J O Y O U S R E A D S

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Dark Artifices, #1
Margaret K. McElderry Books | March 8th, 2016
Young Adult | Fantasy | Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

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?

We first met Julian and Emma as kids in the last book of The Mortal Instruments. Barely escaping death, the kids were shell-shocked by what they witnessed as they fled the Los Angeles Institute. What’s more, a couple of their siblings were taken: one by the hunt, and the other – exiled. These kids grew up pretty fast.  Since the Blackthorns were killed during the Dark Days, Julian has had to play the role of the father figure to the rest of his siblings. On top of that, they had to hide the fact that their uncle barely has the capacity to look after himself, let alone run an institute. So Julian and Emma  hid this fact to the Clave to ensure that the rest of the Blackthorns will never be separated. But now something bigger is at stake

When the bodies of murdered humans and faeries alike turned up in a way Emma’s dead parents were found, Emma and Julian found themselves consorting with the fairies to solve the murders. Part of the agreement was to hide the uneasy alliance from the Clave; because to align themselves with the fairy folk is a direct violation of the Accord. The kids may not have a choice, though. In fact, this may be their only chance to get their brother back. As they piece together the mystery of the murders, they unearth a tragic love story that could very well end in more tragedy.

My Thoughts

Cassandra Clare’s novels always leave me floundering for words. For someone who is infinitely against fantasy, she sure has a way of making me forget this fact. But then again, one could argue that this is not fantasy per se.

The story of Lady Midnight is a tragic one. Even more tragic? The developing love story between Emma and Julian. If there is one thing that I know with all certainty that will drive me up the wall about this new series is how CClare is going to tackle this slowly surging train wreck. I’m equally excited and terrified of it, to be honest. I remember when I first read City of Ashes many years ago and throwing it on the floor soon after finishing. I thought she was cruel when she took Jace and Clary’s relationship right in that shocking direction. But we all know how that turned out, so that gives me a little comfort. One thing’s for sure, the road to HEA will be paved with hapless agony.

Now, the haters out there are convinced that this is yet another attempt of Clare to beat a money-making cash cow. Those people are what I would call, WRONG. This was not an attempt to regurgitate a tired story line. We’re introduced to new adventures, new legends, and characters that will incite feelings of fealty and hatred on some. Hate it or love it, I know many of us will be on tenterhooks for the books to come. This exciting new series is the perfect panacea to those who are missing the TMI characters something fierce. We get glimpses of the characters we’ve adored over the years. And as a bonus Magnus and Alec’s adopted a blue baby. Like, literally blue. Love. Love.