Genres
Publication
Margaret K. McElderry Books (2016), Edition: 1, 688 pages
Description
Fantasy. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML:The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in this #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling 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 who killed her parents and avenging her losses. Together with her battle partner 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 Artifice… (more)
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member jmoncton
Another episode of the Shadow Hunters series. I like this world, but I didn't find this as compelling as her Infernal Devices. Often times a romance can be a good addition to a novel, adding a touch of emotion to the battle of good vs. evil. In this book, the romance was more the main point of the
Show More
story. I read this a month ago, and to be honest, I can't remember anything other than the romance and it seemed more of a common reuse of forbidden love. A fun distraction, but I don't feel that 'can't wait for the sequel anxiety' that I feel after I've finished a really good story. Show Less
LibraryThing member EstherSpurrillJones
I loved the previous books, but I just couldn't get into this one. I'm giving up.
LibraryThing member Ariana723
Honestly if I could give this book more stars I would, this was the amazing comeback I was waiting for from Cassandra Clare. After finishing the Mortal Instruments I really wasn't sure on how she planned on toping it but she blew my expectations out of the window. Emma and Julian are very similar
Show More
to Jace and Clary but so different and that's why I love them even more. The thrill this book holds is unexplainable. Honestly can't wait for the next ones, I know it will be an amazing series. Show Less
LibraryThing member LibraryGirl11
Follows Emma and Julian, who played a role in the final MI novel, as they fall into a romance that is forbidden to parabatai. Self-derivative fiction, with far too much swooning over boys with [insert color] curly hair and [insert adjective and color] eyes.
LibraryThing member CatherineHsu
I LOVE THIS BOOK.
Cassandra Clare does it again! Thank god she keeps expanding this universe, I can never get too much of it!
I love the relationship between Emma and Julian, although they did get together earlier than I expected. But I'm excited to see what Cassie does with it in the sequels :)
The
And the ending. Man, that plot twist there.
AND THE CAMEOS BY TESSA AND JEM AND CLARY AND JACE I'M NOT OKAY BYE
Cassandra Clare does it again! Thank god she keeps expanding this universe, I can never get too much of it!
I love the relationship between Emma and Julian, although they did get together earlier than I expected. But I'm excited to see what Cassie does with it in the sequels :)
The
Show More
plot was full of twists and turns, full of adventures that the characters embarked on.And the ending. Man, that plot twist there.
AND THE CAMEOS BY TESSA AND JEM AND CLARY AND JACE I'M NOT OKAY BYE
Show Less
LibraryThing member waclements7
I wasn't sure what to expect from this--I liked the complexity of Julian's character and also Ty's. The story is interesting with an ending that isn't a cliff-hanger but promises intriguing things to come. I did like the other characters, especially Mark, and they are fairly well drawn out. I'm
I don't like the fact that so many lies are taking place in the book, and look to continue instead of people just talking to each other. That's a really overused trope and hurting people deliberately to "help" them instead of just talking to them as a way to further the plot by creating unnecessary drama and pain doesn't show development in the characters. Julian's motivations are driven by an honest desire to keep his family together. The motivations for becoming parabatai with Emma may not have been as clearly thought through. Emma deliberately hurting him through Mark (at least as it appears she is going to) is just mean; she should just share what Jem told her, but that would be reasonable. And take away a huge plot point. It frustrates me that they can't put effort into finding a real solution instead of inflicting pain on each other.
And as some other reviewers have pointed out, what do they DO at the LA Institute? There's a brief mention of patrols, training, and classes, but not much else. What are the demons doing in the meantime, running rampant?The other series had adults present. That the LA Institute has essentially been run by Julian since he was 12 seems so incredibly implausible.
I have rarely have such a difficult time with a review. I've come back to edit this one to say that I really did admire the fact that Clare did include a character with autism (although it wasn't named as such, since it doesn't seem to exist in the Shadowhunter world as such) in a very realistic and sensitive way, and that Julian was very good and knowing how to work with Ty. Arthur having mental differences was also interesting. But that led to the fact that the children were basically on their own, which was frustrating. I have worked with many adults and children with autism, and I thought the portrayal of Ty was realistic and well done. So, despite many of my other negative feelings about the book, that is one thing that I thought was a plus. I'm bumping my review up to a three from a two for that.
