My best friend is really into the Mortal Instruments series. She listens to them during her commute and I think she’s on the fifth book right now. She loaned me the first one, and I have to say that it reminded me a lot of Twilight–not in actual story details–but that the pace, interesting setting, and the romance of the story all outweigh (for me, anyway) the writing and the characters. Clary could be a really interesting character, but she strikes me as just a little too naive, especially about her mother and Simon (how does she not know that Simon is into her?! This was the most frustrating thing ever!) There are a couple interesting twists though (and I really like how the world is constructed, but I would almost rather know more about Shadow Hunter history than Clary’s story. Her mother’s story might have made an even cooler book), and it’s a very quick, engaging read. Though I had some problems with this book, I really did enjoy it for the most part. I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series though unless people convince me that it gets better than this. Still, a very fun read.