Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
Length: 720 pages
Published: March 8, 2016
I was so intending to wait to buy this book but when I saw it on sale shortly after it was released I COULDN’T HELP IT. I had to have it!! And so I did. And then I devoured it. And my ohhhhh my.
Let me tell you- it’s very rare when I truly- down to my bones- love a book, but THIS one, it captured my heart from chapter one. I’m so serious. If you’re a fan of Cassandra Clare and have read her other series (The Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments) you need to get yourself to a bookstore, online or the library pronto!!
{Synopsis from Goodreads}
The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.
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 her 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 recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?
Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.
*****
The first aspect that captivated me was the surprising passion and intimate feelings that both Julian Blackthorn and Emma Carstairs felt for each other as parabatai. However, for reasons unknown to them, parabatai are not supposed to harbor romantic feelings for one another by Shadowhunter law- technically illegal. So, of course, this makes it all the more intriguing. I fell in love with Julian’s reactions to Emma. I adored how he thought about her and how he was always aware of her and could never seem to tame his feelings for her, they just grew stronger. It actually gave me goosebumps, Clare’s descriptions of Julian and Emma’s feelings for eachother. The buildup between the two of them was enticing and addicting and I love that Cassanadra Clare focused so much on their personal relationship. As like her other series that focus on a couple falling in love, there is usually a constraint or a reason why they shouldn’t be together which seduces the reader further into the story.
I was also intrigued by the other storyline that focuses on Emma reopening her parent’s murder case due to a similar murder happening and wanting to solve what happened to them. This leads to more awesome Shadowhunter, Downworlder and demon showdowns and battles. Clare writes action scenes that are entertaining and easy for the reader to understand and follow.
Okay, the return of Mark Blackthorn surprised me but definitely added a quirky part to the story. He is Julian’s older brother who is part Shadowhunter and part Fey. I must admit that I forgot all about him from The Mortal Instruments (as he made an appearance there). He was taken by the Fey and used as part of The Hunt, which he couldn’t escape from. Mark’s character definitely adds a level of intrigue to the story and you can’t help but like his innocent and fragile re-upbringing with his family. His spirit is damaged from having been away from his family for so long but torn for unknown reasons by being apart from The Hunt.
But seriously. There are soooo many Blackthorn children. Octavian, Drusilla, Tiberius, Helen, Olivia along with Julian and Mark as well as the crazy Uncle Arthur. The older children I didn’t have a problem remembering but all the younger ones I couldn’t remember who was who.
I would advise to read The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices before you read The Dark Artifices. There are quite a few tie- ins with characters from the other series and even a few spoilers that you wouldn’t want ruined for you.
Rating time: 1 – 10:
Action/Adventure: 9 *Always a good battle between a Shadowhunter and a demon or Downworlder.
Fantasy: 10 *Clare always writes a descriptive, wonderful and fascinating realm within our own that magically hides the supernatural.
Mystery: 9 *Emma is trying to find out who her parent’s killers are. And who the heck is Lady Midnight?
Romance: 10 *Yes!!! Julian and Emma are definitely what hooked me from page one!
Overall, I’d rate this book 5/5 stars!
I definitely recommend this book!! Cassandra Clare’s writing is spectacular and well written. She cleans up the plot nicely and leaves it so that you have questions about the plot but you know she will continue to work on answering them as she keeps writing. And again, her characters are always entertaining and there’s always something different and enticing to make them memorable (except when there’s too fricken many Blackthorn children to remember ha) But as I said before, read the other two series before you read this one! I think this is my new favourite book of Clare’s so far and I will be eagerly awaiting the rest of the series. I would rate this book as PG- 13. There is some sexual content but it is not erotically detailed and no curse words used that I can remember. If you’ve already read Lady Midnight, what did you think of it? If you’d like to chat about the juicy details of the book- drop me an email, I love to chat book dynamics! If you haven’t read Lady Midnight, please go do it now (or start the other series)!! I hope this review was helpful, any comments are appreciated!
Until next time, Happy Reading!
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