Review: The Mortal Instruments

Clary is just an average, artsy teenager, living with her single mom and spending time with her best friend, Simon, in New York City… until she isn’t anymore. One bizarre night at a club, she witnesses something she wasn’t supposed to and her life is changed forever. She discovers she is really part of a half angel, half human race called the Shadowhunters, whose sole purpose is to kill demons who roam the Earth. She starts to fall for gorgeous and dangerous Jace, all the while learning more about her true history and the blood that runs in her veins, as well as dark secrets that could break her heart. Since this is a spoiler-free article you will have to read the books, watch the movie, or upcoming TV show to find out what happens.

It is going to take a lot of self-restraint for me to not turn this into a rant, and I would be lying if I said this review is unbiased. This series is like chocolate; you know it is only going to hurt you, but you keep indulging anyway. It’s just too good. With six books, a movie, a companion series, and a TV show on the way, Cassandra Clare, the books’ author, is sure to keep us busy!

The book series, which includes City of Bones (March 27, 2007), City of Ashes (March 25, 2008), City of Glass (March 23, 2009), City of Fallen Angels (April 5, 2011), City of Lost Souls (May 8, 2012), and City of Heavenly Fire (May 27, 2014), has drawn a massive fan-base that fuels the production of all the adaptations that have stemmed from it. The insane popularity of these books is not without reason; they are hilarious and devastating, fantastically fictional and heart-wrenchingly honest.

Being a supernatural book buff, I can honestly say that this is the only blatantly funny novel of that genre that I have ever read that actually pulls it off. Sure, most young adult books have some humor element to break up the action, plot development, and character death after character death, but this series instills such a witty endearment to the characters. One of them will do something ridiculously characteristic, another will poke fun at this, and I will find myself laughing along with them, thinking to myself, ‘Oh, it’s just like him to say that.‘

In addition to the tomfoolery, the books have some very real moments. Naturally, there are dramatic deaths that require putting down the copy for a mourning period and other sad stuff, for instance, close-call battle scenes, intimate heart-to-hearts, and painful goodbyes.

The best part, though, has to be the action. With more weapons than I can name,some of which draw on the power of angels and magical tattoos that give special powers, plus countless demons and things that go bump in the night, there is really no limit to what can go down.

All in all, I give the series a 4/5, because even though it is a phenomenal creation, it does lack whatever special something that makes a book totally all consuming, like the magic of Harry Potter  and The Lord of the Rings.

Unfortunately the movie was a bit of a bust, not even returning the budget with $31 million in box office views. It starred Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower, who ended up dating in real life, though they have since broken up. Even with the profound love I have of the books, I have to admit the movie did it little justice. I can’t quite tell if it’s bad acting or a bad script, but something about the dialog is awkward and unnatural. It misses some of the best scenes and totally alters the ending, along with other key aspects. These faults, however, have not stopped me from watching it at least ten times by now.

For those of you who aren’t reading types (no shame in that), do not be discouraged! It was announced that there is a TV series in the making to look out for in the next couple of years! Not much information has been disclosed, other than that it will be directed by Ed Dector, but it is likely that it won’t include the same cast, or even start where the movie left off. Rather, they would wipe the slate clean and start from scratch, taking a whole other new on the series.