City of Bones; City of Ashes; City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments)

I love this series... I couldn't put the books down! I'm a huge Twilight fan and I have to say, I almost like these a little more in a way, there's definitely more action and suspense throughout all the books. I cannot wait for the last book to come out! :)

If you are a fan of books like Twilight or The Vampire Academy series, then you won't be disappointed with these books. There is a very interesting story line and well-developed characters. Of course, there is the ongoing love triangle that makes it almost impossible to put these books down! The three main characters in the love triangle are young teenagers, so the 'romantic/love' scenes don't go further than a little kissing. As an adult woman, I personally would have liked a little more romantic involvement but the story line makes up for it and is definitely appropriate for a teen audience - worth the read for sure but if you haven't read the Vampire Academy series yet do yourself a favor and read it!

Do you want a book that's boring, dull, unsatisfying and plain stupid? Then get out of this book review because City Of Glass is amazing. Any age reader will love this book, drama, romance, detailed paragraphs of excitement put you right in the city, right in the middle of a blood splattering fight were hope is barely found. The main girl, Clary, is just like an ordinary girl until one fateful night she witnesses a murder that no one believes happened and if that's not enough, the guy who did it keeps interrupting her life. Find out how you've never known true suspense and action, as you read, City Of Glass.

While I enjoyed getting to know that characters, I have to admit this series has some serious flaws. If you can overlook them and just enjoy it as a nice "getaway," it is fine. I tried to do so, but I was also very distracted by a few things. If you don't want SPOILERS, please don't read ahead and just try it out.

The whole brother/sister thing dragged on for way too long and I found that I could not wish for the characters situation to be resolved because it was nauseating. Couldn't the author have chosen another obstacle to their love than incest? Yuck.
Ridiculously obvious foreshadowing. As most everyone, I love to try to figure books out before the ending and I am always pleasantly surprised when the author does something unique. Not that a book needs a twist ending to be good, but when it is obvious from Book 1 that they are not siblings and that Jace is not Valentine's son to the reader, why does it take to Book 3 for the characters to figure it out?
The writing was subpar but great imagination and story telling. I kept wanting to read....
Felt like Twilight but I wasn't buying the relationships...and Stephanie Meyer had hotter obstacles for her characters than incest and one being in a coma for three books.

Read it for a nice "departure from reality," don't expect it to change your world.

I loved this trilogy, and the box set is a great buy. Unlike some series that you will read, every book of this trilogy is as good as the last. Miss Clare paints an amazing world that is vivid and bright yet dark and mystical at the same time. I loved the characters and adored the story line, though like most I do wish that an internal struggle that wasn't incest could have kept the main characters apart. Although I never believed it to be true so I wasn't grossed out ;) I highly recommend these books to lovers of Fae and the like.

These books are a great fast read. The writer has some work to do on her main character,(she was portrayed a bit too angry, out of character for who she is), but if you just want an engaging, entertaining, "a total escape", novel series, you will love these.

I am glad I bought them and I'm going to treasure them. They're full of suspense and exciting twists.
This dangerous world is full of really lovable characters. I love Clary and Jace together so much! You will love them, I bet.

I'm very disappointed that this product did not come with a cover box like the picture. emailed the person twice and no response . If I just wanted the books I could've bought them, but I bought this product for the box because this was for my girlfriends bday present. we were both disappointed . so we give a one star.

The world built in the series is a fascinating one, but the characters seem one-dimensional with little real growth. The writing often falls flat and the story relies too much on frantic plot-twists to keep the momentum going. To be fair, I haven't finished the books... but that's mostly because I wasn't engaged enough to keep it going.

i was looking for something to read after i read the twilight series a couple of times. i came across The Mortal Instruments and they are awesome! i was hooked on reading these just like i was with twilight, and i think these books are actually better than twilight. theres vapires, werewolves, faeries, warlocks and many more that all play a pivitol role in the series. totally recommend these books, and this 3pack offer is a steal.

Just an amazing 3 books all the way through! Action packed and they have all the little things that keep them moving along such as the bit of romance, magic, angels/demons, etc. Could not put them down, fantastic!

No updates, not on time, and I specifically had it ordered in time so my husband who is in the navy and leaving on an underway soon could have it to read, BUT THE SHIPPING STATUS AND DELIVERY DATE LIED.

Will not order though who I did ever again.

characters are weak, predictable and every character acts like a 10 year old girl with the antagonists in the ENTIRE series explaining their plots to the protagonists at every turn... I feel like I'm reading the script to a Scooby Doo version of an LGBT sponsored series... sheesh...

I've seen this book lying around and the sequels. finally picked it up and couldn't stop until after the third one. action packed, angels and demons, magic, and a reluctant love triangle. This makes Twilight just raw dough to this series, which is the icing on the cake. I'm 40+ something, and a reader of anything worthy. Wow! There is to be a forth book next year. I'm so looking forward to it. Bring it on...

I bought this book based on reviews and was pretty disappointed. Read the Hunger Games if you are looking for a good series. The Mortal Instruments is lacking in depth and character development. The author's ability to set the scene and paint a visual of what is going on is weak at best.

I am a huge fan of the YA fantasy genre and I was excited to read this series. I am a crazy Twilight fan, and when I saw Stephenie Meyer's endorsement of this series I was sold! Unfortunately, everything about these books was lacking. It was so bad that around the beginning of book 3 I decided to read the Wikipedia entry so I could decide if it was worth finishing or if I was just wasting my time (I have never ever done that before). I decided it was a waste of time, but I ended up finishing the series anyway just because I had nothing else to read (aside from textbooks). However, this was a huge waste of time and money.

I never write reviews, nor do I want to make it a past time of mine so forgive me for making this short but sweet. I can put up with a lot in books, it really takes a hell of a book to make me not want to read it and in fact hate it. These are the first books that I can say I actually hate, they are torture to me and if I could get a refund I would be on that in a heart beat. It is impossible for me to explain what bothers me about these books without giving away a main part of the stories plot, bare this in mind when reading on..

**spoilers ahead*

The books are about two teens who fall madly in love with each other, have a physical (not sexual) relationship and then find out they are long lost brother and sister. It is one thing to have a plot line that takes you to this point, at this point I didn't hate these books, I thought..wow that is awkward and weird. What really made me decide these books are written by a defiant is even after finding out they are related they struggle with the fact that they are deeply in love and not in a brother/sister kind of way. All I can say is that these books are disgusting and hands down the worst books I have ever read. I highly suggest you skip these books, the reason I am writing this is had I known that part of the books I would never have bought them in the first place. I am hoping to save normal people out there who don't want to read about the twisted and sick relationship of siblings.

Though I enjoy the books themselves, by the time i got to reading the 3rd book in the set i found that the binding was done incorrectly and pages are falling out in large chunks,pages that are not cut and separated, and that there are unevenly shredded edges around many sections of the book. This being the 3rd book, and it took me longer than 30 days to read the first 2, the product cant be sent back for a refund. pretty disappointing.

I avoided this series for quite a while, looking at it occasionally out of the corner of my eye when I went to the library but never picking it up. I was quite prejudiced against vampires until I read Clockwork Angel and decided that they could be okay. After reading that, I had to get my hands on the Mortal Instruments as soon as possible. It took me perhaps two days to read them all. If anything, I liked them even more than Clockwork Angel.

