A review by forevermorepages
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

5.0

Rating: ***** Suggested Age: 13

Summary: “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?” (Summary found on Goodreads).

Even a week or so after finishing Lady Midnight, I still cannot stop thinking about it. Words cannot express how brilliant Cassandra Clare is and how much I love her books. She is my second favorite author, next to J.K. Rowling, and Lady Midnight was a beautiful reminder of how much I love her and the Shadowhunter world. The characters are fantastic and well-developed. My list of favorites is extremely long, but Mark, Julian, and Emma are definitely at the top! I actually didn’t like Christina that much and Perfect Diego was awful. I also loved how artistic Julian is (like Clary!) and just his character in general. I felt everything he felt and hurt whenever he hurt (which was a lot, thanks Cassie…). I cared so much about Mark as well and reading about him pained me so much. Emma is funny, blunt, and a total breath of fresh air. She is assertive and strong, traits not usually found in protagonists of YA fiction. The plot is also quite brilliant and my travel back into Clare’s world was fabulous. The mystery is wonderful and throughout the whole book I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what was possibly going on. When I read in the back that all the chapter titles came from “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe, I thought that was one of the coolest things ever. I remember reading that poem a few years ago in school and now that it has a place in an amazing fiction book, I’m even more intrigued by it.

Like usual, my only complaint is the ending. CASSANDRA CLARE, WHY? WHY? WHY? What kind of person does that? Lord of Shadows (book two) comes out April of 2017. APRIL of 2017! APRIL! 2017! That’s more than a year from now. That’s more than a year that I have to wait to find out what happens next. For a few days after finishing Lady Midnight, I didn’t even know what to do with myself. However, my friend finished it shortly after me and we have been talking about it since, so I’m not completely alone with my feelings. I am very thankful for my bookish friends:)

So, thank you, Cassandra Clare, for making me happy, and then making me sad. The moment I got Lady Midnight was such a happy time and I literally hugged the book for a little while, just standing in Barnes and Noble, like any normal person would. Then when I finished it, I wanted to scream, but not because it was bad, not at all. Sometimes good books just make you very unhappy because they’re over. I do not like endings. (Who does?)

I have multiple favorite quotes from this book, so bear with my while I list them off:)

“No one is ever the villain of their own story.” -Christina to Emma, page 605. This quote reminded me that there are two sides to every story and that someone might make a mistake and not realize that they did. Maybe that person is under the impression that someone else made the mistake instead. The human specimen does not like to admit they are wrong.

“Heroes aren’t always the ones who win. They’re the ones who lose, sometimes. But they keep fighting, they keep coming back. They don’t give up. That’s what makes them heroes.” -Clary to Emma in a flashback, page 596. I just really liked this. It’s true and quite honest. I kind of hope an author (maybe me?) can write a book with the heroes of the story not winning…

“I read once that explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You find out how it works, but the frog dies in the process.” -Mark to Emma (I don’t have the page number for this one, oops…) This quote is just funny. The instant I read it, I had to mark it down. On top of being hilarious, it’s very true. An explained joke isn’t a good joke.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say with this review is that you need to read this book now. Like right now. But if you haven’t read The Mortal Instruments, you should read those first or you will be faced with spoilers. Basically, just read all of Cassandra Clare’s books. That’s a good idea.

-Book Hugger

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