Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance, Young Adult Romance, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Available Formats: eBook, Hardcover, Audible, Audio
Available At: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, etc.
Release Date: March 8, 2016
~Synopsis~
In a kingdom by the sea…
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, and the best in her generation. She lives for battle. Shoulder to shoulder with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries—the most powerful of supernatural creatures—teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries turn up 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 prisoner by the faerie Courts. All Emma, Mark, and Julian 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?
The darkly magical world of Shadowhunters has captured the imaginations of millions of readers across the globe. Join the adventure in Lady Midnight, the long-awaited first volume of a new trilogy from Cassandra Clare.
~Review~
*No Spoilers, I Promise!*
Oh. My. Gosh. “Lady Midnight” was an interesting and addicting read that quite frankly blew my mind at times! I honestly can’t express how much I love the Shadow World and all of the Shadowhunter novels and characters that Cassandra Clare has created over the years. She is a true literary genius that will forever be a favorite author of mine. She has never once failed to disappoint me and I always look forward to reading more of her books. And after getting a sneak peek of Emma Carstairs, Julian Blackthorn, and the rest of his family in “City of Heavenly Fire” – the final book in the Mortal Instruments series – I was super excited to read and learn more about all of them in the Dark Artifices series.
It took me a little while to get into “Lady Midnight,” but once I did I was completely captivated by the storyline and characters and couldn’t wait to read more about all of them. Emma, Julian, his siblings, and several other characters were amazing, and I loved going on the first part of their journey with them. I loved all of their diverse personalities and the relationships they had with each other. They could be quite entertaining at times, and I loved the banter between all of them. I also loved that the story was told from multiple characters’ POV. It was wonderful to see what a few of the characters were thinking and feeling at certain parts of the book. Emma and Julian were perfect together, and I loved the close relationship and chemistry they had with one another. I loved and also hated their parabatai bond at times, however I was more than pleasantly surprised by a few scenes. Their relationship progressed kind of quickly – almost zero to sixty in a way – but it really didn’t bother me. In fact, I was happy that it did. I was rooting for them as a couple from the very beginning, and I will continue to do so until the very end. I truly hope they get their happy ending and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series to find out. Many of the secondary characters were wonderful as well, and I absolutely loved getting to see a few familiar faces from past series make an appearance. I also loved the introduction of a few new characters, and will be looking forward to reading more about them in future books. There were an abundance of surprising twists and turns throughout, and the ending was definitely not one I saw coming. I liked the book more at different points than I did at others, but it was an awesome read nonetheless. “Lady Midnight” wasn’t my favorite book compared to other novels in TMI and TID, but I thought it was a phenomenal start to the Dark Artifices series, and I positively cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment!
Rating:
FOUR “Lady Midnight” Runes!
~About the Author~
Cassandra Clare
Cassandra Clare is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Infernal Devices trilogy, the Mortal Instruments series, the Bane Chronicles, the Shadowhunter Academy series, and the soon to be released Dark Artifices series and The Last Hours trilogy. She and her husband, along with their two cats, reside in Massachusetts where she continues to write the stories that keep her mind in constant company.