"The Mortal Instruments"

I've spent the past week reading the first two books of the Young Adult "The Mortal Instruments" trilogy by Cassandra Clare. A teenage friend and an adult friend had both read and recommended them. The covers of the books describe them as a cross between "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Harry Potter," which is pretty accurate with an emphasis on "Buffy."

When Clary Fray witnesses some tattoo-covered teens murder another teen at a club, she can't tell anyone about it because the victim turns to dust before her eyes. She discovers that these teens are "Shadowhunters"--human hunters who protect the world from demons. She should not be able to see them, but that is explained when she discovers that her mother is a Shadowhunter in hiding from a rogue Shadowhunter element.

Parts of the book are quite exciting, parts are repellant, and parts are cliche. The usual teenage angst is thrown in, and I was not quite sure how much I cared about the characters. However, when I finished the first book, I went to the library the next day because I really wanted to read the second book. I liked the second book better, and now I'm left needing to go to the library again to find the third book! (The author is currently working on a new book, which will be a prequel to the series.)

This is not great literature--it's not written as well as some other supernatural books I have read--but it is an interesting adventure. I'll let you know after the third book whether or not it was worth it.