Top Shelf: The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

Top Shelf is a feature that I do every once in a while to highlight some of my favorite books or series.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

I first read The Mortal Instruments last August, when I had just discovered the blogging world. It seemed that these were the books to read. I bought the first two in paperback, but I wasn't sure when I would get around to reading them so I refrained from buying City of Glass in hardback. This was a mistake. I tore through these books like nobodies business, and had them finished in less than a week, including the two day layover between City of Ashes and City of Glass, and these books average at about 500 pages each. The series has stuck with me ever since, and I've lent them to a few of my friends, who fell in love with them too.

Well, I reread them this week, and I loved them just as much. I can't believe how much I'd forgotten! It was almost like reading them for the first time again: I loved the characters just as much, the plot was still amazing, the twists and turns were still shocking, I even gasped in horror at a certain part of City of Glass despite knowing that the character was going to be fine. I'm in complete awe of the way that it was all planned out, every last shocking twist was planned from the beginning. Oh, and the emotions! The characters and how they deal is one of the best parts of this series, and some of it breaks my heart.

You can imagine how overjoyed I am about City of Fallen Angels, the unplanned fourth book in what was supposed to be a trilogy. Knowing what happens to the characters after these events will be amazing, especially considering how many things were left open ended. And yet, I'm a bit apprehensive. I have no doubt that Cassandra Clare is going to make it a wonderful book and a fitting part of the series, but I'm a little worried that it will ruin the whole experience that I, personally, have had. I didn't have to wait for each installment, I had them at my fingertips and I read them like one long book. I guess I'm worried that I'll read the next book like I did Breaking Dawn: with a surreal sense that I'm reading fanfiction and this isn't true. I think that this will turn out better than that though ;)

Now, Clockwork Angel is a different story. I think that I would give my right arm for a copy of that right now. I guess that a beginning is a lot less scary than an ending, especially when some of your favorite characters ever are concerned.

Oh, and one more thing. When I first read them I just pictured Jace as described, but rereading I pictured him as Alex Pettyfer. It's actually kind of strange how well he fits the description...