The Mortal Instruments vs. The Infernal Devices

By. Sarah Mirzayee (edited by: Bookperson876)

The Mortal Instruments was the start of everything. It was the first series that Cassandra Clare released featuring the beloved world of Shadowhunters. After the first two books of TMI (The Mortal Instruments) were released, we got the first book in The Infernal Devices trilogy (TID). Although these two series took place in the same universe they were both very different. Today we are going to see which one takes the throne.

The Mortal Instruments Trio

In The Mortal Instruments our main trio is Clary, Jace and Simon. These three are the three main characters who all play a big role in the series. The true question is how do they work together? Clary and Simon were best friends their entire life and have a very true connection. Jace however was the more mysterious one and was more closed off. In the series, the main love interests are Clary and Jace however there is a little conflict between Jace and Simon when we find out that Simon had been in love with Clary since their childhood. Jace never really liked Simon and Simon felt the same way towards Jace. Though these two were definitely not the best of friends they did have one thing and common and that was Clary. Jace, Clary and Simon are probably not the best trio of friends but they are all important to each other and make a very comedic group thanks to the combination of Jace and Simon’s personalities.

The Infernal Devices Trio

In The Infernal Devices the main trio are our main leads, Tessa, Will and Jem. The connection between these three is probably the best thing I’ve read, they learn to love each other and despite everything they are still a very emotionally close group. Like in The Mortal Instruments, Tessa, Will and Jem are members of a love triangle. Both Jem and Will (who are parabatai) are in love with Tessa and Tessa shares those feelings with both. In most cases, a love triangle drives characters in conflict with one and other while in The Infernal Devices Will, Jem and Tessa still care for each other and will even sacrifice one’s happiness for the other.

The Protagonist: The Mortal Instruments

Clary Fray (or Fairchild) is the protagonist in The Mortal Instruments. Clary is the daughter of Jocelyn Fairchild and Valentine Morgenstern. Clary is brought into the Shadowhunter world when she finds out the secret her mother was hiding from her - that she is a Shadowhunter. After her mother went into a magical coma, she traveled to the New York Institute where she learned that her father was Valentine Morgenstern who was the leader of the Circle. The series is about Clary and what she learns about the Shadow World, her powers, her family and what she has to do in order to save all Shadowhunters. In the first three books, Clary fought her father who The Clave thought was dead and her goal is to stop him and all his followers. Straight off the bat we learn that protecting the people she loves is something that is very important to Clary and that she would do anything to keep them safe. We learn that because of that Clary is at times, stubborn and always wants to help. Clary has more angel blood in her system than the average Shadowhunter due to her father experimenting on her during her mother’s pregnancy. As a result she has the ability to create runes. Overall, Clary fits well into the characteristics of a protagonist, living up to her potential.

The Protagonist: The Infernal Devices

Tessa Gray is a half-warlock half-Shadowhunter who has the ability to shapeshift. She is also our protagonist in the series. Tessa was introduced to the Shadow World when she went to London, England to visit her brother shortly after her aunt’s death. When she arrived in London she was taken by the Dark Sisters who tortured and taught her about her powers. She then escaped with the help of Will Herondale and was brought to the London Institute. Throughout the trilogy Tessa learns about her identity, who her real parents are and how she is important to the Magister. The Magister’s goal was to marry Tessa so that he could use her for her ability. Tessa, like Clary, always tries to find a way to help. We learn that Tessa enjoys reading and that shows through her actions. Tessa is in my opinion, very upfront. She isn’t afraid to ask anything and is very truthful. Tessa holds the people she loves close to her and you can see that with her brother Nathaniel, even after his betrayal and death.

The Antagonist: The Mortal Instruments

In The Mortal Instruments we have two antagonists, the first being Valentine, Clary’s father, and the second, Sebastian or Jonathan who was Clary’s brother. In the first three books our main antagonist was Valentine. Valentine was the leader of the Circle, which consisted of young Shadowhunters who went around breaking the Accords. They had believed that they were doing the right thing, that Valentine was right about Downworlders being terrible creatures. Valentine’s goal was to rid the world of Downworlders and cleanse it. He wanted to use the Mortal Instruments to summon the Angel Raziel. When Jocelyn was pregnant with their son Jonathan he injected her with demon blood, turning Jonathan into a demon child. Valentine was later killed by Raziel. In the last three books of the series Sebastian or Jonathan Morgenstern, was our main protagonist. Valentine’s experiments made Sebastian heartless as he had no remorse for his actions. Sebastian wanted to continue what his father started and create a new line of Shadowhunters, ones like him who had demon blood in their systems. He had controlled Jace and bonded them with a twin rune so if one were to feel pain the other would as well. Jonathan wanted Clary to be on his side and so he thought that if Jace was then Clary would join them. Sebastian summoned Lilith and used her blood and the Infernal Cup to create the Endarkened, a line of demonic Shadowhunters. Sebastian died when Clary stabbed him with a sword that contained heavenly fire which destroyed the demonic blood that was in him. Sebastian then died as Jonathan.

The Antagonist: The Infernal Devices

In The Infernal Devices our antagonist is the Magister, also known as Axel Mortmain was the head of the Pandemonium Club. He had been raised by a warlock couple and therefore knew about the Shadow World. His adoptive parents however, were killed by the Clave. Though Mortmain knew the reason for their death was due to his adoptive father’s dealings, he still wanted revenge for them. To do so, he had insured Tessa’s existence by kidnapping Tessa’s mother and replacing her with a mundane when she was a baby. His plan was to use Tessa and create warlocks that were half demon and half Shadowhunter, who would overthrow the Nephilim. Mortmain used Tessa’s brother, Nathaniel to draw Tessa to London. He then had her kidnapped both in the first and last book of the series. Mortmain was a very manipulative, intelligent and hungry for revenge. In the end his plans failed and his death was caused by Tessa turning into the Angel Ithuriel and killing him.

The Ending: The Mortal Instruments

During the end of the series many things happen to the characters, but it doesn’t just end with the villain's death. Simon loses his memory of the Shadow World (and Clary) in order for the rest of them to go back to Idris. Five months later Clary tries to see if he could remember anything about the Shadow World and when they find out he does, Magnus offers him the chance to Ascend into a Shadowhunter. In the epilogue, Jocelyn and Luke get married and Clary meets Tessa Gray who is newly engaged with Brother Zachariah but he is now mortal. Tessa gives Clary her copy of The Shadowhunters Codex and asks her to give Jace James Herondale's ring. In the end the group stands by the lake. Though things have changed everyone seems to be happy.

The Ending: The Infernal Devices

In the end Mortmain dies, but what happened to the characters afterward? In The Infernal Devices, Jem gets separated from Tessa and Will when he has to leave in order to be a Silent Brother. He asks Tessa to come to Blackfriars Bridge once a year to see him. Will proposes to Tessa during the Christmas ball at the Institute. Charlotte gets prompted to be Consul and leaves the Institute for Will and Tessa. Fast forwarding to many years into the future (to what we assume is modern day), Will has been dead for years and Tessa is on her way to see Jem/Brother Zachariah at Blackfriars Bridge. When she sees him, he is not a Silent Brother anymore but a mortal. The ending of The Infernal Devices will make you cry, but also be happy for the characters as it was a bittersweet ending.

In my opinion the crown goes to The Infernal Devices. My debate is that characters are what drive a story and though you could say that so does the plot, the characters are what bring in a sense of reality. I personally think that the characters in The Infernal Devices are more developed and deep which drive the story far more further than just the plot.