I’m only putting Lady Midnight‘s summary. To avoid as many spoilers as possible, the Dark Artifices.
“When you love someone, they become a part of who you are…They’re in everything you do…” -Julian, Lady Midnight
Lady Midnight Goodreads Synopsis
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?
Personal Review
This trilogy takes places after The Mortal Instruments (click here to read my review of the series).
The Dark Artifices trilogy was fast-paced. From book one, Lady Midnight, it went right into the plot. There were multiple mentions of Julian and Emma from the last few chapters of Heavenly Fire. I got the gist of what was going to go on from the moment they had announced that they wanted to parabatai. The concept of forbidden romance is something I love and Cassandra Clare went about it beautifully. There were intense moments between the two characters with fleeting glances and hesitating touches. Descriptions of intimacy made my heart yearn. It was the kind of love that every detail was so beautiful and had so much meaning each interaction.
I love the incorporation of a whole group of characters. Each person has their own storyline. Each character brings something unique to the journey and furthering the plot. Clare gives the readers a more omniscient view which allows for more excitement and a build up of tension. The jumps between locations throughout the entire trilogy kept me on my toes, not knowing where I was going to be taken to next. I was taken back to places that brought memories of previous trilogies within the Shadowhunter world. Even though this trilogy is its own, there were mentions that continued bringing in the previous ones.
“Love isn’t chasing someone to the airport…Love means you see someone. That’s all.” – Julian, Lady Midnight
Cassandra Clare focused on other characters and their own story line, including character development. Readers get a glimpse into how the main group is perceived from the outside. Although the perspectives are not necessarily from a an extreme opposite person––one of them being Magnus Bane. There are also major inclusivity scores in this series. Clare continues to broaden the scope of acceptance in her novels.
Start you adventure along side the Blackthorns and Carstairs in the Dark Artifices with Lady Midnight. If you purchase through that link, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.