The Shadowhunter Chronicles and Where to Begin

If you are someone who happens to be on the books’ side of TikTok (or rather, BookTok), then chances are that you have come across a lot of recommendations for The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. If it piqued your curiosity, you would have tried to find out more about it and found yourself with a collection of five series under the same. Now the questions are, what do you read first? Is it even worth the read?

Well, look no further, because here I will show a comparison over the top two series of the Chronicles—The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices. 

The Infernal Devices

Take the cliché “robots trying to take over the world” trope, but put it in late 18^th century England. I mean, it makes perfect sense—it was the peak of the Industrial Revolution, and while many mechanical devices had been made, the era still preserved a historical touch to it. The story revolves around three teenagers, Tessa, Will, and Jem, on the brink of adulthood. Will and Jem are Shadowhunters—humans descended from Angel Raziel with a mandate to protect everyone from demons that find their way onto Earth from Hell. Tessa, who is the main protagonist, is a warlock drawn into a London where other warlocks and supernatural creatures exist. This comprises the Downworld and the Shadowhunters. Amidst the prejudices Downworlders have towards Shadowhunters, there comes a new creature made by man—clockwork creatures that cannot be destroyed the way supernaturals can, as they are not born of Heaven or Hell. This makes it impossible to destroy these creatures with heavenly or hellborn weapons. Shadowhunters and Downworlders must now put aside their bad relations and come together to get rid of these clockwork creatures and the mastermind behind their invention. 

I think that Clare does a great job in capturing the feel of the Victorian Era, and making the characters seem more human. I also think that this book has great quotes that are relevant even in modern society, one of my favourites being “you are human in all the ways that matter”(Clockwork Prince). The humour in the story along with the angst and, of course, the actual plot made me feel like I was a part of the series instead of just being the reader, something I do not experience in all books. 

The Mortal Instruments

This series is the exact opposite of The Infernal Devices when it comes to the time period and the characters that make up the main storyline, but just as enthralling. It takes place in present day New York and the main character, Clary Fray, is the villain’s daughter. In this series, Clary, along with the friends belonging to a race of humans known as the Shadowhunters, comes into the same world that Tessa had come into two centuries before, to fight her own father as she discovers what makes her different from the other people around her and how she can use it to her advantage. 

As I mentioned before, this series takes place in present day New York, and Clare makes it easy to believe that these supernatural creatures do live amongst us, because they also have and experience the same problems we do. One aspect that I believe Clare succeeded at was the inclusion and representation of LGBTQ+ characters and addressing homophobia through the thoughts of one of the characters: 

It’s not like it’s one bad thing. It’s a lot of little invisible things. When Magnus and I were travelling, and I’d call from the road, Dad never asked how he was. When I get up to talk in Clave meetings, no one listens, and I don’t know if that’s because I’m young or if it’s because of something else. I saw Mom talking to a friend about her grandchildren and the second I walked into the room they shut up. Irina Cartwright told me it was a pity no one would ever inherit my blue eyes now…it’s not like a stab wound you can protect me from. It’s a million little paper cuts every day.

Clare shows how homophobia is not just about harming LGBTQ+ people, but also the passive things you do that make them seem different from what they are—human. Acceptance means embracing someone wholeheartedly, which may not be easy, but is necessary. 

These are my opinions on the two most famous series of The Shadowhunter Chronicles. Both series are what I believe to be great starting points for people who are getting into YA fantasy, as well as for anyone in general who is looking for a new read. I do recommend reading The Infernal Devices series first, as The Mortal Instruments contains spoilers for that series! Happy reading, and a parting quote from my comfort character, Will Herondale of The Infernal Devices, “Life is a book and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read.”