Jace is perhaps one of my favorite male leads ever. Sure, he is as obnoxious as heck and there are times when I wanted to smack him silly, but he is so swoonworthy. I mean, really. Scarred, sarcastic and strangely vulnerable with only one girl who can touched his heart. Sigh. Like I said, swoonworthy. Plus, he plays the piano.

I loved Clary. Smart and stubborn, she will not let anyone walk over her or control her life. Not Jace, not her mother, not anybody. Her romance with Jace and her relationship with Simon are so marvelously convoluted and at times tragically confused. I spent all of City of Ashes searching for hints and foreshadowing that would reveal Jace's true origins. I mean, really, did anyone actually believe the twist at the end of City of Bones? (I am being deliberately vague for those of you who haven't read the series, those who have will know what I am talking about.)

No matter how magnificent Jace and Clary are, however, they pale in comparison to the force of nature that is Magnus Bane. He is the most fantastic, original, wonderful character I have met in a long time. He is so completely wacky that it was just fun to read everything involving him. Considering the fact that he is a complete opposite to me in every way, I found it very easy to sympathize with him. (Not that I am not wacky, but I would never be caught dead wearing sparkly blue sequins.)

The snappy dialogue in this series is great. There are some truly wonderful exchanges between Jace and Simon, Jace and Clary, Jace and Alec...let's face it. Most of the snappy dialogue involved Jace in one way or another. I am sure he does it for the attention.

After finishing City of Glass, I was rather surprised to learn that there was going to be another book in the series. It seemed to end so perfectly that I am a little worried that City of Fallen Angels might ruin it. However, reading through the series for a second time, I began listing the loose ends in my head and I realized that I really want to know where they lead. Therefore, I am ridiculously excited by the fact that City of Fallen Angels is sitting on the hold shelf at my local library, just waiting for me to pick it up... :)

This is a fun, satisfying YA paranormal fantasy series that I would recommend to readers 13 and up who are not afraid of good-sized novels. (I love the fact that the books are so long. The bigger the better.) Happy Reading!

Unlike most readers of Cassandra Clare's THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series, I came to the books after reading the prequel INFERNAL DEVICES trilogy. The complex plotting and fabulous historical detail demonstrated in CLOCKWORK ANGEL, CLOCKWORK PRINCE, and CLOCKWORK PRINCESS blew me away, and I reviewed all three books individually here on the store and Goodreads. So, I was eager to move on to THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS.

The universe the author creates is unique and believable. New York City is so well-wrought that it becomes a character in its own right. This is especially noticeable in CITY OF BONES and CITY OF ASHES. But setting (old and new) also haunts us when we leave for the Shadowhunters' homeland of Idris in CITY OF GLASS. I shared Clary's dislocation and her struggle to orient herself in an unfamiliar land.

The author gives the same careful attention to building her characters. Down to the least important minion, they are layered and convincing. Also, the twists taken with the Jace-Clary relationship are risky and filled with suspense. Despite what we think we know about the two, we still root for them to be together, which is pretty shocking considering the circumstances.

Sure there are plenty of Sci-Fi/Fantasy tropes here that we've seen before in everything from STAR WARS to HARRY POTTER to TWILIGHT. So what? This is the second decade of the 21st century--EVERYTHING has been done before. The point is that Clare tells a good story. She gives us engaging characters and puts them through hell. What more can a reader ask? The only reason I took away a star is because as good as this series is, INFERNAL DEVICES is better. It approaches literary fiction in its use of language and exploration of character. The downside, and it is a relatively small one, is that it highlights YA aspects of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS. All the teen angst and "how do I hide this from mom" moments seem a little airy after the dark lyricism of a book like CLOCKWORK ANGEL. Still, I enjoyed the books and am glad to hear that there are three more to come.

I had heard that there was a movie coming out on this series. I do love movies, but I really enjoy reading the story before I go to see the movie. Honestly, I thought I would get bored reading these books because they are young adult/teen books. However, I was greatly surprised! The storyline was really good, the characters were well described. You found yourself routing for the heroes, feeling sad for the victims, and hoping the villain would either be caught & strung up, or killed. The love interest in the books had its share of angst. There is always one or both who are in love who fumble over themselves, can't decide what to do with their feelings, are scared, but then take the leap of faith that the other feels the same.

The main characters are nephilim. Not the nephilim you're used to hearing about. Nephilim are humans chosen by an Angel to become warriors, protecting this world from demons and downworlders. However, downworlders don't seem to be an enemy any longer. The focus now, more than anything, is on killing demons and hunting down the nephilim who has released them. Now the nephilim & downworlders have a common interest & join together in unity to battle their mutual enemy.

If you're looking for a series that read fast, has great characters, and has a wonderful mixture of real world & a bit of fantasy, you'll really love this series!

They are great books, if you liked Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson, you will like it.
In a way, the settings remind me to World of Warcraft :)

But: it is hard to understand who might be the real target audience.
It has everything fantasy lovers want: shadowhunters, vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and an action-rich, well written story.
...and here comes the but: I find the steaming romance bits between Jace & Clary out of context and I flipped/tapped through the pages because of the too much details. I think it belongs to adult romance books, and sadly, in a way, rules out half of the potentials readers (male young adults).

***Spoiler Alert*** First love turns out to be brother-sister attraction? Nothing to worry about, it will sort itself out: it is is a teenage book, things like that just don't exist :)
*******************

I am looking forward to see the first movie, City of Bones, coming out in August 2013. I think the actor for Jace is a perfect choice. After all, only Clary sees him perfect and dreamy, in reality he is a strong and intriguingly arrogant warrior.

I find nice that ones the villain dies (not telling you when, and how ;)), the story goes on, just like life goes on, and the books still have a lot of stories to tell us.

1. Amazing Heroes. I don't think there are enough words in the English language to express my love for Jace. And Simon. But specifically Jace. As a matter of fact, a speechless stance is probably the best to take anyway. If I'm not talking I can concentrate more fully on wiping away the drool.

2. Strong Heroines. Isabelle is definitely a strong female character, and so is Clary, but Clary makes some mistakes. We get to watch her grow over the course of the books, make her way, come into her own. She makes good choices - she makes poor choices. She's relatable. She's feisty. I want her for a friend.

3. Secondary Characters. There's not one token character anywhere in this entire series. All are multi-dimensional, richly drawn, vital, and each one serves at least a dual purpose. Even the Church the Cat.

4. Setting/imagery/worldbuiling/kick ass writing. You can see the lights of the Manhattan skyline and smell the scent of crisp apples and night blooming flowers. You can feel the weight of the weapon in your hand, the bass thumping against the walls of the club, the pressure of the stele as it draws the rune on your skin, and the crack in your heart as it begins to break. Whether New York City or Idris, you are THERE.

5. The covers. Do you SEE THEM? Aren't they PRETTY?

6. The fans. Best fans ever. Because we LOVE IT.

7. Cassie. She's a doll. She is vigilant about interacting with fans. She answers questions frequently on Twitter, has a Google group that she's very actively involved in, and she blogs on Live Journal as well. You can get more information about how to connect with her on her website.

8. The graphic novels! TH3RD WORLD will be publishing The Mortal Instruments as comic books in monthly installments first, then bind them together as graphic novels - one for each book. Savvy fans were treated to a sampler on Free Comic Book Day.

