"The Mortal Instruments Trilogy" by Cassandra Clare
Having around 19 books to review, I have decided to clump some of them together--most logically, books from the same series. So, here's the real review for the Mortal Instruments. (In case you were thrown off by my previous post not being about the Mortal Instruments.)
I have tried not to spoil any of the books, so that leaves me with the broadest strokes for the summary. However, I might not be able to help but reveal a few things in the collective review at the end. For this, I apologize. But, if you're anything like me, knowing what happens in a book won't spoil your enjoyment of it. I hope.
Book 1: The City of Bones
Read: 22 A
ug 2009
4/5 stars
Clary, a fifteen-year-old girl living in New York, goes to a club one night with her best friend Simon and witnesses a murder perpetrated by three teenagers. Thing is, the boy murdered appears to be a demon, and no one else sees the three teenagers aside from her.
These three teenagers turn out to be Shadowhunters, warriors who rid the world of demonkind and police the other beings called Downworlders (i.e., werewolves, vampires, fairies, and wizards). The Shadowhunters--beautiful Isabelle, her brother Alec, and the handsome and infuriating Jace--straddle the real world and the world of shadows. What they do and the things they deal with cannot be seen by mundanes--ordinary humans. Which makes all of them wonder why Clary can see them.
Soon after her meeting with the Shadowhunters, Clary's mother is mysteriously kidnapped by a demon. This leads Clary further into the Shadowhunters' world and within Jace's orbit. Clary and Jace enter into adventure after adventure, slowly unraveling the reason behind the demons' interest in Clary's mother, why Clary has the Sight, and Clary's relationship to Valentine, the evil megalomaniac intent on destroying Shadowhunter society. And, of course, compelling and aloof Jace falls for Clary in the process, and vice versa.
Their love, however, is not meant to be--at least, not in this book--as something MAJOR gets in the way. To say more would be to spoil it. (Then again, the back blurb in the second book already gives it away.)
Book 2: The City of Ashes
Read: 23 Sept 2009
4/5 stars
Clary and Jace struggle with the new nature of their relationship, at the same time bracing themselves for Valentine's next plot. Clary's mother is still in her coma, Clary gets into another complex relationship, this time with Simon, and Simon changes in a way that he never expected.
To top it all, Jace has to contend with the abrasive Inquisitor who seeks to blame him for everything that has happened, not really an easy thing to deny considering Jace's connection to Valentine.
Also, in this book, Clary starts to discover exactly what kind of power she has.
Book 3: The City of Glass
Read: 27 Sept 2009
4/5 stars
In this last book of the series, Clary and the rest of the cast find themselves in Alicante, the Shadowhunters' home country. Clary seeks to find a cure to her mother's coma, but Jace doesn't want her there, considering the impending danger of war against Valentine. However, Clary meets a sympathetic soul in Sebastian, another handsome and compelling Shadowhunter. The question is, is Sebastian exactly what he seems to be?
Things come to a head as Valentine prepares his minions for the final war versus the Shadowhunters. To survive the war, the traditional governing body of Shadowhunters must decide whether they are willing to forget centuries of prejudice and finally unite with the Downworlders.
And, of course, we'll find out whether Clary and Jace can find a way around their forbidden love.
Review:
I got my copy of the first book in the series from Peter of Kyusireader, in a bookswap that we held during one of our monthly book discussion meetings. Hence, I am grateful to him for introducing me to these books.
This is a YA (young adult) book, heavy on the fantasy and romance. Some might consider it a bit cheesy and shallow. I might not totally disagree, coming from an Anglo-American lit background. Then again, I'm not out to deconstruct it or myself for liking this series.
Cassandra Clare used elements of the monomyth in this series--the unusual birth, the call to adventure, supernatural aid, road of trials. And, most especially, atonement with the father. (Now there's a hint for you.)
Moreover, there's the use of the classic "forbidden love" paradigm so popular in romances. And this is most likely why there's a strong resemblance of the basic storyline to Star Wars, since Star Wars itself uses the same monomyth structure and forbidden love element.
Darn. It turns out I'm deconstructing anyways.
Anyway, so, if the structure is known, thus perhaps predictable, does it make the story bad? For my money, no. Case in point--Star Wars. Most of us were drawn to that story. As I was drawn to this story.
Lev Grossman of Time Magazine wrote a fascinating article more than a month ago. In it, he says:
I might have wanted a better explanation for Valentine's charisma, or a better development of the tension between the Shadowhunters and Downworlders, or even a longer timeline in which to set the story. But all of these considerations do not minimize the fact that the story drew me along. That I wanted to know what happened next, not out of mere curiosity, but for the pure enjoyment of story.
Of course, this enjoyment is ably aided by the fact that Cassandra Clare's writing is brisk and funny. In many a page, I smirked and laughed along with the characters. And, I gotta say, a teenage urban fantasy romance book is so much better when there is less brooding and self-reflection (my apologies, Stephanie Meyer) and more witty repartee.
And for all the traditionalism of structure, what was very modern about Clare's series is its concept of family. That what makes a family is not necessarily blood, but mutual love and care for one another. This concept is emphasized throughout the series (given that there are some really dysfunctional families in it. That's another hint.:D)
So, a great story, engaging characters, and whip-cracking dialogue--that's why I would recommend this series. At the moment, all that is more than enough for me.
P.S.
Now that I'm sure about it, I'd like to thank Ms. Clare for commenting on my previous post. I'm very honored that she took the time to read it and comment on it. And, in case she reads this too, I'd like to say I'm really looking forward to her next book in the Mortal Instruments series, The City of Fallen Angels. More power to her.:)
I have tried not to spoil any of the books, so that leaves me with the broadest strokes for the summary. However, I might not be able to help but reveal a few things in the collective review at the end. For this, I apologize. But, if you're anything like me, knowing what happens in a book won't spoil your enjoyment of it. I hope.