I will not be buying the rest of the series, and if I do read any more of it, it will definitely be from the library.
Show More
unsure how I feel about Emma as a character, her character feels a little flat. And why on earth would Mark do what he did at the end? I don't like the fact that so many lies are taking place in the book, and look to continue instead of people just talking to each other. That's a really overused trope and hurting people deliberately to "help" them instead of just talking to them as a way to further the plot by creating unnecessary drama and pain doesn't show development in the characters. Julian's motivations are driven by an honest desire to keep his family together. The motivations for becoming parabatai with Emma may not have been as clearly thought through. Emma deliberately hurting him through Mark (at least as it appears she is going to) is just mean; she should just share what Jem told her, but that would be reasonable. And take away a huge plot point. It frustrates me that they can't put effort into finding a real solution instead of inflicting pain on each other.
And as some other reviewers have pointed out, what do they DO at the LA Institute? There's a brief mention of patrols, training, and classes, but not much else. What are the demons doing in the meantime, running rampant?The other series had adults present. That the LA Institute has essentially been run by Julian since he was 12 seems so incredibly implausible.
I have rarely have such a difficult time with a review. I've come back to edit this one to say that I really did admire the fact that Clare did include a character with autism (although it wasn't named as such, since it doesn't seem to exist in the Shadowhunter world as such) in a very realistic and sensitive way, and that Julian was very good and knowing how to work with Ty. Arthur having mental differences was also interesting. But that led to the fact that the children were basically on their own, which was frustrating. I have worked with many adults and children with autism, and I thought the portrayal of Ty was realistic and well done. So, despite many of my other negative feelings about the book, that is one thing that I thought was a plus. I'm bumping my review up to a three from a two for that.
I will not be buying the rest of the series, and if I do read any more of it, it will definitely be from the library.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DoolFandoms
This book was amazingly put together. I love the fact that it was a lot bigger than most books because it just gave me more to read. Now the only problem is waiting a year for the second book to come out.
LibraryThing member bell7
Five years after the war in The City of Heavenly Fire, Emma Carstairs is living in the Los Angeles Institute with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn, and his family. They are Nephilim, or Shadowhunters: part-human, part-angel, and sworn to protect mundanes (regular humans) from Downworlders
I hadn't quite figured out how confusing this all sounds until I started to write it all out. This is the first in a new series within the Shadowhunter world, and while it's not absolutely necessary to read the other books before reading this one (it's been over a year in my case, and I still followed everything), I'm not sure I'd recommend starting with this one. Emma and Julian are an interesting pair, and the other secondary characters are fleshed out well, all of them individual and realistic, people you can root for without being perfect. I especially like the way the relationships between the Blackthorn siblings are described, and I like Ty who seems to be on the autism spectrum but treated with such love and respect by his siblings. Emma is as wise-cracking as Jace was in the original series, and I burst out laughing at a couple of scenes. Really fun reading, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series when the new book comes out in May.
Show More
(vampires, werewolves, and more) and uphold the law of the Clave, the sort of ruling class of Shadowhunters. When murders start occurring and the victims' bodies are left much like Emma's parents, with strange markings on them, Emma starts investigating even though she knows that, with many of the bodies being Faerie, the Clave won't like her getting involved - the negotiations after the war left the "Cold Peace" and restrictions in helping any fae, including the two half-Faerie Blackthorns, Mark and Helen.I hadn't quite figured out how confusing this all sounds until I started to write it all out. This is the first in a new series within the Shadowhunter world, and while it's not absolutely necessary to read the other books before reading this one (it's been over a year in my case, and I still followed everything), I'm not sure I'd recommend starting with this one. Emma and Julian are an interesting pair, and the other secondary characters are fleshed out well, all of them individual and realistic, people you can root for without being perfect. I especially like the way the relationships between the Blackthorn siblings are described, and I like Ty who seems to be on the autism spectrum but treated with such love and respect by his siblings. Emma is as wise-cracking as Jace was in the original series, and I burst out laughing at a couple of scenes. Really fun reading, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series when the new book comes out in May.
