On the Power of Books with Bestselling Author Cassandra Clare

“One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”

So wrote Cassandra Clare in Clockwork Angel, an early installment in her Shadowhunter Chronicles universe, which has printed more than 50 millions copies worldwide. Clare visited Bryn Mawr on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as a part of her book tour promoting the highly anticipated release of The Last King of Faerie, the first book in the trilogy that will close out this universe after nearly 30 books. Speaking to an audience of more than 250 readers, the tangible ability that Clare's words have to change and inspire was apparent.

Clare's campus visit included a book talk and signing, organized by local indie bookstore Main Point Books. A moderated discussion with book influencer Sabrina Ahmadzai of @‌bookshelfsisters was followed by an audience Q&A and a personalized book-signing with the author. Many of the fans in attendance have been reading Clare's books for years and shared the moments from her books that have inspired them over the decades.

For Bryn Mawr student Xitlali Cortes '27, Clare's books — which she picked up in sixth grade when they were some of the only advanced reading material available in her school's library — were her first exposure to a story where the main characters were queer. "That was really exciting to me, especially as someone who was exploring their sexuality around that time," Cortes said. "It was great to seem some positive representation in reading material, especially when you're in a very conservative town, you don't really get that much positive queer rep." 

Cortes was not alone in this sentiment, with multiple readers throughout the Q&A crediting Clare and her books being the first time they saw themselves represented on the page. 

Clare published her first novel, City of Bones, in 2007, the first installment in the Shadowhunter Chronicles. In this young-adult urban fantasy universe, the magical moments happen right along side our mundane world. Each of her series focus on a group of young Nephilim, or part-human part-angels, as they battle against demons and fight to improve the world they live in.

In the nearly 20 years since City of Bones, the Shadowhunter Chronicles have grown to include five additional trilogies along with multiple anthologies and companion books, and have been adapted into a major motion picture and a television series that aired for three seasons on Freeform.

As she approaches the final installment in this universe, Clare reflected on the importance of writing characters from all kinds of different backgrounds, with varying experiences, sexualities, and abilities, something that was uncommon in her own experience growing up as a reader.

Clare has been vocal about the importance of representation in young adult fiction, referencing the challenges she faced early in her writing career to get her books greenlit without removing the relationship between two of her leading male characters, Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood, or receiving pushback on what could be included about their story. "Every time they did that, I made them kiss more," Clare said, to the delight of the attendants.

Although representation in fiction has improved in the last 19 years since her first book hit the shelves, Clare said the industry still faces challenges with book banning and censorship. Clare's books have not been banned, but in some places, they have been relegated to more restricted parts of school libraries. 

"We are currently in a world where we're being told a lot about what we can do," Clare said. "What we can think, what we can read, and so I think there's something very important about reminding people that it's actually their agency and their choice."