Clary Fray had her whole life turn upside down on her fifteenth birthday. When she begins to see things that those around her can’t, she starts to think she might be going crazy; until she comes back home to a destroyed apartment, and a missing mother. While going through the mess, she discovers she’s not alone, and is attacked by a creature that she’s never seen before. A young man that she swore must have been forged from her creative mind saves her, and she is dragged into the hidden world that was in front of her eyes all these years.
During her journey to find her mother, she learns that she is not an everyday human. Through her veins runs angel blood, making her part of a special race that has been entrusted to protect the world from demons, and to maintain peace in the Downworld and keep the Mundanes (aka humans) safe. These soldiers of the night are called Shadowhunters, and we follow Clary as she learns her lost heritage while slowly learning about her mother’s past. Why did her mother keep this world hidden from her? What made her mother keep them out of reach from the Shadowhunters? And why was her mother taken? Follow Clary on her journey as she faces and learns the answers to all of these questions whether she wants to or not.
The City of Bones is a spectacular start to an imaginative series. All these years we have been bombarded with fantasy that seems to only copy or repeat others before it. City of Bones provides a new look at the supernatural world, and makes you wish you could draw some runes on yourself and become a total badass.
This series has seen various adaptations in the recent years, proving that not all books are meant for the big screen. In 2013, the movie “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” came out and wasn’t received as they had hoped. The books had become an instant hit with the young adult audience, and personally I felt that the casting choices and the re-imagination of the plot only harmed them.
On the other hand, the recent release of the “Shadowhunters” television show this past January has been a major transformation for the books. Although the show itself is still new and holds a lot of potential to become a major success, compared to the films it is a difference of night and day. The casting choices were a major factor for the positive response from the fans. They fit the character descriptions so much better than the actors for the film.
The beauty of this series is that it provides a new lore to the never ending universe of fantasy. Youth connect to the different characters because each reflects a part of an adolescent personality: wanting to know where you belong, learning who you really are and what you are meant to do with your life, your emotions and the actions you take based on them, denial about who you really are, your sexuality and how you express it, along with many other factions of life, from family, to teachings that are passed down from one generation to the next. I rate this entire series a solid 5 out of 5 as well as the television show. If you want to sit through the movie as well, it might help to appreciate the television version so much more!
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