The books weren´t enough.
Neither was the movie.
There just had to be a Netflix series made out of the story, as well.
Because the world can´t seem to get enough of Cassandra Clare´s bestselling The Mortal Instruments series.
I know, I know. I´m late to the Shadowhunters party. There´s no doubt in my mind that I´m the last person in the fantasy romance world to talk about the books, the movie and most importantly ( mainly because it´s today’s topic ) the Netflix series.
Before I start to share my thoughts I´d like to give a quick rundown on how familiar I am with the whole thing:
Books: Not read. I have been spoiled quite thoroughly, though.
Movie: Fell asleep after 20 minutes.
Netflix: Watched 3 episodes from season 1.
So, yeah. Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments. Was it any good? Was it better than the catastrophic movie? Am I now emotionally moved enough to read the books?
I had high hopes, y´all. I thought the Netflix series was going to be decent compared to the previously released catastrophic movie adaptation. Every fan I had talked to said I wouldn´t be disappointed. I really wanted to give the Netflix adaptation a fair go.
I was irritated beyond words after the first few minutes. The characters bugged the hell out of me. The dialogue was terrible. The story ( up until the 3rd episode ) was boring. I´m not sure if this has something to do with the show or the story in general. Or (!!) if I can blame everything on the poor acting skills from the actors ( by God… The acting was horrible )
There was too much badass-ness. Too much sass. Too many hormones floating through the Shadowhunter air. Pushed up boobs and teenage bouncy hair… I can´t. I couldn´t. So, I stopped watching.
Mind you, this is my 2nd Shadowhunters approach. My second try. Is it me or is the whole story doomed? Maybe I´m too old.
What I do know is that I´m not going to give the story another try. I have a strong feeling that the story can never be what I need it to be. No matter how many Shadowhunter versions someone creates, it can´t be good.
The Netflix series Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments is just a show specifically designed to satisfy the fanbase.
It´s time to move on to other Netflix treasures.
I gave up on Shadowhunters too! I read most of all the books and at some point it becomes the same story over and over so I quit. The movie was awful. I got midway through the show’s first season before I quit that too. You did a fabulous job of summarizing why. And I agree with everything you stated haha.
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Naaw. Thank you ❤ Yeah, I kinda had a feeling the books would be repetitive. There´s only so much a story can tell, right? THanks for the comment, love. I appreciate it.
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I honestly never really thought this was my cup of tea, so I never gave the movie, book, or series a chance. Looks like I dodged a bullet?
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You definitely dodged one hell of a bullet there, my friend.
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Yeah, I don’t know. Theres certain things that on paper should be my thing, but my subconscious tells me to stay the hell away from for some reason. I just go with my gut and whatever its telling me.
If I dodged a bullet, does that mean I’m a superhero now? :p
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I totally get what you mean. For me- when I hear/read someone complaining about the technical aspects of writing then I´ll refuse on the spot and will never regret my decision.
Hmm, let me think…. Would you be a well known superhero or would be we creating a new superhero? 🙂 Let´s discuss Superhero names.
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Totally, you wont get any judgment from me! If it doesnt seem for you somehow, move on. More where that came from lol.
Ooo a new one! Very gay, fiery attitude, and kickass! Something referring to ginger. GingerJonny! Da da da daaaa! *strikes a hero pose*
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As a fan of the series I HATED that tv show. It was horrible and I couldn’t make it past one episode. The acting was atrocious. I read the TMI series maybe 10 years ago? And to be honest, like every series, it’s not the best of the bunch. The writing is no where near what her current writing level is.
If you go that route ever in the future – start with The Infernal Devices. Or just skip to Chain of Gold where the writing isn’t terrible.
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Oh * clutching at my shirt * I´m so happy I´m not the only one who thinks the show was awful. Thanks for the advice! I´ll keep those books in mind. Her writing has improved? I´ve heard some scary stories about the author puzzled her TMI together in a very unskilled wa- which is why I refused to read that series.
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Yeah TMI is not the best for structure because it was the first written. Her other series like The Infernal Devices and on are much better.
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My feed must be clogged (or I’m just super behind!) but I missed this. Oh how happy I am to see that I am not alone.I just finished Lady Midnight (not totally aware that there was a beginning beginning to all these folks), #1 in the Dark Artifices. Over 600 pages of when is this story going to get going. I get it him and her and into each other and they’re not supposed to be. Yup I know, they really like each other and it’s so hard to be around each other. Oh and yes he loves his family and he’s the big brother turned father figure who never got to live his childhood. Yup got it, oh wait no, keep telling me. Let’s just keep talking about the day to day life and throw in bits of the plot from time to time. Then just when it gets exciting let’s go back to the family stuff. It took me so long to read that book (not that I read fast as it is). I didn’t look forward to picking it up. The ending did not leave me wanting more. There were some sample chapters to the other series, maybe one made me wonder if I’d like a different series, but I don’t think so. I especially can’t handle reading anymore if they’re all huge books. If Lady Midnight were half that size maybe it would have been better.
I did not know about the show. I think I saw the movie a long time ago, but hmmm…. Now I want to look for the show just to see… Thanks for letting many of us know we’re not alone.
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Wait- do you mean to tell me there are pre shadow hunter books? There´s story background in form of more books?! YES! Go and look for the show. Let me know what your thoughts on it are.
You´re very welcome. 🙂
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Sorry I should clarify. No I don’t think there are PRE-shadowhunter books, I believe these are all shadowhunter books they’re just different series/generations/characters. I did not read The Mortal Instruments series, I read Lady Midnight which is I THINK the second series first book: Dark Artifices.
Apparently it’s no longer available on Netflix in the states!
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