All I can say is that Lord Of Shadows was so so so so so so so so so so so so EXCELLENT.
And if you thought this review was going to start off with a coherent and emotionally charged sentence of passionate and triumph…hahaha. You’re adorable. LET’S JUST SAY I AM SHADOWHUNTER TRASH AND AM REDUCED TO A WILD MESS EVERY TIME I READ ONE OF THESE PERFECT BOOKS.
I AM CURRENTLY A BROKEN PIECE OF RUIN. I JUST LOVE IT THAT MUCH.
IT WAS SO GOOD.
NOTE #1: This is the sequel to Lady Midnight! There will be mild spoilers for the first book in this review. But NO spoilers for Lord of Shadows! (Or they’ll be hidden by tags anyway.)
Note #2: If you haven’t read The Mortal Instruments…can you read Lady Midnight? Why yes…yes you can. I think it’s better to have read both The Mortal Instruments and the Infernal Devices first, however, because there are small spoilers in Lady Midnight for them. But as an introduction to the Shadowhunter world — it can work on its own!
+ I AM ABSOLUTELY DYING. IT WAS JUST THAT GOOD.
It’s been like 4 days since I read it and I’m still obsessing about it. I’m basically an ANXIOUS WRECK because the story has so captivated me and ajfsdkaldajkd. I’m in that level of love for it. THAT LEVEL. I think all the Shadowhunter books are perfection, but Lady Midnight took it up a notch with the most beautiful Blackthorn family, faeries, mental health acutely accurate disability representation. It’s extraordinarily crafted, with plots tying in from older stories and everything stitching so seamlessly together I can only SHRIEK. And suspect Cassandra Clare is a warlock of great power. The humour! The sass! The beautiful sensory description! The complex and detailed characters! I JUST MELTED MY MIND EXCUSE ME.
+ As far as sequels goes? Lord of Shadows was perfect.
No second book blues here!! Except for, well, (a) the cover is blue, and (b) I’m kind of blue in the face from being so excited over it and falling over. I will admit it slowed down around the 70% mark, but when I’m so in love with the characters, I really don’t care if all they’re doing is eating toast in a cottage and sassing each other. I will take the lowkey scenes as eagerly as the action.
+ Plot? OBVIOUSLY I LOVED IT.
I swear it’s pure WIZARDRY how a small thing from the TMI series will mean something BIG here. And how this plot fits perfectly with that series and etc. etc. IT’S INCREDIBLE. THE SHADOWHUNTER WORLD IS SO INTENSELY COMPLICATED AND INTRICATELY DESIGNED. The foreshadowing (har har get it??? SHADOWS) makes my heart beat faster.
I also 500% admit my favourite thing about The Dark Artifices is how it’s very faerie-centric. I love how deliciously evil and terrifying the faeries are. THEY ARE THE BEST. Also the description for their culture and lands is marvellously gorgeous. A sky full of jewels? Like sure, just let my heart gallop out of my chest for appreciation for the description. I probably shouldn’t love the evil faeries so much but…hi.
+ Okay so let’s talk about the characters?!? WHAT WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.
I’m just gonna flail. For 900000 years. These are some of my all time favourite characters of ANY book.
- JULIAN: he is so so Slytherin in this book it’s kind of scary and I love it. <3 <3 <3
- EMMA: I think she has some secret badass magic powers that no one knows about yet?!? I suspect. And I actually appreciated how the book wasn’t JUST focused on Julian/Emma so much this time too. Also: Emma’s sass and sarcasm levels GIVE ME LIFE.
- MARK: MARK IS MY PRECIOUS AND MY FAVOURITE AND MARK MARK MARK HE IS THE REASON I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH MY ULTIMATE FAVOURITE CHARACTER OF ALL NO I WILL NOT USE PUNCTUATION I WILL JUST SHOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE MARK. Although I aggressively ship him and Kieran. Just saying. (AND STILL NOT EVEN SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATING HOW MUCH I LOVE MARK.)
- KIERAN: Who is a Slytherin also and I love him and I know he’s such a vicious faerie…but he’s still precious. Don’t fight me on this. And I love how his hair changes colours. Such beautiful hair.
