Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA Fantasy
Blurb (on back of book):
Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?
A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.
Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?
Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.
When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.
MY OPINION: *****
All I have to say right now to sum it all up: THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD.
This is my twelfth Cassie Clare novel and it's definitely one of the BEST ones so far.
I've always been a huge fan of Cassandra Clare since I was in sixth grade and reading TMI for a book club. As I've grown and read more of her writing, I definitely can see the obvious changes in Clare's writing that just shows how much she has grown as a writer. I loved TMI at the time that I read it but I know that I wouldn't feel the same way about it.
But The Dark Artifices is mindblowing.
EVERY CHARACTER WAS PERFECT. And not as in they were 2D cliche, PERFECT people, but they all had their own flaws and personalities and little things about them that you can't help but love. The entire Blackthorn family became my own. I lived with Emma's and Julian's romance alongside them. Even the villains have so much depth to them that you can't even begin to imagine every side of them.
JULIAN: I cannot believe the strength and beautiful soul of that man. He's perfect, he's brave, he's strong. I loved everything about him. His ability to love, his ability to fight, his ability to do whatever is needed even if it means doing something horrible to protect his family. His capabilities of being a sub-in father at twelve years old. This boy is an angel and that's all I have to say about it.
EMMA: She is beyond amazing. She's definitely my favorite female protagonist of all of Clare's books. I loved her strength and bravery and the choices she makes. She's conscious of her every decision but if it means protecting those she loves, she'll do anything. She's lost so much but she's willing to help protect others. She's the best Shadowhunter since JACE so that's an accomplishment all by itself.
MARK: I loved the way that he grew. It's hard to explain but he definitely changed from his beginning Faerie-like, confused self. He became a man over the course of these two books. He has to make decisions that nobody should have to make. HE IS FLAWED and I lived for it.
CRISTINA: She is such a sweet girl. Underneath the Shadowhunter courage and strength, she's a really kind person and her soul is just so GOOD. I loved that about her and I also loved how not every single character was like that. Not everybody can be good but it's always nice to have a couple in there. I don't know who to ship her with though!
KIERAN: AGH I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT HIM AT ALL. On the one hand, I love him for his personality and his actions and his opinions. He's always there and he seems to be trying to do the right thing by Mark and Cristina and not let the people around him down. On the other hand, I just don't know how to feel about him. Should we forgive him? I understand he had his reasons for what he did but still. He could have at least explained this sometime in there.
LIVVY: I can't even talk. Her entire being is sweet and kind and brave. <spoiler>She didn't deserve to die. I was THIS close to tears.</spoiler>
TY: OMG I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. Out of all the Blackthorns, he's definitely my favorite. His innocence and different personality made him so lovable and I loved his willingness to fight for his family. Everything about him was perfect and WHO DOESN'T SHIP HIM WITH KIT? I MEAN COME ON.
DRU: We got to see a lot more of her, which I definitely loved. I liked getting to know her and her worries and her flaws and her insecurities. I especially loved her connection with Jaime.
TAVVY: I was so disappointed that we didn't get as many adorable scenes in this one, but I mean, I understand why. He's young and he's innocent and he's ADORABLE and we need to keep him safe at all costs.
ANNABEL: I hate her so much I can't even speak
I know that there are a LOT of other characters but I don't have the time or room to write about them. I'm going to leave it at that but I would love to talk about this with somebody!
THE ROMANCE WAS HEARTBREAKING AND BEAUTIFUL AND GUTWRENCHING AND SO GOOD AND I CANNOT EVEN SPEAK I AM SPEECHLESS
There were so many scenes in here that I have reread so many times because they were just SO GOOD. Cassandra Clare is a queen of fantasy. This book is definitely on my favorites and I can't wait to get started on the third one. I would recommend this book to readers looking for an AMAZING fantasy series!
Main Character: Julian, Emma, etc
Sidekick(s): Blackthorns, Kieran, Cristina, etc
Villain(s): Annabel, the Consort, etc
Fantasy Elements: This book was based on fanatic elements.
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