9. The Prequel. The Infernal Devices kicks off with CLOCKWORK ANGEL on August 31, 2010.

10. THERE ARE MORE ON THE WAY! In addition to the already anticipated THE CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS, due out spring 2011, there will be two more books in The Mortal Instruments series, making the total six in all.

Just finished the 3rd book - City of Glass. I think the trilogy was good. I was seriously contemplating to read book 4 and after book 5, but decided against it. City of Glass finished at a good place. I think if the book leaves you with few questions at the end, its a great book, cause it makes your imagination work and makes you, as a reader "draw" a happily ever after.
There are good and not so good points:
Not so good ones:
City of Bones - it took about 3/4 of the book to get somewhere. Very slow and not so much action, and then in the last quarter everything started to happen.
Lots and lots of mistakes and typos. Sometimes I had to read a sentence 2 or 3 times to understand what is going on. Looks like the editor wasn't really interested in his/her work on these books.
Lots of flashbacks. I think if you cut out at least half of all those flashbacks, we would hardly get 2 books out of 3.
End of City of Glass - after everything Clary and Jace went through, and their feelings that we've read about page in and page out, Clary still asks Jace if he might be still interested in her. Huh?? Really?? Just let them kiss and have a great life, etc.

Good stuff:
The reason I gave 4 stars to these books, is because despite of all of the above, it was captivating. I must admit, City of Ashes and City of Glass I read in 4 days. I also liked that Clare brought in something different in a fantasy world - Shaddowhunters. There are so many books about vampires, demons, werewolves, etc, but it was interesting to see something different and just as equally attractive.

I think these books are unique in its style, but Clare really needs to work on her writing and editing.

I really did like the series and read all three books in three days. The only thing I was and still am a little unsure of is the twist in the first book that is drawn out throughout all of the books. I just think that there might of been a better way to make a conflict between the two main characters that would of worked better. I am glad that this series was only three books and that the publishing company did not drag it on to four just to make more money.

The characters were well developed and you understood their part in the novel. The writing for a young adult novel wasn't as juvenile as some of the books I have read that are for teens and I am thankful for that. I really enjoyed how well the book flowed and by the end of the novel you could tell that the author just didn't make up the ending when she needed to she knew how it was going to end from the start and that led me to enjoy it more with it not having too many surprises that didn't make sense in the book towards the end.

The reason I gave this book four stars was because of the death that is in it because it felt forced and didn't really add to the book in a good way.

I loved this book, but to be honest I HATED the movie it didn't follow the book at all, it's like they took the book, ripped out all the pages, and put them in whatever order they saw fit. The movie was a huge disappointment to me especially compared to the movies made for the Harry Potter books or The Hunger Games which followed those books almost to a tee.

Although this book series is listed as young adult fiction I will begin by saying that I'm 31 years old. I read to escape therefore I love fantasy and sci fi. I'm a die hard romantic so I love a good love story. I get bored easily therefore I also love thrillers, action and complex plots that unravel from one clue to the next so I can make predictions. I then revel in delight whether they come true as I saw they would, or not. If you are an adult like myself who still considers themselves a "young" adult and likes this type of genre I recommend you do not steer yourself away from it. I read the entire series within 3 days. I couldn't put the dang kindle down. I even lost 5 pounds on the mortal instruments diet plan because I forgot to eat, being so absorbed in the stories. The characters, while most are young, are not only realistically depicted but are funny, witty and mature and the dialogue is not painful to read like some books are which are geared towards this age group. I can't stand when authors dumb down dialogue because they don't give teens or young adults the credit they deserve and underestimate their intelligence with stereotypical lingo. Give the kids some credit will ya? C.Clare gives the credit where its due. While the main hero, Jace, is 17 (legal age of consent in my state for the record), I will admit that my lust for him was not hampered by the fact that I am 14 years his elder. I laughed, i teared up, I bit off all my nails, I yelled out in frustration. There were characters I loved, ones i hated, ones i hated to love and others who threatened the well being of my kindle for fear i'd throw it against a wall. Clare's ability for descriptive writing is amazing. She gives you enough to make clear, personal visualizations about the scenery and the physical traits of the characters. Sometimes however, she does this a little too in detail and goes on too much about the most simplest of things. I didn't get too bent out of shape about it though because this is a mythical story & her attention to those details allows you to be able to imagine the magnitude of beauty or in many cases, horror, that she is trying to convey. Another plus is that the majority of the story takes place in NYC. Finally...a place that actually exists. I know many of the areas she is speaking of because I'm from NY and you start thinking of them in a different way once you have read the book. C.Clare doesnt force you into a place that does not exist but rather makes you believe in the possibility that there is a mythical world existing all around us in the every day one we live in. Although there is a mythical land called Idris which is in the series, she does a wonderful job describing it exactly as I would like it to be seen as though she is catering, specifically, to my very own imagination. I thank her for that. ;)

One thing I will say is that you can't read just one of the books in the series and get the full effect. You have to read them in the proper order and not expect to jump ahead one or two books and know exactly what the heck is going on. I love this series for that reason. Anyone who reads a series where the author feels compelled to play "catch up" for somebody who doesnt know what is going on because they failed to read the previous books gets so tiresome and annoyed. I can think of a few that I read which do this. Cassandra Clare does not do this. She seamlessly continues on with the events only giving slight reminders for the thoughtful readers who have a clue to what is going on. That is why I feel it is important to read the series as a whole the way it's meant to be read. Another thing I thank C.Clare for not doing is bashing your brains in with the same crap over and over again like some authors of this genre do as well. She gives you the facts and then she plays them out. There are some scenarios which consistently rear their ugly heads and are drawn out at times but be aware that the characters are feeling the same frustration as the reader is with them. The reason you find you yourself sick of a topic is because the character is sick of it as well. And thank you C.Clare for making people react realistically to situations and conversations. I can't stand when a character needs to be told they're being an idiot but the only one yelling at them is the reader and well, they can't hear you. Not in this story. The stupid things that the characters do are met with other characters telling them that yes, it was indeed, stupid. Every character is vital and Clare portrays them brilliantly. You feel as though you truly know each and every one of them. And the love story? Forget twilight. The romances in this series (and there are many)are juicy, sick, tender, joyous and my heart ached for every one of them.
Another tip: dont rush through every line and detail. Really take the story and words in and absorb them. Even the smallest things come back around and have a part to play in unraveling the plot. I dont know how many times I wished I had bookmarked a spot in the first or second book because something was 'hinted to' and i couldnt recall what it was. The suspense drove me nutty that I would have skipped over or forgotten something that at the time seemed minute but ended up being revisited. I love how C.Clare does this so well. One of the worse things is when the reader knows the books better then the author and you catch them making mistakes with the history of something previously written or you think "wait a minute...in the last/first/other book didn't this happen which would prevent this from happening?" or "what happened to that/them?". C.Clare leaves no stone un-turned. She also did a mighty lot of research and homework concerning her supernaturals. She blends historical, religious, literary adn fictional depictions of all the creatures in the story. It's rare to see so much work and knowledge go into creating a story like this where equal attention is given to every single character whether they are fearie, angel, vampire, warlock, demon, werewolf or warrior. I'm impressed.

BRAVO.

