So, since my post summarising all the Sarah J Maas books has proven popular and, as Cassandra Clare is one of the author’s whose books have a massive world that I happen to have read the majority of, I thought why not group all my Shadowhunter book reviews together too?
So here they are, jump to the series you’re interested in, or jump to the end where I give my thoughts in comparison/ where to start.
(some of these reviews are from a long time ago when I structured my reviews differently, the more chaotic they are, the older they are!)
The Infernal Devices
I am constantly torn about which series in the Shadow Hunter Universe I prefer but I really do love the characters Jem, Tessa and Will and luckily their story spans across all the other books too. The Infernal Devices and Mortmain’s plot to take down Shadowhunter’s is really secondary to their love story, which is my favourite out of all the love stories in these books (second only to Alec and Magnus!). Tessa’s love for both Jem and Will at the same time, who are partnered by their parabatia connection with one another (a rune that bonds two warriors together, an extremely deep friendship); neither resents the other for loving Tessa too because they love each other too much.
*warning this next paragraph contains spoilers!*
I love it and yet it does genuinely break my heart that Jem had to watch Tessa and Will’s life together, after he is turned into a Silent Brother. Will dies (at the end of the last book, after a long life with Tessa, who is immortal because she’s a warlock) before Jem is able to be turned back, so they never get to live their lives together again as parabatai. Then once he is burned by Jace’s holy fire in the The Mortal Instruments series, Tessa and Jem finally get to be together. A story which is then later explored in Ghost’s of the Shadow Market, which I have read before and you read the review here.
*spoilers end here*
In these books in particular, I think the mystery of what Tessa is and Mortmain’s plans for her is extremely well written. I do think Will’s story of why he believes he is cursed (which leads to Tessa getting engaged to Jem before he reveals his feelings) gets a little too teen angsty and dramatic but it does pave the way for the behaviour of all the Herondale’s after him; leading to the way both Jace and Kit act in later books. All the Herondale’s love and feel extremely fiercely about things.
If you love this kind of fiction, I cannot recommend them enough!
Mortal Instruments
These books are set across the defeat of two ‘big baddies’, first Valentine and then his son Jonathan. The main character Clary is thrust suddenly into the world of Shadowhunter’s when Valentine’s group, The Circle, finally find Clary’s mother. She was married to him but left him shortly before the end of The Circle’s first attempt to take over the Clave (shadow hunter government), which she helped to thwart. Valentine faked his own death but Clary’s mum always suspected he was still alive and would come for them eventually because she escaped with one of the three sacred items of the Mortal Instruments, used to summon the angel that made the first shadow hunters. Before Clary’s mum is taken, Clary first comes into contact with the members of the New York Institute when she catches sight of them hunting a demon in a night club. Later Jace comes to find Clary out of curiosity about her being able to see them (plus, because she’s a pretty girl, of course), which is when she receives a phone call from her mum with the Circle member’s breaking into their house.
The first book follows the group’s attempts to discover what has happened to her mum, why parts of her memory is missing and why she suddenly regained the sight. It also follows the start of Jace and Clary’s romance. Jace is the ultimate angsty and damaged ya fantasy boy and you range between wanting to slap him, to loving him, to wanting to hug him to hold all the broken pieces back together again- much like Clary for most of the early books.
The plot across the books follows the unveiling of Valentine’s plan, to get the Mortal Instruments, using them to first control demons and attack Idris (shadowhunter homeland, a hidden country in the middle of Europe). This is where his son comes into play, Clary’s brother Jonathan, whom he dosed with demon blood during pregnancy. Only demon blood can take down the wards that protect the capital city but no demons can cross the wards, which is a foolproof system that Jonathan is able to bypass, having both shadow hunter and demon blood within him. Jonathan, posing as a family friend Sebastian, isn’t discovered until it’s too late. Valentines second objective is to summon the Angel Raziel again and command him to vanquish all who oppose his ideal of what shadow hunter’s should be. I’m not going to spoil the how’s and the what’s but suffice it to say, Clary, Jace and the other defeat him (which isn’t a spoiler because you must have seen that coming!)
Jonathan, however, survives and begins his own dastardly plan, turning shadow hunters into mindless dark soldiers using the Mortal cup laced with demon blood. The dream team end up traveling to Edom (one of the hell dimensions) to defeat him.
The thing I love about these books is that even though there is a lot of characters, they are all well rounded and written with depth. Even the big baddies are more than generic villain, Valentine is a zealot, an extremest that taps into deep-seated prejudices many shadowhunters hold (see my blog post on the Infernal Devices for the low down of the history/ politics). He genuinely doesn’t believe he is doing anything wrong, whereas Jonathan doesn’t care- due to being a little bit demony.
