Summary
In 2007, author Cassandra Clare released the very first book in herTheMortal Instrumentsbook series, and since then, the sequels in the YA romantasy series have had readers arguing how they rank against each other. In total, there are six books inThe Mortal Instrumentsseries. These includeCity of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls,andCity of Heavenly Fire.The series received a2013The Mortal Instrumentsmovieadaptation and a 2016 TV series. Clare went on to write three more series, taking place in the same magical world over several generations.
Though eachMortal Instrumentsbook follows a particular plot, the overarching story is the same. TeenagerClary Fray’s life is turned upside down when she discovers the existence of Shadowhunters: angelic warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demonic entities. After her mother goes missing, she enlists the help of the Shadowhunters to figure out how she fits into this fantastical puzzle. What she learns leads her to uncover a sprawling world of danger, magic, and good and evil. Despite following the same trajectory, theharsh reality of theMortal Instrumentsis that each book has its pros and cons.
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10 Best Quotes From The Mortal Instruments Books
Cassandra Clare’s world-famous book series, The Mortal Instruments, has some memorable quotes across its six novels about love and family.
6City Of Fallen Angels
Book Four Of Six
What is likely considered to be the worstMortal Instrumentsbook of the six isCity of Fallen Angels.This is the fourth book in the series, and notably, is the shortest at 425 pages.On Goodreads, its average star rating is 4.08, with a total of 607,000 ratings.City of Fallen Angelsis ranked last on this list not because it’s a bad book, but because it isn’t entirely necessary to the plot.
City of Fallen Angelstakes place directly after the events ofCity of Glass,wherein the Shadowhunters fought and won The Mortal War. Clary returns home to New York, believing that everything is right with the world. She is training to become a Shadowhunter, her mother has found love, Shadowhunters and Downworlders are at peace, and most importantly, Clary and Jace can finally be together. However, when a string of murdered Shadwowhunters show up around the city,Clary realizes that she set off a dangerous chain of eventsthat could ruin everything, and worse, lead to another war.
BecauseCity of Fallen Angelsis a book meant to set up other books, it is likely the least popularMortal Instrumentsstory.
City of Fallen Angelsis the least action-packed book inThe Mortal Instruments. Where other books center on major battles, travels, and plot points,City of Fallen Angelstakes a slower approach. A big part of this is because it is a book about resolution and set-up. It needs to tie up the loose ends ofCity of Glasswhile also gearing up for the huge events set to happen in the second half of the series. BecauseCity of Fallen Angelsis a book meant to set up other books, it is the least popularMortal Instrumentsstory.
5City Of Ashes
Book Two Of Six
City of Ashesranks fifth amongThe Mortal Instrumentsbooks. It is the second overall book in the series.Its Goodreads star rating rests at 4.11, with 943,000 total ratings. As the second book in the series,City of Ashesis popular, but its storyline puts it at the bottom of the list.
Where the firstMortal Instrumentsbook introduces readers to the world of Shadowhunters,City of Ashesimmediately raises the stakes. After discovering that she is a Shadowhunter, Clary is overwhelmed with confusion and fear. She needs to figure out how to break her mother’s magically induced coma, while also tracking down the evil Shadowhunter Valentine, who also happens to be her father. On top of that,Clary comes to terms with the fact that her former love interest, Jace, is her brother, and may just turn evil to please their father.
Overall,City of Ashesis so poorly rated amongThe Mortal Instrumentsseries because of its plot. Watching Clary attempt to unravel so many Shadowhunter secrets on her own is incredibly hard to read, especially since she has been a part of this world for such a short time. Worse, all her relationships are changing, as Simon develops feelings for her and Jace becomes more distant. However,the worst part ofCity of Ashesis the squicky storyline of Clary and Jace believing they are siblings but still being attracted to one another. After rooting for their romance in the first book, it is excruciating to see them as siblings.
4City Of Bones
Book One Of Six
The book that rests in the middle ofThe Mortal Instrumentsranking isCity of Bones,the very first book in the series. Since its release in 2007,it has garnered the lowest Goodreads score ofThe Mortal Instrumentsbooks, with a 4.07. However, it also has the most ratings of the entire series as well, with 2 million ratings. Notably,City of Bonesis the basis for bothon-screenShadowhuntersadaptations.
City of Bonesis the adventurous and fantastical introduction toThe Mortal Instrumentsseries. In it, readers meet Clary, a normal teenage girl who gets sucked into the world of Shadowhunters. Through her eyes, readers also see Jace, a cocky yet talented Shadowhunter. By the end of the first book, Clary learns about her place in Shadowhunter society, but also becomes trapped in a scheme that is even more complicated than the first.
