Review: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Title: Lady Midnight
Author: Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 emotional, badass, swoony hearts
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pub. date: March 8th 2016
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Synopsis: The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first 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 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?

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series. (synopsis from Goodreads)

My thoughts: Wow! That was so amazing! I have to admit, I had mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I love the world Cassie’s created, and I was excited to read more about the Shadowhunters, especially Emma, since I really liked her in City of Heavenly Fire. On the other hand, I was a bit worried how she would make it work, that she wouldn’t be able to create something new and original after her other Shadowhunter series. But I read it, because I love her books, and I did not regret it! The writing was, as usual, good, I loved the characters, especially Emma and Julian, and the plot was new and interesting. I was not disappointed.

Emma was such an awesome character!

She is sarcastic, badass, and I loved reading about her. I have to say, I liked her more than I liked Clary from The Mortal Instruments. Emma reminds me a little of Jace, actually. Sarcastic and badass, a great Shadowhunter, but she does some stupid things, like go into dangerous situations on her own, without telling anyone where she’s going. She lost her parents in the Dark War, when she was twelve. The Clave blames Sebastian for it, and therefore won’t investigate it, but Emma doesn’t believe Sebastian killed her parents, so she investigates her parents’ murder in secret. Her whole life is about finding who killed her parents and getting revenge.

   I really loved reading from Emma’s perspective. It was nice to read about a girl who already knew she was part of the Shadow World, someone who didn’t suddenly find out she wasn’t a mundane.  

   Julian is her parabatai. He’s basically Emma’s opposite; he never does anything without thinking it through, preferably twice or three times, he’s very grounded and mature, and I absolutely loved him. I mean, I loved Jace and Will from the previous series, but it was nice to read about a love interest that was different, not sarcastic and, well, a Herondale. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Herondales, but it was nice to read about a different love interest.

   I really loved Julian, he’s so responsible and mature, and he reminds me a little of me, which made him even better to read about. And the way he took care of his siblings. *Swoon*. And I ship Julian and Emma so much! They're such a perfect couple! I shipped them in CoHF, and I was so heartbroken when they decided to become parabatai.

 

   I loved reading about Mark, and his journey. He really changed throughout the book, from being confused and scared, to being, well, a Shadowhunter. And, honestly, after spending five years with the Wild Hunt, I would be surprised if he was completely okay when he returned to the Institute.

   I loved the plot, too. I think I might’ve liked this more than The Mortal Instruments, although The Infernal Devices is still my favourite.

It was nothing like TMI or TID

To those people who complain about reading the same characters and conflicts, I can tell you that that argument doesn’t work. Emma is so very different from Clary and Tessa. Julian is nothing like the previous love interests. It was a new plot. The ending was surprising. I suspected so many characters, including the villain, briefly, but I was still surprised when I found out who it was.

   I’m so tired of people judging this book before it was even released. If you don’t want to read more books about the Shadowhunters, you don’t have to. Don’t read it. But some of the reviews are downright rude and mean, and that’s what really annoys me. It’s one thing to write that you’re tired of reading the same world, that you want something new, but the things people write is not okay. Just needed to get that said. Now back to the review.

   I loved everything about this book! I love the world Cassie has created, and if she can continue writing stories like this without it being too much like her other stories set in this world, then I’m happy. And I love the references to TMI, and I like that we get to find out what’s going on with the TMI and some TID characters. I have cried, fangirled, and cried some more.

   The ending completely broke my heart. I don’t know how to explain my feelings about the ending, except with this:

 

 

 

   I can’t wait to read Lord of Shadows and find out how it will go for Emma and Julian and everyone! Can’t 2017 get here already?