When the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones premiered in the summer of 2013, fans were excited to see the life of sixteen-year-old Clary Fray brought to life. They were excited to see the world Cassandra Clare created turn into a drama-filled cinematic. But when the film finally hit the big screen, it turned out to be a major flop.

Many fans were disappointed with the movie, some felt the characters were not portrayed well and others felt that the movie was not that faithful to the books. But it turned out to be alright. In May 2014 it was announced that the book series would be given another chance and be adapted into a television series on ABCFamily/Freefrom called Shadowhunters. This format might be a better fir for a series as rich in detail and plot development as the Mortal Instruments.

Overall, the book series is about Clary being whisked into a world hidden within our own that involves demons, demon hunters [Shadowhunters], warlocks, vampires, fairies, and werewolves. She starts her journey trying to find an ancient Shadowhunter artifact and also trying to find her mother who has been kidnapped.

If you are trying to find a good adaptation of the events that happen in the book, then the movie is the way to go. The television series, which premiered January 12, 2016, does a great job interpreting the character’s storylines, but differs in its approach

The events that the characters go through in the television series occur differently and cause some characters to have different roles than in the book. For example, Dorthea and Maureen play different roles in the characters’ lives in the television show. In the books, Dorthea is a neighbor to the Frays and isolates herself in her home. In Shadowhunters, Dorthea is named Dot and is a trusted ally to Clary and her mother, and is willing to fight for both of them.

Also, Maureen used to be a character that was obsessed with Clary’s best friend, Simon, but now she is one of Simon’s and Clary’s closest friends. With their roles so different between the two versions of the story, it is hard to see where their storylines are going and whether they will affect the overall plot or not.

Despite the differences between the book and show, the show is still worth watching. The producers of the show did excellent in choosing the actors/actresses to play the characters. Fans were pleased to see the on screen chemistry between actors Katherine McNamara and Dominic Sherwood in the lead roles. This chemistry, was absent in the movie, as they exchange comfortable but witty banter with each other throughout their time filming. Also, for a television channel that does not really touch on many special effects, the effects exhibited in the show are pretty good.

Though the show is still in its youth, and has not premiered many episodes yet, new and old fans can still sit back and enjoy the book series being brought to life. With a different way of interpreting the story, the show creators gave a chance to everyone sit on the edge of their seats. Shadowhunters episodes premier Tuesdays at nine o’clock on Freefrom and can be watched on Netflix.