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devilisindetails's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
arleyne's review against another edition
4.0
4.5*
This probably would've been a five-star read if I hadn't been in the biggest slump this past month.
I don't know how Cassandra Clare can write so many characters and make me care about every single one of them. The 'found' family in this book might have been my favorite one of hers so far.
I really liked the plot. It was action-packed, fast-paced, and overall kept my interest well, especially considering my reading slump.
But the plot wasn't what made this book so good. That was the characters. Emma, definitely her best female MC written so far, was fierce and witty but at the same time vulnerable.
Jules (poor poor Jules :() is my favorite. The way he cares about his family, about Emma, when he has been through so much. And every single time he thought he might have been granted some reprieve, it was ripped out of his hands (). Ugh, I want to give him a hug so badly. I loved his relationships with the children, and the way he called them 'his children'. Especially the way he tries to find ways for Ty to cope with his autism and how he tries to make him feel normal. Also, Jules and Tavvy's relationship is so so cute.
The way Ty's autism was portrayed was so well done. I love that Clare added that to the story and the way she incorporated it into the world-building. Ty and Livvy's relationship dynamics were everything. How she could sense his moods so well, how he acted like he was tired so she would go to bed, and the way he covered her body with his so she wouldn't get hurt. My heart <3
Things would've been so much better if Christina and Emma could've been parabatai. The way they care about each other was heartwarming.
Every time I don't read a friends-to-lovers-trope I forget how good it can be. The yearning, the desperation, the jealousy, just uggh. And Clare executed it so well in Lady Midnight. I honestly don't know who are my favorite couple of hers. I think Will and Tessa and Jules and Emma hold the first place together for now. But who knows, Julian and Emma might beat them.
Now about that ending...
Emma Emma Emma.... what did you do?! I mean, I understand why she did it, but still. I hate this. Julian's heart will break when he hears. Poor Jules... And what about that last sentence??!! If they actually hook up or sleep together I'm going to scream. They can't. They better not. Aargh.
I honestly don't know how they're going to get past the parabatai curse. Cut the runes away? Stop being parabatai's? Or do they have to actually break the curse? Hmmm
I do hope that Julian finds out about it in the next book.
Something else about the ending... So Annabel was resurrected, but with whose Blackthorn blood?I don't remember any of the Blackthorns bleeding during that battle and I feel like Clare would've mentioned it if it was important. So was it Emma's blood? Because she's Julians parabatai? She was the only one I remember bleeding. It could be the parabatai bound, causing her blood to mistaken for Julian's since their souls are intertwined and all that. I have a feeling we'll hear more about that in the next book.
This probably would've been a five-star read if I hadn't been in the biggest slump this past month.
I don't know how Cassandra Clare can write so many characters and make me care about every single one of them. The 'found' family in this book might have been my favorite one of hers so far.
I really liked the plot. It was action-packed, fast-paced, and overall kept my interest well, especially considering my reading slump.
But the plot wasn't what made this book so good. That was the characters. Emma, definitely her best female MC written so far, was fierce and witty but at the same time vulnerable.
Jules (poor poor Jules :() is my favorite. The way he cares about his family, about Emma, when he has been through so much. And every single time he thought he might have been granted some reprieve, it was ripped out of his hands (
Spoiler
When Arthur came to take care of them only to find out he would be classified as a lunatic; When Mark returned, only to for Julian to find that he was traumatized and not fit to take care of the kids; When Emma broke his heart when he thought there might finally be a chance for them;The way Ty's autism was portrayed was so well done. I love that Clare added that to the story and the way she incorporated it into the world-building. Ty and Livvy's relationship dynamics were everything. How she could sense his moods so well, how he acted like he was tired so she would go to bed, and the way he covered her body with his so she wouldn't get hurt. My heart <3
Things would've been so much better if Christina and Emma could've been parabatai. The way they care about each other was heartwarming.
Every time I don't read a friends-to-lovers-trope I forget how good it can be. The yearning, the desperation, the jealousy, just uggh. And Clare executed it so well in Lady Midnight. I honestly don't know who are my favorite couple of hers. I think Will and Tessa and Jules and Emma hold the first place together for now. But who knows, Julian and Emma might beat them.
Now about that ending...
Spoiler
I did not see Malcolms' betrayal coming at all. And even after we found out, I thought he still cared about them. But no. Yeah did not expect that.Emma Emma Emma.... what did you do?! I mean, I understand why she did it, but still. I hate this. Julian's heart will break when he hears. Poor Jules... And what about that last sentence??!! If they actually hook up or sleep together I'm going to scream. They can't. They better not. Aargh.
I honestly don't know how they're going to get past the parabatai curse. Cut the runes away? Stop being parabatai's? Or do they have to actually break the curse? Hmmm
I do hope that Julian finds out about it in the next book.
Something else about the ending... So Annabel was resurrected, but with whose Blackthorn blood?I don't remember any of the Blackthorns bleeding during that battle and I feel like Clare would've mentioned it if it was important. So was it Emma's blood? Because she's Julians parabatai? She was the only one I remember bleeding. It could be the parabatai bound, causing her blood to mistaken for Julian's since their souls are intertwined and all that. I have a feeling we'll hear more about that in the next book.
urmom46's review against another edition
4.0
TLDR: A solid first book in The Dark Artifices. Get ready for interesting characters, solid plot, but lowkey eye-rolling romance.
There is a lot to enjoy about this book. The writing was pretty good, and the cast was very interesting to follow.
Characters:
What makes Emma is interesting is that she is the first main female lead who’s not a mundane, unlike Tessa from TID and Clary from TMI. I’m not going to lie, more than Emma, I was more interesting in the side characters.
