I do not recommend reading this book in public if you want to be thought of as sane: you will laugh with EVERY page, and as soon as you stop laughing you'll just start rolling on the floor again, until you're terrified and shocked and crying-- yet somehow still laughing uncontrollably. When sixteen-year-old Clary Fray (or is that even her real name...?) is thrusted into a whole new world where 'all the stories are true'--demons, werewolves, vampires, faeries-- she realizes that her mundane life to this point has been full of lies. She is a Shadowhunter, though she was not raised that way, and soon learns how to act like one while still preserving some of her own childhood innocence. She meets people with unforgettable personalities (You can't not love Luke, Magnus, Jace...)...and if you just turn the pages and read on, so will you. To me, this was a young adult version of the Harry Potter series--not that you can't read Harry Potter as a young adult :-) --with just the things a book needs: unpredictable plot twists, and much longing to be in this fictional world alongside these lovable characters.