The 2013 movie,The Mortal Instruments: City of Bonesstarred Lily Collins as Clary Fray and Jamie Campbell-Bower as Jace.
ThoughCity of Boneshas the worst ranking of the sixThe Mortal Instrumentsbooks, it ranks fourth because of its nostalgia value.City of Boneshas a strong story that was clearly successful enough to suck readers into five more novels. In this book,Cassandra Clare succeeds at establishing an exciting world that is a launching pointfor the rest of the series. That being said,City of Bonesdoes not have the most compelling plot of the six books, simply because it needs to set up a lot. Therefore, it sits in the middle of the ranking.
3City Of Lost Souls
Book Five Of Six
Coming in third for the bestThe Mortal Instrumentsbook isCity of Lost Souls, the fifth and penultimate book in the series. It is the second-longest book, at 535 pages, making it a substantial read. On Goodreads,it has a 4.22 star rating, with a total of 536,000 ratings.
City of Lost Soulsfollows Clary in the aftermath of Jace being magically connected to her evil brother, Sebastian. Forced to work for the dark side, Jace is unreachable, and also in danger of being taken down by the Shadowhunter government. As Jace and Clary’s friends try desperately to find a solution,Clary forges her own battle against Sebastian to regain the one she loves. However, Clary can’t help but wonder if Jace is too changed to be worth saving.
City of Lost Soulsseems to have little going on, but its slow burn quality makes it one of the bestThe Mortal Instrumentsbooks.
Based on its synopsis,City of Lost Soulsseems to have little going on, but its well-paced quality makes it one of the bestThe Mortal Instrumentsbooks. As the fifth book in the series,City of Lost Soulshas no need for exposition. Unlike some of its predecessors, it can jump right into the drama, making it a more riveting read. Plus,City of Lost Soulshas major stakes. With a war brewing and Jace in immediate danger, this book builds the tension so it is ready to explode in the sixth and final installment.
2City Of Glass
Book Three Of Six
The second-best book in Cassandra Clare’sThe Mortal Instrumentsseries isCity of Glass.The third book in the series has an impressive 4.28 star ratingon Goodreads, with 939,000 ratings.City of Glass’genius is that it is the unexpected and explosive end of the series' first half.
InCity of Glass,Clary must travel to the magical land of the Shadowhuntersto save her mother, but entering without permission means a high likelihood of death. To make matters worse, Jace doesn’t want Clary to go and Simon is imprisoned for his Downworlder status. Ultimately, Clary forms a bond with a unique Shadowhunter named Sebastian to bring together the Shadowhunters and Downworlders and overthrow Valentine for good.
AlthoughCity of Glassis the third book inThe Mortal Instruments,it gives readers a true climax.City of Glassis like the finale to the first half of the series, and this makes it one of the most memorable installments in the series. Readers do not have to wait until book six to get an all-out war or answers to their burning questions.City of Glassand its unexpected deathsoffer an outstanding ending before the real ending. It is propulsive, exciting, and a solid end to the first half’s biggest problems.
1City Of Heavenly Fire
Book Six of Six
The book that is easily considered the best ofThe Mortal Instrumentsseries is the sixth and final book,City of Heavenly Fire.This is by far the longest book of the series, coming in at 725 pages.Its Goodreads star rating is 4.39. It also has the least number of reviews of all six books, with 388,000 reviews.
City of Heavenly Fireis the intense ending to Clary’s journey among the Shadowhunters. Clary and her friends find themselves in peril against Clary’s brother, Sebastian. He has stolen the Infernal Cup, and is using it to turn Shadowhunters into terrifying monsters. With all the Shadowhunters hiding out in Idris, there is nowhere left to run and no one to protect the human world from demons. Backed into a corner,Clary, Jace, and their peers must dive into realms no one has ever gone into beforeto find a way to defeat Sebastian for good.
Regardless of its page count,City of Heavenly Fireis the most fast-paced and action-packed bookin the entire series. Every second counts in this novel, as Clary races against the clock to take down her brother. What makes this book truly stand out is that it wraps up everything in a satisfying way, while also setting up for the otherShadowhunter book series. It makes all five books that came before incredibly worth it. Cassandra Clare’s final battle is epic, heartbreaking, and engaging. In this way, there’s little doubt that this is the bestThe Mortal Instrumentsnovel.
