. Even the show, which I do actually enjoy quite a lot and has fixed numerous issues that the books had, is somewhat seeped in the unfortunate disgrace of the material it is adapted from.
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This was...a go back and reread before I get read of all the copies I own on account of the plagiarism. I’ve had these books for a long while, before I ever knew about those issues and, while I cannot fully remove myself from the stain that comes with having given this woman money, I can at least rid myself of the copies in the hopes that someone else will be spared that. Full review to come.
EDIT: I've written a full review, though what is below has been heavily edited due to Goodreads' policies regarding commentary of author behavior within a review. In light of this, you can find the full review on my blog.
My past with City of Bones is actually somewhat of an amusing one at times, but also a rather dejecting one. I cannot even begin with how devastated I was when I first learned of all the issues surrounding these novels and the author who penned them. The interesting thing is that I really enjoyed the books when I first came across them as a teenager, so much so that my first-ever rating of the book was five stars. As I've grown up I find myself feeling more and more embarrassed and disgusted with the fact that I bought these books. Just as I did with Twilight a few months ago, I've decided to re-read Clare's work before ridding myself of the books I've had since high school. I haven't decided yet whether to donate or throw them out, honestly, since I don't know if I want to subject other young readers to them but I definitely don't want these books anymore. And in this sense, I've decided to review each of her books.
As for City of Bones, the fact of the matter is that the novel is largely based around ideas that were borrowed and pulled from a variety of other novels and altered in various, somewhat minute ways in order for the work to transform into Clare's own piece of fiction. Looking below the surface of it all, though, it becomes difficult for me to credit much of the story and the characters to Clare's writing ability as a result of my understanding of where it all came from. I find myself unable to ascertain whether the bits about the story that I enjoyed were actually a result of Clare's own imagination or whether they were borrowed from somewhere else. You really don't have to look far at other reviews to see where the ideas for her story and characters come from, though the majority does appear to be based around Harry Potter.
Clare also has a rather annoying habit of creating extensive love polygons that just become absolutely ridiculous. I've drawn some out before, but just taking a look at this book alone you can see an extensive intermingling of love relationships/pinings. We'll begin with Clary, who can be romantically linked in this novel to both Jace and Simon. Jace can be linked to Clary and Alec. Simon can be linked to Clary and Isabelle. Alec can be linked to Jace and Magnus. Isabelle can be linked to Simon and Meliorn. And that, my friends, is just the first book. It'll get worse later on. Frankly, it's just far too much drama for it to all be necessary.
I can see, at times, why I enjoyed reading this story all those years ago. And I recall becoming emotionally invested enough for this to be the first book I actually threw against a wall upon finishing--I too was thoroughly upset and disgusted with the news brought to light for Clary and Jace via Valentine--and had I not already bought the whole series (I was a little excessive when buying books back then, as I'd not come across the concept that it's perfectly okay to begin a series and not continue on with it) I don't know if I'd have kept reading enough to find out the resolution to this exceedingly disturbing reveal. But I also loved Twilight at this point in my life, to the point that I wasn't aware enough of consent to find the actions of Jacob Black as disgusting as they truly are, so really, can I credit much to the fact that I liked this series? I'm not sure.
Where I'll occasionally find myself rather endeared toward characters, particularly Simon, other characters are frustrating and quick to anger, all of which often ultimately leads to incredibly poor decision making. And I'm left wondering how I liked any of these characters to begin with. There are a lot of problematic pieces to the book as a whole, some of which stem from the blatant ways in which Jace will lash out at anyone, anytime he feels like, others that lie within the unfortunate girl-hate dynamic that exists between Isabelle and Clary, and more that comes from the servant-like roles the gay characters in this novel hold or the power dynamics between an older man in a relationship with a much younger man. I could go on and on about this, but the truth is that others have as well. And you don't have to look far to find it all.
