Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2)

3.5 ⭐️ I was bored for at least 50% of the book but the characters are SO good and I’m so attached to them that even if the book was completely horrible I’d still be happy to read it. “Break my heart,” he said. “Break it in pieces. I give you permission.” ————————— Things I loved: Mark x Cristina x Kieran The development between Ty and Kit Julian being a little more free from his obligations Diana x Gwyn (I loved finding out her secret) The presence of Magnus and Alec in most of the book Them in London (reminded me so much of TID 😭) Arthur's sacrifice. Yes I was sad but it was the least he could’ve done for them. Things I didn’t loved: Zara The ending. AGAIN. Zara Emma and Julian’s relationship (they were so much better in the 1st book) Zara VERY long chapters (chapter 29 was 48min long, that’s criminal) Zara

I don’t want to talk about it

WE'RE A GOOD FAMILY YOU WOULD LIKE US IF YOU KNEW US— [clutching throat gif]

I need therapy 🫠 I was sobbing so hard during those last few pages like an idiot because I had no idea what to do except let it all sink in 😭 that ending will definitely be stuck in my head forever like a broken cd player repeating over over to one part only. Beautiful storytelling as always, but I wouldn’t call this a masterpiece because I don’t find it as good as the first one. It didn’t feel very dragging as I am used to this type of writing, but there were many filler scenes making it a bit messy due to the multiple POVs so I felt bored at some parts, but then I wouldn’t have it any other way. The Blackthorns are such a wonderful family, I see the beginning of kierarktina finally falling into place, the blackstairs angst was perfect, and there were certainly comedic parts (like that photo of Mark’s foot), but I felt incredibly frustrated at the events in this book due to the prejudice and injustice of the Clave, and I would love to do the honor of murdering those power-hungry bigots and their fascist organization (shoutout to Zara for being the biggest bitch in the world) 🤍 anyways, I am a living person walking around with a dead heart thanks to this book and I hope I’ll get paid for the damages brought upon me because I wasn’t strong enough for that 👽

** spoiler alert ** everything hurts. heart broken. let that family be happy for once ffs. i loved the tid references sm🥺

every time i reread this i always think it all ends differently but the same thing just happens every time and i just end up sobbing

Lord of Shadows: 4/5 "Break my heart," he said. "Break it in pieces. I give you permission." I need to go to sleep for a very long time. Honestly, I am numb. How did Cassandra Clare manage to make me fall more in love with this world and characters while still making it anew. Lord of Shadows picks up right where Lady Midnight ended. We know the Cold Peace is a source of tension, and this is flushed out with the exploration of the faerie realm. Furthermore, the tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters are more strained and the quest to retrieve The Black Book of the Dead. So much happens in this book, and I genuinely think it is the best Cassandra Clare has shown that I have read thus far. Not only is the plot complex and riveting, but there is humor, romance, and heartbreak as well. Each entranced character's story entranced me as they weave around and intertwine with each other. Her use of different perspectives is masterful. "You all have to sleep with Magnus Bane? How exciting for you." The characters in Lord of Shadows are like nothing we have seen before. Of course, we know Cassie Clare loves to introduce a plethora of characters, but this feels different. There are so many new faces that are extremely well written and flushed out. I came to understand and know every one of them on a profound level. None of them were half thought out that we have seen in previous books, but every single one has a purpose. This is a whole new level of character development. I could walk down the street and run into Kit; it feels so real. The worldbuilding is also taken to new heights. We get to explore more of this world than ever before, which keeps me coming back to these novels. Cassie Clare continues to outdo herself with the newness of the world. I also appreciated that, along with the new, we get the old as well. Many places from The Infernal Devices were revisited, along with cameos of old characters. I really appreciated this, and it makes it all the more believable. Some of this book, I will say, is slow. Towards the middle, I found my attention slipping, and this took me quite a bit of time to finish, but it was 100% worth it. I am extremely grateful that I already own Queen of Air and Darkness because the ending is... unfair, to say the least. I am so excited for what's to come.

