Title: Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
Pages: 514 (Ebook)
Series: The Dark Artifices #1
Summary: Follow Emma Carstairs as she tries to find the person responsible for her parents' death.
Rating: 5/5!!!
"There is nothing more important than love. And no law higher."
"The choices we make, make us."
I've been waiting for this book ever since I found out that there was going to be another Shadowhunter series. I read this a few weeks ago (I just didn't have time to write a review because of my hectic schedule). Initially, I just read the book when I had a spare time but when I got to a certain point, I couldn't put it down. I couldn't concentrate on my acads so I decided to finish the book and it was worth it. Even though I had to cram a paper the following day, it was really worth it. Not that I'm telling anyone to prioritize reading this rather than doing your academic stuff. Just don't read it first if you have other things to do. Plus, if you haven't read all the other books from the Shadowhunter World especially The Mortal Instruments and the Shadowhunter Academy, I don't recommend you to read this. The feels won't be the same.
I was really happy with this book. It didn't top my love for the Infernal Devices but it came close. I liked this better than the first book of the Mortal Instruments - City of Bones which kind of bored me when I reread it. This is the first book that was released in 2016 that I read and it will probably end up being my favorite read of this year.
Writing, World, Story: I really really love Cassandra Clare's writing. She's a fabulous author and I love that she decided to expand the world of Shadowhunters more. Compared to the other books in the series, I think the writing in this one is much better. The pacing of the story was not boring and the lines and conversations in the book was fun to read. I really loved how the events in this book turned out. There wasn't a time that I predicted something. Everything shocked me. All throughout this book, I felt different emotions. There was a time that I wanted to stop reading because I couldn't handle the event that was revealed. I wanted to throw my phone away (I was reading in my phone). I read the book even when I was walking (I just relied on my friend - that she wouldn't let me get tripped). She was looking at me like I was crazy at one point because I kept shouting at my phone. The characters in this book are really wonderful and their interactions and relationship was amazing.
PS: The first editions of the book has a short story at the end titled, "A Long Conversation" which includes a story about the characters from the Mortal Instruments. I only found out about this because we bought a copy of the book for my best friend and her copy has this. You can also visit this
link for a copy online.
BEWARE: The following will kind of include spoilers.
CHARACTERS:
- Emma Carstairs: I really really loved Emma! My love for her and Tessa are on the same. I love the fact that she's like a less grumpy, more witty and fun and badass female version of Jace. Her lines in the book was really fun to read. Though I really didn't like that she used Mark for her plan to break Julian's heart. Why can't it be Cameron? I'm curious as to what will happen with Cameron. Why was he even introduced if he's just going to be in one or two scenes.
"Why date when you can learn an extra demonic language? I mean, who wouldn't want to know how to say 'Come here often?' in Purgatic?
- Julian Blackthorn: I find Julian quite adorable. He's fierceness and his love for his family is a really admirable trait. He would do anything to not be separated from them. His love for Emma gave me a lot of feels. It just sucks that he still pushed to be her parabatai even though he knew that he's in love with her. It's kind of scary though that Julian can do things like blame Anselm and lie to others about everything.
"Too much coffee, not enough pancakes."
"I hope they put that on my tombstone."
- Cristina Rosales: I love her. I love how she took care of Mark when he first arrived. I love how she is with the Blackthorns and her friendship with Emma. She supported her a lot and it was really sad that they weren't the parabatais.
Why are you trying to burn a hole through Brother Enoch with your eyeballs?
- Mark Blackthorn: It was heartbreaking to see Mark at first. He couldn't even recognize the he was really back with his family and didn't trust anything. It was great when he came around. It was fun watching him act like he wasn't human because of all his time in Fae land. Although it was heartbreaking when he thinks that nobody needs him and he'd rather go back to Fae.
"I do not have syphilis," Mark said angrily. "There are no sexually transmitted diseases in Faerieland!
