You all might remember seeing trailers for a movie called "City of Bones" back when the Hunger Games hype was at its peak and book to movie adaptations were the new and exciting thing. "City of Bones" is based on of the book from the same title and is the first in a six long book series titled the "Mortal Instruments." Unfortunately, the franchise never took off and became the next "Harry Potter," but the books would continue with success (there was eventually a tv show adaptation that did well).

"The Mortal Instruments" series takes place in a world where demons plague the earth and a special group of people called Shadowhunters with angelic blood protect humanity. What most people don't know if they're not avid readers is that the author, Cassandra Clare, wrote more books taking place in the Shadowhunter world. "The Infernal Devices" is a prequel trilogy that takes place in Victorian London (and is amazing). The most recent addition to this world is the Dark Artifices trilogy, which takes place five years after the events of the Mortal Instruments series. The last book "Queen of Air and Darkness" just came out this year on December fourth and it's some of Clare's finest work so far.

"Lady Midnight" the first book in the trilogy, follows Emma Carstairs, a young Shadowhunter who is seeking revenge for the death of her parents who were mysteriously killed five years prior. Even though "Lady Midnight" takes place after the events of a previous series in the same world, and old characters do pop up, you can start reading "Lady Midnight" because technically it is the first book in its own series, the payoff is just so much better when you read the other books first.

So far, "Lady Midnight" has been Clare's strongest first book in a series. It establishes a large ensemble cast of characters and places the groundwork for their arcs the rest of the series. Emma is very close with the Blackthorn family, especially Julian, her best friend. The Blackthorns are orphans and Julian has essentially become a parent since, five years prior, their parents died and his two older siblings were taken away: Mark being kidnapped by the Fae (there are also warlocks, vampires, and werewolves in this world) and Helen banished to a far-off island. Through the Blackthorn family, Clare shows off a strong family bond, something that isn't often seen in a ton of young adult literature.

But don't worry fans of romance, there's still plenty of love stories to get invested in this series. Especially between Emma and Julian, who can't be together for reasons too complicated to explain in this review, read the book to find out. The romances are also incredibly diverse. There's a lesbian couple that gets married, a gay couple that gets married, a trans character who gets together with a Faerie. Clare even explores a polyamorous relationship between three people, something I've never seen represented in a book before, and I found myself rooting for them.

But the most impressive thing in the series by far the tension between the Shadowhunters and the Faeries. In the previous series a group of Faeries betrayed the Shadowhunters, and without giving too much away, it was a really deep one that led to the Fae to be oppressed by some Shadowhunters and an overall stronger prejudice against the Downworlders (the vampires and warlocks). The political divide over these issues in the Shadow-hunter world eerily reflects our own world, particularly a few political figures I won't name. The hate and divide are so strong, families are being torn apart and not speaking to each other.

All the characters are complex and fully realized. Even the ones you hate aren't just cartoon bad guys, they're fully fleshed out. If you want something to tear at your heart strings, Clare's books are good at that. Seriously, have tissues on hand, especially at the end of book two. The series ending is satisfying and everyone has a fully realized arc. There are a few exceptions but those are there to plant seeds for a future series.

I recommend reading "City of Bones" first and reading all of Clare's books in order of publication, but technically you can start with any series. Even though most people seem to think they're just for teen girls, I think there's something in there for everyone, especially this latest series, they get more mature as time goes on and Clare's writing keeps getting stronger.