The Mortal Instruments series has been a beloved fantasy series for me since I was a kid. It probably isn’t far-fetched to say that The Mortal Instruments series built the blueprint of what I perceive to be engaging YA fantasy, and set the bar for my fantasy reads as I moved through my teen years and into my twenties. This doesn’t mean I find no faults with the series – I wouldn’t be using my creative writing degree if I couldn’t see the loose hairs and hiccups within the books. So, after finishing my reread of the series, it is time for me to put on my critical analysis hat and talk about Cassandra Clare’s debut series.

City of Bones, book one in the series, has evident stylistic choices that are changed in later books. When you start reading City of Bones you will notice one big thing and that is the distance between reader and character, namely our protagonist Clary Fray. The book is in third person, as is the rest of the series, but there is an evident lack of depth within the perspective we are given. Unlike her later books, City of Bones only has Clary’s perspective and therefore it feels limited in the exposure we get to the shadow world. We also have a character who knows very little so Clary comes across as a passive character who has things happen to her and she’s just moving with the tide. That’s not to say she has no autonomy or personality, but it certainly makes the story world a little less impactful.

What I felt reading this book, and this is purely my subjective take, is that City of Bones felt drawn out without providing a lot of detail or grit to make its length meaningful. I’ll mention it now as it relates to the current topic, but I would much rather have seen a shorter City of Bones and a longer City of Ashes, or the two books merged into one. City of Bones needs to be engaging and immersive so that readers will return for the following books but there is something about City of Bones that feels removed from the reader. Again, maybe it comes down to Clary being a passive character in her own life and observing rather than acting. I can see why some people get bored with City of Bones and don’t want to continue the series.

Now let’s get into City of Ashes, the book I’ve noted in my review as a book that should’ve had more to it. We get more perspectives which is good as I think one of Cassandra Clare’s strengths is her ability to write great character interactions. Unfortunately, City of Ashes is the book I remember the least about, both before my reread and after because the plot and overarching points in this book seem to carry less weight compared to other books. That’s strange to say given the ending, not to mention the significant events that occur throughout the book, but there isn’t the punchiness in this book that the others have. Another issue this book has is that it feels shorter than it is. At 416 pages, it reads like a 300-page novel (maybe that can tell you more about the number of big plot points it has).

Now, as you can see, this doesn’t paint the beginning of the series in attractive light. We have a book that feels disconnected from the main character and a follow-up that feels like it is missing at least one subplot. Again, I can see why people may not continue with the series at this point because what they do have to work with includes some overarching plot points that would not fly in today’s climate and underdeveloped characters. There is good news though because this is where the series takes a turn for the better.

City of Glass gets right into the action, giving us a new location and a new set of characters and situations to understand, all the while building the tension with its pacing and the uncertainty of who to trust and what’s going on. A lot is happening and there are many moving parts, with some characters doing one thing and others working on something else. We also get more perspectives, including the Lightwood siblings which makes this read feel more well-rounded and interesting. City of Glass is the saving grace of The Mortal Instruments series because it does what the first two books failed to do – get the ball rolling with quick-paced decisions and conflicts that actually matter. The overarching plot point I mentioned earlier is finally resolved in this one too which makes things all the better as a reader. Honestly, if I knew someone who hadn’t read the series before, I would give them bullet points for the first two books and get them started with City of Glass because this is the Cassandra Clare work we love to see.

Then we have City of Fallen Angels, a book I remembered some plot points here and there before rereading and then proceeded to feel very strongly about this book. We have a brilliant use of the miscommunication trope where everyone seems to be unable to talk to their romantic interests which is great because the anger I felt toward the main plot to do with this miscommunication needed to be cooled. Miscommunication is one of my most hated tropes and I will DNF a book if it gets to the point where I’m unable to tolerate the characters. In terms of plot progression, City of Fallen Angels rode out that mid-series tension high without lugging behind in its own story and the break between big plot points and action felt much needed. In a way, it’s like City of Ashes where there’s less going on but this is by far the better way to handle that – again, likely to do with the limited perspectives in the second book and the higher investment in characters in the fourth.

City of Lost Souls kicks back into the high tension and quick-pacing, but we get some interesting moral dilemmas and character interactions that muddy the waters. In terms of the whole timeframe this series covers, this book covers the most time from what I recall but it doesn’t feel drawn out like City of Bones. There are many elements within this novel to help keep the interest throughout regarding characters, conflicts – internal and external – and relationships. As the penultimate book, City of Lost Souls does a fantastic job of building the tension and preparing the reader for the finale while throwing some curveballs. There is such a clear contrast between the beginning of the series, the middle, and the end and City of Lost Souls sets the stage perfectly for what is to come.

City of Heavenly Fire delivers on so many points. Honestly, it could be one of the best final books in a series I’ve ever come across, not only for its ability to manage the story at hand but to refer to and set up other stories and trilogy within the Shadowhunter Chronicles at the same time. It’s not easy to wrap up a complex fantasy story with so many moving parts and it is understandably even harder to establish the foundations for another series on top of that, introducing those characters and their situations while keeping the spotlight on the main cast. One thing I will say is that Cassandra Clare’s ability to withhold exposition to sprinkle through the last book is hilariously impressive. Not a lot of people would even dare to do that, but again this is for the structure of future series so leeway can be given in that regard (for those who want to know – never give exposition in your final book). There’s a bittersweetness I mention in my review and I will say that it is quite refreshing to get a YA fantasy series end on such a note. There isn’t always a victory without loss – that’s quite rare – and Cassandra Clare has given us the ending the series deserves.

So overall, how do I feel about this series? I admit, the beginning isn’t good compared to other YA books. Marissa Meyer’s Cinder, for example, the first book in a series of fairytale retellings with heavy sci-fi elements, does a much better job establishing the world and creating an engaging and relatable main character for us to follow. The Hunger Games has moments of lower action at the beginning and it doesn’t come across as dull or forgettable because of the cleverly built tension and eeriness of the story world. Even A Court of Thorns and Roses, While I don’t like the series all that much, has a much better beginning than City of Bones and City of Ashes.

Does that mean The Mortal Instrument series is a waste of time? Absolutely not. It’s important to note that an author is allowed to mature and learn on the job. They are allowed to make stylistic changes in the middle of the series, they’re allowed to understand their characters better as they’re writing, and they’re allowed to broaden the scope of the story to illustrate the developing themes and plot of a book. While Cassandra Clare’s start in the world of publishing may have been rocky, she’s massively improved with every book and she stands as one of the greatest YA authors to this day. She’s been around for seventeen years and is still publishing great fantasy books with complex plots, compelling character dynamics, and conflicts that can keep even the pickiest of readers engaged. I will continue to read and reread Cassandra Clare’s books long after she’s hung up her Shadowhunter hat (which is on the horizon and that makes me very emotional). I will make it my goal to drag as many people down this shadowhunter rabbit hole as I can until then because misery loves company and The Wicked Powers trilogy will be my undoing.