- Arthur Blackthorn: I really didn't like Arthur but I couldn't blame him for not taking care of the children properly. He has problems of his own but I really didn't like him shouting at Ty for wearing earphones during the test. The only time that Arthur redeemed himself for me was during the confrontation with Robert Lightwood. I was like - "BOOM SHOTS FIRED"
"Then let me ask Arthur this, Clary," said Robert. "What punishment would he choose for Nephilim, even young Nephilim, who break the Law?"
"Well, that would depend," Arthur said, "on whether they were punished already, five years ago, by losing their father and brother and sister."
Robert flushed darkly. "It was the Dark War that took their family-"
"It was the Clave that took Mark and Helen," said Magnus. "We expect betrayal from our enemies. Not from those who are supposed to care for us."
"We would have protected Mark," said Robert Lightwood. "There was no need to fear the Clave."
Arthur was pale, his eyes dilated. Yet Emma had never heard him speak so eloquently, or with such clarity. It was bizarre. "Would you have?" he demanded. "In that case, why is Helen still at Wrangel Island?"
- Malcolm Fade: I never imagined that Malcolm would be the main villain. He was such an aloof character in City of Heavenly Fire and he was adorable because of his weirdness. I was really devastated to find out that he's the Guardian (at that point in the book I wanted to throw my phone away and I kept shouting no no no no no no not Malcolm but really there wasn't anyone else). He was kind of a villain you couldn't help but love because even though what he did was evil, the reason behind it was love and even though he just pretended to be the Blackthorn's family friend, he still helped them a lot. It just really sucks that the older Blackthorn's were such terrible people. Murdering their own just because she fell for a warlock.
"I came here to bring true love back from the dead."
- Kit Herondale: I was really curious as to why Kit was introduced in the book. He didn't seem important and special - except the fact that he has the sight which was what the Shadowhunters were looking for nowadays. I was really shocked to find out that he was the long lost Herondale!! I fangirled a lot because hey, it's another Herondale!! I'm curious as to what would happen with Kit in the future now that he's living in the Los Angeles Institute.
"Come now," she said. "On your feet, Christopher Herondale. We've been looking for you for a long time."
- Diego Rosales: I really don't like him. He shot Julian and he broke Cristina's heart. Even though he didn't say anything bad about her, he still didn't defend her to his brother. I think Cristina could find someone else better. I love that Emma never let his nickname as 'Perfect Diego' go.
- Kieran: Finding out about Kieran's history broke my heart. He didn't learn how to properly love another person that's why he's so possessive of Mark. He just doesn't want to be alone in the world.
"And I love you," Kieran said. "You are all that exists on the earth and under the sky that I do love."
- Iarlath: I was surprised to find out that he's part of the Unseelie Court because he seemed weak when Emma confronted him at the first part of the book. I'm kind of disappointed that he wasn't confronted during this book, about the fact that he helped Malcolm but well, there's still 2 (?) other books. I really hated him during the whipping part.
"Turn out your pockets or I'll rip off one of your horns and shove it where the sun doesn't shine."
The fey looked puzzled. "Where does the sun not shine? Is this a riddle?"
RELATIONSHIPS - Friendship, Family, Romantic:
- Emma and Julian: I love the bond between these two. I find them perfect for each other and at the same time I want to kick them for being parabatais. I love how they were with each other but the writing on each other fact was really weird. I was really shocked when I read that they had sex because it's the first time that Cassandra Clare didn't put that sex scene at the end of the series but I guess it makes sense because they knew each other since they were young. It just sucks that they can't be together properly. I want to skip to the part where they break the parabatai bond (which probably would happen because how it will becoming a happy ending if it doesn't). It's really surprising that they weren't caught by the other Blackthorns.
"I keep you around because I need an audience for my witty remarks," she said as they reached the gates and Jules took out his stele to draw an Open rune.
The gate popped open. Julian turned sideways to slide through the opening. "What witty remarks?"
"Why did you pull the arrow out?" She demanded, pulling her sweater over her head. She had a tank tap on under it. She patted his chest and side with the sweater, absorbing as much of the blood as she could.