Clare's writing, overall, is inconsistent in quality which often leads me to wonder how much of what I really liked was not her work. While enough was altered for Clare to avoid a plagiarism lawsuit--fair enough--it still leaves me feeling deeply unsure, almost to the point that I hope the parts I like are not hers. Ultimately, though, even I have noticed many grammatical errors and typos throughout the novel. The degree of information that is simply thrown at us rather than shown is immense and often I find that characters don't always act in realistic manners. I'll give her this, though; City of Bones is infinitely better written than Fifty Shades of Gray, so at least she has that merit. All in all, while I was once quite a fan of these books, I'm not as much any longer. Even the show, which I do actually enjoy quite a lot and has fixed numerous issues that the books had, is somewhat seeped in the unfortunate disgrace of the material it is adapted from.
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March 6, 2015
Intriguing, Captivating, Heartfelt & Action Packed! I Loved It!
January 19, 2021
favourtie series of all time. clarly and jace I will love forever
June 28, 2021
I LOVED this series so much. The characters, the plot, and the world were all amazing. I'm so sad it's over! One of my new favorites. <3
August 5, 2020
Doing a review on the series all together. All in all I would give it 4 stars, but that’s only because the last 3 books saved it. The first three books were unnecessary and lowkey bad, Cassie should’ve just either made it two separate trilogy’s or kept the last 3. There we’re so many things wrong with this series (cough the incest cough) that I really didn’t enjoy. I don’t see why everyone loves Jace, I don’t hate him but I’m not in love with him either. I did love his humor though. I also think part of the reason I loved the last three books so much was it started to tie in with TID, which is my personal favorite. There were times where these books made me laugh, made me gasp and throw the book, and laugh. I will miss these characters, but I’m looking forward to reading TDA, maybe some characters will pop up in that?? Also the spines are gorgeous on my bookshelf.
June 22, 2020
One of the best series ever
September 24, 2020
I had read TMI a while back and liked them but only remembered the bigger picture. And now that I’m on bookstagram I saw a lot of talk about them so I decided to read them again.
I still like the series but I did struggle through the series. I also think now that I’m older I saw things/characters in another light. For example, I’m pretty sure that my first time I didn’t dislike Clary as much as I did this time around, she really annoyed me. I guess what bothered me was her foolishly threw herself and others in danger without thinking things through. And I’m all about saving your love and whatnot but at times the Jace/Clary relationship was over the top.
Poor Simon…he really has it tough all around, I’m reading the Tales from Shadowhunter Academy, and it’s making happy to see him let his friends go to find himself.
So many great characters are part of the series that end up dying and some of those just tore my heart apart!!
With this re-read, I definitely have more details in mind and also made me want to read the other Shadowhunter universe books.
I still like the series but I did struggle through the series. I also think now that I’m older I saw things/characters in another light. For example, I’m pretty sure that my first time I didn’t dislike Clary as much as I did this time around, she really annoyed me. I guess what bothered me was her foolishly threw herself and others in danger without thinking things through. And I’m all about saving your love and whatnot but at times the Jace/Clary relationship was over the top.
Poor Simon…he really has it tough all around, I’m reading the Tales from Shadowhunter Academy, and it’s making happy to see him let his friends go to find himself.
So many great characters are part of the series that end up dying and some of those just tore my heart apart!!
With this re-read, I definitely have more details in mind and also made me want to read the other Shadowhunter universe books.
March 8, 2017
One of the most entertaining series I've read. I was sad when it ended and wish there was more. All 6 books are full of action, battles and power struggles. I liked the way each story is unique but how they all come together to make a fabulous series. Very glad I read these and hope to be able to come back to them again to re-read.
April 21, 2022
"Jace, your father's dead, you're a Wayland... Technically, you're an adopted/honorary Lightwood."
"Jace, your dad is alive! And EVIL. Guess what, you're actually an incestuous Morgenstern. Stop making out with your sister."
"Ehhhh, we lied, you're actually a Herondale - but your real dad is still dead, and you never actually met him. Your only childhood memories are of Valentine pretending to be Wayland, pretending to be your dad."