Show Less
LibraryThing member AReneeHunt
I don't know why I thought I'd love this book. Was it bad- no, but after I read the Clockwork series, I was ruined for the rest of the books. When I read The Mortal Instruments, I was already suffering death by Shadow Hunters. I even tried to watch the tv series- crashed and burned there too! So
Picture
Just to reiterate, I am a Cassandra Clare fan. She's a phenomenal author, leaving me swept away with Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess, and Clockwork Angel, but once I got to The Mortal Instruments, the story shifted- not just in time. It became more of a tumultuous love saga with whiny people and their issues. The rage of the mega plot was pretty cool and that's what created the doorway for Lady Midnight, the Dark Artifices series.
Emma's a problem from the very start, with her deep rooted desire for revenge and closure. Though understandable, she was endangering her parabatai left and right, even with knowing her injuriy or death would damage him too! She's a headstrong warrior who's more temperamental than skillful. Julian is love struck to the point- I figured it out the first few pages of the story! He became a b*tth*l*, plain and simple. Never mind the family troubles. Now I'm going to stop there, because they're the reason I really couldn't get into the story.
Because of the main characters, it's next to impossible to get along with the story. The plot could have been so much thicker and better had they not been battling their... No SPOILERS, sorry. I can't tell you what's happening but it's just not the same. The main story was what drove the two characters, but it was all overshadowed. It turned in to super-strengthened teenagers with mundane issues. I can get that anywhere!
So I may be finished with the Shadow Hunter reads. I wasn't happy at all with Lady Midnight, and that's okay. Just means I will have to seek out my YA fixes elsewhere now. Cheers to you, while I move on to the next read!
Lady Midnight
Cassandra Clare
Margaret K. McElderry Books
March 8, 2016
Show More
what made me pick up Lady Midnight, book one in the Dark Artifices series? The fact that I'd already purchased both the book and audiobook. Now, on to what I read...Picture
Just to reiterate, I am a Cassandra Clare fan. She's a phenomenal author, leaving me swept away with Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess, and Clockwork Angel, but once I got to The Mortal Instruments, the story shifted- not just in time. It became more of a tumultuous love saga with whiny people and their issues. The rage of the mega plot was pretty cool and that's what created the doorway for Lady Midnight, the Dark Artifices series.
Emma's a problem from the very start, with her deep rooted desire for revenge and closure. Though understandable, she was endangering her parabatai left and right, even with knowing her injuriy or death would damage him too! She's a headstrong warrior who's more temperamental than skillful. Julian is love struck to the point- I figured it out the first few pages of the story! He became a b*tth*l*, plain and simple. Never mind the family troubles. Now I'm going to stop there, because they're the reason I really couldn't get into the story.
Because of the main characters, it's next to impossible to get along with the story. The plot could have been so much thicker and better had they not been battling their... No SPOILERS, sorry. I can't tell you what's happening but it's just not the same. The main story was what drove the two characters, but it was all overshadowed. It turned in to super-strengthened teenagers with mundane issues. I can get that anywhere!
So I may be finished with the Shadow Hunter reads. I wasn't happy at all with Lady Midnight, and that's okay. Just means I will have to seek out my YA fixes elsewhere now. Cheers to you, while I move on to the next read!
Lady Midnight
Cassandra Clare
Margaret K. McElderry Books
March 8, 2016
Show Less
LibraryThing member beckakw
I think I liked this book better than the Mortal Instruments series. The mystery aspect of it was very intriguing and kept me reading. I also liked the romance aspect more than Clary and Jace in the Mortal Instruments. I can't wait for the next book and I think I'll pass the time by reading the
Show More
Infernal Devices series. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookishpeach240
This review contains spoilers! If you have not read Lady Midnight yet, I suggest you do not read this.
Firstly I have to say I expected to enjoy this book more than I did. Don't get me wrong; I liked this book. It's just that the first 400 pages or so were very slow and I had a hard time getting
Though I did not give this book 5 stars, I can't wait to read the next book!
