Review: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

Book: Lord of Shadows, Cassandra Clare

Series: The Dark Artifices #2

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Release Date: May 23^rd, 2017

 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.

Let’s get this out of the way first.

*How the frick frack paddy whack am I supposed to wait two fricking years for the sequel?? I mean, c’mon, Cassie, really? I know that the next book coming out is interlinked with this series, but they’re not going to give me the answers I need! I have to wait until 2019?? How am I going to do that?*

Sigh. Anyway. Just as I knew it would, this book broke my emotions into a hundred different speared pieces all over my wall. I wanted to wait to read this book, as, if you hadn’t realised from the hundreds of reviews, there’s a huge, ugly cliffhanger. And because of that, I think I subconsciously read this more slowly than usual to savour it more.

But now that I’ve read it, I am so glad I did. Because despite the pain my heart is in, it was so incredibly good! Clare’s writing has come such a long way since City of Bones. You can tell she loves every one of her characters in this series, this book especially, as she takes time to develop each one and give them personalities and growth and it’s impossible not to fall in love with them.

Emma is becoming such a powerful Shadowhunter, never afraid to take on impossible battles in order to protect those she loves. She had amazing chemistry with Julian, and even though they aren’t my favourite couple in this world, I can’t deny how great they are together. It felt like the easiest thing in the world, even though it was the hardest. It really seems impossible for them to get a happy ending without someone getting hurt, and I don’t know how Clare is going to do it. Knowing her though, she’ll find a way!

Julian seems so much older than seventeen. It’s sad that he’s so young, yet he has so much weight on his shoulders. He is willing to do whatever – and I mean whatever – it takes to ensure his family is safe and it’s something so admirable about his character yet completely heart-breaking at the same time. He deserves, more than any other character, to get his happy ending.

My favourite character in this though definitely has to be Kit, the lost Herondale, and his slow burning love to the Shadowhunter life. He’s constantly questioning everyone and everything around him, and doesn’t see himself as a Shadowhunter, but as he develops throughout this book, you slowly seem him immerse into the life and you know he’s exactly where he belongs. And his relationship with Ty is phenomenal, especially seeing as Ty is autistic and will only let a select few in and only those select few truly understand him. I can’t wait to read more about them in the next book, as one of them is going to need a lot of love and support after certain events in this book.

I could write paragraphs detailing every single character in this. Just like TMI, there are just too many characters in this world to give the proper love to. Clare did an amazing job, and I felt close to every character and I want them all to get their happy ending. Is that too much to ask for?

I also loved that Clary, Jace, Magnus and Alec got supporting roles here and it’s always lovely to read them, especially now they’ve grown and matured. Now I need my Tessa and Jem and I’ll be happy!

Basically, if you’ve been reading the Shadowhunter world since they started like I have, you’re going to love this. Just prepare your heart to swell and then break by the time you finish.