"Oh, by the way, you have an evil 'brother,' of sorts, who has the same first and middle name as you... because you were unnamed when you were taken from your mom's stone-cold corpse-womb... and Valentine decided to raise you both, separately, as his little pet projects, while pretending to be different people with borrowed names."
[Cue a retelling of that lovely "Dad snapped my pet bird's neck" story, as used in the books, film and TV series!]
"By the angel," WTF is this BS and why am I reading it?!
First, forget the soap opera nonsense, cliches and tropes above: Valentine's whole M.O. as a villain makes NO SENSE. This might be my biggest problem with The Mortal Instruments series.
He wants to kill demons and all downworlders, sooo... he's going to employ demons and downworlders... to attack his own kind, like, all the time. He loathes and envies the abilities of others, so he starts handing out downworlders' blood like lollipops to family, friends, progeny and self to mix their pure nephilim blood with random angel/demon/faerie plasma.
(Can the angel resurrect him just to kill him again for being a putz?)
This is less of a review and more of a venting venue for disgust and disappointment. I wanted to like this series, but you can't like everything. (I mean, I like Magnus, but who DOESN'T like Magnus?)
(Review originally written and shared in 2020.)
"Jace, your dad is alive! And EVIL. Guess what, you're actually an incestuous Morgenstern. Stop making out with your sister."
"Ehhhh, we lied, you're actually a Herondale - but your real dad is still dead, and you never actually met him. Your only childhood memories are of Valentine pretending to be Wayland, pretending to be your dad."
"Oh, by the way, you have an evil 'brother,' of sorts, who has the same first and middle name as you... because you were unnamed when you were taken from your mom's stone-cold corpse-womb... and Valentine decided to raise you both, separately, as his little pet projects, while pretending to be different people with borrowed names."
[Cue a retelling of that lovely "Dad snapped my pet bird's neck" story, as used in the books, film and TV series!]
"By the angel," WTF is this BS and why am I reading it?!
First, forget the soap opera nonsense, cliches and tropes above: Valentine's whole M.O. as a villain makes NO SENSE. This might be my biggest problem with The Mortal Instruments series.
He wants to kill demons and all downworlders, sooo... he's going to employ demons and downworlders... to attack his own kind, like, all the time. He loathes and envies the abilities of others, so he starts handing out downworlders' blood like lollipops to family, friends, progeny and self to mix their pure nephilim blood with random angel/demon/faerie plasma.
(Can the angel resurrect him just to kill him again for being a putz?)
This is less of a review and more of a venting venue for disgust and disappointment. I wanted to like this series, but you can't like everything. (I mean, I like Magnus, but who DOESN'T like Magnus?)
(Review originally written and shared in 2020.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2022
I had stumbled upon The Mortal Instruments on Goodreads because it was reasonably popular. It was a bit hard at first to read, but last week I tried again, and the series didn’t disappoint.
When I checked, it said that the Infernal Devices, another series by the same author, was the prequel, so I read the first book of Infernal Devices. Later, I realised there was a specific order I needed to read the books in.
I shrugged my mistake off and tried to read the first book of the Mortal Instruments series. But, by accident, I started reading the City of Ashes, the second book first. By this time, I was so frustrated that I had just given up on the series until last week.
The Mortal Instruments starts off with Clarissa “Clary” Fray (Fairchild) finding out that she is a Shadowhunter. Shadowhunters are warriors that protect the world from demons.
She meets Jace, Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, fellow Shadowhunters and, with their help, tries to find out where her missing mother is. It was fascinating and kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time, like every other book in the series.
The first book mainly focuses on Clary, but throughout the series, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, Clary’s best friend Simon, Maia, their werewolf friend, whom they meet in City of Ashes and Clary’s family’s stories were also told.
I can’t tell you the synopsis of the other books without spoiling the series for you, so I’ll leave it at this. I adored the series, although I would compare it to a roller-coaster. It’s thrilling when you read it, but afterwards, it’s a bit dull.
I would recommend it to people who love fantasy, mystery and romance. The book is the perfect mix between these genres.
When I checked, it said that the Infernal Devices, another series by the same author, was the prequel, so I read the first book of Infernal Devices. Later, I realised there was a specific order I needed to read the books in.
