Start with City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1). After the original 6-book series, read The Infernal Devices trilogy (many fans' favourite). The full Shadowhunter universe spans 6 series and 20+ books — but the original trilogy plus Infernal Devices gives you the complete core experience.
The Shadowhunter universe is large and interconnected. Here's the order that works best for most readers:
Many fans recommend reading The Infernal Devices before the second half of The Mortal Instruments (Books 4–6), because TID provides backstory that enriches City of Heavenly Fire. However, reading City of Bones first is still the most common and safest approach. The world and rules are established in TMI and taken for granted in TID.
Shadowhunters are half-angel warriors who protect the human world from demons. They exist alongside vampires, werewolves, faeries, and warlocks — collectively called Downworlders — in a hidden world governed by the Clave. The Mortal Instruments begins when 15-year-old Clary Fray discovers she is a Shadowhunter after her mother is kidnapped.
The series is YA fantasy with significant romantic elements, dark mythology, LGBTQ+ representation, and increasingly complex politics across the universe. The prose is faster and more accessible than most adult epic fantasy.
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