I'm an adult who loves to read young adult fantasy fiction (what can I say, its just more relaxing, intriguing and enjoyable). This series has become by far my favorite, and a must-read for fans of this genre. The author creates a world that you want to fall into and be a part of. These books were so addicting I read the entire series in a week.
This contains lots of action, supernatural beings, romance, forbidden romance, mystery, and suspense.
BE CAREFUL WHEN READING OTHER REVIEWS, THERE ARE MANY SPOILERS WRITTEN HERE, and I had accidently stumbled upon some before finishing the series. Yes the first book has a weird twist at the end, but don't give up on the series at that point. Just take my word for it, if you are a fan of Harry Potter and Twilight (although probably not suitable for younger fans), you will LOVE these. And if you like this genre but did not like the Twilight saga, gives these a chance because the plot and writing style are very different.

I read these to my daughter when she was convalescent. Generally a good, exciting read, and well plotted, too. Lots of touches of humour.

I seem to be the only person in the world to feel some sympathy for Valentine! I always feel for the villains, even when their behaviour, like Valentine's, is inexcusable. Valentine's nasty quips as he jumped uninvited through the portal were priceless. You can see why he had such a terrible influence over his followers.

I loved Isabelle's toughness and liked Clary, but I wish she had more interests apart from Jace. After she falls for him, she loses some of her personality.

I found Jace a bit too of a male 'Mary Sue' -is there a name for male Mary Sue's? - for him to come alive as a person. He's so much the sort who no girl can resist, fearless, skilled in battle,detached and ironic, the type whose trousers would never fall down in a supermarket. Yet, the author does give him one vulnerablity; his longing to be with his father again.

Simon was a little too much of the opposite type - clever,funny and nice, but a bit of a nerd.

Overall, though, an exciting read and very well plotted.

**Spoiler Alert**

There was no chance that Simon could ever compete with Jace for Clary, so I guessed how The Thing That Must Keep Clary and Jace Apart could be resolved at once and so did my daughter, so there wasn't much suspense about the romance.

"Have you ever read a book that you just couldn't put down? And I don't mean, you thought it was pretty good and really were interested. I mean, you stay up until 3am because you absolutely HAVE to know what's going to happen! Because these were those books for me. Not only do they have a great story with loads of suspense from book to book, but they are also amazingly funny. Some of the conversations between two of the main characters, Simon and Jace, had me laughing out loud and my husband asking me what was going on. It even intrigued him enough to pick up the books themselves and as a guy in his late 20's he actually really liked them.

"These books are packed with action, humor, suspense and even a bit of romance (of course). The characters are fantastic and beautifully written. Cassandra Clare quickly became one of my favorite authors just by writing this series and I can't wait for the next book in the series, City of Fallen Angels. As well as her new novel The Clockwork Angel coming in September this year! Please, do yourself the favor and pick up these 'chunksters'! You won't regret a single page in the almost 1600 page series, I promise!"

"As a bit of trivia/info I'll even mention that though our dear Turkeybird was born before I ever read this series, he coincidentally bares the name of a certain character from these books. Who? Well, you'll just have to read them and take a guess!"

I've read every type of fantasy our there and so its always great when a series comes out that's truly unique, which is exactly what the Mortal Instruments series provides. The Clary and Jace story keeps you guessing and every girl who reads this will fall in love with Jace. As well, the Shadowhunters are a great new type of super hero. Just as every kid was sad that they didn't receive their letter to Hogwarts, so will everyone who reads this be disappointed that they aren't one of the "marked" Shadowhunters protecting the world from demons. I've read this series from start to finish at least 5 times and would say its a must read for everyone.

This is a fantastic story!! Again, this is a book I read by listening to the audiobook at work because I would never have the time to sit down and read with everything I do every week. At first I really couldn't get into book one. It took me around five tries and when I finally got to a certain point, I couldn't stop listening to it. I barely slept at night listening to it until I passed out, that's how good this trilogy is.

I have to say that my favorite character, hands down, is Magnus Bane. He cracked me up. It's funny because I didn't really notice him too much in Clockwork Angel, but in these books his personality really comes out.

Despite being a total hottie, Jace is another favorite character because of his witty banter, even in the face of death, like right when Sebastian is about to put a sword through him in the end, Jace never stops mouthing off. It's great!

As for Clary, I like her because she is brave, talented, and caring. She is strong but I have to say that she is not strong enough to be an ideal leading lady for me. There were times where I just wanted to pull my hair out because she just sat there and did nothing or she let someone treat her badly and didn't fight back. There are so many scenes in which she did this but the one that stands out is when Jace yells at her in book three and tells her go home because he hates her. Her reaction frustrated me because if it were Chalice, she would have walked up, punched him in the face, and then left to do things on her own, never speaking to him again. Jeremiah would never talk to Chalice like that because he knows he'd get totally clobbered and then left forever. I think it is just me but I like leading ladies who are not just strong but who are leaders and aren't afraid take control of a situation or to go it alone if someone abandons them. I think it may just be me though - this is just one of my personal things.

The relationship between Clary and Jace isn't like any I have ever read and the twist with them being siblings is new and a little weird. Of course, throughout the whole trilogy, I had more than a sneaking suspicion that they weren't siblings and the sexual tension between the two was so frustrating that it made the whole thing really good. Sometimes I think that if I'm not feeling something while reading a book, even frustration, then the author isn't doing her/his job very well.

The rest of the characters I liked and the plot itself was brilliant, highly complex, and delivered a forceful punch at the end. The world that Clare creates isn't entirely unique as I could see elements of Twilight, Harry Potter, and LOTR, but it is a great world and one into which I love to escape for the hours I have to spend at work doing monotonous programming. Not that I don't enjoy work, I do, but it is so much more enjoyable with an audiobook to go along with it.

Will I continue on with the the City of Fallen Angels and the trilogy that Clare is writing after this? No. Why? Because I've read the plot summary and reviews. The Mortal Instruments trilogy was great! I don't want it spoiled in my mind with a bad or mediocre sequel. I want the characters to live on in my mind as they are. Sometimes when an author writes a great book, trilogy, or series and there is a demand for more, the author should really just ignore the demand and stop to move onto to something new. Sometimes sequels really ruin a great story.

As for my rating of this trilogy: 5 stars for each book!

Happy reading!

~ Melissa, Melissa Douthit's Blog

After reading the Twilight Saga more than 3 times each, I wanted something to get my mind off of Edward. Read The Host. Excellent (by the way). And then this series was recommended to me by my niece. Really liked the characters and action. Fun and a good distraction from the Twilight stuff. Definitely would recommend. The pre-quels (Clockwork books) are not as satisfying and a bit harder to get through, but I understand why C. Clare wanted to write them (several of the characters in the pre-quel come to play beginning in Book 4 of the series). They're fun, light, and entertaining. Definitely a Jace fan!

WOW! What a nice discovery this was! The Mortal Instruments is by far one of the most amazing, compelling and well-crafted series I've ever read. Cassandra Clare definitely knows what she's doing. She created a whole new, exciting world, full of twists and turns. It kind of reminded me, just on the edges, to Harry Potter. Of course, most of the story unrolls outside the "Institute" (pretty different to Hogwarts, yeah, but with the same vibe) and the leading character is a girl whose forehead hasn't been marked by some deadly curse, but, the names and the creatures...definitely give, at least to me, an HP vibe. And it only makes it even better!
The book has everything--adventure, weapons, fights, history, symbology, romance, witty dialogue...everything you need to soak yourself with the story unfolding in your hands. You won't put it down until you're done with it. And if you put it down, you won't stop thinking on what's coming next. It's just that gripping.
The Mortal Instruments is a fantasy world one would love to dwell within. I recommend it to avid fantasy readers!