I shrugged my mistake off and tried to read the first book of the Mortal Instruments series. But, by accident, I started reading the City of Ashes, the second book first. By this time, I was so frustrated that I had just given up on the series until last week.
The Mortal Instruments starts off with Clarissa “Clary” Fray (Fairchild) finding out that she is a Shadowhunter. Shadowhunters are warriors that protect the world from demons.
She meets Jace, Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, fellow Shadowhunters and, with their help, tries to find out where her missing mother is. It was fascinating and kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time, like every other book in the series.
The first book mainly focuses on Clary, but throughout the series, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, Clary’s best friend Simon, Maia, their werewolf friend, whom they meet in City of Ashes and Clary’s family’s stories were also told.
I can’t tell you the synopsis of the other books without spoiling the series for you, so I’ll leave it at this. I adored the series, although I would compare it to a roller-coaster. It’s thrilling when you read it, but afterwards, it’s a bit dull.
I would recommend it to people who love fantasy, mystery and romance. The book is the perfect mix between these genres.
September 14, 2015
Okay I know going into the Mortal Instruments series that it's going to be one of those guilty pleasure reads that you can't take too seriously. As a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it definitely kept me hooked on this new universe of supernatural creatures and the teenagers fighting them.
Books 1-3 were quite enjoyable and Cassandra Clare should've ended the series as a trilogy. Come time for books 4-6 and you know she is still cashing in. By this point, the other minor characters are pushed to the forefront, which is fine, but with the ongoing shitstorm of soap opera relationships, I was starting to lose interest in this people.
What happened here? Did we suddenly drop the ball and pull out every conceivable way to make the plot even remotely interesting. Apparently not. Sadly, I'll give this series and so-so grade. It didn't really inspire me to continue reading so I'll leave it up to the reader to decide if they like this series or not.
Books 1-3 were quite enjoyable and Cassandra Clare should've ended the series as a trilogy. Come time for books 4-6 and you know she is still cashing in. By this point, the other minor characters are pushed to the forefront, which is fine, but with the ongoing shitstorm of soap opera relationships, I was starting to lose interest in this people.
What happened here? Did we suddenly drop the ball and pull out every conceivable way to make the plot even remotely interesting. Apparently not. Sadly, I'll give this series and so-so grade. It didn't really inspire me to continue reading so I'll leave it up to the reader to decide if they like this series or not.
March 13, 2021
I think my main problem with this series is that I did not like Jace or Clary one bit. Which is a slight problem, seeing as they're the main characters in the series. Basically every single time a scene was from their perspectives, my enjoyment went down so much. In other words, if any other character was the main protagonist, I think I would've liked this series so much more. Or if Jace and Clary got thrown into an active volcano and died. Either one works.
August 11, 2023
I’ve not read the book set of the mortal instruments, but rather every book on it’s own, but it’s been years, and I’m not able to rate every book on it’s own or give a detailed review, so … here I am.
I read the first few books about ten years ago, and I know that I enjoyed them. The incest plot line was stupid and very much unneeded, and at some point I could have shot Jace or Clary because I found them so annoying (you have no idea how annoying, just every time one of them appeared I wanted them gone so badly), but apart from that I quite liked it. I actually liked the banter Clare wrote, and could laugh at a lot of the jokes, and I did like Jace’s cocky attitude, at least in the beginning.
I think the romanticizing and sexualization of the incest was horrible (and there’s A LOT of it ), but the villain I thought was decent and his motivation actually made sense to me, and the story in itself also felt alright, I guess?
But then in the later books something happened, and … I’m not exaggerating, when I tell you, that I complained to a friend for TWO STRAIGHT MONTHS, because I hated it so much. That was about seven or eight years ago.
I managed to read further after a break of a few months, and … I’ll be quite honest, Clare kind of managed to save the situation? I forgave her for the thing I hated so much, because I actually liked where it went.
