The Mortal Instruments Books In Order

Publication Order of Mortal Instruments Books

Publication Order of Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Mortal Instruments Collections

Publication Order of Mortal Instruments Non-Fiction Books

About The Mortal Instruments Series:

In recent years, the genre of adult fantasy has exploded and authors of this genre have becoming increasingly prolific. In any bookstore, customers will find a vast array of choices in terms of the number of adult fantasy series available to read. However, the Mortal Instruments series offers something slightly unique and it appeals to many more readers than most of its competitors, which puts it above the competition. Plus, there is a movie adaptation for the books which offers another way for interested people to get into the series.

So far, there are five novels in the series which chronicle the lives of different Shadow hunters, which are basically regular people with supernatural powers. There is a sixth book currently scheduled to be published in May 2014. This is one significant advantage that this series offers over the other options for adult fantasy readers—as a developing series, it offers the prospect of growth and future. This keeps the audience anxious for new material and it also allows the author to adapt the novel to the current audience’s demands.

The Story:

The Mortal Instruments mainly follows the story of one girl named Clarissa “Clary” Fray, who is a normal girl, or a mundane. A mundane is essentially used to refer to any being without magical powers. However, in a life-changing realization, she begins to discover that she does, in fact, have these exclusive magical powers. Therefore, she becomes a Shadowhunter, who is a being who does have some magical or angelic qualities which separate them from the general population. Then, the five books show her journey through her teenage years as a person learning to harness her magical powers.

City of Bones delves into the story behind when Clary has her first revelation that she is a Shadow hunter. When she begins to see strange sights and becomes involved in bizarre events, she slowly learns that she can do things that most mundanes can’t. Eventually, she understands she has powers that separate her from the rest and she embarks on a journey to help herself understand how to harness her powers. She discovers that her memory has actually been sealed, making her forget about her past and how she obtained her powers. Then, she must use all of her power to try to remember as much as she can about her past in order to reveal the hidden secrets that her life hides. City of Bones offered readers a unique plot and intricate, personable characters who made readers feel like they were part of the plot. Therefore, City of Bones became a best-selling novel, and it came in at number 8 on the New York Times Best Seller list. It was also featured on several lists for popular children’s and young adult fiction. Due to the book’s success and popularity, a movie adaptation was created recently in August 2013 for the City of Bones. Entitled The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, it grossed an impressive $9.3 million for the opening weekend. This is a remarkable number, especially because it is the first movie in a series. Filming for the sequel has been confirmed to start soon for a 2014 release date.

The next book, City of Ashes, expands on the romance aspects of the previous book and takes the supernatural aspects to a whole new level. The book is entrenched with family drama and side plots which make the series all the more interesting. In this book, the author, Cassandra Clare, also adds many more personality traits to Clary in order to give her a fuller, more relatable personality. Different situations and circumstances start to bring out different sides of Clary, exposing traits that were never revealed before. Because of this, The Mortal Instruments series does not need many characters in order to keep the series interesting. Many other adult fantasy series will have a book to focus on each separate character since the characters are not interesting enough or complex enough to discuss in much detail. However, due to Clare’s method of developing on past character’s personalities, the characters stay fascinating to the readers throughout the book. City of Ashes has been called “gripping” by critics and the reception was almost all positive. Clare has looked at the criticisms and taken them into account during the writing of the next book, so the series is only improving over time along with the characters’ personalities. Currently, Clare is finding the correct balance between an interesting book with romance and war and a slightly violent and sexual book which can only appeal to an audience of a higher age group. Clare’s quest is ultimately to make as many readers as possible enjoy her book, so she is trying to expand her target audience without decreasing the beauty and strength of The Mortal Instruments series. So far, her trend of increasing her audience has been received very favorably and it has satisfied male and female readers of all ages and types.

The Titles

Each of the books is titled by a different city, and the cities generally mark an important event which takes place in the book. For example, in City of Ashes, the actual City of Ashes is represented by the Silent City, which is the location in which a significant murder and theft took place. For a second example, the first book, City of Bones, the City of Bones is the place to which Clary travels with her friends during her voyage to bring back her memory. It is her first real exposure to the magical world from which she has been kept away from her whole life, making it a true landmark location in the series.

Basically, with a journey packed with constantly changing and growing characters and an extremely interesting plot, The Mortal Instruments is well-loved by almost all the readers of the book. It is worth trying the first book, especially due to its many honors and awards. Many viewers have found that the movie does not accurately portray all of the best parts of the book, so anyone who is interested in The Mortal Instruments should read City of Bones before watching the movie. From then on out, the future books only get better and increasingly suspenseful and romantic. Therefore, if readers like City of Bones, it is highly encouraged that they continue reading the series until the fifth novel, City of Lost Souls. Then, it is only a short wait before the sixth is released: City of Heavenly Souls.