We once again have a brooding male lead, but I feel more sympathy towards him and his situation. Julian has a lot of weight to deal with, growing up too fast to take care of his siblings. And the sad thing is that I feel like a lot of people can relate to him, and how the government can screw over a lot of families and children, even if they don’t have a half-faerie brother.
Speaking of Mark, being in the faerie world, he’s definitely not the same person we saw in TMI. But I like his character coming back, and trying to fit into the family when he doesn’t even know who he is himself.
This brings me to Cristina. Cristina is a godsend in this book. I love love love her so much. Her character reminds me of the badass femininity of Isabelle, and she’s got secrets of her own to hide. I definitely hope to see more of her as the series goes on.
The Blackthorn kids all seem interesting but I don’t really know enough about them yet, same with Mark’s faerie boyfriend Kieran.
Plot:
The plot is one of the strongest points in this book. We see some old characters make an appearance as well which is always welcome. The plot twist is really solid.
Cons:
We have another forbidden romance. Cristina Mark and Kieran have something going on which I love, but Emma and Julian fall in love despite being Parabatai (this shouldn’t be a surprise). I wonder how many more series Clare can keep up before she starts running out of ways to keep her two leads apart.
Some characters fall flat because the cast is so huge. I want either more screentime with the blackthorn kids separately or more family moments (not necessarily with Julian) because I want to know more about them. Despite me loving to see some old characters come back something felt off but I can’t put my finger on it. The writing was actually the pretty nice, but we’ll have to see if that continues through the second and third book.
There is a lot to enjoy about this book. The writing was pretty good, and the cast was very interesting to follow.
Characters:
What makes Emma is interesting is that she is the first main female lead who’s not a mundane, unlike Tessa from TID and Clary from TMI. I’m not going to lie, more than Emma, I was more interesting in the side characters.
We once again have a brooding male lead, but I feel more sympathy towards him and his situation. Julian has a lot of weight to deal with, growing up too fast to take care of his siblings. And the sad thing is that I feel like a lot of people can relate to him, and how the government can screw over a lot of families and children, even if they don’t have a half-faerie brother.
Speaking of Mark, being in the faerie world, he’s definitely not the same person we saw in TMI. But I like his character coming back, and trying to fit into the family when he doesn’t even know who he is himself.
This brings me to Cristina. Cristina is a godsend in this book. I love love love her so much. Her character reminds me of the badass femininity of Isabelle, and she’s got secrets of her own to hide. I definitely hope to see more of her as the series goes on.
The Blackthorn kids all seem interesting but I don’t really know enough about them yet, same with Mark’s faerie boyfriend Kieran.
Plot:
The plot is one of the strongest points in this book. We see some old characters make an appearance as well which is always welcome. The plot twist is really solid.
Cons:
We have another forbidden romance. Cristina Mark and Kieran have something going on which I love, but Emma and Julian fall in love despite being Parabatai (this shouldn’t be a surprise). I wonder how many more series Clare can keep up before she starts running out of ways to keep her two leads apart.
Some characters fall flat because the cast is so huge. I want either more screentime with the blackthorn kids separately or more family moments (not necessarily with Julian) because I want to know more about them. Despite me loving to see some old characters come back something felt off but I can’t put my finger on it. The writing was actually the pretty nice, but we’ll have to see if that continues through the second and third book.
skyfloor's review against another edition
4.0
OMG, so much feeling, so many things happened. I knew that the clues have been scattered through the book, but I still couldn't see it coming. And it's a heartbreaking betrayal. Julian, oh Jules, I love you. I adore him so much. There's heavy burden in his shoulders. I have the urge to hug him tight every now and then.
And KIT!!! I've been expecting it since Tales from Shadowhunter Academy. Huwaaah, I can't wait to read more about him.
And KIT!!! I've been expecting it since Tales from Shadowhunter Academy. Huwaaah, I can't wait to read more about him.
gabbyeleene's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
z33_brady's review against another edition
5.0
Cassandra's books never disappoint! I'm always binge reading her work. Her work always gets my blood flowing, moving. God bless Cassandra Clare's mind!! I could not praise this book (and all her other ones) enough. They inspire me and I am sure many others! If you haven't read these series of books... Why are you sitting here reading this review? GO READ THE SERIES!
amrutha_1397's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
trishagreenie's review against another edition
5.0
I've been waiting to start this series for a loooong time, as I wanted to wait until the third book had been released so I wouldn't have a long wait until I could read the whole trilogy. I still haven't got the third book on my bookshelf, but at least I know it's available for me to order when I'm ready!
Anyway, I've been waiting with great anticipation to read this series, and this book wasn't disappointing - chock full of drama and action, a little bit of romance, a whooooole lot of angst. What more could one ask from an instalment in an epic urban fantasy series? It certainly kept me captivated, though I wasn't utterly compelled to read the book at all hours of the day.
The twist in this one was one I didn't see coming, though perhaps others are more perceptive and knew what was going to happen. I do appreciate a good mystery where you don't know the truth until pretty close to the end of the book.
Now I'm onto book two, which I guess may be my first read of 2019 once I'm done!
Anyway, I've been waiting with great anticipation to read this series, and this book wasn't disappointing - chock full of drama and action, a little bit of romance, a whooooole lot of angst. What more could one ask from an instalment in an epic urban fantasy series? It certainly kept me captivated, though I wasn't utterly compelled to read the book at all hours of the day.
The twist in this one was one I didn't see coming, though perhaps others are more perceptive and knew what was going to happen. I do appreciate a good mystery where you don't know the truth until pretty close to the end of the book.
Now I'm onto book two, which I guess may be my first read of 2019 once I'm done!