Welcome back folks to another Book of the Month. If you’ve missed any of our previous books you can check out the tag below. As always we encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions with us, in the comments section below.
This month we’re diving into a novel released earlier this year. Our September book of the month is the first book of Cassandra Clare’s new Dark Artifices trilogy Lady Midnight.
Lady Midnight takes place in the well established world of the Shadowhunters. The story follows Emma and Julian as they deal with the pull of their responsibilities. Their Shadwhunter duties, the responsibilities of looking after younger siblings and the fears of falling into a forbidden love.
Newcomers to the series do not have to have read any of Clare’s previous books to enjoy this one. However, reading The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices will give you a deeper understanding of the world. It will also shed some light on what has happened before the events of The Dark Artifices.
What is a Shadowhunter?
Shadowhunters are half human – half angel warriors, driven by the might of the Angel Raziel. Often referred to as the nephilim, Shadowhunters have bases all around the world where they operate in secret, maintaining balance between the various races of demons, vampires, werewolves, warlocks and the Fae.
Each of Cassandra Clare‘s series is based in a different base, or institute, and each series has its own unique set of characters, but crossovers are commonplace so if you enjoy Lady Midnight, you will no doubt enjoy some of the other series.
The Mortal Instruments was the first series released. This series takes place in the New York Institute and has a wide-ranging cast of Shadowhunters, Vampires and Werewolves.
The Infernal Devices is a prequel to The Mortal Instruments and is set in 1900s London.
While Lady Midnight, the first novel of The Dark Artifices trilogy is set in Los Angeles and is a sequel to The Mortal Instruments series.
What is the premise of Lady Midnight?
Emma Carstairs is the protagonist of this series, and strives to be the best Shadowhunter in the world. She is a confident warrior, in comparison to her Parabatai Julian Blackthorn who although is more than capable of holding his own in battle, he prefers to put his efforts into creative projects like painting. While also acting as a responsible guardian for all his younger siblings.
“When the bodies of humans and faeries turn up murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were when she was a child, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge—and Julian’s chance to get back his brother Mark, who is being held prisoner by the faerie Courts. All Emma, Mark, and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks…and before the murderer targets them.”
Fast paced and full of emotion, heart and action. Lady Midnight is a great read as we slowly approach that open fire & hot chocolate weather.
As always, this is a spoiler free recommendation, and we would encourage you to use The Arcade Community Page to share your thoughts once you have read it. You may also like to catch up on some of out other books from previous months, and join in the discussions for Black Widow: Forever Red and Cinder.
