First published March 27, 2007, this book and its versions are available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats, at local libraries, or through the Libby app.

Clare introduces readers to the world of Shadowhunters when fifteen-year-old Clary Fray witnesses a murder at Pandemonium, a local club, by three other teens. Secrets from her past unravel when her mother disappears, and she gains the Sight into a different world. Jace looks like an angel and acts like a jerk, yet he saves her life when a demon attacks her. In this new world, trust is hard to give because treachery lurks in every action. The only person Clary is sure of is Simon, her best friend, but tension grows between them as emotions evolve and strain under new ties.

YA readers often forgive lackluster writing, such as jumping from third-person to first-person in the same paragraph to describe the same event. Most of the book is from Clary’s perspective in third person, but one page is from Jace’s perspective, and another from Luke’s, Clary’s father figure. Sentences readers have to decipher because of missing words stand out. And Clare’s info-dump tendencies throughout the book can make readers feel they’ve chosen to read a Wikipedia entry rather than a fantasy novel.

At times, it’s like she worked off a checklist in her writing, for example, girl/girl hate, unrequited love, friend zone mentality, using one another to incite jealousy. So formulaic it stalls the flow. Readers will find borrowed themes from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Buffy all rolled into one in Clare’s storyline. She doesn’t bring a new plot to the table, just a different twist on old favorites, with her own surprises and revelations; it’s because of them that the book gets a 2.5-star review.