- CRISTINA: I always will like Cristina, who is a sweet and kind cotton fluff. But she’s really really…good. And I prefer characters who frolic in the dark side. Plus she’s interrupting my Mark x Kieran ship so I’m a peeved at her.
- KIT HERONDALE: OKAY MR. CHRISTOPHER HERONDALE IS MY THE BEST. He is such a mini-Jace! He’s also a huge thief, adorable, hugely sarcastic, will fight if needed, and is super sweet and supportive of Ty without question. The fact that his first reaction to Ty’s autism is “okay how can I support you” makes me want to cry. <3 <3
- Ty: The fact that there is an Autistic Shadowhunter who is not only accurately represented, but really beautifully and thoughtfully written — I JUST CAN’T STOP BEING SO HAPPY ABOUT IT. I’m also glad Ty (and Livvy) had more room to actually be badass Shadowhunters. Julian totally smothers them, but he is their brother and they are his babies. C’mon though. LET THE BABIES FIGHT. (Clary and Jace were 15 when they broke the world…oh wait. Maybe this is why you don’t let the babies out…)
- LIVVY: She isn’t such a big character, but her love and protection of her twin is gorgeous and wonderful. I still don’t really know her personality though.
- DRU & TAVVY: They’re kind of like the Blackthorn babies no one talks about. Dru unfortunately feels like a spare wheel most of the time. I hope she gets more of a plot soon?
- MAGNUS BANE: is here in a burst of glitter and narcissism and I love him. Also YES we get to see more of Alec and the kids! I also quite severely suspect that their blue adopted warlock child is actually the lost baby of Lazlo Strange. Excuse me.
- ZARA: I wish to would fall off a cliff.
- PERFECT DIEGO: He can join Zara on the cliff.
- ANNABEL BLACKTHORN: Is terrifying, dead, and therefore excellent. I have a soft spot for the dead ones. She has such severe PTSD and I kind of hate her but also think she needs to be understood.
- UNCLE ARTHUR: My feelings of caring are basically 0%.
- DIANA: I LOVED finding out Diana’s backstory! Although lowkey think her romance with Gwyn was kind of boring/distracting from MY PRECIOUS BLACKTHORN BOYS.
+ And I will always cheer appreciatively for the Autism rep!!
It is not only thoughtful and complex, it is so so accurate. Ty is so precious and I just love how carefully Cassandra Clare weaves in how different his brain is wired and his habits and tics, with the Shadowhunter world and magic. It’s perfect. I live for the day when all fantasy books have careful and loving disability rep, because we are in sore need.
+ So so much shipping is to be done.
Obviously Julian x Emma are an incredible ship of angst. Although I appreciate how the angst levels didn’t swallow the book. I hate hate hate the love triangle with Mark x Kieran x Cristina. Mostly because I FREAKING LOVE MARK X KIEREN and Cristina is boring. Plus I also think Cristina only likes Mark because he’s a fearie and she’s obsessed with faeries?!? So that’s not fair. Ty x Kit will make a super cute ship someday. But otherwise I ship Kit and cookies.
+ DIVERSITY IS A+.
We’ve touched on this already but I just looove the diversity. With featuring POC and queer romances, plus adding in mental health and disabilities in characters, and different cultures, including heavily featured Spanish characters.
+ Cliffhanger?? Haha…you didn’t want…to be calm…ever again…did you.
JFAKDLFAJDSKLJ AKLFSJDAKL JFKDASL THE CLIFFHANGER AJDKFLASDJFAKLDJ.
WHY ARE WE NOT GETTING THE 3RD BOOK FOR 2 YEARS WHAT IS THIS MADNESS. WHATEVER DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS.
+ SPOILERS ABOUT THE ENDING:
So obviously DO NOT open these tags unless you want to see major spoilers. You’ve been warned, you grape.
+ Perfect book is perfect.
There is no other word for it.
Help.
I am so wildly in love with this series.
THANK YOU TO SIMON & SCHUSTER FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare was published May, 2017.
★★★★★
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 the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?
Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and 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. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.
When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises 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.
\\ click to read reviews //
THIS WHOLE REVIEW DESCRIBES ME AND MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK OMG I LOVED IT SO MUCH.
And honestly, Julian doesn’t get enough credit. Even if every credit of the world is given to him, IT STILL WON’T BE ENOUGH FOR HIM. HE’S A GENIUS.
And mark! I want to call him a cinnamon roll but, it seems too casual? Common? Mark just made my heart go cartwheels in this book. I LOVED HIM AND HIS WAYS AND HIS CLUELESSNESS. The beginning when he gave Emma a fish? DEAD. RIGHT THERE. ALREADY.
And I loved Ty SO MUCH MORE in this book than the last. Maybe because we got to see more of him.
I was kind of tired of Julian and Emma to be honest. Or rather, I was getting tired of Emma and her thought process revolving Julian. But! The end when they came up with a plan? (Or rather Julian did) I WAS SO GLAD. Of course then everything went to hell and now nothing is as planned. (Also, wondering how you didn’t mention the broken crown’s symbol appearing after A disappeared in the spoiler section? I spent so long puzzling over that and trying to come up with theories)
GOOD CAN WE JUST SCREAM TOGETHER FOR 900000 YEARS NOW BECAUSE OMGGGGG THIS BOOK WAS PERFECT AND PAINFUL AND I HATE IT AND I LOVE IT AND — *wild sobbing in the background*
Julian is a devious genius. Like when Emma’s like “I’m a little teeny tiny bit scared of you” I’m like “perfect me too”.😂 Never change, Julian. You’re perfect. MARK IS LIKE GLORIOUS CINNAMON. LIKE THE KING OF CINNAMON. And omg the fiiiish. And he’s like releasing it into the wild and they’re all “we won’t tell him he just killed Fish Magnus”.😂😂😂😂😂 How dare this book kill me with feels and laughter at the same time. ALSO TY. <3
Of course everything went to hell. I mean. Can anything ever go wrong. *sobs* (Also I'm so overloaded with feels and details I actually don't remember the broken crown symbol.😭😭 I already want to re-read it and it's been like 2 days...)
I remember the last because I was so shocked with what happened that I didn’t really believe I read right (it was 3am and my eyes were blurry as hell) so even though my heart was UTTERLY BROKEN, I went in and rereAD IT AGAIN, EFFECTIVELY SMASHING MY HEART INTO IRREPARABLE PIECES. I JUST COULDN’T ACCEPT THE ENDING. I knew we’d have a cliffhanger, but I thought maybe a couple or so things will go wrong. I expected something with Magnus because of the illness and some random thing related to the clave but NO. GO AHEAD AND BREAK ME. AND MAKE ME WANT TO GET BROKEN EVEN MORE.
That;’s it. You’ve convinced me that I absolutely MUST read Cassandra Clare. Send some cake my way as I try not to end up an emotional mess.
EXCELLENT. MY WORK HERE IS OFFICIALLY DONE THEN. *throws confetti wildly* 😂 And you will need like SO much calming chocolate…
of course I read all the spoilers, what do you expect. and from the sounds of it, if I read it my guts would be painfully shriveling up and my head would explode, and I would die about a million times. #fangirlproblems but from reading your post, I think I would like Christina best. 😛
Most crazily, ~Olive
Olive recently posted…A random post
AWW YOU CHEATER. 😂😂 Hehhe. But so so many fangirl problems…now you know why I’m SCREAMING.😂😂
I gave up on the Shadowhunters a while back. I LOVED City of Bones, and City of Ashes was pretty good, but for me it kept going downhill. Never finished Infernal Devices, and probably won’t. (Just don’t have the time to wade through ALL THOSE PAGES.) Glad it’s still living up to your expectations, though.
MAGNUS IS THE BEST. He was one of my favorite parts of the first series. And of course Chairman Meow. 😀
I did read Lady Midnight, so I am aware of all these characters/dramas that you address. And I did notice how Ty’s representation was very loving, and none of his family acted like he was “wrong” or “ill” or needed to be “fixed.” That was indeed beautiful.
