*This review contains slight spoilers.
(The Dark Artifices #2)
by Cassandra Clare
May 23, 2017
701 pages
Goodreads Summary:
Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?
A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.
Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?
Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.
When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.
Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?
A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.
Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?
Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.
When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.
Review
Lord of Shadows was quite the giant sequel and cliffhanger. What an emotional roller coaster ride. The two constant companion I had while reading were my excitement and my nerves. In fact, they're always cranked high when it comes to the Shadowhunter world.
Lord of Shadows was full of feels (again, a common occurrence with the Shadowhunter books). The secrets, betrayals, truths and surprises all left me reeling. The last few pages especially were just one sucker punch to the gut after another. Cassandra Clare is not afraid to stab us in the heart.
The romances in Lord of Shadows were most heart-wrenching. Emma and Julian continue to struggle with hiding their feelings for each other. We learn a little more about the parabatai curse. Yet just when we get a tiny hope it's dashed...with the Inquisitor's death! I am also very invested in the love triangle between Cristina, Mark and Kieran. The three of them give the most intense feels! I'm nervous but it's Cassandra Clare so of course she'll give us a satisfying answer.
The Riders of Mannan were the most memorable part of Lord of Shadows. My heart was pumping so hard when they showed up at the Institute. These crazy faeries are ancient but powerful so I was really scared for our Shadowhunters. But I needn't have been afraid because they fought valiantly to protect each other. The Blackthorns/Emma/Cristina is a true family.
I'm not sure I'll ever be ready for the end of this story but I am eager to be reunited with the characters! As with my other Shadowhunter book reviews/ramblings, I leave you with (more than) a few of my favourite quotes from Lord of Shadows.
"We get used to living one way, even if it's a bad way or a hard one. When that's gone, there's a hole to fill. It's in our nature to try to fill it with anxieties and fears." (p. 58).
"There is truth in stories... Fiction is truth, even if it is not fact. If you believe only in facts and forget stories, your brain will live, but your heart will die." (p. 117).
"To consider possibilities was to open yourself up to pain." (p. 127).
"But you couldn't speak to fear, couldn't tell it the truth: Fear lived in your bones." (p. 141).
"We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don't wish you didn't fear anything. All that would mean is that you didn't feel anything." (p. 142).
"You think angels are gentle... They are anything but. They bring justice in blood and heavenly fire. They take vengeance with fists and iron. Their glory is such it would burn out your eyes if you looked at them. It is cold and brutal glory." (p. 235).
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