Jules's breath was coming in harsh pants. "Because when someone-shoots you with an arrow-" he gasped, "your immediate response is not-'Thanks for the arrow, I think I'll keep it for a while.'"
"Good to know your sense of humor is intact."
- Emma and Cristina: I really really like that a girl bestfriend bond was introduced in this book. I was really fond of Emma and Cristina together. Not as lovers, but as friends. It's kind of George and Simon's relationship in Shadowhunter Academy and it sucks that they met after she became parabatai with Julian. It would really have been better if they were parabatais.
"Bad time to be a llama."
"Is it ever a good time, really?"
"I have thought now for a while that I would never want a parabatai," she said. "But I would feel differently, I think, if that parabatai could have been you."
- Emma and Mark: I liked seeing them together (not that kind of together) but their bond. Although it was rather creepy when Emma asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend and what Mark replied. I hope that it won't create conflict with Mark's bond with Julian. I loved seeing their travel using the pony-bike.
"Mark. Mark!" She waved the wallet over her head. "This is a clue. An actual clue. I think I love you."Mark's eyebrows went up. "In Faerie, if you said that, we would have to ledge our troth, and you might put a geas upon me that I would not stray from you or I would die.Emma shoved the wallet in her pocket. "Well, here it's just an expression that means 'I like you very much' or even 'Thanks for the bloodstained wallet.'"
- Mark and Cristina: I really really shipped them together. Especially during the haircut scene. The tension they had was really intense and I wanted to kick something whenever they were interrupted. I want them to be together in the future.
"Beautiful," he said finally."Do you mean your haircut?" she asked, trying for a teasing voice.
"You see, I do not want a body without a heart," she said.
She had wondered, when he'd looked in her eyes and said that he'd had to make do without mirrors in the Wild Hunt, whose eyes he'd been looking into for all those years.
Now she knew.
- Mark and Kieran: I was really shocked to find out that they've been in a relationship. I was shipping Mark and Cristina when it was revealed that they were kind of together. I'll admit I really liked that Mark had someone with him during the years he was in fae land. It made his separation with his family less painful. Although it was terrible that Kieran tattled about what Mark said, you can understand why. He just doesn't want to be separated from Mark but in the end, he was wrong. Emma and Jules got hurt because of him.
"You can say it only to me," said Kieran, his long fingers ghosting across Mark's cheek. "Here in this space between us. It is safe."
- Cristina and Diego: I really don't like them together. I just want Diego to go away and for Cristina to be with Mark or anyone else just not Diego.
- Ty and Kit: I want them to develop something. A friendship or a relationship.
- Livvy and Ty: I really really love the bond between the twins. They're adorable together especially when they were researching about the murders. It was funny to see that they had a computer in the institute and that she and Ty were studying programming languages. I love how they were so protective with each other and it's kind of sad that Ty doesn't want to have a parabatai but he still proved that they don't need to be parabatais to protect each other.
"If you hurt Tiberius, I'll kill you. I don't care if you're Mark, I'll kill you."
- The Blackthorn Family: I love how close they are and how comfortable they are with each other. The relationship between the siblings was a really close one and it's sad that Julian, their older brother, had to be the parental figure because Arthur wasn't really that useful with his current state of mind. Julian had to abandon his role as their brother and became their mother and father. I love seeing how protective Julian is with his siblings.
- Malcolm-Annabel: It was really terrible to find out about their history. Lucky for Alec and Magnus that they weren't together during that time. The punishment for Annabel was really terrible because she just loved. It shouldn't be a reason for her die. It was also terrible that Malcolm 'died' believing that his friends knew all along that the Blackthorns killed his love and not sent her to become an Iron Sister.
"I WILL RAISE YOU, ANNABEL LEE."
"No one is innocent!" Malcolm shouted. "She was a Blackthorn! Annabel Blackthorn! She loved me, and they took her-they took her and walled her up and she died there in the tomb. They did that to me and I do not forgive! I will never forgive!