(Honestly, the only truly accurate/loving rep of autism I’ve come across in YA fic is my own series.)
Usually I’m not one for shipping, but Cristina was BEYOND annoying to me, so, yeah, Mark and Kieran all the way, and Cristina can be the next death. 😛
But I won’t be reading anymore Shadowhunters, so, hopefully it works out for those that are slogging through to the end. 🙂
(Literally, I just can’t fathom why every single book Clare writes needs to be 700 pages. @#$%^&*! — I don’t have time for that!!!)
Noooo I’m so sad!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM ALL TO PIECES. 😍 I get super obsessed with worlds as complex as these jfdskalfdsj. Although there ARE a lot of pages, I agree. Usually that annoys me, but for shadowhunter books I just want more. Now you see how obsessed I am? 😂
And it is kind of sad that Ty’s ASD is literally the only good loving fantasy rep I’ve seen…gahgugh. We must change this, Daley.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one annoyed with Cristina.😂 SHE’S JUST GETTING IN THE WAY. I mean, she’s nice, but she also jumps to conclusions a lot so. I feel like Mark/Kieren won’t sail though because Mark is excellent at holding grudges. BUT CRISTINA IS SO WRONG FOR HIM. I’M SO MAD.
YES I NEED TO CALM DOWN. I’M TOO INVESTED AND I’M DESTROYING MYSELF.
“Don’t you forsooth me!” I AM DYING.
I wasn’t able to read the rest of the post because OMG SPOILERS ARE FROM THE UNDERWORLD, but I am sure it was supremely clever.
I need to read every single Cassandra Clare book ever ASAP.
THAT IS FAIR! I don’t read reviews of sequels usually because it’s haaard. *weeps* But you do need to read all the Clare books. Like yesterday.
I only really like the dark artifices and the infernal devices. I have tried multiple times to get into the Mortal Instruments, but I just can’t. I watched the movie and I was like, “Ummm…this is to crazy even for me.” Plus I don’t read many magical books set in today’s time. I wish there was more Mark, Cristina, and Kerian! Mostly Mark though (I feel weird saying this because my brother and my father are both named Mark. Oh well, I can’t help that they just happen to have the same name as one of my favorite characters). I love Mark and Cristina and if there was a book just about them, I wouldn’t complain. I think I liked Lady Midnight better though. There was just so much more suspense and mystery in Lady Midnight, and I loved it. Lord of Shadows was kind of like we all knew what was going to happen next. Also I didn’t like the ending with Livvy but I totally was betting Kit would die. I was like, “Oh, what if we went back down to one Herondale?!” Sadly my wishes were not fulfilled:'( I also got tired of Kit’s indecisiveness. I do love Ty too! He thinks outside the box, and he always seems to choose the most simple logical way. I also love that he doesn’t like to make people feel bad, like when Kit was like, “What if ‘Blackthorn blood’ means like a pint of blood?” And everyone looked at him like he was stupid and said “No.” But Ty was like, “I thought of that too.” I was laughing so hard!!!! But I also like how they would never react to Ty how they reacted to Kit, they are more patient with him. Also Gwyn and Diana! YES! YES! AND YES! Gwyn is so adorably awkward XD And when Diana confided in him, I was like, “Oh no, Diana! You can do whatever the heck you want!” Why is this shadowhunter council so close minded is my question?! LIKE WHY?! I say let Diana head the L.A. Institute!
Mark is just one of my favourite characters OF ALL TIME. <3 So I can't even with how much I adore him and these books. *squishes this series and loves it forever* I think I preferred how there was more humour in Lady Midnight, but LoS was still everything I wanted it a book. (I actually thought it'd be Emma at the end?😂 I still 100% think Julian is going to do something regrettable in the next book AND I'M READY FOR IT.) (Not.) (Sobbing.)
Someone needs to punch the Shadowhunter council, let's be real here. They're SO oppressive.
