Review: "The Mortal Instruments" by Cassandra Clare

Well folks, it's been some time since I last posted anything. I’m sure the privation of my keen analysis and snarky wit left you truly bereft. Right guys? You did notice I was gone, right?

I know that I promised several months back to post the second short story starring Olivia and Cerise, since I did mercilessly leave you dangling on a cliff. I haven’t had a chance to do more than outline the story and draft the first scene since then. In part because I've been busy with work, but mostly because my discretionary time's been absorbed by "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel." (Which, incidentally, I finished both series a couple weeks ago - yay!) Once I finished those remarkable, gut wrenching, punch-you-in-the-face amazing, Joss Whedon shows, I started looking for something new in urban fantasy to read that wasn’t horribly trashy with a capital smut. You wouldn’t think that would be a herculean task, would you? Well after many unsuccessful, sample chapters read on my Kindle, and armed with a golden fleece (crap, that’s Jason, not Hercules…), a friend recommended “The Mortal Instruments” trilogy by Cassandra Clare. Roughly the advertised sixty seconds later, I began reading the first chapter of “City of Bones.” After devouring that, I downloaded the rest of the book and within the span of three days completed the whole trilogy.

My top three favorite things about Clare’s writing: her world, her sense of humor, and her pacing. Now that’s not to say that I don’t adore her characters, because I do. The way she blends even narrative description with aspects of her characterization really enables the reader to see the story through that character’s eyes. She clearly illustrates this writing choice through her main protagonist and talented artist, Clary Fray. Her narrator describes many scenes through comparisons to famous pieces of art and Clary sees and thinks about everything through an artist’s eye. This choice not only really differentiated Clare from the scores of authors I’ve read in quite an addicting way, but also her characters themselves.

After that gushing, let’s move back to the top three. I enjoy good stories, but for me to elevate a series into the “much beloved” category requires a world that I can believably get lost in exploring. Clare’s world filled with demons, warlocks, angels, fairies, vampires, werewolves, and shadowhunters enraptured me. I have more than a passing familiarity with the Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern mythology and I loved her explanation for the shadowhunters and the downworlders. As Clary says, “All the stories are true” and the way Clare weaves her world with established mythologies rings of just that – truth.

The compulsion to continue when my sample chapter cut off was directly due to her snarky and geeky sense of humor. This series has the distinct honor of being the only books that have ever made me snort my drink from laughter – repeatedly. I don’t want to give away all the good lines, so if you too want to feel the singular joy of a carbonated sinus cavity, read these books.

Now, one of my biggest complaints about the Twilight series is one of Clare’s greatest strengths as an author, her pacing. Immediately, as Clary gets swept into a world she never knew existed, you are at the mercy of the story along with her. And like her setting of New York City, you never really slow down. You do get moments to catch your breath, but you never feel as though what you’re reading is unnecessary and you just want to get back to the good stuff, nor do you think to yourself, “Self, if I hear he-who-shall-not-be-named described as gorgeous and perfect and beautiful one more time, I may scream.” Though, the phrase, “I see how you look at [fill in the blank],” does have a special place in my heart these days. If you’ve read these books, you know exactly what I mean. If you haven’t, why haven’t you left to get them yet?

Now, I will warn you that when I finished “City of Bones,” I felt devastated. Several of you witnessed my rants about the ending. I felt like there was a sour taste in my brain and the palate of my imagination needed cleansing. Everything felt off and unsettled, like the world was a tad too bright and I was perpetually squinting, only my brain was squinting, not my eyes. After realizing that closure alone would alleviate my twitching, I abandoned my search for an old favorite and picked up “City of Ashes” and I couldn’t have been happier that I did. That is the strength of Cassandra Clare’s writing. A good book should entertain; a great book should compel you to throw it at times. “The Mortal Instruments” are great books. Now, stop reading my review and go pick up a copy.