Cassandra Clare - Lady Midnight.

Cassandra Clare – Lady Midnight.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars.

Hi everyone! It feels like I haven’t posted a review in forever, so for that I apologise. I have a few that I’ve written up but it didn’t feel like the right time to post any of them. So here is an entirely new review that I can’t wait to share with you all. It is on The Dark Artifices: Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. I love the characters in this book. Out of all of Clare’s work, these are my favourite characters and this is my favourite story.

Synopsis:

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. She lives for battle. Alongside her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries – the most powerful of supernatural creatures – teeter on the edge of war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries are found 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 by the faerie Courts. All they 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?

A little about the author:

Cassandra Clare is an American writer who publishes mostly YA novels. She is most known for The Mortal Instruments series and has published a number of books based around the Shadowhunter world. Her most recent works being Chain of Gold and The Lost Book of the White.

A little about the story:

The story followed Emma, Christina and the Blackthorn family as they try and solve the murders that have been happening in Los Angeles. However, they have a deadline. If they don’t hit the deadline, they will lose Mark Blackthorn once again. All this while navigating new friendships, new forbidden relationships and fascist groups.

The two main characters were Emma and Julian. Childhood friends and parabatai. Side characters include five of Julian’s siblings, a Shadowhunter on her travel year called Christina, and their tutor Diana.

In this story we see the whole group put on their detective hats. Rather than going out to kill demons, they have to try and find a serial killer, who may just be the person that killed Emma’s parents. We see Emma and Julian try and navigate their complex feelings for each other, as well as finding out the truth with the leadership of the Institute.

My favourite character in this book is Emma Carstairs. She is fierce, loyal, tough yet also loving. I love everything about her character. She is everything I want to be. The love she has for her family and friends, how she has stuck by Julian’s side since childhood. It is brilliant. She wants to be a warrior and ignores anyone who says otherwise. She is such a wonderfully written character.

A very close second has to be Julian. I feel like I relate to him on so many levels. I am also fiercely protective of all my siblings and closest friends. I admire the level of responsibility he has on his shoulders and the way he carries himself with it.

I loved this book. But it wasn’t my favourite. I hate even writing that down, but I’m not going to lie either. I’m not going to spoil anything in this, or at least I’m going to try not to. It just feels like there is something missing. Or maybe that some parts were predictable. I still rate it very highly, but it’s not quite at 5.

My favourite part of the book was when Emma gave Christina an introduction to the Blackthorns by showing her their rooms. This was of introducing the Blackthorns gave me much more of an insight into them than having them just show up. I loved it.

I would recommend this book to people who love fantasy novels. The Shadowhunter world is extraordinary. All credits to Clare for the masterpiece she created. The characters in this trilogy too are so well written I felt like I knew them personally. They felt more like friends, people, than they did characters in a book.

I think this book would be loved by anyone who has siblings if we’re looking for specifics. Julian is such a relatable character that all older siblings can see themselves in, so I think they would love it.

This is my opinions on Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. All in all, a pretty great start to the best trilogy I have ever read. The books only get better from here. I hope this encouraged you to pick up a book if you hadn’t read it already.

Stay Curious!

J x