*when you want to read a post by the fabulous Cait but you haven’t read Lady Midnight*
GREAT POST! well.. (probably, because everything else is great)
I have read the Shadowhunters series but also for some reason I was never aware that there was a final book? And I thought I was just suffocating on the cliffhanger (I have slowly learned to deal with it)
*mutters to self* DANG THOSE BACK COVERS THAT DON’T ALWAYS SHOW THE BOOKS IN THE RIGHT ORDER.
Julianna @ Blots of Ink and Words recently posted…My BookCon 2017 Experience: Expectations Vs. Realtiy
This can be fixed very very wonderfully by devouring Lady Midnight. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO. *flings them at you* 😂😂
Gasp.
Some writers just somehow manage to make amazing books one after another…
Daisy recently posted…I Wrote a Story and Kept It Semi-Secret
THEY DO. IT’S GLORIOUS. I WANT TO LIVE IN THE SHADOWHUNTER WORLD FOREVER.
I literally shrieked when I saw that you posted a review for Lord of Shadows because it has been about 2 weeks since I read it and I am STILL HUNGOVER!!! Cassie Clare really took things up a notch with The Dark Artifices and OMG LORD OF SHADOWS WAS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! 100% agree with everything you said and I also like how this book showed much more of the Fair Folk. AND THAT CLIFFHANGER!!! AND THE TWO-YEAR WAIT!!! WHYYYYYYY.
SO MUCH HUNGOVER. I CAN’T EVEN WITH HOW HUNG OVER I AM. *sobs wildly* It was so beautiful and perfect and painful and perfect.
You have just said everything that I feel. My review is hella long though ahah. So much to say about my loves.
Angel @Angel Reads recently posted…Book Review: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
SO SO MUCH TO SAY I AGREE!! *flails eternally over them all* 😂
Am I the only one hoping for a Cristina/Mark/Kieran ship? Oh. Ok. I just think they’re all three beginning to fit, so at the very least they need to be friends. But I am kind of rooting for them being in a poly relationship.
Also….waiting two years until we find out what happens to MB?! Why Cassie, why?
Yeah….Julian was an amazing Slytherin in this book. But my favorite thing about him is the juxtaposition between his tenderness and ruthlessness, which I think we saw a lot of in this book.
I loved the quotes you picked to highlight…reminds me why I love her writing so much. She really manages to evoke so many things in one book. Laughter, anger, sadness, fear, etc.
Zara is really the worst, isn’t she? Ugh, and she’s so realistic, which makes it worse.
What you said about Cristina being too good and boring…I kind of disagree. Like I see why, but I really like her. And I think that Cassie has done a good job writing her, but she’s not quite as vital as some of the others, though that seems to be changing. And we’re seeing that Cristina’s not perfect and calm all the time either, she just doesn’t explode like some of the other characters. I don’t think she’s as blindly favoring of fairies as she was at the beginning, either. Sorry, you are totally allowed to disagree with me, I just wanted to share my own perception.
Haha, I honestly can’t even PREDICT where Mark/Cristina/Kieren is going to go, but I just admit I hope it’s Kieren/Mark very very much. I think Cristina only loves Mark because he’s fey and that’s kind of disappointing. WHy must we wait so long for answers though. *weeps forever*
THe just sheer complexity of Julian gives me LIFE. He’s one of the best written characters!!
also SO MANY QUOTES. I didn’t even quote all the ones I loved and died over. <3 <3
*hopes Zara falls off a cliff*
I do think Cristina is a good character, don't get me wrong! She's lovely and well-written. And you don't have to be sorry for having a different opinion on her. 😉
DUDE THOSE QUOTES ARE BEAUTIFUL. And I’ve been meaning to read TMI! I’ve only read The City of Bones, but never got to the rest of them. The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artificed actually look more appealing than the actual City of Bones series??? But I like to start at the original so that’s what I’ll do. XD EXCEPT. WHY ARE THESE SO HUGE. *cries* Loved your review, Cait! <3
YOU SHOULD, MAY. YOU SHOULD READ THEM ALL AND THEN BECOME HOPELESSLY OBSESSED LIKE I AM. They are kind of a huge commitment yes, haha. And while I think you don’t *have* to read TMI, I think the series is better if you start at the beginning.😂
Hi Cait!