FUTURE PREDICTIONS/IDEAS/THOUGHTS:
- I LITERALLY LAUGHED OUT LOUD after I read that Clary made a birth control rune XD
- The reference to the Mortal Instruments band made me 'awww'.
- I really don't like the Cold War. I think it would bring harsh repercussions because the fae realm is such a big realm and treating them like that will not bring good things. Especially since the unseelie queen hasn't made a proper appearance since Sebastian was defeated.
- I think Anselm would play other roles in the story and would probably become a minor villain because of what Julian did. He's still the head of the vampires of Los Angeles and it was a terrible thing to do to him even though he's a downworlder.
- I'm really curious as to what happened with Diana during the Dark War.
- I'm excited to see what Annabel would do even though it's kind of terrifying to think about because she'll probably try to get her revenge for what her family did to her.
- I think Malcolm's dead but then again, he's a warlock and nobody's seen his corpse yet so we can't be sure.
- I want to know the history of who became the first parabatais to fall in love with each other!
- I really want Jem and Tessa to have their own set of children. Baby Carstairs :3
- Why was Rook targeted by the Mantis demons even though Malcolm was supposedly dead?
- Why isn't Alec and Magnus married yet even though the law has been lifted?
SOME OF MY FAVORITE LINES:
He fished what looked like a scrap of red cloth out of his pocket. Kit stared. What could possibly be interesting about a square of cotton?Emma straightened up. She looked eager now. "Did you find out anything?""If you dropped it in a washing machine with a load of whites, it would definitely turn your sock pink."
Marjorie, Julian had explained, was nearly a hundred years old and might die at any moment; they had to visit her. It was a moral requirement.
The next room was Ty's. "Tiberius Nero Blackthorn," said Emma. "I think his parents may have gone a little overboard with the name. It's like naming someone Magnificent Bastard.
"First, gross," Malcolm said. "Please don't show me pictures of dead bodies without a warning."
"Threatening the High Warlock," Julian muttered as Diana disappeared down the hall. "Better and better. Maybe we should head down to vampire clan headquarters and punch Anselm Nightshade in the face?"
"This is my domain. You've got your own hopeless humans in New York.""One of those hopeless humans is the father of my child," Magnus pointed out.Magnus had not ever been pregnant, though that would have been interesting, Emma thought.
"He bumped into a pay phone and said, 'Excuse me, miss,' on our way in," said Julian."It's polite to apologize," said Mark with the same small smile."Not to inanimate objects."
"Oh, NO," Emma said. "Not danger, Mr. I-Just-Almost-Bled-Out-in-My-Car."Julian sighed and reached for his soda. "I can't believe I ever complained about 'Jules' as a nickname.
"Captain America is definitely the most handsome Avenger," said Cristina. "But I like the Hulk. I would like to heal his broken heart.""We're Nephilim," said Julian. "We're not even supposed to know about the Avengers. Besides," he added, "Iron Man is obviously the best-looking."
"We want what we cannot have," Mark said. "But we love what shows us kindness."
"This cat is looking at me with judgement.""He's not," said Jules. "That's just his face.""You look at me the same way," Mark said, glancing at Julian. "Judgy face."
"And why is Tavvy in a bag of sugar?"Mark shrugged. "He wanted to be in a bag of sugar."
"I bet you didn't like Magnus much, either," said Julian, still with the same odd, stiff look on his face."Maybe not," said Jace, "but I never would have said so.""Because it would have hurt Alec's feelings?" Emma asked."No," said Jace, "because Magnus would have turned me into a hat rack," and he wandered back toward Clary, who was laughing with Alec, bot of them looking happy.
But Julian is not just someone who can touch your heart. He can touch your soul. And there is a difference between having your heart break and having your soul shatter.
