Author: Cassandra Clare
Published: March 27, 2007
496 Pages
4 Gold Stars
(summary from Goodreads)
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . .
I was a little worried going into this book. I had read some reviews and most of them were either really good or really bad. There were a lot of comparisons to other young adult novels out there, a lot of accusations that Clare didn't really have any original ideas, but I for one have been waiting to finally plunge into this series, so I jumped in anyway, regardless of what I'd read. The problem with reading bad reviews is that they stick with me. As I started reading, I couldn't help but see what they had been talking about. There are a lot of similarities to other fantasy novels. I can tell that Clare has read Harry Potter and Twilight, but what I love about her writing is that she took these inspirations and took them in a totally different direction. Let's face it, there are hundreds of books about vampires out right now and magic has become a delectable taboo for most of us, and Clare has added a great addition to the genres.
Clare has brought to life a haunting world seeping up from beneath our feet. Demons, angels, vampires and werewolves all mingle through the streets of New York with citizens being non the wiser to their precence. I'm a sucker for books like this, with fey and the glamour keeping them out of sight. Clare's taken this one step further by giving the Shadowhunters this power as well, in addition to them already having some kick ass abilities. Shadowhunters are part angel and use runes as weapons and magical help. Clary lands into this world like Alice in Wonderland, with no idea how she got there and no way out in sight.
Clary is a very believable protagonist. I would have loved to see this book written in first person from her view point, as most of it is through her eyes anyway. But I'm sure there's a reason why Clare has written it the way she did, and I'm sure I'll discover this after reading the rest of the series. It all seems to fall into place around Clary as she discovers that she may know more about this other world than she once thought. Her friend Simon comes along for the ride, trying to keep her feet planted on the ground as Jace tries to sweep them off of it. Jace, well, what can I say about Jace? Everything about him screams "Gorgeous" and you'd be crazy not to fan girl over him. He's snarky and cocky, but from the moment he speaks to Clary, I knew he'd be a good guy. I mea, who can say no to a bad boy with weapons?
The plot kept me on my toes as Clary tries to find her mother and the missing Mortal Instrument, a cup that can creat more Shadowhunters. Enter the villian: Valentine, assumed to be dead and possibly the most powerful Shadowhunter alive. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of him and hating every minute of it. This was the perfect starter to the series. It introduced the characters, the world and the war brewing beneath the surface, preparing us for what to come. I have no doubt that I'll enjoy the sequels as I'm eager to find out more about this world and all the madness in it.
“Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?'
Jace said, "Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself."
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