A simple night out with her best friend, Simon, transforms into a nightmare when fifteen-year-old Clary Fray witnesses a murder at the Pandemonium Club. The culprits are three teenagers covered in strange tattoos and brandishing weapons no one else seems to notice. In fact, Clary is the only one to see the violent display. The next day, more impossible sights make Clary wonder if she’s going crazy.

When a desperate phone call from her mom brings Clary home to a scene of destruction and a grotesque monster that almost kills her, Clary finally gets some answers. One of the teens from the club—Jace, who looks like an angel but acts like a jerk—rescues her and introduces himself as a Shadowhunter, part of a secret cadre of warriors dedicated to driving demons out of the mundane world and back to their own. Jace and his friends Alec and Isabelle hunt their prey on the streets of New York City, unseen by humans…except for Clary.

The Shadowhunters want to know how Clary can perceive the paranormal and Clary wants their help finding her missing mom. Their tentative alliance brings Clary deeper into the world of Nephilim, werewolves, vampires, and demons, where she adapts better than anyone expected. Could this be where she’s belonged all along?