I heard that A clockwork prince was based on this author from maine. the government was stealing his work and passing it around as he wrote it. The things you can do with the internet today. i heard he was like a hostage. Poor guy. he just got published this year and he has a website. I guess most movies are written about people from maine. I heard he got chased across the country and now he lives in CA being horrassed by the military and the police. in late December of 2011, he got charles barkley to ask Jesse Jane out for him on the Jay leno show.Charles Barkley mysteriously turned to the camera and said, "Pirates." Pirates is one of Jesse jane's movies. You should check out his books. A Clockwork prince was based on his book Divine Inspiration.

I love the series as a WHOLE. I must admit, I do have to agree with A LOT of reviewers that City of Bones (Book 1) was VERY similar to Harry Potter plot. I can see where the distinctions can be made. With that being said, I thought that once you get pass the slight similar story line, Book 2-4 really propelled the series as a whole. I thought that I wouldn't like it, but I cave in after Book 2. It was more interesting in the sense that CC tried to unite the paranormal world using Angels, demons, warlocks, etc versus focusing on just one or two evil-doers.

I did enjoyed the overly cliche drama of Twilight, and being a Twilight-book (Not movie) fan, I feel that this series is so much better. For once, Clary (I don't like the name) is a much better protagonist than Bella. Yes, there's the love "triangle", but I can honestly say, I never really thought that Simon was meant for Clary in the first place. I like the Jace-bad boy appearance, but he does need some improvement. We mainly see Clary or Simon (Book 4) perspectives, and only slightly see Jace's outlook that his character portrayal seems a bit weak to me. I like the fact that he's dreamy, but every bit sensitive to Clary, but at the same time, I wish I can read more about his internal struggles.

Lastly, if you enjoyed this, I would suggest CC other series "The Infernal Devices" Clockwork novels. They were so much better.

If you like reading about fairies, vampires, werewolves and the like, then this book is for you. This book is action packed and keeps you guessing till the end. There are no borring parts of the book. The characters are believable and likable. I liked that it is a three book series where there was only one true conflict that carried till the end of the third book. Highly recommend this anyone that likes mythical creatures, low level of romance and a high level of action.

I am YA fan and I have read the Lord of the rings, Harry Potter, Divergents and all the other main novels. After a friend suggest to read City of Bones, I expected to find an exciting story, a well devised fantasy world, good and intriguing characters and a good read. I was disappointed.

SPOILER ALERT
The writing is extremely poor, dialogues are repetitive, the characters make no sense (e.g. Clary is running after a boy and going out for parties while her mother is help captive?!/ Jace changes personalities when Valentines shows up multiple times?!), the story is creepy with all the sibling romance and the fantasy world is just a mix of everything with no logical sense. Plus, Cassandra Clare is a copy cat of other novels- the resemblances with Harry Potter, Star Wars, Twilight etc is clear.

I really do not understand why this is so popular; I was honestly starting to think I was the only one who didn't like it.

It's just bad. The story could have been good, it was not a bad idea, I even managed to read the first three books because it wasn't a terrible storyline, but it was terribly executed. It was badly written teenage angst and unrequited love, in fact it had a twilight vibe to it.

Apparently people liked this, so I'm not saying don't read it. Just don't go out and buy the whole series; it doesn't get better, so if you don't like the first book, don't keep reading.

...before going here. I tried twice. I couldn't do it, the writing was just that bad. Case in point: "He shrugged perceptibly." Constant 'ly' interruptions, an empty leading lady, and some of the worst dialogue I've ever read.

I'm not saying don't read it, by all means, give it a try, I'm just saying to try reading the first book before investing in the entire series. Hollywood greenlights a lot of garbage, don't assume that a movie deal makes this..."good". The idea feeding the book is great, the execution is terrible.

One of the worst writers ever.

While there were many moments of “WTF” in these books, I have to admit that I couldn’t stop reading them. I stayed up way too late too many nights in a row trying to figure out where things were going. But it was thoroughly entertaining, a bit predictable, and just a fun read.

I love YA fiction. Done right, you can create a masterpiece. Done wrong, you get "City of Bones." How this ever became a movie is beyond me.

When writing for Young Adults, every page does not have to be dripping with teenage angst, unrequitted love, and shallow characters spelling out every insipid plot twist. However, it seems bookshelves today are overflowing with this dreck that tries to pass itself off as writing. "City of Bones" is no different, and that is an understatement. In fact, the book steal plot elements from both "Harry Potter" and "Star Wars" and smell a lot like "Twilight"

**Spoiler Alert**
Voldemort, wait I mean Valentine, starts a school club dedicated to maintaining the purity of wizarding... err I mean Shadowhunters... by destroying all half-bloods... oops Downworlders. Then his wife, Padme'... sorry Jocelyn... leaves him when Anakin... I mean Valentine... tries to kill the Jedi... ooops Downworlders. Jocelyn's two kids Luke and Leah... crap Jace and Clarry... don't realize they are related and end up making out.

But then Bella... I mean Clarry... has a really good guy friend, Jacob... I mean Simon... who is jealous of her and Edward... I mean Jace. It's good for him they are related... or does it really matter to them? **gag**

I barely made it through the first book, and I hated myself for it.

This book has given me hope that I, too, could pay someone's love-sick 15-year-old daughter to write me a best-selling novel.

Save your money...Save your mind... Save your dignity! Read a Terry Pratchett novel.

I actually watch the mortal instruments movie first and liked it so much I was encouraged to purchase these books. I got them fairly quickly and must have read all three books in less than a week. Great series! I have yet to read the 4th book and have postponed doing so because the first three were so great and ended perfectly.

I mainly started the series because the movie was coming out and because it is a favorite of my friend of mine. But I hated it!! The books is about an elitist group of people called the Shadowhunters who hunts the people they consider "below" them. Even though I read several of the books, I had to force myself to finish each one and then I still skimmed them. I kept hoping they would get better. The characters were all shallow and boring. The only one that seemed interesting was Magnus.

It was an interesting take on vampires and werewolves, but I have read better, such as the Dark-Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. That is truly a unique series.

My advice: save your money and check-out the series from the library if you are still wanting to read it.

This is a great series for those who love Twilight (you'll notice Stephanie Meyer also loves this series!). I read these three books in about 5 days time; I couldn't put them down! There's a twist in the beginning that makes you want to say EWWW!! but then you know it's not the case (you'll see what I mean when you read it). You get a mental picture of these characters and fall for every one of them! Have fun reading!!

Gee, I love this series very much! They are fun to read, the protagonists are not really kind and the antagonists really not so evil. The kind we would encounter in our daily life. So, although the setting is kind of in "other planet", the plot is sensible and enjoyable. Heart wrecking romance, full packed action, and a not so common romance (Magnus and Alec). Love it, love it, love it.

BEST SERIES EVER!!

Jace is sexy, quick-witted, and will drive you completely insane! Clary is a strong heroine that can definitely hold her own. And then there's Magnus - the shimmering, fabulous, high warlock of Brooklyn! Prepare for a roller coaster of emotions, at some point you will throw the book at the wall!! Cassandra Clare is an amazing story-teller!

