Day 01 – A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just end already
The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. Now, what you see above are the first three books of the series: City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass. And they are awesome. There are three books after this: City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire (Out Sept. 2014)
Basic Plot: Clary Fray, sixteen-year-old girl living in New York City, lives a normal teen life, though she feels like there is something missing about her. One day, while at a club with her best friend Simon, she witnesses a murder by three people only she can see. Obviously this freaks her out a bit. I mean, wouldn’t you freak out a bit? Then she meets Jace, one of the murderers she saw, who explains that he is a Shadowhunter, a Nephilim, who hunts demons and kills them, sending them away from the human world. Not long after, her mother is kidnapped and Clary sets out to save her from the evil Valentine, a Shadowhunter gone wrong. As the story unfolds, you learn more about Shadowhunters, Clary, her mother, Valentine, Jace and how all these things connect.
The Awesomeness: These are young kids, in modern day New York City, fighting demons. It’s badass. The culture of the Shadowhunters, the way they are raised to be fighters and the way they give each other Marks (tattoos) to help strengthen them in different ways is just so interesting. Its urban fantasy and its wonderful. There’s just something interesting about this separate world existing parallel to the one we already know. We’re so used to fantasy in a different world but this one coexists with things we already know. One of my favorite parts is when Clary says she is going to sell one of Jace’s seraph blades on Ebay and Jace looks at her like she is a crazy person. Clary is a great character in that she is that normal sixteen year old girl, who eventually learns that she is special, and its very relatable to most girls. And let’s face it, Jace Wayland is a pretty hot male character.
Reasons Why it Fits this Category: In this instance, its a series that should have just stopped. It was originally supposed to be a trilogy. City of Glass ended amazingly. I thought it was a good ending. It wasn’t that perfect, happy ending but it was close. Which is something that I definitely like. I hate those books that end perfect, happily ever after. That doesn’t happen. People die, cities get torn apart, etc. That’s part of war. So there are definitely some downers at the end of the trilogy but it ends on a very good note. However, Cassandra Clare decided because it was so popular, to continue the books. The books were going to be focused on Simon, Clary’s best friend, who (SPOILER ALERT) becomes a vampire in City of Ashes. The books were to follow Simon this time around as he comes to terms with being a vampire, never aging, etc. That would have been okay. That’s not how the fourth and fifth books have put that across yet. To me, the plot is very very weak, hanging out to tendrils from the first trilogy. Also, there seems to be more focus on whether or not (SPOILER ALERT) Jace and Clary are going to have sex and less on the demon hunting. Very disappointed. You should’ve stopped while you were ahead, Ms. Clare.
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