Shadowhunters, Vampires, Warlocks, and Faeries, Those Are A Few of My Favorite Things

This just in: my mom gave me a blog post idea! (Thanks Mom!)

Since my recent rekindled love from reading has occured, I've read A LOT! I mean 3 book in the month of June already; 2 of them being around 350 pages and the 3rd being a little over 600 pages. I'd say that's a lot of reading!

With my refound love of reading, has come my refound love with the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

This series consists of 6 amazing books: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and lastly City of Heavenly Fire.

The all range from around 350-650 pages, which I know is quite long for a lot of people, but trust me, it's worth the read!

The series follows a teenager named Clary Fairchild who finds out she is a shadowhunter (a person who fights demons and monsters) at the age of 16. Her mother had been hiding this from her for her whole life, and before she knows it, she is ripped away from her old life and her best friend Simon, and thrown into this new world of vampires, and warlocks, and faeries, and demons.

Like seriously, I can't even imagine being torn away from my life at 16, that's so crazy!

Anyway, the whole series is about Clary adjusting to her new life as a shadowhunter and her fight (Literally) to find who her father is. Along the way, she meets heart throb, Jace and his family, Alec, and Isabel. Together, they fight all kinds of monsters and demons to save and protect the ordinary people like you and me, called Mundanes.

To Understand the history of the Shadowhunters, though you'll have to read the Infernal Devices Trilogy. But I must inform you to read these after you have finished the first 5 Mortal Instruments books. I have very specific instructions on how to read these books (wait till the end and I will give you the correct order to read every single book!)

First of all, can we talk about these covers! Because they are GORGEOUS! I'm obsessed!

Okay, now that I've established that, let's talk. The Infernal Devices; Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, and Clockwork Princess, is set back in the 1800s and follows a Warlock called Tessa Gray as she moves from America to England after the passing of her Aunt. She is sent to live at an Institute (basically its a big mansion that any Shadowhunter can live in either forever or for a period of time) with best friends, Jem Carstairs and Will Herondale. (Again, more swooning and heart throbbing... I love Will and Jem!)

Anyway, the main take away from these books is an understanding of all of the Shadowhunter family trees and pasts and crazy love triangles that will make you lose you mind.

Oh, and don't worry about it being set in the 1800s, that part scared me when I started reading because that's really not my time period, but there's plenty of familiar faces to be seen in this trilogy, and it is a MUST read.

The last part of the Shadowhunter world is called the Dark Artifices. These books picked up immediately for me, and I am currently on the second one. Even after not reading any of the Shadowhunter books since the end of middle school and beginning of high school, I was still able to jump back into the world very easily!

From what I know, this series isn't over yet, and there are still more books to be written, but I could be wrong (I hope not!) Like I said, I am still on the second book, Lord of Shadows so I'm not sure where the last book leaves off... meaning I don't know if the series has been concluded or not!

(EDIT: So, I've been reading up and doing my research on all things Shadowhunters, which I should have done before I even wrote this but oh well! Anyway, I learned that Queen of Air and Darkness is the last book in the Dark Artifices, no longer making these book a series, but a trilogy instead!)

These books surround a teenage girl named Emma Carstairs (are we recognizing family trees yet... cough JEM cough) and her parabatai (basically a person that you are really close to, usually a best friend who you are bound to forever to make your Shadowhunter powers stronger and are not able to fall in love with) Julian Blackthorn.

After his brother Mark, and sister Helen were taken 5 years back during at war, Julian has had to take care of his younger siblings all while trying to get his older siblings back.

Emma on the other hand, has been trying to find out who killed her parents, after they died in the same war 5 years before.

The story twisted and turns and follows both Julian and Emma on their fight to find their families.

That's all I can say without spoiling too much!

Cassandra Clare also has a book following the adored warlock called Magnus Bane, and it is called the Bane Chronicles!

Basically, it has a whole bunch of stories about Magnus and the other warlocks and is just a fun addition to the other books. Keep in mind, this book is a stand alone, so it is not necessary to read. (I haven't read it yet, but it is in my TBR, and I have it sitting on my shelf ready to be picked up after sitting there for quite some time!

Cassandra Clare also has some other books that go along with the Shadowhunter world that are not necessary like the Shadowhunters Codex. I haven't read that either, but I might in the future. There is also another book called Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy which I don't know too much about, but have been told that I should read! I guess it has some stuff that's included in Lady Midnight, but I haven't picked that book up either and I am desperate to find out what happens in it! That too is a stand alone novel, which makes it great to read as a little pick me up while waiting for other Shadowhunter books to comeout!

In other news, Cassandra Clare is continuing her sensational Shadowhunter world! A new series is coming out on November 19, 2019, or possibly March 3, 2020 starting with the book Chain of Gold.

The series surrounds the character Cordelia Carstairs (HELLO JEM AND EMMA YES PLEASE!) As she moves to the London Institute which is now run by Will Herondale and Tessa Gray! It is also said to include Matthew Fairchild (One of Clary's ancestors) and I am so so so excited! Obviously this series will take place in the late 1800s, much like The Infernal Devices triology which is super duper exciting, and I am beyond ready to see where Cassandra heads with yet another Shadowhunter gang!

If you haven't read any of the Shadowhunter books yet, I would get on that right now, because you do not want to miss out on this fantastic world!

All in all, this is my FAVORITE series of books of all time and I highly recommend them if you are looking for something new and fun to read. Oh, and don't worry, it's not all fighting and demons, there's tons of drama and romance, so for all you hopeless romantics out there, I got you covered!

Before I sign off I would like to remind you that all of these stories intertwine with eachother, despite being different book series, so in order to avoid spoilers I recommend reading these books in the order they were published! (Don't worry I read them in published order, mostly because none of the series were completely finished when I started reading them). But to make it easier on you, I did all of the hard work and am going to give you the list of books in published order, so you don't have to do research and figure it out yourself.

Here yah go!

1. City of Bones

2. City of Ashes

3. City of Glass

4. City of Fallen Angels

5. City of Lose Souls

(Now switch to the Infernal Devices)

6. Clockwork Angel

7. Clockwork Prince

8. Clockwork Princess

(Now switch back to the Mortal Instruments, trust me you will be thanking me when you finish the last book in the Mortal Instruments)

9. City of Heavenly Fire

10. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

11. Lady Midnight

12. Lord of Shadows

13. Queen of Air and Darkness

YOU'RE WELCOME! But seriously read all of the Infernal Devices right before you read City of Heavenly Fire, because there are MAJOR spoilers about the infernal devices in that book and major spoilers about the Mortal Instruments in the Infernal Devices, so please to save yourself just read them in the order I gave you!

And with that, I'm done!

Until Next Time,

Lindsey