GUEST POST: The Mortal Instruments Series

I have recently read The Mortal Instruments series. I have read many reviews about this series of books with a negative perspective however I’m proud to say that I disagree with all these opinions. I must admit I started this series with some reluctance but I loved it because these books take you on an adventure in a realistic yet surreal way. You have ordinary people like Clary and Simon (kind of ordinary, they change through the series) and then mysterious people like Jace, Alec and Isabelle.

Order of the Series

1. City of Bones
2. City of Ashes
3. City of Glass
4. City of Fallen Angels
5. City of Lost Souls
6. City of Heavenly Fire

Click through to read more. This is partly of a recap of the series before City of Heavenly Fire so contains spoilers.

Clarissa Fray

Clary is the main character in this series and she is kind of like a lost puppy trying to find her way home. In the first book especially she seems out of place, detached from the other characters. Simon is the closest to her and even he is very different. Even as she matures I find that Clary is very naïve or at least she acts like it. She does reckless things without considering the consequences for herself of for other people. In City of Bones, I felt sorry for Clary. Her world as she knew it was not the truth. Her mom was missing, Luke abandoned and neglected her and she was dealing with this whole new world and concept all by herself. Simon was there for her but he couldn’t really empathise because he wasn’t a Shadowhunter and his mom hadn’t disappeared. Jace and the other Lightwoods also couldn’t empathise because they had never been normal by Clary’s definition. she does become more mature throughout the books as I said before however, in City of Glass she becomes slightly irrational in my mind. Yes, I acknowledge that she was trying to save her one and only true love but she doesn’t think about the consequences. She watches Jace die and then takes the opportunity to bring him back to life (which des bring up a whole lot of drama in form of Cofh AND Cols) and i’m okay with that. Don’t get me wrong I do like the character of Jace, he makes the story so much more interesting to watch his and Clary’s infatuation develop BUT Max. I was annoyed with her ONLY saving Jace (although I did want him to be saved). What about Max. He was NINE years old and dead. I think he deserved a few more years at least to show the world who he was and to learn more about life and himself. She could have also saved many other Shadowhunters, like those who died in the Alicante battle, maybe even the real Sebastien Verlac and MAX. But I understand that if she saved all those people then the whole point of the books would be pointless. IF she saved Max then the following books would have not been as amazing as they were. I really loved Max, he was the youngest and separated from the other characters because of his age. He just wanted to fit in but he never got the chance. Anyway this is one of the reason I hate Sebastien/Jonathan Christopher Morgernstern.

Jace

A boy with no definite identity but the one with the biggest self-identification. How can you not feel sorry for a boy who watched his “father” die? How can you not feel sorry for the boy who watched his father kill his best birthday present? (His best friend at the time) How can you not feel sorry for the boy who was lied to his whole life about his identity and his origin? Valentine was supposedly Jace’s father. Ironic how he hurt so many but was called Valentine. Jace is the boy who isolated himself because of the fear of hurting others. Even in COLS he has that fear. Unlike Clary, Jace is calm and thinks of the consequences of his decisions. He tries to make the best decision for everyone. Jace is the strongest but the sweetest. He cares more than you think he would. At first, you think of him as an arrogant brat but as you continue reading, you realise he cares and he fulfils his role as a protector. It really surprised me how vulnerable Jace is even with his awesomeness. I mean, how can you not admire someone who takes everything in his stride. At first he thinks he’s Michael Wayland’s son even though Valentine raised him for 10 years. He remained part of the Lightwood family even when he found out that he was the son of Stephen Herondale (Valentine’s right hand man and the reason you need to read Cassandra Clare’s other series The Infernal Devices). You have to love Jace. He is definitely admirable and I think more people need to acknowledge how much he cares about others.

Alec and Isabelle Lightwood

These two are very different in the way they act but they are essentially very similar. They both care what others think of them and although they show it in different ways they are very caring. They both have strong personalities even though Izzy embraces it in a different way. They are both scared of being replaced. This is evident especially in City of Bones with their jealousy regarding Clary. Alec is jealous because his best friend is taking more of an interest in this new girl who knows nothing about “their kind” and Izzy because she isn’t the only girl anymore. The way they both react Max amazes me- how they can be in this tense situation and yet still respond to Max in a caring way.

Max Lightwood

A young boy who left he world way before his time. Max is young, smart and adorable. He was always trying to keep up with his three siblings who were nearly a decade older than him and he does this with his extremely advanced intellect. He is often pushed to the side-lines and left out of things for his own safety. He is a character that always had me thinking about ‘What would happen if’

• What would happen if he was the same age as his siblings?
• What would happen if he didn’t die?
• What would happen if Clary had saved him?

- Makayla.
(http://kayzaria.wordpress.com)