“Humans were so stupid. They had something so precious, and they barely safeguarded it at all. They threw away their lives for money, for packets of powder, for a stranger's charming smile.”

Cassandra Clare is an American author of young adult fantasy. She gained prominence for her *Mortal Instruments* series, blending urban fantasy and gothic romance, and later expanded her world with the *Shadowhunters* novels. Her work explores themes of identity, destiny, and hidden supernatural communities.