Book 1: The City of Bones
Read: 22 A
ug 20094/5 stars
Clary, a fifteen-year-old girl living in New York, goes to a club one night with her best friend Simon and witnesses a murder perpetrated by three teenagers. Thing is, the boy murdered appears to be a demon, and no one else sees the three teenagers aside from her.
These three teenagers turn out to be Shadowhunters, warriors who rid the world of demonkind and police the other beings called Downworlders (i.e., werewolves, vampires, fairies, and wizards). The Shadowhunters--beautiful Isabelle, her brother Alec, and the handsome and infuriating Jace--straddle the real world and the world of shadows. What they do and the things they deal with cannot be seen by mundanes--ordinary humans. Which makes all of them wonder why Clary can see them.
Soon after her meeting with the Shadowhunters, Clary's mother is mysteriously kidnapped by a demon. This leads Clary further into the Shadowhunters' world and within Jace's orbit. Clary and Jace enter into adventure after adventure, slowly unraveling the reason behind the demons' interest in Clary's mother, why Clary has the Sight, and Clary's relationship to Valentine, the evil megalomaniac intent on destroying Shadowhunter society. And, of course, compelling and aloof Jace falls for Clary in the process, and vice versa.
Their love, however, is not meant to be--at least, not in this book--as something MAJOR gets in the way. To say more would be to spoil it. (Then again, the back blurb in the second book already gives it away.)
Book 2: The City of Ashes
Read: 23 Sept 20094/5 stars
Clary and Jace struggle with the new nature of their relationship, at the same time bracing themselves for Valentine's next plot. Clary's mother is still in her coma, Clary gets into another complex relationship, this time with Simon, and Simon changes in a way that he never expected.
To top it all, Jace has to contend with the abrasive Inquisitor who seeks to blame him for everything that has happened, not really an easy thing to deny considering Jace's connection to Valentine.
Also, in this book, Clary starts to discover exactly what kind of power she has.
Book 3: The City of Glass
Read: 27 Sept 20094/5 stars
In this last book of the series, Clary and the rest of the cast find themselves in Alicante, the Shadowhunters' home country. Clary seeks to find a cure to her mother's coma, but Jace doesn't want her there, considering the impending danger of war against Valentine. However, Clary meets a sympathetic soul in Sebastian, another handsome and compelling Shadowhunter. The question is, is Sebastian exactly what he seems to be?
Things come to a head as Valentine prepares his minions for the final war versus the Shadowhunters. To survive the war, the traditional governing body of Shadowhunters must decide whether they are willing to forget centuries of prejudice and finally unite with the Downworlders.
And, of course, we'll find out whether Clary and Jace can find a way around their forbidden love.
Review:
I got my copy of the first book in the series from Peter of Kyusireader, in a bookswap that we held during one of our monthly book discussion meetings. Hence, I am grateful to him for introducing me to these books.
This is a YA (young adult) book, heavy on the fantasy and romance. Some might consider it a bit cheesy and shallow. I might not totally disagree, coming from an Anglo-American lit background. Then again, I'm not out to deconstruct it or myself for liking this series.
Cassandra Clare used elements of the monomyth in this series--the unusual birth, the call to adventure, supernatural aid, road of trials. And, most especially, atonement with the father. (Now there's a hint for you.)
Moreover, there's the use of the classic "forbidden love" paradigm so popular in romances. And this is most likely why there's a strong resemblance of the basic storyline to Star Wars, since Star Wars itself uses the same monomyth structure and forbidden love element.
Darn. It turns out I'm deconstructing anyways.
Anyway, so, if the structure is known, thus perhaps predictable, does it make the story bad? For my money, no. Case in point--Star Wars. Most of us were drawn to that story. As I was drawn to this story.
Lev Grossman of Time Magazine wrote a fascinating article more than a month ago. In it, he says:
A good story is a dirty secret that we all share. It's what makes guilty pleasures so pleasurable, but it's also what makes them so guilty. A juicy tale reeks of crass commercialism and cheap thrills. We crave such entertainments, but we despise them. Plot makes perverts of us all.Then so be it, I am a pervert of plot. Not always, but enough of the time.
I might have wanted a better explanation for Valentine's charisma, or a better development of the tension between the Shadowhunters and Downworlders, or even a longer timeline in which to set the story. But all of these considerations do not minimize the fact that the story drew me along. That I wanted to know what happened next, not out of mere curiosity, but for the pure enjoyment of story.
Of course, this enjoyment is ably aided by the fact that Cassandra Clare's writing is brisk and funny. In many a page, I smirked and laughed along with the characters. And, I gotta say, a teenage urban fantasy romance book is so much better when there is less brooding and self-reflection (my apologies, Stephanie Meyer) and more witty repartee.
And for all the traditionalism of structure, what was very modern about Clare's series is its concept of family. That what makes a family is not necessarily blood, but mutual love and care for one another. This concept is emphasized throughout the series (given that there are some really dysfunctional families in it. That's another hint.:D)
So, a great story, engaging characters, and whip-cracking dialogue--that's why I would recommend this series. At the moment, all that is more than enough for me.
P.S.
Now that I'm sure about it, I'd like to thank Ms. Clare for commenting on my previous post. I'm very honored that she took the time to read it and comment on it. And, in case she reads this too, I'd like to say I'm really looking forward to her next book in the Mortal Instruments series, The City of Fallen Angels. More power to her.:)
Comments
Speaking of Lev Grossman, I just bought The Magicians, which is about a college for would-be magicians. It's not at all like Harry Potter though, since the book's themes are very adult.
Wow. An adult Harry Potter-esque book. Now that would be interesting.