Only then it did not stick, and everything went horrible again, and I … I seriously started reading the last book of the series about 2016, I think, right after finishing the fifth, and at some point I just couldn’t take it anymore. I tried, I really did, but every time I thought about picking up the book and continue reading, I just couldn’t. And then finally after almost six years I managed to read the book, purely by the fact that I did not take it seriously anymore.
I actually had a lot of fun doing that in the end, because the epilogue first recapitulated the events of the first few books (which I found alright), then the events of the last book (which I found a little bit ridiculous), then the events of the epilogue (at which point I just lost it), and after I concentrated on that it was actually alright. But I did not enjoy the journey towards this, and I did not like how in the end everything suddenly had to be perfect and there had to be an explanation for everything and suddenly everyone was nice , and … I just didn’t like it.
In the end:
I thought the story was alright.
I thought the villains were decent.
I think Clare writes decent dialogue.
I actually liked how sometimes Clare foreshadowed things.
I disliked almost all (if not all) relationships, because I thought those were very unhealthy.
I very much disliked the incest.
I felt like at the end of the story a lot of characters hadn’t really grown.
The Mortal Instruments as a series has been with me a long time, and for that alone it holds a place in my heart and I can’t just get rid of it or hate everything about it, it’s too important to me personally, but I can and will absolutely still talk hours about how much I hated it at the end, whenever it comes up.
Wouldn’t recommend reading it, not ever, but also know some people who loved it, so … make of it what you will, I guess.
I read the first few books about ten years ago, and I know that I enjoyed them. The incest plot line was stupid and very much unneeded, and at some point I could have shot Jace or Clary because I found them so annoying (you have no idea how annoying, just every time one of them appeared I wanted them gone so badly), but apart from that I quite liked it. I actually liked the banter Clare wrote, and could laugh at a lot of the jokes, and I did like Jace’s cocky attitude, at least in the beginning.
I think the romanticizing and sexualization of the incest was horrible (and there’s A LOT of it ), but the villain I thought was decent and his motivation actually made sense to me, and the story in itself also felt alright, I guess?
But then in the later books something happened, and … I’m not exaggerating, when I tell you, that I complained to a friend for TWO STRAIGHT MONTHS, because I hated it so much. That was about seven or eight years ago.
I managed to read further after a break of a few months, and … I’ll be quite honest, Clare kind of managed to save the situation? I forgave her for the thing I hated so much, because I actually liked where it went.
Only then it did not stick, and everything went horrible again, and I … I seriously started reading the last book of the series about 2016, I think, right after finishing the fifth, and at some point I just couldn’t take it anymore. I tried, I really did, but every time I thought about picking up the book and continue reading, I just couldn’t. And then finally after almost six years I managed to read the book, purely by the fact that I did not take it seriously anymore.
I actually had a lot of fun doing that in the end, because the epilogue first recapitulated the events of the first few books (which I found alright), then the events of the last book (which I found a little bit ridiculous), then the events of the epilogue (at which point I just lost it), and after I concentrated on that it was actually alright. But I did not enjoy the journey towards this, and I did not like how in the end everything suddenly had to be perfect and there had to be an explanation for everything and suddenly everyone was nice , and … I just didn’t like it.
In the end:
I thought the story was alright.
I thought the villains were decent.
I think Clare writes decent dialogue.
I actually liked how sometimes Clare foreshadowed things.
I disliked almost all (if not all) relationships, because I thought those were very unhealthy.
I very much disliked the incest.
I felt like at the end of the story a lot of characters hadn’t really grown.
The Mortal Instruments as a series has been with me a long time, and for that alone it holds a place in my heart and I can’t just get rid of it or hate everything about it, it’s too important to me personally, but I can and will absolutely still talk hours about how much I hated it at the end, whenever it comes up.
Wouldn’t recommend reading it, not ever, but also know some people who loved it, so … make of it what you will, I guess.
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September 17, 2014It was a good book , but i didnt like the ending
October 31, 2014
GREAT!Have read twice and love it both times!!
July 7, 2020
Check out my reviews on each individual book on their main pages!
August 21, 2014
Love the series!!!!
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