Firstly I have to say I expected to enjoy this book more than I did. Don't get me wrong; I liked this book. It's just that the first 400 pages or so were very slow and I had a hard time getting
Show More
into the story. I felt that nothing really happened the first half and it seemed to drag on forever. The last 200 pages or so were phenomenal though. The betrayal!! I would never have guessed it! I'm glad we were finally introduced to the mysterious lost Herondale. I was annoyed his seemingly irrelevant perspective kept popping up but now I understand why. I hope we get to see more of him in the next books. I probably should have read the novellas before reading this book but I was too lazy. Also, I think one of the reason I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would have liked to is because I have been extremely stressed out these past few weeks and my mind wasn't entirely focused on the book. And, I forgot to mention, I'm really worried about Emma. I mean, there's this whole forbidden patabatai relationship with Julian and Mark seems, well, unstable. I really hope Mark adjusts to his old life.Though I did not give this book 5 stars, I can't wait to read the next book!
Show Less
LibraryThing member samanthamholt
Of all of the Shadowhunter stories, this is by far the most compelling. I felt devastated and sad throughout the entire story. The story had such a grim and hopeless energy that I couldn't shake. I couldn't put the book down until I finished (although I did throw the book a few times). Every time
Show More
one door opened, I felt another door shut. More than anything, I am terrified for Julian. These poor children and these terrible secrets they have to keep. They're enduring all of this alone. I can't imagine the trilogy ending well for any of the protagonists. My heart is so heavy for these children. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tiffy_Reads
A new series about shadowhunters. Such a whirlwind of crazy events happening in this book. Loved all of it. Even the sort of cliffhanger. I absolutely can't wait until the next book comes out.
LibraryThing member mrsdanaalbasha
[Saturday, May 12, 2012] I added this cover a few weeks ago, it's fan made. I can't wait to read this. I know it's in 2015! But I'm glad Cassandra is still writing in the Shadowhunters world.
LibraryThing member thebacklistbook
As much as it was so easy and comfortable to slip back into the shadowhunter world, like slipping into your favorite worn-out jeans; that's all it was. A comfortable read. It did not excite or thrill me in anyway. The bad guy was a surprise. The relationship between E and J felt very forced and
It is like the author has something deeply against platonic love. I never realized this in all my years of anticipating her next books. After this read I am really not sure that I will be picking up the next Dark Artifices book. I just don't feel that it is worth the frustration and angst between E and J to hear about Tessa and Jem some more, or to hear details about Malec.
Show More
cringe-worthy. It is like the author has something deeply against platonic love. I never realized this in all my years of anticipating her next books. After this read I am really not sure that I will be picking up the next Dark Artifices book. I just don't feel that it is worth the frustration and angst between E and J to hear about Tessa and Jem some more, or to hear details about Malec.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ilonita50
**Some spoiler alert**
I don't like the cover BUT it does fit the story.
The very first page totally reminded me of Shadows of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Safon, the atmosphere , the attachment to the book - instant. However, it took me first 100 pages to get into the story and to remember what it all
The plot itself was great and interesting, betray, feelings, oh, what feelings swirled between them two, glimpses of solving a detective and getting help from wrong parties, being sent to wrong sides, and somewhere in the plot some things was left out.
That one particular line which was told on top of the roof at the Ava'a house to the arrow "sniper" was never brought back in the light. Yes, he come up as Diego, and even when they were revealing the situation and he was about to explain his actions, the sentence Emma said on the roof was never mentioned.
As well, the story plot about Kit - whole book not a single line involved about him and then the very end rushed ending and "boom, bam" its supposed to be all clear.
It doesn't matter how much I enjoyed the book, the writing style, its gonna be annoying to wait another year for the next book and then two more to the final. I mean, I understand the waiting and the process of writing but seriously it also kills the enjoyment.
I don't like the cover BUT it does fit the story.
The very first page totally reminded me of Shadows of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Safon, the atmosphere , the attachment to the book - instant. However, it took me first 100 pages to get into the story and to remember what it all
Show More
was about and how does this story makes sense. The plot itself was great and interesting, betray, feelings, oh, what feelings swirled between them two, glimpses of solving a detective and getting help from wrong parties, being sent to wrong sides, and somewhere in the plot some things was left out.
That one particular line which was told on top of the roof at the Ava'a house to the arrow "sniper" was never brought back in the light. Yes, he come up as Diego, and even when they were revealing the situation and he was about to explain his actions, the sentence Emma said on the roof was never mentioned.
