Cassandra Clare is known to breathe life into her characters and in Lady Midnight, there’s without a doubt she did. Even with just the first few chapters, I’m already starting to fall for Emma who I met first. She’s got a thirst for adventure and action – and of course, revenge for her parents’ true murderer. I could say she’s much like a hyperactive child but Emma’s got a certain maturity and discipline to let you know that even with her humor and recklessness, she’s serious, especially about important matters (of the heart).
Then Julian enters the scene and you get to see, even with just subtle looks and little details, the burden he bears with being the parental figure of his big family. Almost instantly, he reminded me of Will and his curse. They both have to wear masks to protect those they care about. Tall, dark, and mysterious internally tortured boys. I. HAVE. FALLEN.
“Everyone is more than one thing,” said Kieran, “We are more than single actions we undertake, whether they be good or evil.”
My friend Julienne and I argued that no parabatai bond can match Heronstairs but Emma and Julian’s come close (pre-shit going down, if you know what I mean), especially given their situations. The Blackthorn kids and Emma both underwent a similar tragedy – being orphaned during the Dark War. For Emma and Julian, it was when they knew how much importance the other’s presence is in their lives. Cassandra Clare delved deep into both protagonists’ tragic history, bringing out the pain both experienced individually and how they coped through it as best friends and eventually, parabatai. Julian will always be Emma’s extra seraph blade during a demon fight and Emma will always be Julian’s breathing room when he’s tired from raising his 4 younger siblings.
Regarding said “shit going down, if you know what I mean”, after witnessing how much those two were there for each other when nobody was – how much they mean to each other – I totally see and understand why what happened, happened. My heart was in pieces at the whole idea of it. The consequences of actions. The world just won’t give them a break.
“There was beauty in the idea of freedom, but it was an illusion. Every human heart was chained by love.”
Cristina, Livvy, Ty, Tavvy, Mark, and even, Perfect Diego. They’re mostly side characters who also have a place in my heart. Cassandra Clare wrote each one with such unique personalities, making them not just characters on a page for plot but real. They’ve added their personal contributions to the mystery of Emma’s parents, the story as a whole, and to both Julian and Emma, themselves – Mark and his siblings for him and Cristina for her.
As for the actual mystery, it was interesting and of course, by Nephilim standard, complicated and coincidentally-involving-protagonists-or-people-close-with-protagonists. The murder mystery had a good premise but as the inhabitants of the L.A. Institute moved forward with the investigation, it drags a bit like dead weight. As a reader, I didn’t get to assimilate myself in the situation and was merely limited to being in standby as I watched pieces of the puzzle fit themselves together rather perfectly. (Though that made the villain revelation really surprising.) Often, the storyline was used as a plot device for character development, which is not necessarily bad. It just made Lady Midnight feel more of an exposition novel to the actual climax of the trilogy, especially with the really really important information the villain revealed later on.
“We can be cruelest to those who remind us of ourselves.”
However, this has got to be one of my favorite starters of all time among all the series (and that’s including TID). Having prior knowledge about the Shadow World and its characters was definitely helped me to fully enjoy Lady Midnight
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All the references and cameos from Cassandra Clare’s other series were a real treat – a crossover I’ve always dreamed of. It was fun to see them all there together – most, anyway – and it was very much cherished with a lot of fangirling.
I was actually expecting Lady Midnight to focus a lot on its characters and I honestly welcome it. They were written really well and solid that I just don’t see myself saying goodbye. At all. Even though I wasn't as invested in the plot. The uncovered secrets and decisions made at the end were huge WTF moments that I’m praying to all angels to just grant me Lord of Shadows. Now. Because seriously, I need to know what happens next.
"Why lie?"
