Scan barcode
sc_67890's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
feyresarchgf's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i had three problems with this book: (1) jem and tessa not explaining anything to kit about his mom and why she left, (2) why emma wouldn’t just tell julian about the law surrounding parabatai being forbidden from falling in love, AND (3) why they didn’t just try zara dearborn under the mortal sword to prove that she did/did not kill malcolm fade 🤷🏽♀️
otherwise i loved this book (except for that final bit that happened right at the end, i sobbed so bad)
otherwise i loved this book (except for that final bit that happened right at the end, i sobbed so bad)
eesh25's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars
I so badly wanted to be on top of things when it came to this book. It got delivered on 24th, in the evening; I started it on 25th, in the morning, and finished it on 26th, at night. The plan was to have the review up on the 27th. But that last chapter... For two days, I couldn't even think about it without getting very, very sad, and I kept putting off the review. Now it's been two weeks, and enough is enough. I'm doing this.
Lord of Shadows starts off just a few weeks after the end of Lady Midnight. Emma found out why parabatai can't be in a romantic relationship (apparently they both go crazy and kill everyone) so to make Jules hate her, she asked Mark if he would be in a fake relationship with her. He agreed, even though she didn't tell him why. Malcolm, the evil dick, is dead but there seems to be a disturbance in the force regarding Annabel. Maybe she's coming back to life. On top of that, there's some very shady stuff going on with the demons and the faeries. The Unseelie king is misbehaving and the peeps over at the LA institute need to sort that shit out. And there we have our plot.
But... this plot doesn't immediately come into play. Cassie Clare is known for her love-triangles (including the only good love-triangle in existence), her angst and the misunderstandings she creates. We get a lot of that here as well. But it's not unbearable like it usually is with other books/authors because she creates the most wonderful characters and reading about them is always a joy.
So even though the story's pace isn't the best due to it being interspersed with angst, it's never boring because we have the characters. In the first book, I loved everyone expect Mark and Emma, whom I was unsure about. I like Emma now, which is a big surprise because after the stunt she pulled at the end of LM, I thought I would hate her forever. But she was miserable and very much full of guilt so I'm good with her. Believe it or not, self-loathing over your shitting choices goes a long a way with me when it comes to forgiveness.
That's not to say that I didn't still want her to just fucking talk to Jules about what she found out. That never changed. As for Mark, I still don't know what to do with him.
The other characters, I still love, especially Jules. His scheming and manipulative genius is an honest-to-God turn-on. Though at times he kinda scares me. And after what happens at the end of the book... it was a huge turning point for him. I have no clue what's gonna happen to him. He could go the evil overlord direction for all I know! Though I don't think even Cassie is that mean.
Speaking of characters though, there was one that stood out for me because of her arc. Diana Wrayburn. We were told in book 1 that there was a reason she couldn't become the head of the institute. And we find out what that reason is. Believe me, you will not see it coming. It made me love Cassie even more. And on top of that, she had a romantic arc as well, which was equal parts cute and hysterical, as you'll see.
Diana's storyline was the highlight of the novel for me. But I liked the other plotlines as well, and there were quite a few. There was the one with the council and their endlessly stupid laws, the Emma and Jules relationship, the Christina, Mark and Kieran complication, the Centurions, and the Ty, Livvy and Kit dynamic. There's also something going on with Dru that I think has something to do with setting up The Wicked Powers, which, if you don't know, is the concluding series of The Shadowhunter Chronicles and starts 3-4 years after The Dark Artifices.
Overall, this books was a lot better than I expected it to be, though I'm not sure why I expected it to be bad, and was a great sequel. No Second Book Syndrome was found, and while I'd like to say I'm excited for book 3, I can't say that because I'm still just processing what happens in the last chapter. I have no intention of even thinking about the series until the next book comes out (in two freaking years!).
poesydesy's review against another edition
5.0
Quando un libro riesce a spezzarti il cuore, si deve dare 5 stelle per forza!
matthiasdw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
5.0
Arrived today on my Kindle as I pre-ordered it as soon as it was possible.
Will start reading instantly!
And as expected, I enjoy this a lot, because these characters are so real, and I care about them, even though I cannot stand some (Jace).
A bit too much with the Julian / Emma relationship, and with Julians spindoctoring and putting family first instead of The Greater Good (meaning the rest of the whole world), this book resulted for me in strongly disliking Julian, nearly as strong as Jace (an arrogant bloke). In fact, if he is not stopped I see him going down a dark fork in his life-path.
The females, be it the few girls or the women are much better (exceptions like the Faerie Queen just prove the point).
Most of the time I considered how many major characters and which I would kill in the end and while I was not entirely wrong, I was still surprised by the final showdown. Although I would have killed a few different people different.
Ending with a brutal fight and major cliffhanger.
Recommended page-turner, does not work as a standalone, Lady Midnight should be read before, the other Shadowhunter-books not necessarily, but it helps. And now I am waiting for the next book, which is listed on Goodreads with a publication date of 2019, nearly 1.5 - 2 years away.
Will start reading instantly!
And as expected, I enjoy this a lot, because these characters are so real, and I care about them, even though I cannot stand some (Jace).
“You think angels are gentle,” said Julian. “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 a cold and brutal glory.”
A bit too much with the Julian / Emma relationship, and with Julians spindoctoring and putting family first instead of The Greater Good (meaning the rest of the whole world), this book resulted for me in strongly disliking Julian, nearly as strong as Jace (an arrogant bloke). In fact, if he is not stopped I see him going down a dark fork in his life-path.
The females, be it the few girls or the women are much better (exceptions like the Faerie Queen just prove the point).
Most of the time I considered how many major characters and which I would kill in the end and while I was not entirely wrong, I was still surprised by the final showdown. Although I would have killed a few different people different.
Ending with a brutal fight and major cliffhanger.
Recommended page-turner, does not work as a standalone, Lady Midnight should be read before, the other Shadowhunter-books not necessarily, but it helps. And now I am waiting for the next book, which is listed on Goodreads with a publication date of 2019, nearly 1.5 - 2 years away.
illusie's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I dislike love triangles and in this book we did not get 1 but 2 love triangles. Yuck. That was annoying, but the plot and writing was good. I like the characters. I just hove the love triangle will stop soon! *fingers crossed* Despite that I loved the book. I don't like the ending though.
alenamoya's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
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
5.0