(There are no spoilers in this review)
I freely admit that I did not like these books but I hesitate to call them bad. In terms of objective quality I think they are average: the writing is okay, the basic plot is interesting, the characters are decent. I liked the premise of a secret world of vampires, witches, and monster hunters being discovered by a normal teenager with hidden power. Sure it's cliche but it's a solid and promising concept. What really frustrates me is that this potentially awesome premise is wasted. To elaborate:

Plot: The main issue I have with the plot is the focus. Despite the fact that there is genocidal maniac with enough power to decide the fate of all mankind Clary is the center of the universe. Yes she is the protagonist so of course we would focus on her. However, the series doesn't find a way to integrate the main plot with the character's development. How much the overarching plot is ignored depends on the book but overall the focus on Clary at the expense of the main plot diminishes any tension or suspense and any confrontation between the villain and hero feels short and anti-climatic.
Characters:
Clary and Jace: I think the book spent too much time focusing on these two but more detail on that later.
Secondary Characters(Simon, Alec, Isabelle, etc):They were nice likeable characters but they were a bit flat.
Villain: He only appeared in person a few times throughout the series. The series spends more time telling the reader about all the awful things he did in the past instead of showing the damage he is doing in the present. This makes him feel less threatening because his existence is barely acknowledged.
Romance: I'll admit I am biased because I don't really like romance but this element annoys me the most for two reasons. One, the romantic tension between Jace and Clary takes up a disproportionate amount of the plot. The story spends so much time focusing on the love lives of the main character that the main plot becomes secondary and other characters get less development. A romance between two teenagers is not important enough to take precedence over the main conflict, which involves the fate of all mankind. Two, the romance itself isn't very interesting. Its the "hot mysterious bad boy meets "average girl" who have an immediate indescribable attraction despite the fact that he is a jerk when they first meet" type of romance. Its predictable, it doesn't endear me to the characters, and it makes me more annoyed that the romance gets more attention than the main plot.
The thing that bothers me the most is that I expected a story about demon slaying and heroes fighting for the fate of the world. I felt cheated when they focused more on the romance aspect instead of the conflict the books advertised. If you like romance or young adult fiction you might like this series. If you're on the fence about buying this series I suggest you borrow it before you commit to buying the whole series.

This is a great series!! I talk these books up to anyone who will listen & wants a suggestion for a next book to read. I always describe them as a sort of Harry Potter meets Twilight-ish but still keeps to there own story. It has everything from Angels to Demons and mundanes to Vampires and werewolves. Big HIGH-5 to Cassandra Clare for creating this wonderful world of the Nephilim. Im soooooooo excited for the movie coming out this year!! Cant wait to see it and read whats next for the "Star crossed lovers".....*sigh*

I really enjoyed this series, but not as much as the Infernal Devices books.
Some parts are just... a little too angsty teen-ish (they're nothing compared to the Twilight movies). I did read these very quickly and enjoyed them. Would recommend.

I am a female in my 20s who enjoys fantasy reads.

The books were very predictable. I didn't like the homosexuality references, or the pentagrams. I would never suggest these books to a teenager or younger. Overall it was an "ok" storyline, but when I was done reading the 3rd book.. I was almost releived!

IF YOU ARE INTO TWILIGHT, VAMPIRE ACADEMY, SOOKIE STACKHOUSE, THEN JUST BUY THE WHOLE SERIES BECAUSE YOU CAN'T PUT IT DOWN. AND DO NOT--I REPEAT DO NOT READ AHEAD TO FIND OUT THE TRUE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLARY AND JACE. LET YOURSELF ENJOY THE SUSPENSE. PLEASE!! THIS SERIES DOESN'T DISAPPOINT AT ALL. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT.

These books are fun to read b/c vampires aren't the main aspect of them at all. I was disappointed at first, but after I got more into the story, it just wove a world that was fun to read about, great characters and mysteries to them, and develops better with each book.
It's not a bad book for younger teens either.

I was looking for a series that I wouldn't get bored with and boy did I find it here! The first book City of Bones had me from the start. From that point on I was on a mission to finish that book and get my hands on City of Ashes. Still not bored I stayed up till 3am with that book and was out the next day to buy City of Glass. This is a well written series that has something for everyone. Action, romance, mystery, and drama all well blended into a story you never want to end. I honestly can say I was sad to finish book 3 because there was no more to read. I'm patiently waiting for book 4, well that's not entirely true. I WANT IT NOW!! You won't be disappointed with this series. Purchase and enjoy!

The first book got me hooked. I couldn't put them down after following Clary though her advintures with her friends. The whole story is so creativly put together, its like nothing I have ever read before, and I haev read a ton of books. Its such a great story and the way the auther puts her words together is so smooth its almost like watching it on film. Everytime you feel like you know whats going on, everything changes and new things are always happening. Not a dull moment in the whole book series. Id recomend this to anyone who likes a good love/advinture story.

I really loved reading this series! I have fallen in love with the characters and really can not wait for the final book - I can wait for the movie; I'm sure they will screw that up like every other book to screen adaptation!

**NO Spoilers**
A great young adult series that will captivate anyone who enjoys suspenseful fantasy with a little romance. This series brings you out of your world and hurls you into another that is filled with friendships that are stronger then family and love that risks everything. You will be surprised by the plot twists and undeniable charms of Cassandra Clare's Characters. The worlds that the story is told in capture your imagination in thrilling ways. This is a fun, flirtatious read for things to come from this breakout author. Looking forward to Clockwork Angel and her three continuing books to The Mortal Instruments series. ENJOY!

I've read this series a while back in the individual books. But, now that City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments, Book 4) is out and I have a kindle, I'll be purchasing the kindle bundle so that I can re-read them all. I want the story to be fresh in my mind when I finally indulge in the latest addition.

As a parent, I would not want teenagers reading this. This set was classified as a "young adult" series, which usually offers a cleaner storyline. Parents should know that there is foul language in the book, dealings with demons, and the 'heroes' relationships are sometimes gay/lesbian, incest, or longing for someone who doesn't love you back, none of which seem to have any redeeming value. It is a fictional story, with plenty of action, but frankly is not as well written at J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series or even Stephanie Meyer's series, "Twilight".

Titles: City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass

Clary lives as normal and uncomplicated a life as anyone can in NYC--bohemian mom, quiet best friend Simon, father-like family friend Luke... There is nothing more to Clary's world than the everyday--until reality comes crashing through the thin veil of her mind late one night in a sketch downtown club. One glimpse and Clary's mundane life becomes utterly complex: mother's missing; Simon's hopelessly in love with her; angels exist, so do demons, werewolves, and vampires (aka "downworlders"); and the only person who seems to know what's going on is the single most arrogant, cold, and freakishly HOT guy Clary has ever seen. His name is Jace, and he calls himself a Nephalim--half human, half angel.

Before she can even remember to object, Clary is thrown headlong into a serious interspecies conflict led by a rogue Nephalim--Valentine--whose very name inspires the shivers. As the whole shadow world struggles to decide whether to combine forces and stop Valentine from claiming the 3 powerful Mortal Instruments or to give in and allow him to fulfill his diabolical plans, it slowly becomes apparent that Clary is the unsuspecting lynchpin.

