History Literature / MortalInstruments

* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: In the film, Johann Sebastian Bach is stated to have been a Shadowhunter and his music was designed to harm demons.

!!Provides examples of:

* AdaptationInducedPlothole: In the book Simon was abducted by vampires because he'd been turned into a rat, and they mistook him for one of them. In the movie, they took him as a hostage because they wanted the Mortal Cup. The movie failed to give us any possible use Vampires could have for the Cup.

* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: SCANDAL's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIPWF1ZVuDg "Rainy"]] is the theme song for the Japanese release of the ''City of Bones'' film

* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: In the film, Johann Sebastian Bach is stated to have been a Shadowhunter and his music was designed to harm demons.

* CastingGag: In the film, all of the Shadow Hunters have British accents. Clary who is the daughter of one is also the daughter [[PhilCollins a Brit]].

* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: In the film adaptation of City of Bones, Simon confronts Clary about her decision to associate with Jace when Jace steps out of the room:
--> '''Simon:''' *whispering* Your mom is [[spoiler: ''gone'']], and you're hanging out with some dyed-blond-wanna-be-goth-wierdo?
--> ...
--> '''Jace:''' *re-entering room with a phone* You need to check this. Oh, and for the record, my hair is naturally blond.

* OrangeBlueContrast: The 2013 [[http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1227610624/tt1538403 movie poster]].

* AdultsAreUseless: Every single higher-up is at a Clave meeting. ''All of them.'' While Jace's group of inexperienced youths are pursuing the Mortal Instruments, the maniacal Valentine, and attempting to stop TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Anyone who isn't is either insane with power, revenge, or a spy.

* AuthorAvatar: It's probably not a coincidence that the heroine is named Clary while the author's name is Cassandra ''Clare'', which would [[BrotherSisterIncest result in some interesting implications if Cassandra Clare has a brother]]. (It is worth noting, however, that Cassandra Clare is just a pen name - the author's real name is Judith Rumelt.)
** Clare has stated when asked by a fan "What kind of a name is Clary?" that she was named after a friend, who's full name is Clarissa, much like the Clary in the books. The only real similarities seem to be red hair(though Cassie also states that she imagined Clary's a much darker shade) and the first four letters of their names.

* BlueCollarWarlock: Magnus Bane, who lives in a warehouse loft and generally behaves like a New York hipster. This is apparently not unusual for warlocks in general. One is even shown to work in a hospital as a nurse.

* CanNotTellALie: The fairies. This should not be mistaken to mean that they are always honest.

* {{Epigraph}}: ''City of Bones'' begins with quotes from ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' and ''Paradise Lost''

* GeometricMagic: Angelic Runes are a crucial part of the story, and the most potent weapon in the Shadowhunters' arsenal.

* JesusTaboo: Judeo-Christian mythology and characters are extensively used in the series. Except for Jesus, who is never mentioned as a real character.

*** A "Still Not King" pin is also seen in Ruth's bag in ''Valiant'' in a reverse shout-out (shout-back?)
*** The "Still Not King" badge could also be a Shout-Out to Roy Mustang of Manga/FullmetalAlchemist.

*** In City of Glass, Max is also seen reading Angel Sanctuary, a manga about a reincarnated angel who is in a romantic relationship with his sister. It has a case of Does This Remind You of Anything as well as bringing to question why a nine year old with fairly strict parents would be reading it. But then again, his parents have quite a lot of marital issues. So his reading choices likely passed largely unnoticed. Besides, they probably thought that that something called AngelSanctuary would be clean and proper.

* InfantImmortality: Subverted.

* GenreSavvy: In ''City of Ashes'', Simon Lewis says the following line after Valentine's ship blows up.
-->'''Simon''': Never believe the bad guy is dead until you see a body. That just leads to unhappiness and surprise ambushes.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: Don't even get us started. Almost every single blurb in the series spoils at least one [[TheReveal reveal]] from the previous book.

* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler: Valentine is Clary and Jace's father]]
** Though ''City of Glass'' reveals that [[spoiler: Jace's father was actually Stephen Herondale. Valentine adopted him after his mother died, but [[SecretOtherFamily he kept him a secret from the ''real'' Jonathan, and vice versa.]]]] Cue the relieved sighs of shippers.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Clary and Isabelle. Played with in that Clary starts out as TheChick and evolves into a {{Badass}} while Isabelle is a {{Badass}} ActionGirl.

* WeirdnessCensor: [[{{Muggles}} mundanes]] cannot see the Shadow World or most individuals belonging to it as they really are. The Shadowhunters, being mostly human, would normally be visible to them, but a simple bit of magic renders them unnoticeable as well. Locations, including an entire ''country'' are hidden from human perception this way.

* WeirdnessCensor: A standard attribute of [[{{Muggles}} mundanes]]. They simply do not possess the necessary perception to notice most supernatural phenomena, and supernatural beings can evade detection with little or no effort.

** Magnus also gives one to Alec one book earlier though the love part is only implied