"If you believe only in facts and forget stories, your brain will live, but your heart will die"
Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?
And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.
And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.
Lord of Shadows is the fantastic second installment of Cassandra Clare's bestselling series The Dark Artifices, an addition to her fictional world of Shadowhunters. As a huge fan of her books, I was so excited to start reading this and I wasn't disappointed! At nearly 700 pages long, I'd be lying if I said I flew through this novel but I was gripped the whole way through by the vivid mythical universe Clare has created and the intricate plot she weaves in each of her novels.
What is so appealing about Cassandra Clare's books is that all of the characters within the Shadowhunters universe are intertwined somehow, so Lord of Shadows sees the return of old favourites Jace, Clary, Magnus and Alec and of course a few more, but revealing the rest would be a spoiler ;) Lord of Shadows is the perfect blend of fantasy, romance and action packed scenes. With the main characters being teenagers, she also manages to somehow make fighting against demons seem relatable. The Blackthorn's children distrust and disrespect for authority is also certainly not exclusive to the world of Shadowhunters.
As always, Cassandra Clare does a fantastic job of bringing marginalised communities to the forefront of young adult literature, whether it be creating role models in Hispanic characters or giving the LGBT community representation. She educates young people who may otherwise lack knowledge on these topics or gives them someone to relate to who feels the same things.
Those who were gripped by Julian and Emma's complicated and often dangerous relationship in Lady Midnight will not be disappointed and fans of Cristina will be excited to see her play a bigger role in this novel and see a figure from her past make a reappearance... Also, new character Kit takes centre stage and provides humour and comedic relief when the plot darkens.
I cannot recommend this book enough! Whether you're an obsessed Shadowhunters fan or you're curious about dipping your toe into the YA fantasy world, The Dark Artifices series is a fantastic place to start!
9/10
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