As well, the story plot about Kit - whole book not a single line involved about him and then the very end rushed ending and "boom, bam" its supposed to be all clear.
It doesn't matter how much I enjoyed the book, the writing style, its gonna be annoying to wait another year for the next book and then two more to the final. I mean, I understand the waiting and the process of writing but seriously it also kills the enjoyment.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SimplyKelina
I have been putting off starting the Dark Artifices series until it was closer to the final book coming out. It was time to finally jump in.
I personally loved the beginning of the story. It had been so long since I was in the Shadow Hunter world, so I enjoyed how a recap of characters and terms
I do feel this was way too long for what it ended up being though. There was not too many high points throughout the story. A lot was dragged out to more than it needed to be. I ended up having to switch between reading this physically and listening to the audiobook as certain parts I was losing interest in.
I did end up enjoying this, but it did not blow me away like I was hoping and expecting. Do not get me wrong, it was still good. I cannot wait to see where book two takes us and all of the characters.
I personally loved the beginning of the story. It had been so long since I was in the Shadow Hunter world, so I enjoyed how a recap of characters and terms
Show More
were reintroduced within the new story. It made getting back into the world much easier. There was a lot of building the new characters and scenes up before much else happens. The one thing that really kept my interest was learning about the murders so early on.I do feel this was way too long for what it ended up being though. There was not too many high points throughout the story. A lot was dragged out to more than it needed to be. I ended up having to switch between reading this physically and listening to the audiobook as certain parts I was losing interest in.
I did end up enjoying this, but it did not blow me away like I was hoping and expecting. Do not get me wrong, it was still good. I cannot wait to see where book two takes us and all of the characters.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Sweet_Serenity
I'd been anticipating this book for a long time. It was pretty good- on the level of the Mortal Instruments series, but not up to the standard of Infernal Devices.
The good things-The best scenes of the book were the action & romance scenes, because they're Cassandra Clare's strength. There was a
The bad things- The start was a bit shaky, with a lot of info-dumping and repetition. Some things were a bit rushed/messy/shallow, which was a bit disappointing for a book from an established author that had been in the works for so long. And I wasn't quite sold on the minor characters- Diana, Christina & Diego. I didn't feel they were really necessary. The book goes through a lot of contortions to justify the whole kids-saving-the-day thing. I think raising Emma & Julian's ages a few years would have given it a lot more sense.
The good outweighed the bad, and I decided to give the book 4 stars. I did criticise this book a bit, but that's only because I had such high hopes for it. It fell a little bit short, but then most things usually do. I enjoyed the book and was pretty happy about it, but not over-the-moon ecstatic. I think some of the awkwardness of the new series is out of the way now, so the next book could really take it to the next level.
The good things-The best scenes of the book were the action & romance scenes, because they're Cassandra Clare's strength. There was a
Show More
great vein of wit running through the whole thing. Emma, Julian & Mark were pretty amazing characters and of course I loved all the little Blackthorns too. The parabatai connection was written really well. There were some great scenes with Tessa, Jem, Clary, Jace & Magnus. At first I thought it might be a bit forced, but I think I actually liked seeing them again through Emma & Julian's eyes. Plus there was a bonus section at the end from Clary's POV. The book ended with some exciting leads for the sequel.The bad things- The start was a bit shaky, with a lot of info-dumping and repetition. Some things were a bit rushed/messy/shallow, which was a bit disappointing for a book from an established author that had been in the works for so long. And I wasn't quite sold on the minor characters- Diana, Christina & Diego. I didn't feel they were really necessary. The book goes through a lot of contortions to justify the whole kids-saving-the-day thing. I think raising Emma & Julian's ages a few years would have given it a lot more sense.
The good outweighed the bad, and I decided to give the book 4 stars. I did criticise this book a bit, but that's only because I had such high hopes for it. It fell a little bit short, but then most things usually do. I enjoyed the book and was pretty happy about it, but not over-the-moon ecstatic. I think some of the awkwardness of the new series is out of the way now, so the next book could really take it to the next level.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Faith_Murri
Why didn't I read this sooner????
There was beauty in the idea of freedom, but it was an illusion. Every human heart was chained by love.