** spoiler alert ** blackstairs is going to be the death of me. that's it.

3.75 stars I have one thing to say, and one thing only (view spoiler)[ You do not kill off one twin. How is the other going to continue? (hide spoiler)] That is all

I loved seeing the different perspectives of the characters in this book. I wanted more faerie storylines in this book and that’s exactly what I got. The cameos from characters from previous series fit well into the current storyline. No spoilers, but I will always favor a three way relationship dynamic over a love triangle, and I think this book highlighted that for me. There were a few moments that slowed the story for me, but otherwise I loved every direction the story took, especially that ending.

3.75 ⭐️ The last 10 pages man

EXCUSE ME WHAT WAS THIS CLIFFHANGER😳🥲 *starts queen of air and darkness immediately*

This was like a 4.75. These books just aren’t quite 5 stars for me for some reason. The plot is really good, I think I just don’t really feel entirely connected to the characters.

this review was originally posted on twirling pages Lord of Shadows left me feeling deceased. Lord of Shadows was one of my most-anticipated releases of 2017 and i was worried. aside from the obvious fact of PAIN and WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY FAVES, i was afraid this installment would disappoint me. the more i read and review novels, the more critical and cynical i get. i rarely enjoy books for the sake of it unless there are low expectations. but with Lord of Shadows, i couldn’t help but have high expectations. thankfully, cassandra clare left me feeling happily horrible. it had all the emotional pain and frustration i expected – and more! buuuut there were a few things i was feeling :// about. this bible-sized novel was slower than anticipated. i remember flying through Lady Midnight despite its size; i can't say the same for LoS. i'm not saying i couldn't bring myself to finish, but there were parts when i thought CAN WE MOVE ON. there were also parts when i anticipated things before it happened. i'm not sure if clare intentionally made things somewhat predictable orrrr if i'm getting better at guessing things. either way, i was kinda sad/frustrated about that. “Everyone is afraid of something. 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.” aside from these two tiny things, LORD OF SHADOWS WAS AMAZING. it left me feeling wrecked and emotionally unstable. i know some may hesitate on picking this up due to its size, but it's worth every page. i'd highly highly recommend to anyone who likes reading. as someone who wasn't a fan of cassandra clare from the start, i must admit: her work continues to improve and grow beyond my expectations. GO READ IT. SPOILER-FILLED DISCUSSION BEGINNING. don't say i didn't warn you... *side eye* if you haven't read this book, please please stop here. you DON'T want to be spoiled. characters & relationships let's talk about these characters and such first, shall we? ten pages into the book and MARK AND EMMA ARE A THING. i'm feeling every kind of betrayal. i'm screaming my head off. however, it becomes quickly clear that those two are not going to work out (romantically) and the world is right again. (yes, i'm gonna be THAT petty about them.) we all knew they weren't going to get anything more than a platonic relationship. meanwhile, my poor jules is SUFFERING i'm mostly just glad jules and emma are back together-ish?? the truth is out and that's all that matters. sorta. moving onto the new unholy trinity: ty, livvy, and kit. these three!! are so gold!!! kit starts off as someone who is NOT having it and tries to deny everything about being a shadowhunter. ty and livvy eventually grow on him and he becomes part of their crew™. THEY ARE MY FAVES. FAVES. FAVES. i kinda ship ty and kit very much and i find it hilarious that livvy kissed kit. the love between these three are so wonderful. until livvy.... I HAVE WORDS ON THIS LATER the mark/cristina/kieran triangle thing is strange. (diego is not part of this because it DOES NOT EVEN COUNT.) this triangle can go three ways but i'm ultimately rooting for mark and cristina as a romantic relationship. i'm surprised by how much i love cristina and kieran as friends. I JUST LOVE CRISTINA. now for the other relationships: gwyn and diana? LOVE THEM. they are hilarious and adorable. gwyn was so unexpected and I LOVE HIM. also i LOVE how we found out more on diana’s past and who she really is! i was sososososo surprised the thing leading up to her secret was that she’s transgender. (more on this later) dru and jamie have this thing going on and i don't know how to feel about it. :/ in general, the blackthorns are my favorite family and everyone is wonderful. i love the way their family mends together. plot????! can we have an in-depth rant about zara and her bigotry gang? they need to GET OUT. as if we don't get enough of this in real life (at least in america right now), it's going on in the shadowhunter