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.