Alongside the main narrative, there are many smaller sub plots, of the romantic and the platonic nature. Clary’s best friend, Simon, especially holds a dear place in my heart, he is the ultimate nerd who finds himself placed in the world he fantasises about and is the sarcastic voice of truth for how most of us would react if we found ourselves in his situation. Plus, he is the ultimate example of a ‘ride or die’ bestie. I’ve spoken previously of my deep love for Magnus and Alec’s relationship, so need to get into that again…
The Dark Artifices
I first read these books on a plane and then on a beach in Thailand, so they have some very happy, important memories tied to them but they have stood up against every re-read (this is my 3rd…).
These books follow characters we met in The Mortal Instruments Series, centring on Emma and Julian and the Blackthorn family. Both orphaned by the Dark War (I.e. the events that occur in The Mortal Instruments), they find themselves at the head of a large family and raising Julian’s younger siblings. As the books progress we learn how much of that burden has fallen on Julian, who, after realising his Uncle was not mentally fit to run the Institute or raise he and his siblings; takes on the heavy burden of doing both on his own in a bid to keep his family together. Even becoming parabatai with Emma, so the Clave would not separate them either.
The books open with Emma and their guest Shadowhunter, Christina, investigating a potential attack of a mundane, in connections with killings that seem somehow related to the death of Emma’s parents. Their deaths were ruled a casualty of the Dark war but Emma has always believed otherwise, continuing the investigation without the Clave’s knowledge. This series of murders also involves people who are part or even full blooded fey, which breaks the laws set out under the Cold Peace. The Cold Peace was a solution reached after the Fairies betrayed Downworlders (other supernatural beings) and Shadow hunters in the Dark War; this solution stripped them of a lot of their rights and protections under the Accords (treaty between Shadowhunter and Downworlders, which affords them the same protections the Shadowhunter’s give ordinary humans).
Fairy representatives from the Fey courts soon arrive at the institute to strike a bargain with them to investigate the murders, in exchange for the return of their eldest brother. Mark was kidnapped when the institute was invaded during the Dark War and given to The Wild Hunt, a fairy band of hunters that ride the night sky and reap from the dead. When the Clave voted for the Cold Peace they also voted that nothing was to be done to retrieve Mark because he was part fairy and they also exiled the eldest sister (also part fairy) to the remote island that protects the Wards which keep demons out. In doing so they become embroiled in a tale of necromancy, which results in the resurrection of their distant ancestor and the death of the Warlock who revived her. Emma finally learns why her parents died in the process but the only thing Julian is seeking throughout is to keep his family together, get his lost siblings back and not lose Emma in the attempt.
Plus, of course, as always with a Cassie book, there is a love story. Julian and Emma begin to realise that they have feelings for one another but it is forbidden for Parabatai to love each other romantically. In the beginning no one really knows why but we learn as the novels go on of the parabatai curse and how it magnifies their angelic powers to monstrous heights. For fear of hurting each other, or worse, being split from each other or the kids in their charge, they try to fight these emotions. They are my fourth favourite couple in all the shadowhunter books!
I won’t say anymore because I’m close to giving away the ending. I will say that I was surprised the end of book two didn’t make me cry this time but I did find myself crying at the aftermath described at the beginning of the third. I think this speaks to the power of the writing that it can still get to me on a 3rd read! But these books carry the same brilliant sense of humour and depth as all the others, with the bonus of introducing us to a great new group fo characters, which looks like they will be carried through into future books!
The Last Hours
A summary
This series follows the children of the generation of shadowhunters we meet in the Infernal Devices. Things are changing, the new generation are a lot more open to peace with the ‘downworlders’ and changing times mean the characters are able to be a lot more themselves. A new and particularly vicious demon is haunting London that they must face.
My thoughts
I enjoy this series but not as much as the others, I loved seeing more about Will and Tessa’s kids and I like the relationships between the characters but I didn’t find the story as compelling as the others.
You can read my reviews for the other singular books in this world here:
Tales from the Shadownhunter academy
All the series’s in comparison and where to start
So my favourite series is the Infernal Devices for sure, something about that trilogy just hits different. The tragedy of what happens to Will, Jim and Tessa, that final devastating line about Will’s eyes (if you know you know), there big bad in it is better.
For nostalgia I will always love Mortal Instruments but of all of them, it’s probably the one that stands up the least over time. However, if you want to really dig into the world, you’ll have to read it as it’s the largest series of all of them.
I really enjoyed the Dark Artifices but I think that series would lose significance if you hadn’t read Mortal Instruments first.
For the latest series, The Last Hours, my interest in the world is starting to drop off. I don’t know if it’s because I’m reading a lot more fantasy and a lot more widely then I was when I first fell in love with this series. Also, the books are bloody massive. I think this series is only worth getting into if you love the world too and want to follow the characters. That opinion goes for a lot of the other books still being released in this universe. The author often talks about the writer’s block she’s been experiencing, so I suspect contracts with publishers are driving this series now but that’s just my own little theory, I don’t know if I’m right.
Take a look on Shadowhunter.com for the recommended reading orders, they have both the chronological order and publication order!
Antonia Bernardin 
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