Soooo I really wanted to give this 5 stars. It is by far the best book Cassandra Clare has ever written. Unironically. TMI had mostly crap characters with a pretty
The characters in this really stole the show. Cristina starts strong and honestly, stayed there. She was an icon and I stan. Emma wasn't a cardboard cut out of a Strong Female Character either; she felt like an actual teenager and I seriously appreciated that. Julian was fantastic and really delivered on his character premise of boy forced to raise his siblings. Love him a lot. Mark sometimes felt too Holly Black-esque but I liked him a lot. The whole fam was great and actually behaved like siblings in a large family, which was honestly so wonderful. I'm the 5th of 6 kids so I know very well what big families are like, and books usually get the dynamic wrong. So kudos to Clare on that! Malcolm and Diana were also really great!
The plot was freaking fantastic!!!! It did family drama, murder mystery, and cult conspiracy all so well, tying together everything so seamlessly! I loved every minute of it! I was worried as I neared the end that it would retcon like crazy just to setup a sequel, but it actually flowed quite naturally and did the framework all on its own without any convoluted additions.
Now, on to why this is 4 stars and not 5, even though I basically loved everything about this book:
Well, Clare couldn't help but include a love dodecahedron (between the main cast, therefore making the characters lovesick puppies for no good reason) and calling back to TMI in the most convoluted and needless ways. She's been trying to shoehorn into every single release that ~the love between Jace and Clary is the most pure, most lovely, most amazing love in the whole entire world; that no one loves as strongly or as completely as they love each other. They are perfect for each other in every single way~ yadda yadda yadda. : :| It gets a little mind numbing after 10 books. And their inclusion in this book just felt like Clare was trying to toot her own horn. The self-indulgence was ridiculous. She might as well change her pen name to Cassandra Clace at this point.
And to add to that, Clare just straight up reused some plot points and plot devices. Granted, they probably worked better here than in her previous work, but it was really annoying to basically just read the mix-and-match version of her other series. It didn't negatively impact the plot but it did hamper my enjoyment.
All in all, though, I loved it, and I'm extremely eager to read the next one.
There was beauty in the idea of freedom, but it was an illusion. Every human heart was chained by love.
Soooo I really wanted to give this 5 stars. It is by far the best book Cassandra Clare has ever written. Unironically. TMI had mostly crap characters with a pretty
Show More
cool plot; TID had great characters with a lame plot; this had stellar characters with an amazing plot. It really threw me for a loop. The big plot twists didn't come out of nowhere but also weren't super obvious. When we get the big reveal, I literally gasped and rethought the whole book, zeroing in on those little details she planted that didn't seem important at the time but actually meant everything. It was so well done!The characters in this really stole the show. Cristina starts strong and honestly, stayed there. She was an icon and I stan. Emma wasn't a cardboard cut out of a Strong Female Character either; she felt like an actual teenager and I seriously appreciated that. Julian was fantastic and really delivered on his character premise of boy forced to raise his siblings. Love him a lot. Mark sometimes felt too Holly Black-esque but I liked him a lot. The whole fam was great and actually behaved like siblings in a large family, which was honestly so wonderful. I'm the 5th of 6 kids so I know very well what big families are like, and books usually get the dynamic wrong. So kudos to Clare on that! Malcolm and Diana were also really great!
The plot was freaking fantastic!!!! It did family drama, murder mystery, and cult conspiracy all so well, tying together everything so seamlessly! I loved every minute of it! I was worried as I neared the end that it would retcon like crazy just to setup a sequel, but it actually flowed quite naturally and did the framework all on its own without any convoluted additions.
Now, on to why this is 4 stars and not 5, even though I basically loved everything about this book:
Well, Clare couldn't help but include a love dodecahedron (between the main cast, therefore making the characters lovesick puppies for no good reason) and calling back to TMI in the most convoluted and needless ways. She's been trying to shoehorn into every single release that ~the love between Jace and Clary is the most pure, most lovely, most amazing love in the whole entire world; that no one loves as strongly or as completely as they love each other. They are perfect for each other in every single way~ yadda yadda yadda. : :| It gets a little mind numbing after 10 books. And their inclusion in this book just felt like Clare was trying to toot her own horn. The self-indulgence was ridiculous. She might as well change her pen name to Cassandra Clace at this point.
