Saturday, April 9, 2016

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare




Publication Date:  March 8, 2016
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages:  668
Series:  The Dark Artifices #1
Genre:  Fantasy
Synopsis:  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?




Review:  It was foolish of me, really, to think that I had grown away from my thirteen year old obsession with the Shadowhunters' stories.  Lady Midnight pulled me back in with no warning and set me loose into the whirlwind world I remember so fondly.

To say that Cassandra Clare's storytelling hasn't improved would be laughable.  It is starkly apparent she has evolved in each and every aspect, most obvious in the new level of sophistication in her writing.  The pacing has a tendency to be a bit slow, yet the plot is completely entrancing and doesn't let your attention wander for one moment, even when some of the plot twists are fairly easy to guess at.
    
You can’t pay for tragedy with more tragedy, or draw life from death.

The world building is more natural this turn--built into the story, growing as it does, rather than having all the information thrown at you in a textbook format.  It is a familiar place that is altogether quite different from before.  As in:  more faeries, more demons, more facets to the government and the laws that you had no clue about in previous books.  There are new levels of depth and understanding that make the world itself more tangible.  

There is also no introduction to this world within our own, no sudden realization.  The characters have lived with it their whole lives, and so you become immediately immersed, as well.   

Speaking of, the characters are to be expected:  complicated and messy, individualistic and altogether human (even if some of them aren't quite human, in the literal sense). 


We are more than single actions we undertake, whether they be good or evil.

The Blackthorn family, or what is left of it, is made up of an array of ages and personalities.  I for one loved seeing this family dynamic.  Julian, who is fiercely protective and gentle, with a ruthless heart (as it is so eloquently put).  Mark Blackthorn presents such an interesting dynamic and a fascinating inner conflict.  I am at a loss as to what to say about the rest, other than that I loved them all and especially favored Ty.

Emma is tough, loyal, vengeful, and...sensitive?  Not exactly what I was expecting, but I love her character all the more for it.  She is terribly real and very grounded.  Well, not as level-headed and mature as Cristina, who is the image of perfection, although that can be a flaw in itself.


There was beauty in the idea of freedom, but it was an illusion. Every human heart was chained by love.

There is romance, of course.  In fact there's a love...hexagon, perhaps?  Heptagon?  It is all very sweet and all utterly believable--but in each instance goes from zero to one hundred in the blink of an eye, like someone held their finger on the volume button.  

The villain, while not a surprise in my case, is the best kind--one that evokes sympathy, even from those who are attempting to stop them.  That is all.

However (there always is one), the ending, while fabulous, was frustrating.  There is a lot of angst and drama that could be somewhat abated with some old-fashioned communication, in which an excuse of a repeated plot line is standing in the way of. While I understand the need to create tension and problems for the next two books, I would prefer more solid reasoning.  The cliffhanger, on another hand, is killer and almost deserves a round of applause.  

Lex malla, lex nulla. A bad law is no law.

One more thing:  this book builds off of other books.  It is impossible to read Lady Midnight without being spoiled for all the other Shadowhunter series.  Also, the cameos from the previous characters, while heartfelt and exciting, distract from the fact that this is no longer their story, it's Emma and Julian's.

Lady Midnight is like no other Shadowhunter's novel we have seen so far.  There is new dimension to the writing and plot, with the same multifaceted characters we have grown to adore.  It doesn't simply cause nostalgia, it makes you want to sell bits and pieces of your soul if only you could have the next one in your hands right away.



10 comments:

  1. I am so glad this one was so good for you. I haven't read the other books so I probably won't pick this up but I am so in love with that cover and have to stop to look at it anytime I see it :) Great review!!

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    1. Yes--that cover is so beautiful! Thanks for commenting, Grace!

      ❤ Erin

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  2. I originally didn't plan to read this book, I feel like I had enough of shadowhunters. But the cover is really beautiful and everyone has been raving about this book, so I can't resist it! Glad you enjoyed it Erin!

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    1. I was a bit wary, too, but I am so glad I ended up reading it. It is well worth it. Thanks so much for commenting, Tasya!

      ❤ Erin

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  3. I honestly read this book while I was in the middle of binge reading TMI... AND I REGRET NOTHING! Lady Midnight has definitely improved after TID and TMI. And that villain? HA. I didn't even see that one coming. I like that Cassandra Clare used a character most (I think) of us wouldn't expect to actually have bad intentions.

    Also, I agree with you with the ending. I just really wish Emma simply told Julian the truth instead of hiding it from him and making things worse. >.< Oh well, gotta have some book problems to make the series (somehow) more interesting, huh?

    Great review, Erin!

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    1. Oh I LOVED the villain...I totally suspected, but it still kind of broke my heart. I love a villain that is understandable. You know what they are doing is evil, but you definitely see their side of things. But that ENDING still frustrates me. A lack of communication causing issues is a big pet peeve for me. Even if it can create interesting problems. Thanks so much for commenting, Mara!

      ❤ Erin

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  4. YAY I'm so glad you loved this one! I haven't read it yet, but it's sitting on my shelf ready. I'm hoping to read TSA first, because I've heard it spoils a pretty big plot twist in that. Personally, I think it's pretty unfair to write it that way because TSA is only available on e-reads, and not everyone has one, but what can you do? TSA is also super expensive for me, so I'm not sure when I'll be getting round to that, or Lady Midnight. I'm super excited to read it though, and I'm praying that there will be a Malec cameo too! :D

    Denise | The Bibliolater

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    1. Me, too! I was wary about there being ANOTHER shadowhunters novel, but this one really surprised me. I love seeing how Cassandra Clare has grown as an author. I didn't read TSA...although there are DEFINITELY spoilers in Lady Midnight. I just stubbornly refused because I don't think you should HAVE to read a novella series to fully grasp a book in a separate series. And there IS Malec! Thanks for commenting, Denise!

      ❤ Erin

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  5. OMG THIS BOOK MY THOUGHTS ON IT ARE STILL NOT COHERENT. (HENCE THE CAPS LOCK). READING IT WAS LIKE THAT FEELING YOU GET WHERE YOU EAT YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD AND YOU REMEMBER WHY ITS YOUR FAVOURITE, Y'KNOW?
    Ah, I loved being in the Shadowhunter world again! And yesss the characters omg I completely agree with everything you said. THE ENDING THOUGH. I JUST...WHY?!?!
    I really enjoyed seeing all the TMI characters and that short story??? Help, I think my heart is breaking, it can't take the drama and suspense.
    Awesome review, Erin! I'm glad you enjoyed this book! ♥

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    1. I KNOW I'M STILL STUCK IN THE SAME MINDSET! Like...I knew I LOVED TMI/TID, but had grown away from it...and this really did pull me back in and remind me why I love this world so much. Even if some of the plot choices FRUSTRATE ME TO NO END. And I really liked seeing all the other characters again, too, but almost wish they just had their own separate little stories, like that one at the end of the book. Thanks so much for commenting, Rebekah!

      ❤ Erin

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