The Dark Artifices
Young Adult Fiction
Simon and Schuster
May 23, 2017
Hardcover
720
Emma is torn between her passion for Julian and her need to protect him from the consequences of a forbidden romantic partnership, a situation challenged by her relationship with Mark and his efforts to regain his Shadowhunter capabilities.
WrensReads Review:
Okay people. I need to let everyone know that you cannot and should not read this series unless you have read the previous two. I am a strong believer in reading a book in the way the author wrote them, and this is no different. The last two series interlink, and if you need help figuring out what to read in what order, you just ask me and I will point you in the right direction. The first series isn’t that great (personal opinion) and the writing is kind of young (first series, it’s okay), but her writing gets so much better and her story telling evolves even more (if that is possible).
Seriously, do not just take this as an encouragement. Take this as law.
I don’t put any like big spoilers in this, but I do hint at them. So proceed at your own risk
So Cassandra Clare nails it in diversity in sexuality, race, and situation. A lot of the political things going on in this book mirror actual situations that we deal with today (and I don’t think she did that accidentally). She even has people with with special needs. I mean, I don’t know about you but I think she has done a great job with diversity in every aspect.
Honestly the “big plot” isn’t what makes me love this book. Sometimes I forget there is a bigger plot. The characters are what I love and what I keep reading for.
I’m going to do this by character… bare with me.
Jemma (Julian and Emma):
This couple is the great complexity of a couple I have ever met in my whole life. Their friendship is so pure that it makes me want to set up interviews for my own Jules. Jules cared so much for Emma that he would have rather her stick around and be parabatai and never have her as anything more than that than have her move to a different Institute and maybe someday run into her again and fall in love. Emma would rather fake-date Jules’s brother Mark for the rest of her life in order to save Jules and his whole family instead of being with her soulmate.
Even though someone somewhere may be able to undo the parabatai ritual, the back fire of it might be too much for them to even try. Like these two kids are incredibly strong for what they are going to. This is the best couple and couple-drama and couple-complexity that Cassandra Clare has ever written in her whole life.
Kierarktina (Kieran and Mark and Cristina.. with a side of Diego):
Then there is this hot mess.
Mark and Kieran are together. Mark does something unforgivable but then forgets and believes he is still together with Mark but Mark wants to be with Cristina who is actually with Diego (I’ll get to that) but then for some reason she isn’t but then they need Kieran and… seriously what I felt at the end of this book is that Cristina, Mark and Kieran should all just date each other. One big happy trio of love.
Diegotina (Diego and Cristina):
My flipping word, Cristina must be made of flipping diamonds because everyone is in love with her. But boy, did Diego really screw things up! I mean I guess you get an answer for why he was doing it, but couldn’t he had waited for things to calm down before jumping on Cristina again? I would NOT be seeing that boy ever again.
Tyvvy (Ty and Livvy):
This is why I want twins. Call me crazy, but I would love to have twins to have this deep of a connection with my children. Someone to understand the twitch of a hand or to see what the other is feeling even though it isn’t written on their face. Livvy loves Ty so much and Ty loves her so much. I love their relationship and how they will have each other’s backs until the end of times.
I’m so broken up about this book. I love these two.
Kitty (Kit and Ty):
I’m not sure what is happening here. I honestly hope it is just a strong friendship. I feel as if maybe it will be more (because Cassandra always pairs main characters up with other main characters), but I love a good, strong friendship between two completely different people. I love that even though Ty has slit-autism and Kit has abandonment issues, they find the calm and the peace within themselves.
Draime (Dru and Jaime):
This was short lived, but I feel like something beautiful is going to bloom out of this forgotten Blackthorn. Like, no one talks about poor Dru. Jaime is going to change that, I just know it.
Diwyn (Diana and Gwyn):
First let me just say that Cassandra Clare did a great job with Diana. I don’t really know why the leader of the Hunt (Faerie) would take notice in a shadowhunter girl, but HEY! It’s a young adult book. Someone very special has to notice someone ordinary for it to remain interesting, right?
Clace (Clary and Jace):
Their story was my least favorite for an absolute fact. With that being said, I think this book has redeemed them some and I am finding them a little more interesting.
Malec (Magnus and Alec):
I love these two so much. I am not sure what is going on with Magnus and other warlocks, but these two absolute mend my heart. I love them so much and how much they have grown together. Alec always gets the butt of things though, doesn’t it? The end of the book absolutely killed me in more ways than one, and Alec is involved in one.
Only real complaint is how many characters there are. Like my goodness, Clare and Maas both just give us more and more characters and we love them but man do I feel overwhelmed sometimes.
And that’s all I got besides that I am a little LIVVVVVID that I have to wait until 2019 for book three. Like seriously? Guess I’ll just be here holding the pieces of my heart.
Order to Read this Series:
The Mortal Instruments #01: City of Bones
The Mortal Instruments #02: City of Ashes
The Mortal Instruments #03: City of Glass
The Infernal Devices #01: Clockwork Angel
The Mortal Instruments #04: City of Heavenly Fire
The Infernal Devices #02: Clockwork Prince
The Mortal Instruments #05: City of Lost Souls
The Infernal Devices #03: Clockwork Princess
The Mortal Instruments #06: City of Fallen Angels
*The next two (The Bane Chronicles and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy) are optional. They are groups of novellas. I believe in reading novellas so you can pick up different things in the books that follow.
The Bane Chronicles #01: What Really Happened in Peru
The Bane Chronicles #02: The Runaway Queen
The Bane Chronicles #03: Vampires, Scones, & Edmund Herondale
The Bane Chronicles #04: The Midnight Heir
The Bane Chronicles #05: The Rise of the Hotel Dumort
The Bane Chronicles #06: Saving Raphael Santiago
The Bane Chronicles #07: The Fall of Hotel Dumort
The Bane Chronicles #08: What to Buy the Shadowhunter…
The Bane Chronicles #09: The Last Stand of the New York Institute
The Bane Chronicles #10: The Course of True Love
The Bane Chronicles #11: The Voicemail of Magnus Bane
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #01: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #02: The Lost Herondale
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #03: The Whitechapel Fiend
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #04: Nothing but Shadows
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #05: The Evil We Love
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #06: Pale Kings and Princes
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #07: Bitter of Tongue
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #08: The Fiery Trial
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #09: Born to Endless Night
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #10: Angels Twice Descending
The Dark Artifices #01: Lady Midnight
The Dark Artifices #02: Lord of Shadows
The Dark Artifices #03: Queen of Air and Darkness
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