While the film version of Cassandra Clare’s YA fantasy series ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ failed to produce a follow up sequel, fans did get some consolation when it was announced that ABC Family had decided to take the franchise and develop it into a TV series titled ‘Shadowhunters.’ And after a long wait, we now have a trailer and a couple sneak peek clips from the new show for you to see!

During the panel at this year’s New York Comic Con, ‘The Mortal Instruments’ author asked fans to “keep an open mind” while watching the 13 episode series as there will be some new elements not found in her books or in the big screen adaptation. According to EP Ed Decter, ‘Shadowhunters’ won’t actually be following the order of what happens in the novels which allows them to slip in a few surprises to both old and new fans:

“We are not following the books one to one with the seasons. However, what we’re doing is we’re borrowing. We may set something up that we know happens in season 6, but start setting it up now,” We borrow from all the books and we’ll be tracking along with the major giant story points that fans want to see. And then the new viewers, we very carefully get there so they understand what’s going on. They don’t have to be a super fan to enjoy the show.”

This sentiment was confirmed in an interview with MTV by Alberto Rosende (who plays Simon and has read the book series):

“The book has already been told… We now have the opportunity to go into the book and explore possibilities that the book didn’t. We get to see the world in a new way, and we get to show the fans in a deeper sense because now everything gets to come to life, and you get to investigate these parts that maybe Cassandra Clare didn’t have time to.”

Whether or not this approach will appeal to longtime fans has yet to be seen, but at least you can get a glimpse of what to expect in the trailer and clips from the series:

Shadowhunters follows 18-year-old Clary Fray, who finds out on her birthday that she is not who she thinks she is but rather comes from a long line of Shadowhunters – human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons. When her mother Jocelyn is kidnapped, Clary is thrown into the world of demon hunting with mysterious Shadowhunter Jace and her best friend, Simon. Now living among faeries, warlocks, vampires and werewolves, Clary begins a journey of self-discovery as she learns more about her past and what her future may hold.

So what do you think? Will the series do the novels justice or does it look like ‘Shadowhunters’ is but a mere shadow of what the series could really be? Sound off in the comments below!

‘Shadowhunters’ stars Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Harry Shum Jr., Alberto Rosende, Matthew Daddario, Emeraude Toubia and Isaiah Mustafa and will debut on the Freeform network (the new name for ABC Family) on January 12th.