I received this ARC from Publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare Series: Dark Artifices #1
Published by McElderry Books on March 8th 2016
Pages: 720
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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.
My Thoughts:
Oh man. Trying to get my thoughts together for this post has just been so hard. I’ve intentionally avoided reading anyone else’s posts/reviews because I’ve been having such a hard time finding my own words!
First, I just need to say that I love, love, love this book. Now that that’s out of the way, some more specific thoughts…
Ever since I first heard about Lady Midnight and the Dark Artifices series I’ve been interested in it. I flew through the first four The Mortal Instruments (TMI) books as soon as I could get my hands on them. I didn’t get to the final two TMI books until this summer, but I totally loved them. And don’t even get me started on my love for Clockwork Angel and the Infernal Devices (ID) series! Still, I was kind of on the fence about Lady Midnight. The thing I loved so much about ID was seeing the shadowhunter world in Victorian England (and the steampunk aspect!) Was the Dark Artifices series just going to be TMI in LA? Was there anything else to learn about the contemporary shadowhunter world? If you have been wondering the same thing, let me put your fears to rest. While Lady Midnight certainly has connections to TMI and ID, it is completely it’s own story. Also, we totally learn (or start to learn!) about the shadowhunter world on a completely different level. I am so hooked. Like, Lady Midnight rivals Clockwork Angel for my favorite Cassandra Clare book. I don’t say that lightly!
As I said, Lady Midnight has connections to the previous shadowhunter books. It’s connected in the same way TMI and ID are connected. You certainly could read it without having read the others, however, I wouldn’t recommend it. You would just be missing so much of the background knowledge. It’s knowledge you wouldn’t need to understand the story, but it makes it so much more nuanced! Also, Lady Midnight is full of spoilery mentions for TMI and ID!
A few other thoughts without getting too detailed:
- I was invested so much, so fast. The story was familiar in all the best ways yet new and exciting.I never wanted to put it down.
- I adored all the cameos of characters I knew and loved from previous books, but also fell head over heels for the new characters.
- Emma reminded me so much of Will and Jace in her “show no fear” style of being a shadowhunter.
- And Julian! That boy has so much on his plate and is so devoted to his family. What a poet’s soul he has!
- I want to be friends with Christina and meet all Julian’s siblings.
- Then there is Malcom Fade. His name is so similar to Magnus Bane’s that it brings him to mind and makes you love and trust Malcom, quirks and all.
- There are so many humorous moments that I just loved. I flagged so many of them because they had me chuckling 🙂 They’re just so endearing.
- Ahhhhhh! I just want to read it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just so loved this book! If you’re on the fence about reading it, do yourself a favor and give it a try. I cannot stop thinking about it. I am all in and looking forward to seeing where it will go next (yes, the ending is killer!) One of the best books I’ve read this year.
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