Uhhhh! I should have NOT read this… but after your post title (“so good I lost my mind”) I had to read it! I’m still stuck on the mortal instruments and have to read heavenly fire. But I’am afraid what it will do to my mental health, so that I avoid to even buy it. I have read her clockwork series and it is not my favorit, but this sounds really awsome, judging from the quotes and everything you said. Now I’am sure I have to keep a great distance between me and these poisonous books, if I don’t want to end in some mental asylum screaming about shadowhunters and how everything is so awsome.
Thanks for the rescue, I guess!
Twineety
YOU NEED THEM. JUST TRUST ME. THE PAIN IS WORTH IT.
*sobs recklessly in the corner*
I so so love the Shadowhunters. Actually had a mild freakout and possibly frightened my newest staff member when the topic of the movie/tv show came up (the tv show is a train wreck I can’t walk away from BUT IS AN ABOMINATION AND BASTARDISATION AND FULL OF NO.)
I, however, have a hard time coping with unfinished series. I read TMI when #6 was not yet out… and had to wait FOREVER because I had 1-5 as paperbacks and had to wait AN EXTRA YEAR for #6 to be available in a matching paperback *because obviously I needed a matching set*. Anyway. For this ridiculous reason I have not yet dove into the Dark Artifices. But holy gamoly this review is giving me an anxious. It sounds like I am going to be all. about. this.
I like TID better than TMI mostly because Clary causes me an annoyance. Magnus Bane is my over ruling favourite character of all of life. Him and Alec give me a happy.
I am so pumped for all the plans Cassandra Clare has for the Shadowhunter world… though also a bit stressed? Because every time I read any book in that world I want to reread them all because it’s just such a fun place to escape to? And the more books the are the more life consuming this becomes? I have a conflicted feels.
Bahhaha about the show! I haven’t seen it.😂 I actually loved the movie and no one else can be Jace imo but I ALSO WANT TO SEE THE SHOW BECAUSE WHO DOESN’T LIKE A GOOD TRAIN WRECK. (*whispers* Cait where are your priorities*)
I’m actually glad I only got obsessed with Shadowhunters when I had the full first series.😂 I think I was reading while book 6 came out? So like I just got caught up and then got the last one. IT WAS NICE. Very convenient.
I pick Clary over Tessa though.😂
I AM SO STRESSED TO. I AM SO SO STRESSED OMG CASSANDRA CLARE, YOU’RE HURTING ME. I’m too emotionally involved.
I also loved the movie and wish they had stuck with those. That Clary wasn’t bad. TV show Clary is the WORST.
I don’t think I’d pick Clary over Tessa… But I don’t really like Tessa much either. I am really not generally a big fan of female protagonists… I have very exacting standards on what makes me truly like a female lead. Too often they have too much going on for them and they induce eye rolling…. I like sassy side characters best.
I have finally finished so I could read this. Unfortunately I spoiled myself with just 100 pages to go, so the ending was completely lost on me. It really spoiled my appreciation of the book (which is the subject of my post today).
I loved the sensitivity with which Ty was portrayed, but did feel he was a little stereotyped. I really did appreciate him being there, though it seemed a little convenient that Kit was so well informed about autism, that’s not my experience of teenagers in general 🙂
What I love about these books is the impossible relationships and the sense of longing the characters have.
Nicole Has Read recently posted…Let’s talk about spoilers
Nooo so sad about the spoilers, Nicole!! *weeps for you*
I actually am totally the opposite with you regarding Ty.😂 I felt he was totally not stereotyped and he was the most relatable autistic character I’ve ever read. I guess that’s why the spectrum can be hard to represent in books, right?! It’s so big. I do think it was convenient that Kit understood Autism, but hey in a book full of demons and portals and magic and people getting there just in time to save the day (Jules saving Emma at the convergence like 2 seconds before she ran out of time?!) it’s the least unrealistic thing.😂
HELLO YES I WANT TO READ THIS ASAP. Although I barely remember what happened in the first one. BUT I KNOW THAT I LOVED IT. July TBR here I COME.
