“Lady Midnight” (Margaret K. McElderry Books), by Cassandra Clare
It’s been six years since Cassandra Clare introduced a new series in her world of shadowhunting. Readers have been waiting for another cast of brave characters to protect the Earth from demons — and “Lady Midnight” doesn’t disappoint. Clare’s imagination once again fills the pages with a thrilling world that promises political deviance, never-ending drama and unwavering love.
When we last saw Emma Carstairs, she was 12 years old. She valiantly fought beside her best friend Julian Blackthorn in a vicious war against Sebastian Morgenstern and his mind-controlled army that rocked the world of every shadowhunter. The battle left Emma and Julian orphans. Together, they moved to the Los Angeles Institute to help raise Julian’s younger siblings.
Five years later, Emma has grown into an exceptional warrior. The force that drives her determined spirit is the hope that she will one day find the murderer who killed her parents. Even though those in the shadowhunter world believe that the Carstairs’ deaths were the result of Morgenstern’s wrath, Emma isn’t convinced. Especially when downworlders start turning up dead with the exact same markings as her parents’ bodies.
Emma turns to Julian to help solve the mystery. As the days go by, the best friends learn that the murders are the tip of a very big iceberg. Because they are a tight-knit family, the younger Blackthorn kids insist on pitching in to help. Each uses his or her talents to figure out and locate missing pieces of a very big puzzle. The Blackthorns, Emma and various friends from the Los Angeles Institute rally together, determined to bring justice to their city. Unfortunately, time is not on their side, and they must race the clock in order to stop another war from tearing their world apart.
Clare’s ability to tell a fresh new story, while overlapping critical components from her previous series, is worthy of applause. Readers can rest in the familiarity of her shadowhunter world, but can also bask in the excitement of embracing a new roster of gritty characters.
“Lady Midnight” incorporates the importance of responsibility, the call of justice and the willingness to risk it all for those you love.
Lincee Ray, AP
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