"I don't want to die on the Pacific Coast Highway!" Sterling wailed."Oh, I'm sorry." Emma's voice dripped acid. "Is there a different highway you'd like to die on? BECAUSE WE CAN ARRANGE THAT."
Belinda gave a harsh laugh. "There are three hundred of us-there are barely any of you-and you're children-""Not all of us are children," said another voice, and Malcolm Fade stepped out onto the stairs beside Julian.
"I'm Malcolm Fade," he said. "High Warlock of Los Angeles. You do know what warlocks are, don't you?"
"One of us," said Malcolm, "is worth five hundred of you. I can burn you to the ground in six seconds flat and use the ashes to stuff a teddy bear for my girlfriend. Not that I have a girlfriend at the moment," he added, "but one lives in hope."
"Do you love me?" Her voice was a whisper.He wound a piece of her hair around his finger, a silver-gold ring. "What's the difference?" he asked. "It won't change anything if I do."
"You make it sound like you're a serial killer with a freezer full of arms," Emma muttered as he shouldered open the door."The Clave would probably be happier about that."
"Whoa." Emma help up her hand, "Mr. Hot and Sexy?""Perfect Diego," Mark grumbled."Okay, look, I know you haven't been back from Faerie all that long, but here in the human world, Mr. Hot and Sexy is not an effective insult."
"Everyone is more than one thing," said Kieran. "We are more than single actions we undertake, whether they be good or evil."
"Have you," Emma said in a near whisper, "have you always hated them? Julian and the rest?""Always," he said. "Even when it seemed like I loved them."
"Arthur's right," he said. "Dark magic." A cry echoed from inside the Sanctuary. "Betrayal!" Anselm shouted. "Et tu, Brute?"
She was standing on the front steps with Jem, who was cradling Church in his arms. The cat had come running up a few moments after Jem had arrived, and practically launched his small furry body into Jem's arms. Jem was petting him now, rubbing absentmindedly under his chin and around his ears. The cat had gone limp under his ministrations, like a washcloth.
"Oh, if we could end love just by willing it, life would be very different."
A LONG CONVERSATION: I really really like this short story. It's kind of the summary about what happened to the characters of the Mortal Instruments in the last five years.
- I was surprised to see that Beatriz Mendoza became the new tutor at the New York Institute and that Jace and Clary are the current head.
- It was really adorable to read the event surrounding this book which was Simon and Izzy's engagement (it broke my heart to find out that Izzy insisted on an immediate engagement party because it's Max's birthday).
- It's fun to read how Clary managed the werewolves and the vampires and how Lily and Maia relied on her.
- It's fun to read how protective Alec is about his adoptive children. The introduction of their other son, Rafael Santiago Lightwood broke my heart! I really loved that they named him after Raphael because Raphael was one of my favorite characters from the Mortal Instruments and he sacrificed his life for Magnus.
"Alec," Clary said firmly. "They won't take Rafe away from you. We won't let them."
"I won't let them," said Alec. "I'd kill them all first. But that would be awkward and ruin the party."
Clary had a brief but vivid mental image of Alec shooting at the party guests with his bow and arrow while Magnus took them out with magical fire.
"I ordered roses," Clary said. "I swear I did. I don't know what happened. I'll go down to the florist and kill them tomorrow. Or maybe Alec might do it. He seems murderous tonight."
- I'm really curious as to why Clary's dreading Jace's proposal. I'm kind of thinking it's like Lily's issue in HIMYM (how she still wanted to explore the world rather than settling on becoming Jace's wife, she still wants to find herself) or she's pregnant. I don't know why but I think she's pregnant.
"So will you?" he said.
"Will I what?"
"Marry me," he said. "Marry me, Clary."
- MAGNUS' INTERRUPTION AND HIS REPLY OMG. HAHAHA. I love seeing a reference to the Infernal Devices.
"I would say 'Don't you knock?' but it seems evident you don't," he said. "We are, however, busy."
Magnus waved a dismissive hand. "I've walked in on your ancestors doing worse," he said. "Besides, it's an emergency."