And to add to that, Clare just straight up reused some plot points and plot devices. Granted, they probably worked better here than in her previous work, but it was really annoying to basically just read the mix-and-match version of her other series. It didn't negatively impact the plot but it did hamper my enjoyment.
All in all, though, I loved it, and I'm extremely eager to read the next one.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Faith_Murri
Why didn't I read this sooner????
There was beauty in the idea of freedom, but it was an illusion. Every human heart was chained by love.
Soooo I really wanted to give this 5 stars. It is by far the best book Cassandra Clare has ever written. Unironically. TMI had mostly crap characters with a pretty
The characters in this really stole the show. Cristina starts strong and honestly, stayed there. She was an icon and I stan. Emma wasn't a cardboard cut out of a Strong Female Character either; she felt like an actual teenager and I seriously appreciated that. Julian was fantastic and really delivered on his character premise of boy forced to raise his siblings. Love him a lot. Mark sometimes felt too Holly Black-esque but I liked him a lot. The whole fam was great and actually behaved like siblings in a large family, which was honestly so wonderful. I'm the 5th of 6 kids so I know very well what big families are like, and books usually get the dynamic wrong. So kudos to Clare on that! Malcolm and Diana were also really great!
The plot was freaking fantastic!!!! It did family drama, murder mystery, and cult conspiracy all so well, tying together everything so seamlessly! I loved every minute of it! I was worried as I neared the end that it would retcon like crazy just to setup a sequel, but it actually flowed quite naturally and did the framework all on its own without any convoluted additions.
Now, on to why this is 4 stars and not 5, even though I basically loved everything about this book:
Well, Clare couldn't help but include a love dodecahedron (between the main cast, therefore making the characters lovesick puppies for no good reason) and calling back to TMI in the most convoluted and needless ways. She's been trying to shoehorn into every single release that ~the love between Jace and Clary is the most pure, most lovely, most amazing love in the whole entire world; that no one loves as strongly or as completely as they love each other. They are perfect for each other in every single way~ yadda yadda yadda. : :| It gets a little mind numbing after 10 books. And their inclusion in this book just felt like Clare was trying to toot her own horn. The self-indulgence was ridiculous. She might as well change her pen name to Cassandra Clace at this point.
And to add to that, Clare just straight up reused some plot points and plot devices. Granted, they probably worked better here than in her previous work, but it was really annoying to basically just read the mix-and-match version of her other series. It didn't negatively impact the plot but it did hamper my enjoyment.
All in all, though, I loved it, and I'm extremely eager to read the next one.
There was beauty in the idea of freedom, but it was an illusion. Every human heart was chained by love.
Soooo I really wanted to give this 5 stars. It is by far the best book Cassandra Clare has ever written. Unironically. TMI had mostly crap characters with a pretty
Show More
cool plot; TID had great characters with a lame plot; this had stellar characters with an amazing plot. It really threw me for a loop. The big plot twists didn't come out of nowhere but also weren't super obvious. When we get the big reveal, I literally gasped and rethought the whole book, zeroing in on those little details she planted that didn't seem important at the time but actually meant everything. It was so well done!The characters in this really stole the show. Cristina starts strong and honestly, stayed there. She was an icon and I stan. Emma wasn't a cardboard cut out of a Strong Female Character either; she felt like an actual teenager and I seriously appreciated that. Julian was fantastic and really delivered on his character premise of boy forced to raise his siblings. Love him a lot. Mark sometimes felt too Holly Black-esque but I liked him a lot. The whole fam was great and actually behaved like siblings in a large family, which was honestly so wonderful. I'm the 5th of 6 kids so I know very well what big families are like, and books usually get the dynamic wrong. So kudos to Clare on that! Malcolm and Diana were also really great!
The plot was freaking fantastic!!!! It did family drama, murder mystery, and cult conspiracy all so well, tying together everything so seamlessly! I loved every minute of it! I was worried as I neared the end that it would retcon like crazy just to setup a sequel, but it actually flowed quite naturally and did the framework all on its own without any convoluted additions.
