Lady Midnight
Synopsis
It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.
Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…
Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognise his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?
Review
I love Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter books and have done since I was in secondary school, so I was pretty excited to read this new instalment in the franchise. But honestly, I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would.
I found the story relatively slow compared to The Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices. I felt that not much happened in it for such a large book.
I think this trilogy is more character-focused than the previous ones, so some of the ‘magic’ and action that you get in them wasn’t as frequent. I know that many people love the Dark Artifices and Lady Midnight. I enjoyed the characters and the change of setting. Overall, I enjoyed reading it, but I’m not totally sold on the story itself.
Lord of Shadows
Synopsis
A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honour. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.
Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when enemies on all sides threaten the Blackthorns?
Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spellbook of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen. Emma, Cristina, Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie. Where glittering revels hide bloody danger, and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim.
When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat arises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.
Review
Lord of Shadows is the second book in the Dark Artifices trilogy and part of the Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. It’s not exactly a short book. To be fair, none of the books in this trilogy are all that small!
This book has the most intense final chapter that I think I have ever read! Everything seemed to happen in the last chapter, which took me quite some time to process.
In general, I found Lord of Shadows relatively slow. There never really seemed to be all that much happening throughout it (until that final bit!), and I just found myself wanting it to move on and get to the point. This means that I felt like it could have been a lot shorter. To me, there are unnecessary parts that don’t add anything to the story. That stops the movement of the story. You’ll find this a common comment I have for this trilogy (see my review of Lady Midnight here).
I have always enjoyed the Shadowhunter books, and I know that many people love the Dark Artifices, but I don’t think they are the best ones, nor would they be at the top of my recommendation list.
However, I love how Clare writes about relationships of all kinds, lovers, friends, sibling/family etc. She tends to focus on the small moments, the little things. These things make them relatable and realistic as we read through them.
I would love to know your thoughts on these books. Let me know in the comments!
Queen of Air and Darkness
Synopsis
What if damnation is the price of true love?
Innocent blood has been spilt on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war.
One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the disease that is destroying the race of warlocks.
Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a dangerous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined.
Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.
Review
It seemed to take me so long to get to The Queen of Air and Darkness (QoAaD), by Cassandra Clare, and to the end of The Dark Artifices. I know that many people love this Shadowhunter Trilogy, which is quite a few people’s favourites, but honestly, I think this is my least favourite so far. I will say that it is the darkest of the Shadowhunter books that I have read (at the time of posting this, I still have The Last Hours and The Eldest Curses to read), so it may be worth checking some of the trigger warnings before you dive into it.
I think my general thoughts about all three books - Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows and Queen of Air and Darkness - is that they are all far too long. I felt that there were many unneeded scenes and pieces throughout them, which just seemed to make them drag. I don’t think that QoAaD needed to be 870 pages long! I feel so much could have been edited out and the books shorter. But that is just my opinion.
In saying that, I felt that QoAaD did some making up for Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows. It was generally more exciting, action-packed, and closer to what I love about Cassandra Clare’s writing. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships, interactions etc. A few bits left me wanting more, and I never really fell in love with them as I did with the likes of Jem, Will and Tessa, for example.
It’s enjoyable and has left me curious about what will happen next in the Shadowhunter world and how they will continue. It also filled in some pieces of information that have come up in some of the other books. But I don’t think this will be a reread any time soon for me.
Would love to know your thoughts on it if you have read it. What did you like and/or dislike about The Dark Artifices?