In order to stop him, she must face a host of challenges--physical, psychological, and romantic--before confronting the ultimate choice to sacrifices what matters to her most, or live with the devastating consequences.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

**--Spoiler Alert--** (I won't give away whole storylines, but will hint at things that aren't revealed until bk 3.)

I knew that sooner or later it'd have to come along: my first negative review. However, please bear in mind that I'm not saying not to read these books. Though I got frustrated and sometimes put them down (for the reasons outlined below), I wouldn't have not finished them. Hence the 3 stars (where I was tempted to give 2). I don't think that I will pick up the new *surprise* book 4, City of Fallen Angels though...and I don't really think back on the ones I did read...at all.

That's because this trilogy falls firmly into the group I'd call "cotton candy": look pretty, smell pretty, melt in your mouth and are gone. They are, seemingly without remorse, a very cheap thrill--a la Twilight & Co.--and for that reason, very hard to put down. I found myself alternatively groaning with gusto and sighing with teen fever.

If you're interested to know the details of why I wasn't so keen on them, keep reading. If not, skip to the next set of stars.

* * * * *

In particular, these 4 things bothered me:

1) Simon. Love triangles are common enough that I've devoted an entire category to them here. But, some are achieved more or less annoyingly than others. This was not in that group. Simon, Clary's friend-turned-gaggy-crush, doesn't stand a chance - he's a clear 2nd best to the cold, heroic heartthrob, Jace. Although, there is one "turn off" about Jace that is supposed to make us doubt his destiny to be with Clary, it was so un-deftly played that I never bit. As a result, Simon ended up looking even dorkier than intended, and, well, just grated on my every last nerve.

2) Incessant Foreshadowing. A literary device full of potential, it became something of a dead horse in these books. I knew the answers to the "burning" questions (and was 100% confident about them) some 500 pages before they were answered. This was, in part, because the narrative was a little too transparent, but also partly because the author spent so much energy trying to keep the questions burning that she smoked the answers out. I like a little more cleverness to my mysteries - otherwise, what motivation do you have to keep reading a not-particularly-well-written 1500-page series?

3) Reckless Manslaughter. Like George in HP, a sibling of a supporting character dies in the final book. However, this series wasn't brave about it: the character is so minor to the plot as to be useless; its removal more of a hiccup than heartstop--and the motive for doing such an obvious attempt at evoking pathos that I almost laughed...then got angry (see Tweet proof). The poor kid's role - who, unlike George, we never get to know and love - is reduced to something like a cute puppy who gets bopped on the head to make softhearted girls go "awww!" Truly, this piece of the narrative was ridiculously clumsily pulled off (enough to deserve two -ly adverbs!). If the writing's good, it will evoke tears through its art - not by stabbing the reader in the hand with a fork.

4) Clamoring Clichés...and a lot of familiar motifs. There is a chunkton of rather unoriginal material in this series. I don't necessarily mean the demon/angel/etc lore - but in actual motifs of the storyline. (Those spoilers I told you about hit most here.)

--> Brother-sister a(ttra)ction (Starwars)
--> Sociopathic, racist villain whose name begins with "V" - every mention of which name strikes fear - whom the adults of the book went to school with and knew as a "less than purely evil young man," and who plans the purification of the world from inferior races by means of 3 magical artifacts...(Need I go on? Of course, I do mean Voldemort.)
--> A triumvirate of mystical objects, which, when combined, achieve world-changing ends. (Harry Potter series; His Dark Materials trilogy)
--> Heroine who has the power to write or read magical runes/glyphs/letters that alter reality. (the Dreamdark series; His Dark Materials trilogy)
--> Protagonist who discovers they have a powerful parent they've never known when they go off to a haven for their "like kind." (Percy Jackson series; His Dark Materials trilogy; Fever Crumb series)
--> Heroine who is small/weak, and needs protecting by the tall, cold, quiet heartthrob. (Twilight series)
--> Tall, cold, quiet heartthrob with burning golden eyes and slightly jealous siblings. (Twilight series)
--> World with a somewhat malevolent group of specially powered rulers, sitting in a remote European corner of the globe, unbeknownst to the rest of society. (Twilight series; Harry Potter Series; Percy Jackson series; Vampire Academy series...)
--> Death of a supporting character's sibling. (Harry Potter series)
--> Etc.

Now, I'm not saying I believe much (if any) of our contemporary literature can claim full originality - it's just not possible, nor would it be much fun. The art of storytelling for the entire history of man has coincided with the art of borrowing. (That was, actually, my masters thesis in a nutshell.) And, J. K. Rowling is a primary example - her work is a virtual collage of borrowed mythic and literary artifacts. However, her story is also extraordinarily complex and subtly original in its own right. The Mortal Instruments books, however, don't have the same complexity by far, and thus their recycling comes across as rather obvious and forced than intriguing, clever, or allusive.

* * * * *

All in all, if you are looking for an easy, fast, rollercoaster ride through romantic conflict and paranormalcy, I do recommend this trilogy. The love story (and hunka-hunka hero) was enough to pull me through. And, pull me it did, I must admit. I was dying to know what happened to Clary and Jace at the end. But, if you find yourself groaning at the obsessive hint-dropping, see-through emotional triggers, and overall mundaneness of style, don't say I didn't warn you.

(Review originally published at booknotized.wordpress.com)

I bought this series because it was recommended by Stephanie Meyers, but I wasn't sure about it-thought it looked kind of strange though. This series grabs you around chapter 3 of the first book and doesn't let you go! Has everything you could ask for in a book: Action, Romance, Suspense, and of course the Sexy Jace Wayland!! Beautiful writing, you will feel like you are sucked into the book and you are not going to want back out! Awesome books, totally re-readable! Best series I have read so far...
Two very enthusiastic Thumbs up!!

This was a simple off the shelf buy that made me crave to read the rest of the series then clock work now city of fallen angels. I can't wait to read. You fall in love with the character's in the books the story line is a fav. Just try it and I bet you'll fall for the character's too. and if you have any sence you'll love the stories behind all of the character's. When I read these stories I feel I have joined their world.

Thank you Casandra Claire,
Shannon

This series is packed to the hilt with action, intrigue, and romance all in a mythical, surreal setting. You will WISH you could be a part of this world when you are done reading it. The only drawback was the Luke Skywalker/Princess Leia type relationship in there. A little confusing. There should have been a little more repulsion, sense of wrongness in a couple situations between the characters, BUT all was set right in the end...and I can't wait for #4!!!!!
Cassanda Clare writes beautifully, and masterfully adds humor and wit to a dreadfully serious world...

These books are amazing and Cassandra Clare is a pure Genious for thinking them up. I have read many novels but these are probably the only ones that allow me to completely melt away from reality. It has romance, action, humor, and an amazing list of characters. I am pleased to hear that additional books are in the making and City of Fallen angels (the fourth book) has already been made available for pre-order for the Kindle. These books don't even need to compete with Twilight or, and i'm sorry to say this, Harry Potter. absolutely AMAZING.

I read Twilight several times and needed to move on. Someone told me about The Mortal Insturments and decided to give them a try. I love them! Totally different feeling than Twilight, but still a love story with tons of action. I truly love this set and cannot wait until the City of Fallen Angel comes out (next year..yikes!!). I am a upper 20-tomething mother of two and I love the way the books take me to a fantasy world!!!! **SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT** There is a plot in the book that has incestual connotations, but after throrughly reading the books several times, it is obvious that other intentions were clear in the begining. I had absolutely no issue with that, but I do see maybe some people might take offense.I truly think you should give these books a try, they are great!

