Lady Midnight - Cassandra Clare

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA Fantasy

Blurb (on back of book): 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.

MY OPINION: *****

I feel like every time I step into the Shadowhunter world, I end up loving the stories more and more. I was hesitant to read this book because I knew I was going to be jumping into another long series that probably has a ton of novellas and sequel series that I'm going to get wrapped up into.

I mean, before reading this, I read City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire (basically the entire Mortal Instruments series) twice, Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, and Clockwork Princess (the entire Infernal Devices series), as well as the Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy collection of novellas from the series and some of her novellas that are in other collections that I haven't gotten around to yet. WOW.

I loved this one, almost more than some of the others I have read from Cassandra Clare. Lady Midnight was another beautifully-written story about this immense world that seems to be neverending with its plot twists and cliffhangers.

Emma and Julian are characters that we meet in TMI series, I believe, only now they are more grown up and have their own stories. Their attraction to each other was heartbreakingly real and I loved every scene with those two together. They are parabatai which means that their love would be "forbidden" which really adds to the whole tension-filled relationship between the two. I'm sure something will happen that will help them to be together and I sure hope it happens fast, though who am I kidding; it'll probably happen on page 8938985498 of the last book.

Other than the beautiful romance between the two, Emma is searching for the murderer of her parents and a bunch of other humans/faeries/Downworlders. With the Cold Peace, an incredibly useless and discriminatory act from the Clave (though who are we kidding: it's the CLAVE), that prohibits Shadowhunters from working with Faeries, there are a ton of problems that arise because of this and the many other horrible parts of the Clave and their acts.

Mark Blackthorn, a part of the Fae's "Hunt" comes back to the Shadow world. I disliked his character at first but of course, we're all reluctant to let new people in. However, he definitely grew on me as the book progressed and by the end, I loved him and his two-colored eyes. Though I did HATE the ending with him and Emma fake/real getting-together....

Can I just say that Cassandra Clare is beyond talented when spinning lengthy stories filled with forbidden love, angst, pain, heartbreak, and mystery? She's managed to do this countless times and I'm sure she will continue to do so again and again.

EMMA: Well, I'm not entirely sure how to feel about her but I did love her just as much as I did Tessa and a little more than I did Clary. She was strong, brave, passionate, and determined and I loved how she was willing to fight for Julian, her family, and herself.

JULIAN: Everyone loves Julian and I'm no stranger to that party. That boy has dealt with too much in his short life. I can't imagine having to take care of an entire family at 12 when here I am, barely able to cook for a couple nights in a row and fend for myself. ;)

KIERAN/MARK: I'm putting them together because we didn't really get to see much of Kieran by himself. Mark did have a couple of... problems, shall we say, that caused me to dislike him for much of the story. However, when I found about his relationship with Kieran, I was so happy. Until it failed. I hope it gets back together!

CRISTINA/DIEGO: Again, I'm putting them together because we didn't get to see too much character maturation with either of them throughout the story. Cristina is a coffee-loving strong woman who was definitely one of the best characters of the book. I would definitely read a novella just about her and Perfect Diego who I really did like, despite many readers' mixed opinions about him. Although I felt for Mark.

THE BLACKTHORNS:
   TIBERIUS--I LOVED TY. He was definitely my favorite Blackthorn that's not Julian or Mark. He just had so much going for him and I loved everything about him. Ty is hinted at being on the autism spectrum and I loved how Clare handled his character, making him amazing and strong and fierce and lovable, just as he should be!
   LIVVY--I felt really bad for her because she just wants to be with her brother, who may want to live his own life and make his own choices. I loved her strength and admired her bravery throughout the book, as well as her keen perception on things that the other characters might have just brushed aside.
   OCTAVIAN--AWWWWW I loved him so much
   DRU--She was such a strong fighter! I loved how her thirteen-year-old problems with body image and growing up were elaborated on and made real.

ARTHUR: Um, I disliked him for a variety of reasons but I suppose he can't be blamed for them.

KIT: OOOO, I sense something here. Though Christopher Jonathan? HAHAH

JOHNNY ROOK: I disliked him from the start but he didn't deserve it.

MALCOLM: Well, I understand where he's coming from but really??? I suppose we all have to fall in love before we truly understand.

DIANA: I don't know how I feel about her and I hope that I get around to understanding her character more in the future.

I'm so excited to read the rest of the series! I would recommend this series to readers looking for a fantasy-romance series!

Main Character: Emma, Julian
Sidekick(s): The Blackthorns, Diana, etc
Villain(s): Love, forbidden love, the Clave, etc
Fantasy Elements: This book was based on fanatic elements.