Note: This post contains major Lord of Shadows spoilers as well as references to relationships in Twilight, Divergent, and The Iron Fey.
Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra ClarePublisher: Walker Books
Goodreads Summary: Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare’s Lord of Shadows, the sequel to the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Lady Midnight. Lord of Shadows is a Shadowhunters novel.
Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?
And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.
Rating: 5 Stars
Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1)Publisher: Simon And Schuster
Goodreads Summary: In a kingdom by the sea…
In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word.
A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other—but they can never fall in love.
Emma Carstairs is a warrior, a Shadowhunter, and the best in her generation. She lives for battle. Shoulder to shoulder with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries—the most powerful of supernatural creatures—teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries turn up murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were when she was a child, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge—and Julian’s chance to get back his brother Mark, who is being held prisoner by the faerie Courts. All Emma, Mark, and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks…and before the murderer targets them.
Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. And each clue she unravels uncovers more secrets. What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter Law forbid parabatai to fall in love? Who really killed her parents—and can she bear to know the truth?
The darkly magical world of Shadowhunters has captured the imaginations of millions of readers across the globe. Join the adventure in Lady Midnight, the long-awaited first volume of a new trilogy from Cassandra Clare
Rating: 5+ Stars
Review: I feel like such a long book (669 large print pages!) deserves a long, decent review, so here goes.
I loved everything about Lady Midnight. There was nothing to hate about it at all. Written in third person and multiple POVs, Lady midnight delved further into the lives of Julian Blackthorn and Emma Carstairs, whom we met briefly in TMI series.
Emma Carstairs; rebellious, resistant, and a serious kick-ass heroine in general. Julian Blackthorn; her parabatai. They really are two sides of a coin, complete opposites that fit together so well.
Another thing I really liked about Lady Midnight was how Clary and Jace (TMI), as well as Tessa and Jem (TID), were present in it. Far from the center, but more than just briefly mentioned occasionally.
A lot of new ideas that couldn't possibly have been introduced without a new set of main characters formed the base of Lady Midnight. Everything, from the characters to references to 'the past' was tied together effortlessly, with nothing that seemed even a little out of place.
Lady Midnight was cleverly written and humorous all throughout, I couldn't help but laugh at and write down the best of Emma's sarcastic quips and witty remarks. The characters weren't unknown, but well developed by the end of Lady Midnight. Lady Midnight is a definite must-read
Purchase Location: Borrowed From School Library
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Quotes:
"Emma sighed. 'It's so hard to be sassy with the Fair Folk. You people never get jokes.'"
"'Oh, NO,' Emma said. 'Not danger, Mr. I-Just-Almost-Bled-Out-in-My-Car.'"
Recommended for: Fans of Cassandra Clare. You won't want to miss this one.
What Really Happened in Peru (The Bane Chronicles #1) by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Walker Books
Publisher: Walker Books
Goodreads Summary: Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices know that Magnus Bane is banned from Peru—and now they can find out why. One of ten adventures in The Bane Chronicles.
There are good reasons Peru is off-limits to Magnus Bane. Follow Magnus’s Peruvian escapades as he drags his fellow warlocks Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss into trouble, learns several instruments (which he plays shockingly), dances (which he does shockingly), and disgraces his host nation by doing something unspeakable to the Nazca Lines.
This standalone e-only short story illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality populates the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series. This story in The Bane Chronicles, What Really Happened in Peru, is written by Sarah Rees Brennan and Cassandra Clare.
There are good reasons Peru is off-limits to Magnus Bane. Follow Magnus’s Peruvian escapades as he drags his fellow warlocks Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss into trouble, learns several instruments (which he plays shockingly), dances (which he does shockingly), and disgraces his host nation by doing something unspeakable to the Nazca Lines.
This standalone e-only short story illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality populates the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series. This story in The Bane Chronicles, What Really Happened in Peru, is written by Sarah Rees Brennan and Cassandra Clare.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: What a funny short story! Cassie Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan create a quirky and hilarious tale about Magnus Bane. Told from Magnus' extremely entertaining POV, the story follows Magnus' adventures in Peru. Wonderful.
Purchase Location: Bought at The Warehouse, South Dunedin
Edition: Paperback (part of The Bane Chronicles book)
Recommended for: Fans of TMI, TID, especially the Magnus Bane fans!
Edition: Paperback (part of The Bane Chronicles book)
The Iron Trial (Magisterium #1) by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Scholastic Books
Publisher: Scholastic Books
Goodreads Summary: Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.
Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.
All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.
So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.
Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.
The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .
Rating: 5 Stars
Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.
All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.
So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.
Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.
The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: Magic. What a great book! I love how Holly Black and Cassie Clare decided to defy standard fantasy rules, and surprise readers with a different outcome! Callum Hunt is of the age when he should be trying bard to get into the Magisterium, but he;s not. Warned that it's a dark and terrible place, he tried hard to fail The Iron trial, the entry test. but he can't fail enough, and he gets in. from there, he has to be very careful.. because his choices have consequences, that could be disastrous... i haven't read Harry Potter, but I've heard a lot of it. From that, I don't think The iron Trial is anything like Harry Potter at all.Everything has similarities, but Harry potter and The Iron trial are pretty different. A great read, full of mischief. Fantastic characters. I really enjoyed it for sure. The Iron Trial was an interesting book, and it never got boring- there was always something happening. The Iron trial- Fantasy with action. A great mix. Wow.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Hardcover
Recommended for: Fans of Harry Potter, fantasy.Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Hardcover
