If you are new to the world of Shadowhunters, the easiest way to introduce you is to simply say all the stories are true. By stories, I mean the tales of the fantasy world - fairies, demons, magic, werewolves and vampires. These all exist in the world of the Shadowhunters, humans with angel blood, who live and die to protect the world from demonic forces and co-exist with Downworlders, the aforementioned beasties or non-mundane beings, that populate the earth. First, Cassandra Clare wrote a series of six books called The Mortal Instruments, set in relatively modern New York circa 2007 based around a young Shadowhunter named Clary Fairchild who has had her nature hidden from her all her life and discovers her true lineage in a dangerous series of events that change her life forever. A second series was released as a prequel set in the 1800's following the lives of Clary's ancestors and several of the related Shadowhunter families. It seems to me that Cassandra Clare likes to bounce around through time a fair bit, because her next release, The Dark Artifices, is set five years after the events of The Mortal Instruments and word on the internet is that another prequel series will be released that takes place between Infernal Devices and TMI. So for those who care to know, it goes as follows: *Infernal Devices (3 books published) *The Last Hours (unpublished) *The Mortal Instruments (6 books published) *The Dark Artifices (1 book published, 2 to go) I have just finished book one of Infernal Devices: Lady Midnight. (Look at that cover art, I do love a good Cassandra Clare cover.) The world of Shadowhunters is conceptually rich and not overbearing when it comes to overdone ideas - the werewolves make up modern day packs, vampires equate to the mafia, fairies are beautifully traditional in the Seelie/Unseelie vein and The Wild Hunt even gets a look in. Shadowhunters have their own government, traditions and magic, which is passed down through angelic lore and blood. Cities have their own High Warlocks... there are a thousand ways to get yourself into trouble, and the young protagonists always find a few interesting things to get caught up in. The main character of Lady Midnight is Emma Carstairs, a descendant of characters we are familiar with from Infernal Devices, and a tough Shadowhunter who harbors an obsession with the circumstances surrounding her parents death. Death is no stranger to Shadowhunters, I mean, hunting demons for a job brooks casualties, but Emma suspects there is much more it than the simple explanation she is given. There is so much going on in her life and in the lives of Shadowhunters following the catastrophic events of TMI that new laws have been put in place which makes her investigation a matter that must be kept quiet, except with those she trusts the most. This is a young adult novel... There is angst. There is teen heartbreak. In fact, heartbreak seems to be something that Clare does very well. She weaves the most beautiful of love stories and has a knack for being able to either completely destroy them and build them back up from impossibility, or leaves the results so ambiguous you end up racing out to buy the next novel with feverish desire to see how the hell these young people are going to resolve their problems. TMI sees two young people break down each others walls and fall for each other only to be manipulated into believing they are SIBLINGS (SPOILER: This is super not true and was designed for maximum mind fuckery, not only of the readers but the characters themselves). What the hell, man? Her stories aren't all romance though, the balance is well maintained between romance, mystery, and action. Each of the female leads I've encountered are complicated, strong, weak in some ways and very human despite their angelic blood (or warlock blood, as is the case with Tessa Gray). They carry themselves, the allow themselves to be saved when needed, and they use whatever they have the power to employ in their searches for truth, for answers, for ways to save the people they love. In Emma's case, there are a lot of people she loves. Her parabatai Julian has a big family and since both of them are orphans after the events of TMI, (his older siblings are half fairy an have been exiled from their lives as Shadowhunters due to the role the fae people played) they are fiercely protective of each other and their huge weird Shadowhunter family made of artists and warriors and flawed humans. Their uncle is hiding the magical equivalent of alzheimers from the family and Julian as the present eldest is basically running the institute so his family can stay together and thrive together. It's wonderful, the show of diversity, the representation of real characters. Julians younger brother is quiet, intense, very literal, uncomfortable with eye contact, fiercely smart and tech savvy. He totally comes through to save the day at one point. Emma's best friend is a Mexican Shadowhunter - every Shadowhunter at some point spends time in a different city to see how their Institute operates, how missions are run, how other hunters live their day to day lives. She comes to the LA Institute with a past that ends up, while lending a very annoying sense of secrecy, saving the day as well. Cassandra Clare may not be the most incredible writer on the planet and I'm sure there are a lot of people who think Young Adult novels are pointless, but I find so much value in the representation of young people struggling to find out who they are and where they belong in the world, no matter what bizarre universe you call your home. I will continue to buy her books and continue to recommend them to people as I find a lot of satisfaction in them. Fantasy is totally my jam and while I also love re-tellings, this universe crams those two genres together in a way I love. Rating - I'd say a 7.5 out of 10
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