I gave myself two weeks for this book since it’s so long and I have no audiobook to accompany it. I’m hoping it will hold my attention and that I have enough time around work to read.

Read: April 1 – April 14, 2024

Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural
Audience: Young Adult
Book contains: dark elements/themes, demons and monsters, murder, necromancy, implied sexual content

Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca

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The Ending was Murphy’s Law

After discovering and killing her parents’ murderer, Emma Carstairs is at a loss. For years, it was the only thing driving her; now she doesn’t know what to do. Luckily, distraction comes in an uprising of sea demons that they must deal with in the wake of Malcolm’s death.

The second book of the trilogy, and while Emma and Julian aren’t my favourite characters of Clare’s, I enjoyed the first book. This second one is long, though, as is the third. There were a lot of additional scenes that built up the characters and side plots, and as a result, the main plot was a bit lost. That being said, the ending absolutely wrecked me.

A new Edgar Allen Poe poem greets you as you open this book, and the chapter titles pick and choose from it. Clare continues to use third person limited for this book, switching from character to character to tell the story. It’s set in past tense.

I once again had to give myself two weeks to finish this, and due to setbacks, I didn’t finish it until the Sunday of the second week rather than the Friday. The next book is even longer, which worries me.

Emma Carstairs is a decent main character, but she’s not my favourite. Same for Julian. The Blackthorns play a bit of a bigger role in this tale, and Kit joins them after his father was killed in the last book—since he has nowhere else to go. This book also introduced a bunch of new characters: the Centurions, who ended up being the worst. I was, however, elated by the fact that we finally discover Diana’s secret in this book—and that my guess was correct! Overall, a very interesting cast.

As for relationships… This is where it gets messy. So many things have happened in this book regarding the Blackthorn family, as well as the romantic entanglements of each character. You’d have to read it for yourself to gain the full scope.

The scenes and descriptions are great for YA, though the plot ran a little slow and subtle for this audience. Even after finishing the book, I wasn’t sure what the plot actually was, as it seemed like a whole bunch of little plots one after another. I suppose it had to do with Annabel, who we saw wake up at the end of the first book, and the “Lord of Shadows,” the Unseelie King.

The pacing was really slowed down in this book. At least, that’s what it feltlike to me. There was a lot of extra stuff to full out the characters and cause conflict. I prefer more fast-paced books that are just a little bit shorter. This opinion, of course, is also affected by how long it took me to get through this book.

If you loved the first book, I definitely recommend continuing this series. I hate leaving series unfinished myself. This isn’t the best book for fast-paced readers, but if you love characters, relationships, and getting to know more about the Shadowhunter world, this is a great book for you.

Related Reviews:

The Dark Artifices Book 1: Lady Midnight
The Dark Artifices Book 2: Lord of Shadows
The Dark Artifices Book 3: Queen of Air and Darkness
The Mortal Instruments Book 1: City of Bones
The Infernal Devices Book 1: Clockwork Angel
*The Other Side of Daylight by Nicole Chartier*