YOU WILL LOVE THIS TOO. IT WILL DESTROY YOU. (I had to re-read Lady Midnight first though haha so I understand.😂)
Aww, Cait…you know how I feel about Cassandra Clare haha. But every time you post a review for one of her books you make me want to go back and reread City of Bones to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. (Because, honestly, I think that’s probably one of the only books I can remember us not twinning on at all?) Nonetheless, thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! I’m glad this lived up to your expectations. <3
Zoe @ Stories on Stage recently posted…Dreamfall
Bahah, it’s fine, Zoe! We don’t have to mach on everything.😂😂 I do think a lot of people prefer her books as they go on, buuuut I was a rabid fan from book #1.😂
OMG YES WE NEED MORE KIERARK
I love Kieran, he is my fav in the series
I need he and Mark to end up together and that Cristina stop being ship with the both of them. I mean, I really think she would be an amazing friend for Kieran, but no way I see them have an actual romantic relationship. And you’re sooooooo right about her. She is sweet and good and kind but she’s just too good sometimes, and as much as I like her I also think she doesn’t love Mark the way he and Kieran love each other, it feels like she just have this attraction to him because she’s obsess with saving him, am I right?
Ty & Kit give me life. The are perfect as individual characters as they are perfect together. I can’t wait to see more of their interactions.
The reason why I love Cassie’s writing in the book and I like it a more than the first (although I love Lady Midnight so much) it’s because she just adds more and more diversity. As a Mexican fan I couldn’t be prouder of how well she represents the “chilanga” culture [“chilangos” is the way Mexican people who live in Mexico City are call] and the Spanish language. She actually ask someone to help her and she do it right.
And let’s not forget about how well she represents Ty and his condition. She doesn’t jump to put things together, she builds them in a way that what the characters do have actual sense.
Thank you so much for the review, shadowhunters give me life.
THIS COMMENT MAKES ME SO SO HAPPY BECAUSE OU TOTALLY GET ME. THANK YOOOOOU. I AGREE WITH ALL OF THIS. It just annoys me so much about Cristina. I mean, like you said, she’s good!! We like her!! But she’s not right for Mark. Mark and Kieren needed each other and have history, but Cristina probably wouldn’t have even looked at Mark twice if he wasn’t fey. I just have a really bad feeling though because Mark/Kieren hate each other so much in LoS. 😭😭😭I want it to woooorok afjdklasdj PLEASE CASSANDRA CLARE, WE BEG OF YOU.
And the diversity is so A+ I’m so impressed. :’) <3 Autism runs in my family so like Ty is SO accurate and well portrayed. It's exciting!! SO EXCITING. It's great to say "Hey minorities can be in awesome fantasy books too". So I'm super glad you experience that with the Mexican aspects too!!
NOW WE JUST CRY AND WAIT FOR BOOK 3.
Okay first of, your review was amazingly representative of how I’m feeling right now. Today’s the day I’m trying to return to the blogging world and starting with reading this review is the perfect way to find motivation to write a review myself. so thanks for that! 🙂
I just finished Lord of Shadows 20 minutes ago and I think I’m not even really here. I have so many feelings and emotions about that ending right now, I don’t even know where to start processing them. Agggghhhh it was so soo sooo good!!
I loved the way you expressed your feelings about the different characters and I just want to say: I want Zara dead and I ship Kieran and Mark too, (and basically I agree with nearly all other things to, I just think I have a little more appreciation for Arthur than you probably? :P)
Great review! 😀
GODS NOOOOO!!!! I finished this book today and i am officially dead! LIVVY? How could she? I ship Ty + Kit, Mark+ Christina, EMMA+JULIAN and so wish that perfect diego and zara to jump off a cliff. What did we do to wait for 2 goddamn years. HELP ME!!!
ALL OF YOUR IDEAS AND OBSERVATIONS ARE SO ACCURATE!
I’m definitely jumping on this series late, but I have loved every moment of it. I just finished the first book and was desperate to see what happened in the next book. Honestly, these facts just excite me for the rest of the series. I adore Julian and Emma and I have to ask, do they end up together at the end of this or are we still left in suspense? All of this foreboding is crushing me!!