Lady Midnight

February 15, 2016
Clare returns to her Shadowhunters world with this enjoyable if drawn-out tale. Set in contemporary Los Angeles, it centers on Emma Carstairs, a Shadowhunter adopted by members of the Blackthorn family who, like her, were orphaned in the Dark War five years earlier. Emma has become parabatai or sworn companion to Julian, the oldest Blackthorn boy living at the local Institute, where Shadowhunters live and train. When humans and faeries start turning up dead, covered in mysterious runes like those found on the bodies of Emma's parents, she and Julian investigate, accompanied by Julian's disoriented older brother Mark, recently returned after having been stolen by the faeries years before. Having been gradually revealed in nine previous novels, the Shadowhunter universe is complex, jargon-rich, and a bit unwieldy, but Clare's well-developed protagonists (each a fragile combination of heroic warrior and teenage neurotic), pell-mell action sequences, complicated family dynamics, and fascinating magic system continue to engage. This first volume in the Dark Artifices trilogy should easily please Clare's existing fans, but newcomers will want to begin with the Mortal Instruments. Ages 14âup. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary.

February 15, 2016
By the Angel, it's a new series from the reigning queen of schmaltzy forbidden love against a backdrop of geysering green ichor. Five years after the events of City of Heavenly Fire (2014), another generation of Shadowhunters confronts first love despite the sins of their fathers. Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn are 17-year-old parabatai, platonically bonded warrior lifemates, sworn to each other since they were both orphaned at 12. Julian, responsible for his four younger siblings, became grave and adult before his time, while Emma grew reckless and obsessed with revenge. Now a series of occult murders has caught Emma's attention. The resulting chaos is trademark Clare, complete with longing looks, uncannily pretty boys, and snarky banter. No mere love triangles here; the circle of taboo ardor has six participants, all preternaturally lovely and extraordinary fighters, Shadowhunter and faerie both; though most are white and the primary characters straight, at least one is explicitly brown-skinned and two of the secondary members bisexual. It's not just lust and romance driving Emma and Julian; they're positively throbbing with stoically stifled emotions for siblings, their Mexican Nephilim allies, and the long-lost half-faerie Blackthorns. Though uneven, this series opener delivers what's promised: eyes like "doors to another world," "the ocean a mile down from the surface," "an oncoming storm over the ocean," or "the back of a silver spoon." Fans of Clare's grandiloquence will enjoy the torrid new cast of characters, positively aquiver with secret ardor and murderous zeal. (Urban fantasy. 13-17)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn have grown up together, struggling with the deaths of their respective parents and the responsibilities of caring for Julian's younger siblings after the Dark War. Five years after they convince the Clave to allow Emma to stay with the Blackthorns in Los Angeles, Emma and Julian realize that they are drawn to each other in a way prohibited by the rules of their parabatai bond. Julian's older brother Mark returns, conditionally, from the Wild Hunt to help the duo investigate recent murders that Emma believes may be connected to those of her parents. The Clave insists that her parents' deaths were related to the war, so true to Shadowhunter form, the teens take matters into their own hands, enlisting the help of the warlock Malcolm Fade and their tutor, Diana Wrayburn, as they pursue a dangerous truth that will unlock secrets of betrayal, obsession, and revenge. Complications abound, with multiple cliff-hangers that hint at the hard-hitting drama to come as the series continues. Clare delivers spectacular Shadowhunter fare with her trademark street tough yet emotionally fragile adolescent characters taking on adult roles and includes plenty of violent action and passionate romance to satisfy fans of "The Infernal Devices" and "The Mortal Instruments" series, who will be thrilled to see some of their favorite characters from the previous books make appearances. VERDICT A must-have for libraries with devoted Shadowhunter fans, who will undoubtedly be waiting for this emotionally intense beginning to her new series.-Kerry Sutherland, Akron-Summit County Public Library, OH

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 Fighting is Emma Carstairs' life. She is training to be a Shadowhuntera demon killerand is determined to discover the truth behind her parents' grisly murder five years ago. At her side is lifelong best friend Julian, who is also her parabatai, a bonded-for-life platonic warrior partner. As a new rash of murders occurs throughout L.A. and faces from her past return, Emma gets closer to discovering the truth about her parents, even as she and Julian begin to navigate their changing feelings for each other. But the law that prohibits parabatai from falling in love is rooted in reason, and the consequences are more dire than they know. At more than 700 pages, this is sometimes overblown, and Clare relies overmuch on characters from other series in her Shadowhunter world (although this likely won't dissuade her die-hard fans). Still, there is much to enjoy, including a subplot involving the Wild Hunt that is fresh and often wonderfully told. With an intense cliff-hanger ending, demand for the sequel is likely to be just as high. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With a Shadowhunters TV series now on air, Clare has never been more popular. This new series delivers plenty of the violence, otherworldy intrigue, and star-crossed romances readers have come to expect.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)