world too. WHICH MAKES IT ALL THE MORE RELEVANT. it all started when her annoying ass barged into the LA Institute with her stupid pin, asking the blackthorns to do her laundry. she started off as someone who was simply ANNOYING but eventually became a larger threat. i feel like that's such a strong metaphor for trump's america. it made me realize how politics in the shadowhunter world are very similar to the united states right now. i see downworlders/shadowhunters/faeries/etc as a metaphor for race. the dearborns and the rest of the gang are basically petitioning for extermination and containment of downworlders (aka POC in the real world). i don’t know about you but doesn’t that sound a little familiar???????? people of the lgbtq+ community aren’t entirely accepted in the shadowhunter world, even though there are many who do support them. unfortunately, i think the same could be said for the world right now. it’s weird how i saw these things more clearly after reading LoS – a story set in a fictional world. even though it’s not “real” and the issues are more exaggerated, i think it’s more prominent because I FEEL SO MUCH FOR THESE CHARACTERS. it’s a personal attack on them, which makes it a personal attack on me. it feels real to me – even more so than the “real world.” (i think that shows how UTTERLY BIZARRE american politics are right not because it feels like a poorly written fictional story than Real Things!) anyway, enough of that. i'm just going to get more upset if i think about it. MOVING ON. i was super wary during their trip to the unseelie and seelie courts because FAERIES AND THEIR TRICKERY. it was a hot mess, but i expected worse so *whew.* the part that had me screaming in frustration was when emma was unable to kill the faerie because he looked like her dad. :((( the one good thing that came out of that trip was julian finding out how to break the parabatai bond. SO. the parabatai bond. it can be broken but it’ll also break all parabatai bonds. this was another ASDJGYFHKLJH,K;WHAT moment. (and also robert is dead so someone HELP) i didn’t realize the strength of cortana and how important it was when emma killed one of the riders of mannanan. it happened and i was like, “oh, okay, moving on.” BUT THEN, turns out it’s a big deal and now the riders are probably going after emma in the future. i’m curious (and scared but also not because it’s EMMA) to see how that’ll come to play in the next book. annabel blackthorn is a nutcase and should be dead. AGAIN. even though malcom died, i had a theory he’d be back – and he did come back, only to die on by the hand of his lover. (go annabel!) after julian talked to her, i was a little more trusting. maybe she wasn’t that insane. BUT THEN. she goes ham and kills robert lightwood and livvy blackthorn. in her defense, she might’ve been triggered by the mortal sword and gone to a bad place. BUT STILL. i’ll never forgive her or trust her again. ENDING???!?!!! that being said, LIVVY. yeah, robert’s death was sad but more importantly… LIVVY. i kid you not, i read the sentence – “... she was truly beautiful, a Shadowhunter in full flowering glory, just before she landed lightly on the wooden floor dias’s edge and drove her jagged, broken half blade into Livvy’s heart.” – and shut the book. i let out the longest gasp and could not believe it because this is not happening this is not happening thisisnothappening. the stages of grief are true. it started with pure and utter shock, turned to despair (crying for a good 30 min), and now i’m at denial. even though the last sentence confirms it because the clock chimed and livvy was just talking about that clock. BUT. but. robert lightwood also died and i’m hoping it was chiming for robert. (the cliffhanger of LM was a misunderstanding so this could be too???) (nope, cassandra clare is just cruel sometimes) what are your thoughts on Lord of Shadows? release your FEELZ in the comments~

** spoiler alert ** I was on the bus when i finished this. When Livvy died, i started crying and looked up in shock and distress. I realized that no one else was going through the emotional rollercoaster that i was by the hands of Cassandra Clare. I hugged the book close and silently cried. Then i went to try and finish the book only to find out that, that chapter was the last one. I died because of the unfairness. I totally recommend reading this series and the TMI series and TID series.

OMG, I Can't wait for the last book its torture. T_T

I... I am not okay. I don't have the words

** spoiler alert ** Everything is just a mess and I need a few weeks so process it all

I have no words. That ending has me shook. I honestly have no clue on how I am supposed to survive two years until the next book.

I HATE IT HERE :)) pls don’t talk to me, don’t touch me, don’t even stare at me. Just don’t acknowledge my existence

haha what the actual fuck

** spoiler alert ** The ending!!! Why do you need to hurt me like that.

I enjoyed this book but the ending hurts so much