The Mortal Instruments

       As you guys know, there was no blogging required over spring break, so I had 2 weeks to read... I don't know if I should be proud or ashamed that I finished the entire Mortal Instruments series. Well, the first 5 books, that is. The 6th and final book comes out on May 27th, and I feel like I am stabbing my eyes out with a chopstick from the agonizing suspense (not that I would know what that feels like, but that picture gives me an idea -->).

       Whenever I read a book series in a short period of time, the events from book to book just start running together, so I can't give you guys a good summary of each individual book. I can, however give you my overall feel for the series and some insight on the characters:

       Basically, the books are a young adult urban fantasy series that follows a girl named Clary Fray. One night, she goes to a club (Gasp! I know, scandalous) with Simon, her geeky best friend. She discovers that she has the ability to see Shadowhunters, who are usually invisible to mundanes (mundanes are just ordinary people, like muggles from Harry Potter). Then she gets the biggest shock of her life- she learns that she is actually a Shadowhunter, just like her mother and father. Her mother had managed to keep her away from the dangerous world and fighting going on by erasing some of her memories. As for her father, let's just say that he's a pretty powerful, evil dude.
       I don't want to give too much away, but if you like fantasy novels, I would definitely go for it! There is so much suspense, multiple plot twists, and some romance. Actually, quite a lot of romance. You know, if you like love triangles and that kind of stuff...
   
      Now let's spend a while admiring the plot. This series is definitely one that has a complex, unexpected plot. A plot that has you scratching your head and thinking about everything that happened, and when you can't remember, you wonder how the author got so many ideas into his or her head. This is part of the reason why all the books blur together for me. The author, Cassandra Clare must have planned this entire series out before she started writing anything, because the way things fall into place is incredible...quite profound, if I'm being truthful. Definitely, undoubtedly, way above my poor little "mundane" head. Some people might find it too confusing to follow, but for me, it made the book more interesting.

      I find it necessary to point out the fantastic cover art:
 
        Beautiful, eh? I like the repetition of the word "City" in the titles, too.

        As for the characters, most of them were very well developed, with distinct personalities (unlike in some books, where all the characters seem to sound the same). I liked Clary well enough, but she got too stubborn to the point of idiotic. She was also kind of annoying sometimes- like "Oh my goodness! I have 2 beautiful people in love with me and I can't choose who to love back! WHY IS MY LIFE SO HARD?".
       Just kidding, the love triangle was not that bad, but it still reminded me of Twilight... *shudder*.
      
       The only character I really did not like was Clary's mother. She comes off as an irresponsible, selfish, emotionally unstable person. I think the author was going for the "bad-past, but-trying-to-save-daughter" angle, but it did not work. I even liked the villains better than her- at least they were brought into the book to be cruel on purpose. 

       Overall, The Mortal Instruments is an addicting series with great characters, a great plot, and great covers. I highly recommend it!

      I just realized how obnoxiously long this post is getting, so thank you for everyone who actually read this far :). I'll end it now- see you next week!