- Clarissa Adele "Clary" Fray/Fairchild/MorgensternShe is a little over 5 feet tall (5'2-5'5), thin, has bright red hair, green eyes, and freckles, and is described as looking nearly identical to her mother; they are both also described to have small chests and small hips. Clary describes herself as less attractive than Isabelle, as well as flat-chested. Clary grew up oblivious to the Shadow World and her real heritage. Jocelyn, her mother, believed that Clary should have a normal human life to shield her from Jocelyn's past. She raised Clary in New York. Clary is an artist, like her mother, often drawing her emotions in pictures - her version of a diary. She lives a very typical teenage life until her mother is kidnapped. Throughout the first trilogy, Clary embarks on a quest to help her mother while adjusting to life as a Shadowhunter. She and Jace eventually develop a mutual attraction; although the revelation that they are siblings dashes their romantic hopes.
- Jonathan Christopher "Jace" Wayland/MorgensternAt the age of 10, Jace was orphaned because his father was murdered by members of the Circle. This is eventually proven to be a farce, as the man who raised him (Valentine) proves to still be alive. He was then sent to the New York Institute to live with the Lightwoods and Hodge Starkweather. There, he trained alongside Isabelle and Alec Lightwood. He views Isabelle as his sister, and he and Alec have a sacred parabatai bond. Jace grew up to be cold and arrogant to those around him. He rejected the idea of love and only believes in the art of war. Before the death of his father, Jace was brutally trained to be an expert in the arts of war. He was said to be the best Shadowhunter of his age. He often acts sarcastic and sassy. He cares a lot about his adoptive siblings. Jace is described as having golden hair, eyes, and skin. He is attracted to Clary but becomes horrified after discovering that they might be siblings.
- Simon LewisClary's human best friend and essentially only friend for about 10 years. Simon only has three main interests; his band, keeping up with everything nerdy, and Clary. He is secretly in love with Clary, though she does not appear to reciprocate those feelings and is oblivious to them until he directly tells her. He is jealous that Clary shows a larger amount of affection for Jace than himself. He does not shy away from expressing his dislike for Jace. His loyalty to Clary is unwavering, even after discovering the relationship that Clary and Jace begin to grow, Simon stays by Clary. He is described as a tall slender 16-year-old boy with black shaggy hair and brown eyes. He also wears glasses. He has an older sister and a single mother; his father passed away a few years ago.
- Isabelle Sophia "Izzy" LightwoodShe is described as tall and incredibly beautiful, with black hair and eyes. However, she is also still a teenage girl. She is the daughter of Robert and Maryse Lightwood and sister to Max and Alexander Lightwood. Isabelle's priorities are family, The Clave, and herself. She is determined to be strong and fight whomever to obtain what she wants. She is ruthless when it comes to protecting her family. She often uses her beauty as a weapon. On the surface she may seem like she is self-absorbed; however, throughout the novel, she grows into a much more complex character. It is also evident in the first book that she does not share her family's or Shadowhunters' prejudices towards Downworlders, as she enters into a relationship with the fairy Meliorn and befriends Magnus.
- Alexander Gideon "Alec" LightwoodAlec is the eldest son of the Lightwoods; therefore, he carries much of the responsibility of the siblings. Having just become an adult, Alec was expected to take care of his siblings and look over the Institute while his parents are away. Throughout the book, he is constantly struggling with what is right by his family and friends and what is right by the law. Alec's self-esteem was very low at the beginning of the novel, which makes him lash out at Clary. He has black hair and blue eyes. Alec is gay but is afraid to come out due to the stigma of other Shadowhunters. However, Clary confronts him about the fact that he is gay, and Isabelle reveals she also knew. Alec claims to be in love with Jace, this is because Jace is a safe option since parabatai are not legally allowed to be in relationships. He is also jealous of Clary because of Jace's affection for her. There are scenes indicating the budding relationship between Alec and the warlock Magnus Bane.
- Luke Garroway/Lucian GraymarkOnce a Shadowhunter and a former member of the Circle, a group started by Valentine Morgenstern. He is Jocelyn's best friend and seems to be in love with her, though he has yet to declare it. Because of his close relationship with Jocelyn, Clary considers him a father figure. Luke became a werewolf when Valentine betrayed him. He has since become a pack leader twice (in Paris and New York). He owns a bookstore in New York which is directly connected to Dorothea's teleportation portal. He and his pack attack Valentine's stronghold in Renwick's while Clary searches for her mother. He is Valentine's parabatai.
- Valentine MorgensternA powerful, evil Shadowhunter, he reappears after years in hiding, during which he was presumed dead. His mission is to rid the world of Downworlders and turn Mundanes, willingly or not, into Shadowhunters although the process may kill them. He attempts to steal the Mortal Cup from his former wife, Jocelyn. He tells Jace and Clary that they are both his and Jocelyn's children. After the Uprising, the bones of his son and him were in the remains of his burnt house, thus presuming he and Jace were dead. He despises Downworlders and will go to any length to eradicate their existence from the world.
- Magnus BaneThe High Warlock of Brooklyn who has a romantic interest in Alec Lightwood. When his name is found imprinted inside Clary's mind, Clary and her allies seek him out to uncover his connection to her past and her mother. He is first introduced when Isabelle states that she has an invitation to his party. Jocelyn had approached him when Clary was younger to erase Clary's memories of the Shadow World and raise her without her knowing of it. He saved Alec from death when the latter was injured by a Greater Demon. He has a cat named Chairman Meow. He is described as very glittery, with his hair often in spikes and strange clothing.
- Hodge StarkweatherIsabelle, Alec, and Jace's eccentric tutor, who, in the end, he's found to be a follower of Valentine. He was originally in the Circle with Valentine, and as punishment, he was banished to the Institute where he was unable to leave. He is depicted with a raven on his shoulder, Hugo.
- Jocelyn Fray/Fairchild/MorgensternClary's mother and a former Shadowhunter seeking protection from the Shadow World as a means of protecting Clary from Valentine, her estranged husband. An artist, Jocelyn is described as elegant and beautiful, with long red hair darker than Clary's. She hid the Mortal Cup (one of the three Mortal Instruments) so that no one else could claim it or disclose its location, leaving subtle clues that only her daughter, Clary, would be able to decipher. When she found two-year-old Clary playing with faeries, Jocelyn sought Magnus Bane's help and every two years he cast a spell on Clary's mind that shielded her from seeing the Shadowhunter world. She was abducted by Valentine in hopes of discovering where she hid the Mortal Cup, Jocelyn is eventually found by Clary in a potion-induced coma, and is taken to the hospital.
- Madame DorotheaA 'witch' living downstairs from Clary and her mother. She was adopted by a warlock as warlocks are sterile and unable to have children. Her apartment acts as a sanctuary for Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike. It is later revealed that Clary's mother hid the Mortal Cup in a tarot card from a hand-painted tarot deck she gifted to Dorothea.
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