This series is a great series, if you liked the Twilight series this is the series that will replace or be right there with it, i loved these they are not your normal romance boy meets girl, Cassandra Clare is an excellent writer she knows how to keep you going, i am throughly excited that she has decided to make the fourth book, i have read it mulitiple times. it will draw you right back into it every time.

This book was amazing, after reading Twilight its hard to find something that really gets your attention. A few friends of mine recommended this book i finally read it and WOW its was so good and FUNNY! i loved Jace and Magnus (who wouldn't) I think that everything in the book the story is so interesting how the showdowhunters have the marks to protect themself i thought everything was amazing. I highly recomend this book, i actually read all 3 books in a week and i can not wait to buy the 4th next year. The world where the author takes you its amazing you dont want the story to end, I'm telling you! READ IT!

This series is really good. Never a dull moment. At some point it does make an unsuspected twist but don't be surprised just yet, it hasn't even gotten to the good part yet at that point ;) This is a beautifully written series. I loved it and can't wait for the newest one to release this summer!

These books were amazing!!!!! I hadn't found any good books lately so I decided to give them a try and I'm glad I did!!! My favorite series by far along with the Seven Realms series. I recommend these books to ANYONE as they have most of what everyone is looking for in a book series in my opinion. LOVE THEM!!!!!!

Couldn't put the books down! Loved the characters, plot twists, the journeys that the characters went on personally and developed through- very well written! While I'm not a fan of anything demon/tarrot card related at all, the story was so intriguing I had to keep reading. Looking forward to Book 4 in April!!

The author actually transported me to the Mortal Instruments World. I fell deep in the story of Shadowhunter, Downworldes and EVERYTHING MI related. An excellent saga where you find a great story, characters you can relate with and adventures inimaginably exciting.

I LOVED these books! They were well written, had funny characters, and a fantastic plot that kept me guessing most of the time. If you like books like Spells, Fallen, Twilight, and all those other great YA books then I am sure you will enjoy these books as much as I have :)

To me this series was an awesome blend of demon slaying, encouunters with mythical creatures, hot demon slaying guys and just an awesome story line that will leave you on the edge of your seat till the very end of the series!

the book is quite the predictable with its plot and story ascendng to a climax at the end although i had not yet finish the book yet still character are quite nice in their potrayal but too much detail are being seen leadng to too many twist amd turn making some parts boring but as a whole okay

This series is awsome. I saw the first book lying around a freinds house and didn't pay much attention. Then I coming across it in various places...someone reading it on the bus...at school...the bookstore...etc. Finally I checked it out at the library and LOVED it!!! Into supernatural creatures? Got it! Into love stories? Got it! Into plot twists that will make you shout 'I LOVE THIS SERIES!' Got that too! Awsome read, definately recommend. >_<

Kylee Brown Piedmont,OK I love ths book mostly because of the action and Jace.Clary and Isabell are strong females and i wish I could be like them but I am scared of alot of things. I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i loved this series! someone recommended this to me,but it took me awhile to get to it. now its on my fav book series list. i was a little disturb at first w the twist,but i guess it was different,right? i love the main characters and the story was beautiful. was great from start to finish!

I know its weird, but I dont enjoy reading (more of a movie person) my teen sister bought this and I couldnt put in down, I finished all 5 books and she's still on the 2nd. Ive been vibing with TMI, the Matched series, and the HUSH HUSH series.

This series captivated me from the start, the relationships, the whole fantastical idea behind it. I am a huge fan of twighlight but once i read these books i have to say twighlight has some competition...i wish these books would be made into a movie. I couldnt put them down and it brought me into a fantasy world that i loved to live in.

I must give Clare some credit for the build through out the three books. The third book of course was my favorite of the series but they all kept me entertained. For those of you who enjoyed "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (the series not the movie) I believe that you will enjoy the witty dialogue between the characters. I love the characters and the chances that Clare took with the plot. The story will definitely keep you guessing until the epic ending in the last book!

I'm a fan of the Twilight Saga and I thought I would not find another series that would capture me the way Twilight did. The Mortal Instruments was a great story, I could not put the books down. I only had one complaint about the book and it was the author having Clary kiss her "brother" eww. I like to enjoy the romance not be weirded out by it.

I started to read this series because I was looking for a great (non-harlequin) romance with some supernatural mixed in. I was very disappointed when ***spoiler alert*** the romance was between a brother and sister...kinda ruined it for me. When you read a romance you want to enjoy it, not cringe every time the characters touch. The story does redeem itself but you have to wait until the very end of the last book for it to happen. I still enjoyed it though and would maybe would recommend to a friend to read.

This is the worst series in this genre I have ever read. (I read it as a favor to my niece). Claire is a really bad writer. She is not able to create any realistic characters; the constant fake bickering was ridiculous. I didn't care about the characters, the magic, or the story line. The whole girl (clarry) with 2 boys fighting over her is so overdone....and she spends all her time trying to break up their fighting and calming them down. God I hated her, Jace, the whole lot of them. Don't waste your time unless you are a 14 year old girl.

I was going to write a huge essay about why this series sucks, but if you want to see those, go to the City of Bones and read the other one star reviews. They are very accurate.

In a nutshell, almost everything about this series is cliche, I've been waiting for the protagonist to die (which is NEVER a good sign) and for the rest of the characters to just go away. They make me want to scream! The plot and characters are weak and underdeveloped, and the writing didn't keep me interested.

Most everyone who likes this likes Twilight...and that's really all I need to say. If you're looking for something with depth, real emotions, and an interesting and captivating plot with good characters, read Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, or the Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck. Don't waste your time on this! If you still want to read it, go to the library, don't buy it!

I bought this boxset strictly based on customer reviews. It will rank among the top most regrettable things I have ever done. I love young adult fiction, but it's hard stomaching this. From book 1 to book 3, each of the main characters becomes more and more exacerbating (I'll give Simon a pass--maybe).

I had high hopes that the angsty, bratty, emo crap would eventually stabilize, but it didn't. The disparate personalities of each of the characters makes for constant volatility. It was so unrealistic that any of them should be friends--or stay friends; or be interested in one another. There's never a meeting of the minds, there's never a moment where they can sit and just enjoy one another. It was soooooooooooooo excruciating getting through these books. If you're a teen who loves these books, and these characters are anything like you--I really, really, really hate you. Every one of you. You make my life miserable just thinking you exist.

I felt the author was going for a Joss Whedon approach to drama-teens, but with more amped-up angst to flesh out the characters. Buffy only pissed me off a few times, Clary made me down-right hate her. I hated Jace and Simon for wanting her. I hated Izzy for not pointing out that nobody SHOULD want her. I hated Luke for treating her like she was some precious China doll that he was directed to protect no matter how idiotic she was. I don't care how desirably beautiful these characters were described as being--nothing, and I mean NOTHING, was at all like-able about them. I cannot think of one character in the entire book that I liked--not one. There are just those who pissed me off, and those who pissed me off less. ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!! It just makes me want to pull my left arm out of its socket and beat my eyes out of their sockets.

Please don't believe the five star hype regarding these books. And, even if you don't believe me, be cautious. Try the first book as a test subject--don't invest in all three at once like I did. I try to always finish any book I buy--which is why I forced myself to trudge through this boxset, but I really hated these books. :(