Now, on to why this is 4 stars and not 5, even though I basically loved everything about this book:
Well, Clare couldn't help but include a love dodecahedron (between the main cast, therefore making the characters lovesick puppies for no good reason) and calling back to TMI in the most convoluted and needless ways. She's been trying to shoehorn into every single release that ~the love between Jace and Clary is the most pure, most lovely, most amazing love in the whole entire world; that no one loves as strongly or as completely as they love each other. They are perfect for each other in every single way~ yadda yadda yadda. : :| It gets a little mind numbing after 10 books. And their inclusion in this book just felt like Clare was trying to toot her own horn. The self-indulgence was ridiculous. She might as well change her pen name to Cassandra Clace at this point.
And to add to that, Clare just straight up reused some plot points and plot devices. Granted, they probably worked better here than in her previous work, but it was really annoying to basically just read the mix-and-match version of her other series. It didn't negatively impact the plot but it did hamper my enjoyment.
All in all, though, I loved it, and I'm extremely eager to read the next one.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TheYodamom
Audiobook
The mystery of who killed Emma's parents
The mystery of the deaths of shadowhunters
The mystery of love
The mystery of a lost boy
The mystery of the one in charge
So many mysteries to answer. They just kept pilling up for the first 3/4 of the book. I expected them to crumble under the weight
The stress of the last 1/4 of this story was crazy. Ms. Clare made sure that they were dragged through the mud and left caked and battered along a troubled river. Seriously Ms Clare, why did Emma have to do that at the end ? Troubled times. Yes, I loved it. Yes, I already downloaded book 2.
The mystery of who killed Emma's parents
The mystery of the deaths of shadowhunters
The mystery of love
The mystery of a lost boy
The mystery of the one in charge
So many mysteries to answer. They just kept pilling up for the first 3/4 of the book. I expected them to crumble under the weight
Show More
but no the characters stayed true and stayed strong. Fought and fought and suffered, till at last answers started reveling themselves and the answers were not easy to accept. The stress of the last 1/4 of this story was crazy. Ms. Clare made sure that they were dragged through the mud and left caked and battered along a troubled river. Seriously Ms Clare, why did Emma have to do that at the end ? Troubled times. Yes, I loved it. Yes, I already downloaded book 2.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Linyarai
I feel sorry for anyone who has chosen Lady Midnight as their first Cassandra Clare novel. Yes the plot makes sense and you might find the characters relatable and likeable, but you are missing out on EVERYTHING. There is so much history, so much back story, so much Emotion, and SO MANY FEELS! I
Show More
feel like it's given me a heart attack, my heart hurts, it's hard to breathe, and I'm nauseous. And it was worth every second. It was such an exciting ride, every moment of pain when Tess and Jem were mentioned, the happiness for Clary and Jace, I can't even cope right now. Show Less
LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
I read Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunters series several years ago and this book was a delightful return to that magical and dangerous world. There are plenty of references to characters and events of the previous novels, but also new characters and further world-building. This book is a great
Show More
follow-up to the Shadowhunters books, although I don't know how much readers unfamiliar with the earlier series would enjoy this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member dianeasther
Love the characters more than anything else
LibraryThing member PaulaGalvan
The supernatural world Cassandra Clare has brought to life is mesmerizing and delightful. Having read The Mortal Instrument's series, I couldn't wait to start the continued story of the—part human, part angel—Shadowhunters. Lady Midnight begins five years after the Dark Wars that defeated
Show More
Sebastian Morganstern's demon army. This first book in the new series focuses on seventeen-year-old Emma Carstairs, now living in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family after losing her parents. Julian Blackthorn is now her parabatai and the unofficial caretaker of his five younger siblings. Keeping the peace between Downworlders, faeries, and the mundanes isn't a responsibility Shadowhunters take lightly. As soon as they can hold a weapon, they train hard. When Emma visits the marketplace and picks up rumors of human murders, they decide to investigate and discover a sinister plot to raise the dead. Although Jace and Clary appear only briefly, I'm sure they'll return in the following books. I don't want to give away any spoilers; however, I feel sorry for Julian, who carries the most challenging burdens and now faces unrequited love. Show Less
ISBN
1442468351 / 9781442468351